Arizona Cardinals

5 NFL teams that lost Week 1 and will make the playoffs

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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While these five teams didn’t get off to the start they were looking for, they’re still in good shape to make the NFL Playoffs.

Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season is in the books, and while there were a few big losers this past week (we’re looking at you Browns, Redskins and Rams), the majority of the games on Sunday and Monday were extremely competitive with many coming down to the final minutes and the final plays of the game to decide a winner. The three teams mentioned were essentially slaughtered, but the remaining 13 games on the Week 1 schedule were all decided by single digits, with an astonishing four games being decided by only one point and two more had merely a two-point difference. In fact, of the teams that lost by single digits, only the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears didn’t come within seven points of victory. If only the game was 30 minutes long — am I right, Bears fans?

So, here we are after only a week. With so many close games and so many comeback victories, records aren’t really telling the whole story at this point in the season, but the fact remains that we’ve got 16 teams that are now 0-1.

Now, I think we can all agree at this point that at least the Browns and Rams already have a zero-percent chance of getting into the playoffs. And although the Redskins got hammered, they still play in a weak NFC East, so let’s not rule them out just yet. As for most of the other winless teams thus far, it’s a pretty tough call to make.

But let’s have some fun and make a few predictions anyway. Here are five NFL teams that lost in Week 1 and will still make the playoffs, starting with the first team to lose this season.

5. Carolina Panthers

This one may be the easiest to call. The Carolina Panthers are going to make the NFL Playoffs. Cam Newton and company are just too talented to miss out a year after going to the Super Bowl. It’s extremely difficult to go on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions and get a victory, but the Panthers almost did just that.

No, Cam Newton didn’t put up the MVP-type numbers that we became accustomed to a season ago, but it certainly doesn’t help when you’re being bashed in the head like CM Punk on a Saturday night, does it?

It was great to see Kelvin Benjamin out there making plays — six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown to be exact– after a knee injury in training camp last year forced him to miss the entire 2015 season. He’s put himself in position to be Cam Newton’s primary target, other than perhaps Greg Olsen, who himself had a typical good game with nine catches for 73 yards, and is primed for a great comeback season.

Jonathan Stewart didn’t put up huge numbers on Thursday night but looked very solid at points, and Luke Kuechly and the Carolina defense looked very good as well.

The only team in the NFC South to win a Week 1 game was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and although Jameis Winston is showing no signs of a sophomore slump, the division still belongs to the Panthers and they shouldn’t have any problem getting in.

The Panthers host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and should be able to even their record at 1-1.

Sep 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) celebrates after scoring his 100th NFL touchdown during the second half against the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

4. Arizona Cardinals

Picked by many “experts” to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals had everything in place to beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night in Glendale. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were out, but backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was efficient as could be all night long and got the victory.

Of course, that missed 47-yard field goal with 36 seconds left had something to do with it as well. Holder Drew Butler tried to salvage the bad snap from rookie Kameron Canaday but the damage was done as kicker Chandler Catanzaro’s attempt hooked left to seal the 0-1 start for Arizona.

While Carson Palmer definitely didn’t play the best game he’s ever played, there were some very good signs for the Arizona offense. Larry Fitzgerald turned back the clock a bit with a great performance, including a fantastic over-the-shoulder catch in the endzone and David Johnson looked very good in his effort to prove that his rookie year was no accident.

The defense has a little bit of work to do, especially on third down, as they allowed New England to convert 10-of-16 chances, but again, they were still in position to win the game. They’re going to have a battle on their hands with the Seattle Seahawks for the division crown, but even if they don’t get that, they’re likely to snatch up one of the Wild Card spots in the NFC.

Up next for Arizona is a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Sep 11, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) runs with the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at EverBank Field. Green Bay Packers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

While I’d consider the first two teams on this list locks for the NFL Playoffs, it starts to get a bit tricky from here. But I really like the Jacksonville Jaguars and they certainly gave the Green Bay Packers all they could handle in their season opener at EverBank Field on Sunday afternoon.

One of the biggest advantages Jacksonville has is playing in the AFC South. The Texans beat up on an average Bears team on Sunday and were the only team in the division to open with a victory. The Colts are going to score points but they’re also going to give up a ton, much like what happened against the Lions, and the Titans just aren’t quite ready to take that next step. The Jags could be ready, however.

Jacksonville has found a star in quarterback Blake Bortles, who went a solid 24-for-39 with 320 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and also threw an interception that wasn’t his fault at all as the ball was bobbled by Marqise Lee right into the hands of Green Bay linebacker Joe Thomas. The offense was efficient against a good Packers defense but Jacksonville has to get better in the red zone if they want to compete at that next level.

Much like the Colts, the problem won’t be scoring points but will be allowing more than they score. A season ago, the Jags put up nearly 24 points per game while giving up 28. And what was the final score on Sunday? 27-23, which is just about on par from 2015 but let’s get real. There was absolutely nothing they could do about that Aaron Rodgers touchdown pass at the end of the first half. Jacksonville is on the rise and could slide into the playoffs as the AFC South champions.

The Jaguars will hit the West Coast on Sunday to battle the 0-1 San Diego Chargers.

Sep 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) runs the ball away from Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Karlos Dansby (56) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. New York Jets

J-E-T-S. JETS! JETS! JETS!

The New York Jets should be 1-0. It’s as simple as that.

In a tough Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, albeit a home game, the Jets defense was all over Andy Dalton, sacking the Cincy quarterback seven times, including 2.5 from Leonard Williams and two by Steve McLendon.

However, Dalton remained poised and went 23-for-30 with 366 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception. Despite that pick, the secondary allowed A.J. Green to go off for 180 yards on 12 catches and has to reel that in a bit if they want to start winning some games like this.

The offense was decent in the opener, with Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for two scores and completing 19 of his 35 attempts for 189 yards and Matt Forte picking up 96 yards on the ground and an additional 59 in the air in his New York debut. But they couldn’t get anything done on third down, converting on just four of their 12 chances. And they were unable to get into the end zone despite marching all the way to the Cincy one-yard line in the second half, instead settling for a chip shot from Nick Folk.

And speaking of Nick Folk, the veteran kicker missed the first extra point of his career on Sunday and also had a 22-yard attempt blocked. Take those little mishaps away and the Jets are sitting atop the AFC East along with the New England Patriots. But despite the loss, New York can take a lot of positives from Sunday’s contest, and while they may not win the division, they have the talent and depth to compete in what could end up being a wide-open AFC.

They’ve got a matchup with former head coach Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills coming up on Thursday night, and if they can get through a few tough weeks on the schedule following that game, don’t be surprised to see the Jets sneak into one of the Wild Card spots.

Sep 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) throws against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Giants 20, Cowboys 19. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

1. Dallas Cowboys

This might not be a popular choice, but this is the NFC East we’re talking about here.

Even with Tony Romo out of the picture for at least five more weeks, Dak Prescott was very good in his Dallas Cowboys regular season debut. While he’s still got plenty to learn (and apparently so does Terrance Williams on how to properly get out of bounds when your team has no timeouts), the rookie quarterback that broke every single passing record at Mississippi State showed plenty of poise and control in the season-opening 20-19 loss to the New York Giants. He must, however, improve on the deep ball. In 10 attempts of more than 15 yards, Prescott completed only two of them, which is likely why Dez Bryant had only one catch for eight yards. The number of throws that Dallas is asking of a rookie quarterback also has to drop. Prescott had 45 attempts, second only to Sam Bradford’s 55 in 2010 as the most in NFL history for a rookie.

It’s impressive that Dak threw zero interceptions in those 45 attempts, but with arguably the best offensive line in football, it’s a little surprising that out of 75 offensive plays, only 30 were on the ground. Former Ohio State standout Ezekiel Elliott scored the first touchdown of his professional career but only accounted for 51 yards on 20 carries, a dismal 2.6 average. But he’s only going to get better as the weeks go on, and when he learns to find the holes, he’s got a great shot at averaging around 100 yards per game.

The defense certainly wasn’t the greatest on Sunday, allowing the Giants to score touchdowns on all three of their possessions in the red zone, but they’ll be getting some key players back in the upcoming weeks and should improve. And like I said previously, they’re playing in the NFC East. They’ll have seven more games with average opponents, as really none of the teams in the division are spectacular and definitely don’t have the hardest non-conference schedule this season. Even if they manage to go 9-7, I think that’s good enough to win the division and get them into the playoffs.

The Cowboys face another division rival as they visit the Washington Redskins in Week 2.

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