Where Did All The Dominant Teams Go?

Added on Sep 28, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

Three weeks into the 2010 NFL season and only three undefeated teams remain. The Steelers, even minus Ben Roethlisberger, I can understand. The Bears and Chiefs, not so much. All three are playing excellent defense, but each have offensive question marks. Pittsburgh and Kansas City can’t throw it, while the Bears have shown no interest in or ability to run the ball.

The defending champion Saints look hungover. Their rushing attack has stalled and the defense isn’t forcing turnovers like they did last year. The Colts, Patriots, Bengals, Jets, Ravens, Texans and Eagles are all 2-1, but none of them have appeared dominant. Indy still can’t run or stop the run. The Pats have a horrible secondary. The Bengals have no downfield passing threat. The Jets and Ravens are struggling to move the ball consistently. The Texans are allowing 368 ypg through the air. The Eagles haven’t beaten a good team.

Meanwhile, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Arizona, Tennessee and Miami don’t scare anyone, despite being 2-1. The Cowboys, Chargers, Vikings and Giants should be better than their records, but each has glaring issues. The rest of the league consists of average to bad teams.

It’s still very early, so the cream will eventually rise to the top. However, other than Pittsburgh, and possibly the Jets and Packers, no one has clearly separated themselves from the crowd. Last season, the Colts, Saints and Vikings sprang from the starting gate. They all had the look of legit contenders.

Do the 3-0 Bears have a Super Bowl swagger? Considering they’re two calls away from being 1-2, I’m not seeing it. What about those pesky Chiefs? They make for an interesting story, but I can’t envision them going 13-3. I’m relatively confident the Cowboys, Colts and Saints will right their ships soon, although I wouldn’t be completely shocked if any of the three fail to reach the postseason.

Parity, like it or not, is here to stay. And it won’t get any better once the schedule is expanded to 18 games. Get ready for 8-10 division champions and wild card teams. Yeah, that’ll be fun.