Three weeks into the 2026 NFL season, it’s too early to write anyone off, but it’s certainly not too early to be worried
While a lot can change over the next several weeks, several teams that entered September with playoff or even Super Bowl expectations have looked nothing like the teams we expected to see.
Here’s a look at the five most disappointing teams throughout the first three weeks of the NFL season.
Honorable Mention: Los Angeles Rams
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The Rams entered the season as the clear Super Bowl favorites after trading for Myles Garrett and acquiring Trent McDuffie. But it’s safe to say they haven’t quite lived up to the hype just yet.
They opened with a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia. They followed that up with a 28-6 win over the New York Giants after New York lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to an injury, but they then blew a 16-0 halftime lead against Denver and lost the game 30-26.
At 1-2, the Rams have fallen short of expectations, but it’s not really time to push the panic button just yet. Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua are both expected back soon, and oddsmakers still have Los Angeles as the Super Bowl favorite despite the slow start to the season.
5\. Dallas Cowboys
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The Dallas Cowboys made some significant moves this offseason in an attempt to address issues on the defensive side of the ball. The team hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator and overhauled that entire unit. Unfortunately, the results look awfully familiar.
The offense hasn’t been an issue. Dak Prescott has been excellent, throwing for 730 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, including four touchdown passes in a 37-point win over Washington in Week 2. Unfortunately, the Cowboys are once again having issues on the defensive side of the ball, and that was on display in Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dallas fell behind early, but rallied from an 11-point deficit and got all the way to the Ravens’ 1-yard line in the final seconds. The team had to settle for a game-tying field goal with seven seconds left, presumably sending the game to overtime. However, the defense then allowed Baltimore to get into range for Tyler Loop’s 56-yard game-winner as time expired.
Three weeks into the season, Dallas is 1-2 and has many of the same problems it had entering the season.
4\. Green Bay Packers
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The Green Bay Packers entered the NFL season as the preseason favorite to win the NFC North, but they entered the 2026 season riding a six-game losing streak. Unfortunately, it seems like they’ve carried that energy into the new season.
Green Bay opened the season by blowing a 12-point third-quarter lead in Minnesota and ultimately losing the game in a blowout 39-22. The only win so far was a sloppy 20-17 overtime victory over the New York Jets, then the Packers followed that up with a 35-14 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons – a team that scored just one touchdown combined over its first two games.
Injuries along the offensive line have left Jordan Love under constant pressure, the defense can’t seem to get off the field, and Matt LaFleur has landed on the hot seat. With the Minnesota Vikings already 3-0, the Packers are at risk of falling out of the NFC North race before October.
3\. Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans entered the season in the Super Bowl conversation, largely on the strength of a defense that forced 29 turnovers last year, the third-most in the NFL. Instead, the Texans are 0-3 for the second straight season.
The team has run into different issues in each of its three losses of the season. In a 36-31 opening loss to the Buffalo Bills, quarterback C.J. Stroud lost two fumbles, including one on the final possession, and the defense gave up the highest explosive-play rate of DeMeco Ryans’ tenure. In a 20-6 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the red-zone offense was a disaster. Then, Houston lost 19-17 against the Colts in Indianapolis after taking the lead with 1:48 left.
The offense has sputtered without Nico Collins, and the defense has yet to look like last year’s unit. Now, it’s worth noting that the Texans have dug out of early holes before, rallying from 0-2 starts to make the playoffs in both 2023 and 2025, and 0-3 from last year’s start. So not all is lost, but the team needs to start winning.
2\. Los Angeles Chargers
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Head coach Jim Harbaugh has gone 11-6 in each of his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. This year was supposed to be the next step. Instead, Los Angeles is 0-3 with losses to the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Buffalo Bills.
Sunday’s 24-16 loss to the Bills summed up the season so far. The defense forced five turnovers, the most for the Chargers since Week 14 of last season, and it still wasn’t enough. The offense wasted chance after chance, and Justin Herbert threw an interception in the end zone with 13 minutes left.
Herbert is just 1-of-12 with three interceptions on throws of 20-plus air yards, and there are growing signs of a disconnect between him and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
1\. New England Patriots
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Just seven months since their Super Bowl appearance, the New England Patriots look like a completely different team, but certainly not in a good way.
The slide started in the opener, a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle. The Patriots led 10-0, but Maye threw an interception on each of their final three drives, and the Seahawks won 13-10 despite losing starting quarterback Sam Darnold on the opening possession. New England beat Pittsburgh 20-3 in Week 2, largely thanks to its defense, but the worst loss yet came this weekend, when the Patriots fell 35-6 in Jacksonville as Maye committed three more turnovers.
The Patriots are averaging just 12 points per game and have scored just two offensive touchdowns. Maye has one touchdown pass, six interceptions, and a league-high seven turnovers.
This was a team that had its sights set on another trip to the Super Bowl. Now, they’re just trying to win a game.