The NFL is a challenging league, as evidenced by the Commanders, who advanced to the NFC Championship last year but finished this year with a 5-12 record. The disparity of the good and bad teams was massive this year, and for half of the league, it was a subpar season. Some teams that flew into this year with great expectations failed to reach the playoffs and will head into 2026 after a discouraging season. Many teams underwhelmed us, but five teams clearly stand out at the top of the list.
5. A year after getting to the NFC Championship in Jayden Daniels’ rookie year, the Washington Commanders failed to even have a winning record. The infamous sophomore slump hit the young quarterback, and he was plagued with injuries for the majority of the season. Not only did the injury of their star QB hurt, but the defense was absolutely miserable. Washington allowed the most total yards a game and the sixth most points a game, a unit that was the worst total defense in the league. The Commanders need a complete defensive overhaul this offseason because the players are too old, and the defense dragged the team down. Thankfully, this week, the defense coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. was fired, and it marks the start of a change-filled offseason. Coming into the season with such high hopes, the entire DMV was disappointed as Daniels was injured and the team was uncompetitive. The Commanders were 0-5 in primetime games, and a lot has to change going into next season. The draft picks must be fantastic and young; defensive players need to be the focal point of their draft selections. This team will be significantly better in 2026, but this season was an extremely frustrating year for the fans of this team, and for this reason, they come in at the fifth most disappointing team.
4. The fourth most disappointing team of the league is another NFC East team, the Dallas Cowboys. This team, well, they were fun to watch, but at the end of the day, they could not win enough football games. The offense averaged the second most points per game, but the defense was at the other end of the spectrum, ranking third worst in yards a game. QB Dak Prescott had a fantastic year, but his defense let him down, and the absence of Micah Parsons loomed large. They even added defensive linemen Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, but that did not have a huge impact on the performance, and it remained a stagnant unit. Going back on their schedule, Dallas had tons of winnable games against opponents like the Giants, Cardinals, Panthers, and Vikings. They got incredible production from running back Javonte Williams and their tantalizing wide receiver tandem, but the overall team was not up to par. A star defensive player and a defensive-focused draft must be the focus for Jerry Jones, as the Cowboys will try to put on a better show in 2026. The fans were treated to another mediocre season, and especially with the way the offense performed, it came down as a disappointing season for “America’s team”.
3. The third most disappointing team is the Cincinnati Bengals, as they end this year with their third consecutive season with less than 10 wins. On the offense, Ja’Marr Chase ended with 1,400 receiving yards, and Chase Brown also eclipsed 1,000 in the rushing category. This offense is so star-studded, and then, flip over to the defense, it is an absolute mess. Cincinnati has ranked 31st in total defense two of the last three campaigns, and the problem with this team is way beyond Joe Burrow’s offensive crew. They have paid too many guys on the offense big money, and to be specific, Tee Higgins is a perfect example. I believe that the organization could have acquired defensive talents, not retained a wide receiver two on a team already with Chase. They extended defensive end Trey Hendrickson for another year, but he missed more than half the season, and the defense let the team down again. This trend must change in Cincinnati, and although Burrow missed multiple months with turf toe, Joe Flacco filled in admirably, and the losses were not on him. Cincinnati can point its lost season to the injury of Burrow, but their issues extend past that, and this team suffered a 6-11 record at the conclusion of the season. With all the firepower the Bengals possess, it has been an utterly disappointing 2025 season, and they have a busy offseason to get to.
2. Next, coming in at number two, it is the Kansas City Chiefs. All in all, it was a dreadful season for the 2024 Super Bowl finalists, characterized by a 6-11 record and the brutal ACL injury to QB Patrick Mahomes at the tail end of the season. The splash of magic and sprinkle of fairy dust Kansas City had last year vanished as the team went 1-9 in one-score games. A team notoriously known for its “clutchness”, the Chiefs did not display any of it this time around, and they did not have luck on their side either. Up until his injury, Mahomes was balling out with the sixth-best overall QBR and pass yards a game. The Chiefs’ magic touch went missing this season, and honestly, I think that this reality check was necessary for them. Is Rashee Rice their true top receiver in the years to come? He was suspended for the first six games, and while he showcased some excellent games, he is one of those receivers I’d put in a 1B level, with Higgins or Olave. KC needs a reliable receiver and a better running game, because they were eighth worst this season, and an RB selection in the draft could be a good idea. The Chiefs had a massively disappointing year, and no one saw their huge downfall coming.
1. To top the list, the Detroit Lions are this year’s most disappointing team. Mind you, this team went 15-2 in 2024, and this season, finished 9-8. They scored an average of 4.9 fewer points a game this season, and the absence of their former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, hit them hard. Like usual in Detroit, members of the offense had terrific years, as the likes of Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown were some of the league’s best. The departure of both their coordinators left a gigantic mark on the team, and they finished last in the NFC North. A recurring theme is that their offense is off the charts, but the defense is regularly extremely average. As long as this is the case, Detroit will never win the Super Bowl because they are not as balanced as teams like the Eagles or Patriots. They had the first-round bye last season, but this year, they did not even make the playoffs. This comes down as a very disappointing season for Dan Campbell’s team, and they were the biggest surprise at the end of the season.
These five teams are really good football teams, but they experienced a down year this season. A lot has to change in terms of players, and some of them need a complete defensive overhaul. I fully expect these five teams to be playoff-caliber teams in 2026, and we will hopefully see some positive change in their performances. Will Jayden Daniels return to dominance in his junior year? Does Joe Burrow’s future really lie with Cincinnati? How will Mahomes and the Chiefs respond in a tough AFC West?