Three weeks into the 2018 NFL season, we have seen records broken, major upsets, and best of all, good teams emerge. With teams being much more balanced this season, there are only six teams with either an undefeated or win-less season so far. Today, I’ll be looking at the three teams that have not suffered a loss yet and making a prediction on who will lose first.
I’ll start with the team that everyone expected to own the AFC East, you know, the Miami Dolphins. Yes, in a stunning turn of events, the defending AFC champion New England Patriots have started the season 1-2 due to a lack of defense and an underperforming Rob Gronkowski. This has given the remaining teams in AFC East race the opportunity to take an early lead, and the Dolphins have taken advantage. Led by Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Safety Reshad Jones, the Fins have not won games pretty, but have managed to escape Week 3 with a 3-0 record. The Dolphins defense has forced 8 turnovers so far, and is looking to be one of the premier defenses of 2018. They’ll have a tough test this week as they head up to Foxborough to play against the Patriots, who have the opportunity to bounce back. If they pull off what is still considered to be an upset against the Pats, they’ll have another challenge the following week at the Cincinnati Bengals. It is very likely that the Fins won’t retain an undefeated record 2 weeks from now as they do not match up very well against either team.
The next team to look at is the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs. Led by Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have shredded through 3 teams that were projected to be solid this season. The entire offense has been magnificent, with Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt constantly putting the ball in the endzone. I’d be surprised if the Chiefs didn’t score another Touchdown while I’m typing this. One problem with the Chiefs that could easily be overlooked is their lack of defense. Through the first 3 games, the Chiefs defense ranks LAST in yards allowed, and 30th in points allowed. Mahomes has put up big numbers, but the problem is that he has had to put up those big stats to keep his team from losing. That will become a problem around playoff time, when they’ll likely have to play a team with a great defense. This week’s opponent is the Denver Broncos, who talent-wise are very defensive, but production-wise are doing better offensively. It could be tough for Kansas City to win as it is at Denver. After that, the Chiefs come back home, but have to play against the brutal Jaguars defense. Just like Miami, I don’t see Kansas City retaining the undefeated record a couple weeks from now.
The final team to observe is the Los Angeles Rams. Through 3 games, the Rams are statistically the best team in the league, bolstering a high-flying offense, along with a stout, turnover-driven defense. So far the Rams have outscored opponents 102-36. However, their 3 opponents currently have a combined record of 1-8. Another concern with this team is the injuries on defense. Both of their star corners, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, are on the injury report. They play the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football this week. After that, the schedule becomes easier, including a match against the San Francisco 49ers without Jimmy Garoppolo. I think the losses of Talib and Peters will be too much as the Kirk Cousins should be able to pick the stout Rams defense apart.
So while all three of these team should be playoff contenders this season, I don’t see any of them keeping their undefeated record past Week 5. The Dolphins will likely lose either at New England or at Cincinnati. The Chiefs go up against two very talented defenses, which should keep Mahomes from lighting up the scoreboard. Finally the Rams are just a bit too banged up right now to beat a solid team like the Vikings. Though I think the Rams are the best of these three teams, I think they will lose first
Which team do you think will lose first? Comment your answer and why down below!
Sports Addict 