Five struggling NFL teams that could still turn it around

Through four weeks of the NFL regular season, things aren’t going according to plan for several of the league’s premiere teams. In fact, as the NFL often proves, nothing can be easily predicted (except for consistent success from the New England Patriots) and absolutely nothing is set in stone.

For some teams, the season is already a lost cause. For others, a fall back to earth is imminent. And for an even more slim group of teams, a turnaround could potentially be on tap.

Here’s a look at five NFL teams that are struggling at the quarter mark, but could still get hot and make a run.

5. New York Giants

The New York Giants started 2-0 by winning close games they would have lost in 2015, but have since gone 0-2, falling to .500 on the season.

With a Sunday night game against the Green Bay Packers coming up in Week 5, followed by a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens and a trip to London after that, any hopes at a return to the playoffs are already in limbo for Big Blue. But as bad as things appear after a rough two-week stretch, there are still reasons for the Giants to be optimistic.

With the exception of a poor showing against the Washington Redskins, which was aided by countless penalties, the Giants sport a stingy and talented defense that’s capable of keeping them in any game. And with a potentially high-powered offense waiting to break out, New York could put the pieces together in time to save their season.

Still, there’s a lot of clean-up needed in the Big Apple.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has to get his emotions under control, quarterback Eli Manning needs to regain some confidence in his offensive line, head coach Ben McAdoo needs to display a better understanding of clock management, and the team as a whole must find some discipline.

19 penalties, five turnovers and no takeaways in the last two games is not exactly a recipe for success. But the reality is that it’s all self-inflicted for the Giants. If they stop shooting themselves in the foot things could legitimately turn around.

4. Cincinnati Bengals

Following a one-point season-opening victory against the New York Jets, the Bengals suffered consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. Immediately, the rumblings began — would it be another season with so much potential promise that ultimately went by the wayside?

A 22-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 helped keep some of that panic at bay, but with games against the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots coming up, things could just as quickly shift back in the other direction for Cincinnati.

While the 2-2 start wasn’t exactly what the Bengals were hoping for out of the gate, it’s been more than enough to keep them in the divisional race. And an unexpected Philadelphia Eagles victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t hurt, either.

As it sits, the Bengals are in the top half of the league both offensively and defensively, but need to find much more consistency on the ground. Both Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are averaging below 4.0 yards per carry, and Bernard isn’t even hitting the 3.0 mark.

At quarterback, Andy Dalton is putting up big yardage numbers thanks to wide receiver A.J. Green and his strong start, but with only three touchdown passes in four games, that’s not going to get it done.

Cincinnati’s defense is picking up the offense early in the season, which is good news in the AFC North, but eventually, they have to start putting more points on the board.

The good news for the Bengals is that seems to be more of a “when, not if” scenario. And it’s for that reason fans should expected a turnaround building off their victory over the Dolphins.

3. San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have put themselves in quite a hole by going 1-3 to start the season, especially when you consider the Denver Broncos are playing like world-beaters. However, it’s impossible to dismiss the fact that San Diego’s three losses have come by a combined 11 points. And in each of those losses, the Chargers held a fourth quarter lead.

Some could justifiably argue that blowing games late is the product of a bad team, but it’s not a trend incapable of being bucked. And with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, who can turn it on and put points up in mass, the Chargers are never quite out of a game.

If San Diego wants to turn things around however, it’s going to have to happen on the defensive side of the ball.

Even with a high-scoring offense, giving up 27 points per game is enough to put even the best offensive teams in a bad spot. And giving up 57 fourth quarter/overtime points in a four-game span only exacerbates that issue. So it will be up to defensive coordinator John Pagano and his unit to shore up those problems.

With five divisional games remaining, three of which will come at home, the Chargers could very well turn things around. But that means finding ways to not only finish games, but ways to beat the Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders a combined four times, because a 3-3 divisional record just isn’t going to be enough.

2. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals once again had Super Bowl aspirations when they opened the regular season, but that took an immediate shot when they were defeated by the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots in Week 1.

A dominating victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following week would rekindle those feelings, but after two upsets at the hands of the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams, many around the league were wondering what has gone wrong with Bruce Arians’ squad.

The answer is pretty simple: terrible special teams play, inconsistency with David Johnson and damaging injuries.

The good news for Arizona is that players heal and inconsistency can be ironed out with good coaching. And while they won’t get every injured player back, their roster is deep enough to survive so long as Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, David Johnson and Tyrann Mathieu remain on the field.

With an offense and defense that each rank in the top 10 of the league, the Cardinals don’t need to hit the panic button just yet. They beat the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, and they have the New York Jets in their next game.

If Arizona can get themselves back to 3-3 before they hit the meat of their schedule, a turnaround is entirely possible. But there’s no denying they’ve now put themselves in must win situations.

1. Carolina Panthers

No one expected the Panthers to be 1-3 four games into the 2016 regular season, but it would appear they’re still suffering from their Super Bowl 50 beating at the hands of the Denver Broncos. And adding injury to insult, quarterback Cam Newton is now down with a concussion.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of doom and gloom going on in Charlotte, but things really aren’t as bad as they seem.

Carolina’s three losses have come to teams who are a combined 11-1 to start the season. Arguably, they are three of the best four or five teams in the NFL. And while the defending NFC champions may not take much solace in that reality, it’s better than taking three losses to teams with losing records — that would be a legitimate cause for concern.

Two of the three losses have also come on the road, including a one-point season-opening loss to the Broncos that could have just as easily gone the other way.

The good news? The truly difficult part of Carolina’s schedule appears to be over. And looking ahead, the Panthers could realistically win five of their next six games. The opposing defenses won’t be as stout, four of their next six games will be played at home and it will afford the entire team an opportunity to get their feet under them.

The big keys will be getting Newton healthy, establishing a ground attack and patching some post-Josh Norman holes in the secondary. But it’s nothing overwhelming and nothing the Panthers can’t overcome.