What's gone wrong for the NFL's most disappointing teams in 2026 and can they turn it around?

The 2026 NFL season has certainly not disappointed when it comes to the unexpected. 

We see surprise teams emerge every year, and we see perceived contenders fall flat – at least early on. That’s especially true this season.

There are six teams in particular that stand out when it comes to slow starts amid high expectations, so let’s break down each team and check out the biggest question each squad is facing through Week 6. 

Biggest questions facing six disappointing NFL teams through Week 6

From the defending Super Bowl champions to a Chargers team still searching for its first win, these six teams have plenty to figure out if they're going to turn their seasons around.

Seattle Seahawks (3-3): How do you get the offense right?

The Seahawks lost all of three games in 2025 en route to a Super Bowl title, but things have not gone to plan for the reigning champs. 

The run game has been inconsistent, which is only highlighted more given what Kenneth Walker III is doing for Kansas City after Seattle let him walk in free agency. The Seahawks are in the top half of the NFL in rushing yards, but they’re averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. The good news on that front is Zach Charbonnet is expected to make his 2026 debut next week against Kansas City while rookie Jadarian Price could return the following week against Chicago. 

A better run game would certainly take pressure off Sam Darnold, who does not look comfortable just yet in 2026. He’s completed barely 60% of his passes and has seven touchdowns to seven interceptions, tossing two picks in three of the four full games he’s played. 

A lot of pressure is on new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who took over for now-Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. The returns of Charbonnet and Price should help a lot, but Darnold has to get the turnovers in check, especially with the Seahawks facing a tougher schedule this year than they did in 2025. 

Los Angeles Rams (2-4): Will the talent finally show up?

I always scoff at the mention of a “super team” or an “offseason champion,” so all the hype around the Rams before Week 1 seemed pretty crazy to me. Personally, I don’t think you should be getting that much attention if you didn’t at least make the Super Bowl the previous season.

That being said, I did pick L.A. to win the NFC West and be one of the top teams in the NFL this year. 

Well, the Rams are 2-4. They just lost 18-16 to the Cardinals in a game where Arizona kicked six field goals to win. This loss stands out in a big way, too. The Rams’ first three losses came to San Francisco, Denver and Buffalo – three teams that are at least 4-2. 

No one is denying the Rams’ talent level, but things have not gone at all to plan. And while the Rams are hoping star edge rusher Myles Garrett will return soon, the team will now be without Davante Adams, who led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2025, for 6-10 weeks. 

The good news for the Rams is the schedule is manageable. While a run should have started this week against the Cardinals, they now face the Raiders, Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals over their next four games. If a run doesn’t start now, then it might not for the preseason Super Bowl favorites. 

Philadelphia Eagles (2-4): Is a coaching change looming? 

The Eagles have been kicked down this year. After a 2-0 start with ugly wins over Washington and Tennessee, Philly has dropped four straight. Injuries have played a huge role with DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley each missing time, and now Jalen Hurts is out for the season due to a blood clot, pushing Tanner McKee into a starting role – for now, that is. 

Despite winning a Super Bowl in 2024, Nick Sirianni’s name is always in “hot seat” talks. Part of that is the team – and city – he coaches for, and part of it is the Eagles now for over a full year have just completely struggled on offense, which is Sirianni’s background. 

Of teams to play six games, the Eagles (17.67 points per game) have the third-worst offense in the NFL. Trading A.J. Brown was necessary given it was clear there was a disconnect, and even with Brown gone, there was too much talent for the offense to struggle this poorly. Things get even trickier with Hurts out for the year now. 

At 2-4, the Eagles still can make the playoffs and even win the NFC East – even with Hurts on IR. New York at 3-2-1 is in first place right now and may have an ugly quarterback controversy on its hands between Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy. But if things continue to go south – and with Hurts out, that’s more likely – will Sirianni survive and be back for 2027? Remember – this franchise fired Doug Pederson in Jan. 2021 after he’d won a Super Bowl in 2017. 

Dallas Cowboys (2-4): Why is it seemingly worse than last year? 

Full disclosure: I did not have faith in the Cowboys this year. For some reason, a lot of folks – including those I respect a lot – seemed to really think Dallas was a sleeping giant. 

I got it then, and I still get the rationale. Dallas’ offense was one of the best in football last year, ranking second in yards and seventh in points. The issue was defense as the Cowboys gave up the most points and passing yards and third-most yards overall in the NFL. With even an average defense, the thought was 10 wins was more than manageable. 

But the defense still stinks. It’s better than last year, but not by much. The Cowboys are still allowing 26.5 points per game, 24th in the NFL. And this year, the run defense is one of the worst in football.

The offense has also regressed after a hot start. The Cowboys scored 31 or more points from Weeks 2-4, but Dallas scored 16 points against Tampa Bay last week and just 13 against Green Bay over the weekend. The Cowboys are averaging 25.17 points per game, meaning they have a negative point differential so far.

I think the NFC East being a mess makes the Cowboys’ woes stand out even more. New York leads the way at 3-2-1 and Philadelphia is a disaster at 2-4 as well. Like Philly, Dallas could still make a run and win the division, but for whatever reason it just still is not clicking. And given there were hopes of improvement from last season, it feels like the Cowboys are almost more disappointing in 2026 than they were in 2025. 

Houston Texans (2-4): Can they make history and reach the playoffs?

The Texans had an awful start to 2026, just like they did in 2025. They shook it off last year to go 12-5 and make the playoffs, but that was with an 0-3 start. Houston kicked off 2026 with an 0-4 start. Only one team has made the playoffs after an 0-4 start, which was the 1992 Chargers. 

The Texans have won two straight games, taking down a lousy Titans team in Week 5 before picking up a massive 34-31 win over the Jaguars in London in Week 6. 

Don’t look now, but it feels like Houston is finding its groove – at least offensively. C.J. Stroud has played well, and the receiving corps looks strong. Nico Collins is a proven No. 1 option who has been electric so far, while Jaylin Noel is emerging and the team just traded for former No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., a former college teammate of Stroud’s.

I have my worries about how the defense has looked so far, but I have all the faith in the world in head coach DeMeco Ryans to get that unit right. 

And when you look at Houston’s schedule, it gives you even more reason to believe. The Texans have the Giants, Chargers, Browns and Colts as their next four games. After facing the Ravens and Steelers, they meet the Commanders before taking on the Jaguars. Houston closes the year with the Eagles, Packers and Titans. I see at least six or seven wins there for the Texans with the potential for more. 

The defense must get better, but the Texans, more than any sub-.500 team, are the NFL’s sleeping giant.

Los Angeles Chargers (0-6): How and why is it this bad?

With the Chargers, it’s hard to know where to start. 

I guess you start with the offense, which has scored 17 or fewer points in five of six games this year, including a season-low six points in Week 6. Justin Herbert has never looked worse, the offensive line is once again beat up and there just aren’t enough playmakers in the passing game. Mike McDaniel was brought in to lead an elite offense, but that just hasn’t happened. McDaniel has shuffled his running backs like he promised to do, but none of it has worked. Even with what’s going on in Philadelphia, no offense has underperformed like the Chargers’ has. 

Defensively, you always expected regression with former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter now the head coach of the Ravens, but 25.2 points per game allowed? That’s 22nd in the NFL. There is a lot of proven talent on that side of the ball, and yes, the offense is putting that unit in bad spots far too often with how poorly Herbert has played, but it hasn’t been pretty.

It’s stunning to see a Jim Harbaugh-led team look this bad. He’s never had a sub-.500 record as an NFL head coach, and he only had three such years in 16 years in college, and one of those was 2-4 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season at Michigan. Harbaugh’s teams have typically dominated on defense and featured a great running game. Neither things are happening now, and his talented quarterback looks like a shell of himself. 

I think Harbaugh is a good enough coach to warrant chalking up 2026 as just a total flop and expecting him to lead the way in 2027, but it is jarring just how bad the Chargers have looked overall this season.