The NFL is heading into the 11th week of its season. Some players have delivered in a big way, while others who were expected to perform at a certain level have not. Ranking a dozen players who have not reached the levels hoped.
12. Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri is on his way to a spot in Canton. However, his 2019 season will not be a fond memory unless he regains his kicking stroke. The venerable Vinatieri has missed five field goals in 19 attempts and six PATs. The Colts are sticking with him, which may be more of an indicator of what else is out there.
11. Joe Flacco
John Elway and the Broncos rolled the dice on a Super Bowl winning QB in Peyton Manning and got a ring. They tried to do the same with Joe Flacco, acquiring him from Baltimore. The decision did not pan out. Flacco is done for the season, having been placed on IR. Before exiting, he was averaging only 227 yards per game with six TD passes and five picks. Next!
10. David Johnson
David Johnson has not benefited from the Air Raid attack brought by Kliff Kingsbury to Arizona. The RB has 625 total yards in nine games, a far cry from the career year he experience in 2016 and the solid production last season.
9. Devonta Freeman
After missing much of 2018 due to injury, Dan Quinn and the Falcons were willing to bank on Devonta Freeman as their top back in 2019. He has not delivered. Freeman is averaging 41 yards per game, 3.5 yards per carry and has not found the end zone on a running play.
8. O.J. Howard
The Bucs expected O.J. Howard to give them a big-time threat at tight end when they drafted him from Alabama. Thus far, that has not materialized. He has played in seven games with 17 receptions for 223 yards with one TD. Yes, the Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, that should open up many more routes for Howard.
7. Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell Trubisky has led the Bears’ offense nowhere. He is averaging less than 200 yards per game passing. He has started eight games and thrown eight TD passes, three coming in a six-minute span Sunday against the Lions. The quarterback runs the show and Trubisky is simply not delivering.
6. Marcus Mariota
Stats don’t have to tell every story. All you need to know about Marcus Mariota, a former No. 2 overall pick, is he was benched in favor of former Miami Dolphin Ryan Tannehill. One can be certain Mike Vrabel and the Titans’ brass did not believe Tannehill would have to be their starter when he was acquired. Instead, he has ignited the team and Mariota appears to have lost his gig for good based on performance.
5. Joe Mixon
The Bengals are awful. On offense. On defense. Winless. Joe Mixon was going to be their franchise RB. In nine games, he has 434 yards rushing, gaining at a sorry 3.3 ypc clip. The former Oklahoma Sooner has yet to take a running play into the end zone. A mirror image of his team.
4. Jared Goff
Jared Goff led the Rams to the Super Bowl, with the guidance of Sean McVay. The offense fell asleep against the Patriots and has not shown the life it had in the 2018 regular season. Now, the buzz is about whether the Rams made a mistake giving Goff a huge contract. That is what happens when the star throws 11 TD passes against nine picks.
3. Baker Mayfield
No one was more full of themselves on the Browns than Baker Mayfield. The headlines, hype and expectations were Cleveland was going to be a playoff threat because of a stacked offense and stellar defense. The Browns are under .500, again, and have not delivered on any promise.
2. Le’Veon Bell
The Jets thought they had a star-studded running back when they landed Le’Veon Bell via free agency. The season has been rancid for Gang Green and Bell has not chimed in with a ton of yardage. In nine games, Bell is averaging less than 50 yards per game and carrying the ball at a 3.1 ypc clip. Ugly. The only season as a Steeler when he averaged below 4.0 yards per carry was when he was a rookie. Bell ran for 860 yards that year. He’s not on a pace to match that, with 449 yards at this point.
1. Saquon Barkley
High ankle sprain or not, Saquon Barkley has been bitten by the sophomore jinx. The Giants’ second-year running back has not been himself. It culminated with one of the worst games in NFL rushing history in Week 10 against the Jets. Barkley carried the ball 13 times for one yard. This is a player who went for more than 2,000 yards total offense in his rookie season.
