Last year's NFL playoff teams are having surprisingly bad seasons

Every season in the NFL, there are teams that made the playoffs in the prior season that just fall flat on their faces. There are Super Bowl losers who find it tough to get back to the big game. Some just stink and become laughingstocks.

Four weeks into the 2016 NFL season, there are more than the usual fair share of 2015 playoff teams that are having trouble finding their way. For example, of the four teams that won NFC divisions last season, only one currently has a winning record. Meanwhile there are some teams that were in the postseason that are actually surprising everyone in a good way.

So let's look at each of those teams.

PANTHERS (1-3)
The things that made the Panthers so successful a year ago are gone. Their stellar defense and their rushing attack aren't as potent this season. The offensive line is getting bowled over, and Cam Newton is getting hit. A lot.

Newton isn't having an MVP season at all. With the line sketchy, he looks a bit antsy in the pocket and unsure about what he's expecting to be blocked. That forces poor throws, poor decisions and the relatively poor rushing game. When I say that, I don't mean they can't rush the ball. I mean they aren't doing it as effectively as this offense needs and the way they did en route to last year's Super Bowl.

Not to pin it on one guy, but Josh Norman's departure may be a factor in the defensive backfield's decline. While Norman had a key interception and forced a fumble for his new team in the Washington Redskins' win over the Cleveland Browns, his old team let Julio Jones pile up 300 receiving yards. Of course, Jones went off on the Panthers the last time these two faced off when Norman was in Carolina, so it may be more than just the secondary. The fact that the Panthers fail to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks has made the corners more vulnerable.

Carolina needs to figure this out quick. The Panthers have a soft schedule coming up and need to win these games if they feel they have a shot at winning the NFC South. Atlanta has surged to a 3-1 record and has beaten Carolina already. The Panthers need to Cam to be the guy prior to Super Bowl 50. Now.

CARDINALS (1-3)
Last season, Arizona had a quick, tough defense that put fear in opponents. This year, they've lost to quarterbacks named Jimmy Garoppolo, Tyrod Taylor and Case Keenum. Last season, Carson Palmer was in the running for MVP. This year, he has a completion percentage under 60 percent, a 6-5 TD-to-INT ratio, and he's in the concussion protocol and may miss Arizona's Thursday night game with the 49ers.

The Cardinals are having offensive line issues, and their offense has gone away from the short passing philosophy of last year. Palmer isn't Cam Newton. He is 36 years old with an intense injury history, and these hits are taking a toll. Possibly bringing back the shorter routes and getting the ball out of Palmer's hand quickly could remedy some of those ills.

Arizona's back is against the wall. Palmer will most likely miss Thursday's game with San Francisco. After that, the Cards host Seattle and travel to Carolina, meaning this three-game stretch before their bye in Week 9 is critical to the Cardinals getting back into the mix.

REDSKINS (2-2)
To be honest, this is kind of where most people expected the Redskins to be. They split their two NFC East games, beat the Browns and lost to the Steelers. After all, this was a team that won the weak NFC East last season and beat no one with a winning record.

So who are they this year? Kind of the same. Kirk Cousins is averaging just under 300 passing yards per game but still making mistakes. They still are having a tough time establishing the run, though it came alive a bit against Cleveland last week. The defense is a work in progress as Washington is the third worst in the NFL against the run and fourth worst defense overall.

However, the Redskins are in a division where two of the starting quarterbacks are rookies, and the other team has a rookie head coach. Yeah, the Redskins are the ones with stability! If Cousins can limit his mistakes and the defense attempts to stop anybody, they could attempt a repeat.

CHIEFS (2-2)
Hey, 2-2 isn't bad for a team that started last year 1-5 and then ripped off 10 straight wins. Still, this team has a real problem coming out of the gate. In Week 1, the Chiefs were down 24-3 to the Chargers before storming back and winning in overtime. In Week 2, they were down 10 to the Texans for most of the game and lost. Last week, they trailed the Steelers 22-0 in the first quarter and were down 36-0 before garbage time.

Kansas City isn't built to mount comebacks. Sure, it did it against San Diego in Week 1, but that was more on the Chargers than anything. We all know that the Chiefs' offense is about running the ball and having Alex Smith make sound, short passes. It isn't working that way so far this year.

That isn't all on the offense. The defense has been allowing some big scoring early that gets Kansas City into these holes. This isn't a flashy team — it needs everyone to do his part to win games.

BENGALS (2-2)
Cincinnati was 8-0 to start last season but is 6-7 since then. The offense has looked uneven since the departure of Hue Jackson to Cleveland, and the team lacks balance on offense. It's caused the once potent offense to look one-dimensional and, at times, stagnant. The Bengals have also struggled to find a receiver opposite A.J. Green.

Because of that, the Bengals have only scored six touchdowns all season, tied for worst in the NFL, and managed just four touchdowns in 13 red zone appearances. Green has caught two of the three passing touchdowns this year. All that is tied together. Somebody needs to step up to keep defenses from keying on Green and running back Jeremy Hill or the offense will continue to struggle to score. Getting tight end Tyler Eifert back, possibly next week after missing the first four games with an ankle injury suffered in the Pro Bowl, could help. He is a great secondary passing option who is also an outstanding red zone weapon.

The Bengals need to figure it out. They head to Dallas this week (a place they haven't won since 1988) for their first trip to Jerry World and then off to New England to play an angry Tom Brady. Cincinnati hasn't won in Foxborough since 1986 and has lost eight of 10 to the Patriots.

PACKERS (2-1)
The offense hasn't been there like we'd expect. Aaron Rodgers helms the fourth-worst passing offense in the NFL. Yes, that is a fact. The Packers are averaging less than 200 yards a game through the air, and they've played the Lions and Jaguars.

Still, they sit with their only loss to the Vikings, which was on Sunday Night Football with the opening of Minnesota's sparkling new stadium. At the time, we were a bit stunned, but we now know that the Vikings are pretty legit. The Packers' defense has been historically great to start the season. The defense has allowed just 128 yards rushing in the first three games, the least amount to start a season since 1933.

Green Bay is coming off a bye and have its next three games at Lambeau Field with two of them in prime time. Maybe Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff can figure out what is ailing the offense and Rodgers can get back to his slinging ways. If that happens, then Green Bay could be the class of the NFC.

TEXANS (3-1)
So what is Houston? The team that squeezed by the Bears and Titans or the one that was skunked by the Patriots' third-string quarterback? I think the Texans are more like the team that beat the Chiefs, 19-12. The defense doesn't have J.J. Watt anymore, but there is still a ton of talent that has the Texans as the top pass defense thus far this year.

One of the problems Houston is having is Brock Osweiler's pick-throwing prowess. He has already thrown six interceptions with five of them coming off targets to DeAndre Hopkins. Point being, Osweiler is forcing the ball to Hopkins. That stands to reason as Hopkins has only caught five passes in the last two weeks for a total of 60 yards, including just one four-yard reception in a win over the Titans on Sunday. Houston has scored just 69 points this season, forcing head coach Bill O'Brien to take over the play-calling duties.

The Texans are fortunate that they play in a division where everyone else is 1-3 and have way more issues to confront. This month, the Texans travel to Minnesota and Denver, which will put even more stress on the Houston offense.

SEAHAWKS (3-1)
We were all worried about Seattle after the first two weeks. The Seahawks barely beat what has turned out to be a bad Dolphins team and then did lose to the Rams by a sad 9-3 score. Since then, the Seahawks have looked more like their dominant selves, pounding the Niners and Jets.

Still, it isn't like Seattle has played a big-time slate yet. After a bye week, the team will host surprising Atlanta and then head to Arizona and New Orleans. Each brings a unique challenge that will test the Seahawks.

Really, the biggest issue for Seattle is health. It is amazing that Russell Wilson is playing this well with his knee and foot injuries. The offensive line is in shambles, making Wilson's health all the more dicey. Running back Thomas Rawls will probably be out another month so that puts more on Wilson's plate. To be honest, if anything serious happens to him, then Seattle could be in a mountain of trouble.

STEELERS (3-1)
Pittsburgh has looked like the Super Bowl contender it was envisioned to be. (Well, except for the drumming at the hands of its cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.)

The offense has been high-flying. The Steelers run over people and pass over top of them, suspensions be damned! The defense, while not the imposing presence it typically is, has done a remarkable job as well. (Again, except for the pesky Eagles game.) They have two very winnable games before taking on the Patriots in Week 7, which should be a blast for everyone. The Steelers just have that championship look (unless you get caught up in that Eagles game).

I'm harping on that because it doesn't make sense. This was a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback who took over a rebuilding franchise against one of the most established coaching staffs and quarterbacks in the league, and the Eagles blew out the Steelers. It may be a major outlier, but it still sticks out there that this team can have an effort like that.

VIKINGS (4-0)
Before the season, the Vikings were the trendy pick to make a run at the Super Bowl. Then Teddy Bridgewater gets injured during the preseason and is done for the season. In a desperation move, they acquire Sam Bradford from the Eagles a week before the season begins. In Week 2, Adrian Peterson went down with a knee injury and will miss a couple of months. So, no AP or their starting a quarterback who has been with the team for just over a month.

Oh, but that defense has been stifling, Bradford has run a quicker-tempo offense and Minnesota sits at 4-0. Sure, the Vikings are the worst rushing team in NFL and only the Rams have a worse offense, but it is building into a formidable unit. Bradford is getting more comfortable, and the playbook is expanding plus the more up-tempo offense has allowed him to take advantage of bad matchups. Running back Jerick McKinnon has improved as the primary ball carrier, and the receiving corps has stepped up of late. This is a good team that people forget was a botched field goal away from beating Seattle in the playoffs last season.

PATRIOTS (3-1)
He will never say this, but Bill Belichick has to be elated that his Patriots are 3-1 at this point. No Brady. All his options at replacing him during the suspension have injury issues and still managed to win three games. They've done so by having the NFL's third best rushing attack.

Now the real fun begins. There will be Brady's return against the lowly Cleveland Browns, and then it is on. Bengals, Steelers and then the rematch with the lone team that did beat them — Rex Ryan's Bills — before their bye week and a home date with Seattle. This should be a blast.

BRONCOS (4-0)
The defense is still elite, but the offense hasn't been that bad either. While not up there in yardage, the Broncos are fifth in the NFL in scoring. Trevor Siemian is no Peyton Manning, which for the Broncos is fine. Manning turned the ball over a ton last season, and Siemian, while not immune to throwing picks, has just three this season so far. He's managing the offense just fine.

The defense is still there, though the rush defense has fallen down a few notches. That's still better than most in the league, and with the offense not putting them in tough situations, this will be a defense primed for another Super Bowl run.