By Dan Soden on October 20, 2014
10 NFL Teams You Can Stick A Fork In After Week 7
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Week 7 is about to wrap up tonight when the Houston Texans take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we already have a pretty good idea of which teams have a fighting chance to make a run in the playoffs, and which teams we can stick a fork in. There are plenty of teams on the bubble, like the New York Giants, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, but to me, these following 10 teams are as good as done.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
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10. Pittsburgh Steelers
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers are at .500 right now, but that could change at the hands of the Houston Texans tonight, and in all honestly, it probably will. The Steelers' offense should be one of the most talked about units in the NFL, but it seems poor coaching is haunting them. My guess is that Todd Haley will be out at the end of the year and the Steelers will get young on defense and bounce back, but for now, mediocrity is where they will sit.
9. Cleveland Browns
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9. Cleveland Browns
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns are inconsistent and show us a glimmer of hope mixed with a dash of the same old same week in and week out. Eventually, they will break the tradition of being at the bottom of the AFC North, but it doesn't seem as if it will be this year.
8. St. Louis Rams
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8. St. Louis Rams
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When Sam Bradford went down with an injury, we all thought we could have stuck a fork in the St. Louis Rams, but with the emergence of Austin Davis, we might have to hover our forks over the Rams for the time being. The NFC West isn’t easy, so chances are slim for the Rams, but the future isn’t as grim as the others. They also need to use Tavon Austin better.
7. Tennessee Titans
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7. Tennessee Titans
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There is a bit of a theme to this list (rebuilding), and it seems the Tennessee Titans fall right into that category. That, and the fact that they lost to a Colt McCoy-led Washington Redskins team, is pretty depressing. Things aren’t going to get any easier for them either.
6. Minnesota Vikings
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6. Minnesota Vikings
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I’ll chalk up this Minnesota Vikings season as a rebuilding season sprinkled with losing their best player to off the field issues. The offensive line isn’t exactly in top shape, and with a rookie quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, that's something you ideally would want in order to win games. Maybe next season Bridgewater will be able to stay up right.
5. New York Jets
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5. New York Jets
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We can start saying our goodbyes to Rex Ryan, because unless a miracle happens, the New York Jets won’t make the playoffs and Ryan will be looking at the unemployment line. The Jets have talent and the addition of Percy Harvin is interesting, but the AFC East isn’t going to make it easy for the Jets to bounce back.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
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4. Jacksonville Jaguars
Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a young team and they are learning on the job, so while this season might be a wash for them, the future looks bright for Gus Bradley and company. This season might be over for the Jags, but they might be the team to watch next year.
3. Washington Redskins
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
3. Washington Redskins
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Everyone in Washington is ready for the return of Robert Griffin III, but it’s clearly too late for the Washington Redskins to make an impact in the NFC East. If RG3 can stay healthy, maybe next year could be different for them, but that’s a big maybe.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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People expected Lovie Smith to come to town and everything to be alright following the aftermath of Greg Schiano. Things didn't start off exactly to plan, and now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting at a 1-5 record. I'm sure they will win more games, but not enough to do anything in the postseason.
1. Oakland Raiders
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1. Oakland Raiders
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Some teams have a rebuilding season or two, the Oakland Raiders have had a rebuilding era. While it looks like they have a franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, they still need to find a supporting cast in order to win. Whoever the coach is next year will at least have a decent draft pick and a franchise quarterback to build with.
Dan Soden is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielSoden, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google .