What-If Wednesday: Mending Mediocrity, Part 2

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After a slew of low-scoring Sunday games, a horrible prime time game, and a loss to my dad in fantasy football, we’re back with What-if Wednesday. For part two, we will be doing the next five worst teams: the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

Atlanta Falcons (1-5)

 

I gave them the benefit of the doubt for my last article. I mean, they just went to the Super Bowl a couple years ago. Sadly for the city of Atlanta, this team hasn’t been the same since--despite having a great offense. Matty Ice, Julio, Sanu, a young Calvin Ridley, and Devonta Freeman form an unbelievable, skill-positioned stacked offense that can win games. Their defense, on the other hand, could use some work. So, who better to start a rebuild with than the best defensive player of my lifetime: Aaron Donald.

Donald had 20.5 sacks last year on a good Wade Phillips-coached defense. Not only that, but Donald is a good leader and has unbelievably quick hands that dominate against even the toughest offensive linemen. With Donald, this team wins at least 6 games--that is, until the offensive is kick-started back into excellence. 

 

Denver Broncos (2-4)

 

There are many questions for the Broncos right now. Will they ever get another “No-fly-zone” like the Super Bowl-winning defense? Is Phillip Lindsey the running back of Denver’s future? What is John Elway’s obsession with post-prime quarterbacks? To quote the Tootsie Pop commercial, “the world may never know.” So, let's get down to business: what do the Broncos really need?

I think the Broncos are kind of like the Dolphins--they could use a little bit of everything. So, why not plop a quarterback in to replace ol’ Joe Flacco. Not only that, but they could also use a great leader in the locker room. Russell Wilson has meant everything to Seattle ever since he got there, and he would do the same for Denver. Maybe head coach Vic Fangio will figure out how to use him better than Pete Carroll did in the last few minutes of Super Bowl XLIX. With Wilson, I see the Broncos as a .500 team.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)

 

Wave the Terrible Towels in defeat because it might be time for the Steelers to call it quits for the season after a heartbreaking 2-4 start. After the not-so-heartbreaking loss of Antonio Brown this offseason and Big Ben’s injury, expectations for this Pittsburgh team are not so high. Even if Roethlisberger comes back healthy, how long will it be until the 37-year-old is hurt again?

That’s why, more than anything, the Steelerss need a QB to be successful. So, who better than Packers legend Aaron Rodgers. Maybe with Rodgers, the Steelers become a discount Saints team with JuJu as the Walmart-brand Michael Thomas and James Conner as something that resembles Alvin Kamara. With Rodgers, a large improvement over Mason Rudolph, this Steelers team might reach its full potential as a 9-7 team.

 

Tennessee Titans (2-4)

 

According to Clay Travis’s Twitter, “Tell me why any Titans offensive player or offensive coach should get paid this week.” I think anyone who had the delight to watch this horrid game would agree. With a whopping 204 yards of total offense, the Titans really need a totally revamped offense. Derrick Henry is still young, but at this point, it's probably time to give up on Marcus Mariota, especially if he wants to get paid a large sum of money. Unfortunately for the Tennessee front office, that isn’t their worst position.

There are two problems with the Titans quarterback position: health and targets. Giving Mariota the benefit of the doubt, maybe he is just bad because he has never had the chance to show how good he is with a great wide receiver. DeAndre Hopkins is a good guy on and off the field. He calls Will Fuller V his little brother and helped with his transition into the league. This would be great for the Titans if they try to revamp their offense. Not only that, Hopkins has had almost 8,000 yards in his six-year career. With Hopkins, the Titans should get close to seven wins in what is turning out to be a surprisingly tough division.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4)

 

Shoutout to the NFL for having another trash game for the people of London. Jameis Winston was reckless, as always, and threw five interceptions to a past-its-prime Panthers defense. So, what is wrong with this Bucs team? For starters, they have a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Mike Evans and a solid defense with rookie Devin White and Lavonte David. The Bucs’ below-average run game with Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones III makes defenses think they are going to throw every time, and for good reason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need Christian McCaffrey.

There is no other running back in the league who can carry a team like this third-year Panthers running back. Not only that, but he’s nearly having a historic season with 618 yards through Week 6, averaging five yards a carry with seven touchdowns. McCaffrey on this team not only becomes even more of a fantasy god, but he also could easily carry this team to nine wins in an already weak division.

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