Drake Maye, Mike McDaniel and the NFL's Biggest Disappointments of 2026 So Far

We're only three weeks into the 2026 NFL season, but it's safe to say that things haven't unfolded quite the way most expected.

The reigning AFC champion New England Patriots, for example, are sitting at 1-2. So are the Los Angeles Rams, who reached last year's NFC title game and were the heavily hyped preseason Super Bowl favorites. Other teams we expected to push for the playoffs, such as the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans, are still winless entering Week 4.

There have been some pleasant surprises in 2026, too, like the undefeated Las Vegas Raiders.

However, we're here to focus on the biggest disappointments of the season so far. We'll examine who has fallen furthest short of expectations, why, and what may come next.

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers' Offense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had their streak of four straight NFC South titles snapped last season. However, there was some belief that with a healthier roster and a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson, they could rebound in 2026.

That's undoubtedly part of the reason why Tampa gave quarterback Baker Mayfield a new three-year, $165 million extension just before the start of the season.

Unfortunately, things have not gone according to plan. The Buccaneers' offense hasn't found a legitimate replacement for departed star receiver Mike Evans, and Mayfield was mistake-prone through the first three weeks of the season—and he's now set to miss time with a dislocated thumb .

Mayfield has thrown just two touchdown passes, committed five turnovers, and has a passer rating of just 80.0. While he's out, the Bucs will turn to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels.

While fans can certainly hope Daniels can provide a spark to the offense, Mayfield hasn't been the only issue. Robinson's predictable play-calling has made it difficult to sustain drives and establish a rhythm.

Tampa's sixth-ranked defense has been good enough to keep the Buccaneers in games, but the Bucs are sitting at 0-3 because their offense has been flat-out bad to this point. If things don't change quickly, Tampa will land in the NFC South basement and may have to consider sweeping changes in the offseason.

While some may have expected a regression from the Buccaneers offense this season, virtually no one anticipated Drake Maye falling flat on his face after being last year's MVP runner-up.

Maye hasn't just regressed this season; he has become a significant concern for the Patriots.

The third-year quarterback's three-interception performance in Week 1 included a costly end-zone interception on New England's final, potentially game-winning drive. He has yet to show a sustained rebound since that opener.

Through three weeks, Maye has completed just 63.8 percent of his passes for 585 yards, one touchdown, six interceptions, and a dreadful 58.6 passer rating. He has also fumbled twice, losing one.

Speculation about the signal-caller's standing has intensified after WEEI host Greg Hill suggested head coach Mike Vrabel may not view him as his preferred quarterback.

"Despite what Mike Vrabel has said publicly, it goes back to Drake Maye not being his guy," Hill said on The Greg Hill Show .

Vrabel has since publicly downplayed the idea that Maye isn't his guy. However, support from his head coach isn't going to magically fix his play on the field.

So why has Maye taken such a big step backward? Well, for one thing, he's faced a tough early schedule after playing one of the NFL's easiest in 2025. He's also been without his go-to receiver since A.J. Brown exited with an ankle injury in Week 1.

The reality is that Maye's Year 2 jump may not have been as massive as it might seem at first glance—and his shaky play against quality opponents in the playoffs supports that idea. He still has a lot of room for growth, and he should make some positive strides as the season progresses.

Of course, if Maye cannot do a better job of protecting the football, New England will struggle to get back to the postseason.

The Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, due largely to the strength of their defense. Quarterback Justin Herbert regularly did enough to make L.A.'s offense functional, but a lack of offensive efficiency and creativity led to the firing of offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Following the dismissal of Roman, the Chargers scooped up former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator and former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.

Having developed a reputation as one of the NFL's brightest young offensive minds, McDaniel was expected to significantly boost the Chargers offense while fully unlocking Herbert as a signal-caller. Instead, both Herbert and the Chargers' offense have gotten worse.

Los Angeles ranks just 29th in scoring, while Herbert holds a passer rating (73.4) that is more than 20 points below his career average (95.8). The Chargers' defense has also seemingly regressed, but the sudden fall of Herbert, long considered an upper-tier starter, has been stunning.

McDaniel has already come under fire to a degree that head coach Jim Harbaugh felt the need to publicly defend his OC following L.A.'s latest loss.

"No, we trust Mike. We believe in Mike," Harbaugh said, per Austin Knoblauch of the Los Angeles Times .

The Chargers may believe in McDaniel, but if they don't start getting better results out of the offense, and Herbert, in particular, there's virtually no way that they'll reach the postseason for the third straight year.

Preseason Contenders in Desperation Mode

The Rams' Duo of Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett

This one has been a massive disappointment simply because we haven't seen it yet.

The Rams shocked the football world a couple of times during the offseason. First, they made a blockbuster trade for pass-rusher and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in June. Then, they announced the un-retirement of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald.

The two future Hall of Famers were supposed to anchor an elite defensive front on a championship-caliber defense that also added cornerbacks Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie in the offseason.

However, Donald didn't travel with the Rams to Australia for the opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite being on the field, Garrett was just as productive as Donald in Week 1, which he finished with no tackles, sacks, or QB pressures. We quickly learned that Garrett was dealing with a significant knee injury, one that required surgery and a move to injured reserve.

According to ESPN's Ian Rapoport , Garrett is looking at a six-week recovery timeline.

Donald has appeared in Los Angeles' last two games and has played like he didn't spend the last two years in retirement. He has four tackles, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback pressure while playing 54 percent of the defensive snaps.

At some point, Garrett should be healthy enough to return to the field, and if he's even close to his 2024 form, he and Donald can be the terrifying tandem most expected them to be. However, it's going to be several more weeks before that happens.

In the meantime, the Rams must start stringing together wins, or else Garrett's return might not really matter.

Last offseason, the Tennessee Titans made former Miami quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. He was named the starter ahead of Week 1, and he started all 17 games as a rookie.

While Ward showed some flashes of elite upside during his inaugural campaign, his production (3,169 yards, 15 TDs, 7 INTs, 80.2 QB rating) was very underwhelming overall. Of course, he was saddled with one of the league's most underwhelming supporting casts.

That's why it wasn't hard to envision a big second-year jump from Ward. Tennessee hired a new head coach in Robert Saleh and an experienced offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll this past offseason.

The Titans then added new offensive pieces such as center Austin Schlottmann, receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, tight end Daniel Bellinger and rookie wideout Carnell Tate .

Unfortunately, the substantial growth many expected to see from Ward hasn't come. He's thrown for just 504 yards with two touchdowns, an interception, and an 80.9 QB rating through three weeks. His lack of development is a big reason why Tennessee sits at 0-3 with the league's 31st-ranked offense.

According to Saleh, Ward's poor start to 2026 may be an aftereffect of his rookie season.

"You've got to remember the young man was sacked however many times last year so I'm sure there's some PTSD there," Saleh told reporters . "But he's getting better. He's trusting it. His footwork is lasting him longer into games if that makes sense."

Regardless of why Ward's growth has been stunted, his lack of progress has been glaring in contrast to Tyler Shough's second-year strides.

If the former Hurricanes star doesn't start playing much better, much more consistently, and very soon, the Titans could face difficult questions about Ward's long-term development.

With the 2027 draft class expected to be deep with quarterback talent, a lack of Year-2 progress from Ward could leave Tennessee with some very difficult decisions in the spring.

This one's for the fantasy enthusiasts who drafted Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland early, believing him to be a potential league-winner.

A year ago, he appeared to be on the doorstep of the NFL's elite tight end club. The Michigan product finished his inaugural NFL campaign with 58 catches for 713 yards and six touchdowns.

With wide receiver D.J. Moore being traded in the spring, it certainly felt like Loveland's ceiling could be even higher this season.

Through three games, though, Loveland has caught just five of nine targets for 34 yards. He did appear to have a touchdown reception on Monday night, but he was ruled short after review.

Fans may be wondering if there's something ailing Loveland or if he has simply fallen out of favor following the offseason departure of offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. However, the player's meager production has a simpler explanation, as the tight end noted himself.

"There's other ways to make plays on the ground in the run game," Loveland said, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. "I'm just doing what I'm asked and … there's going to be opportunities."

Loveland didn't catch either of his Week 1 targets, and Chicago's offense sputtered after losing Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury in Week 2. Last week, Case Keenum had the offense clicking again, and Loveland caught a season-high four passes on four targets.

After playing just 65 percent of the offensive snaps as a rookie, Loveland has played 84 percent of the snaps through Week 3. However, it's unlikely that his underwhelming statistics will be a season-long trend.

The Texans made the playoffs for the third consecutive year in 2025, thanks in large part to their elite defense.

While quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans' offense had their fair share of issues last season, Houston regularly relied on a defense that ranked first overall and second in points allowed. The unit included three Pro Bowlers in linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Most expected that Houston's defense would again be championship-caliber in 2026, and that with a little offensive improvement, the Texans might even emerge as Super Bowl contenders. However, that hasn't happened.

Stroud and the offense actually looked quite potent in the season opener, a 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. That side of the ball hasn't been as dependable over the last two games, contests that star receiver Nico Collins missed with a hamstring injury. However, the Texans' defense really hasn't been dependable at all this season.

Through three weeks, Houston ranks 26th in passing yards allowed, 16th in total yards allowed, and 19th in points allowed. The Texans enter Week 4 still searching for their first win largely because their defense has failed them, a fact that was probably not on anyone's 2026 NFL bingo card.

Now, it's worth noting that Houston overcame a 0-3 start last year and still made the playoffs. However, the Texans will have to do a better job of limiting big plays in the passing game while forcing turnovers if they're going to get back to the sort of defensive football that has made them a postseason threat over the last three seasons.