Only a third of the NFL season is in the books, but it's already too late for some of the most disappointing teams to turn things around.
The 0-6 Los Angeles Chargers are miles from contention in the AFC West, and the 2-4 Indianapolis Colts have turned their attention to next year by firing general manager Chris Ballard.
For others who expect to be contenders, there's still time to get back on track. Here are five teams that haven't lived up to expectations but could still find a way to salvage the season and make the playoffs.
Los Angeles Rams
Fix: Trade for a receiver
While their 2-4 start is surprising, it isn't quite time for the Rams to hit the panic button. They've still managed to rack up the third-most offensive yards, and their defense has allowed the third-fewest.
With Myles Garrett due to return at some point, there's still reason for Los Angeles to be optimistic that it can start stringing together wins and climb back into contention.
What can't keep happening are turnovers and offensive miscues. Finding another reliable receiver to add to the mix could help. With Davante Adams expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury, Matthew Stafford's options are limited. There's receptions machine Puka Nacua, but the only other players with at least 10 catches this season are running back Kyren Williams and tight end Tyler Higbee.
Josh Downs, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jerry Jeudy stand out as logical candidates who could elevate the Rams' offense and get the team back to its winning ways.
Seattle Seahawks
Fix: Stop turning the ball over
It's easier said than done, but the defending Super Bowl champs would be just fine if they stopped giving away possessions. The Seahawks' defense is still ferocious as ever, with the least amount of offensive yardage allowed through the first six weeks and the second-most takeaways. The problem for 3-3 Seattle is Sam Darnold's sudden transformation back into the player who couldn't stick on a roster earlier in his career.
In each of the Seahawks' losses, they've turned the ball over at least three times. The latest was Darnold's three-interception performance against the Denver Broncos, which included a back-breaking pick in overtime.
There are a couple of ways Seattle can try to help make the turnovers stop.
An increased emphasis on the running game could help. Zach Charbonnet is set to make his season debut after missing the first six weeks while rehabbing his knee. The Seahawks could also parse through the trade market for another back, although they may be content to wait for first-round rookie Jadarian Price to return from injured reserve in November.
The much more drastic (and unlikely) route would be to bench Darnold and turn to Drew Lock, who played well and didn't turn the ball over at all in his limited action earlier this season.
Houston Texans
Fix: Get takeaways
After a 0-4 start, the Texans are starting to get back on track after a blowout win over the Tennessee Titans and a narrow victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The most encouraging thing for Houston is that C.J. Stroud is firing on all cylinders and now has receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tank Dell added to the mix on offense. The puzzling part of the Texans' sluggish start has been the minimal impact of a defense that should be one of the NFL's best.
No team allowed fewer yards in 2025 than the Texans, and five players on that defense (Azeez Al-Shaair, Will Anderson, Calen Bullock, Kamari Lassiter, and Derek Stingley) earned Pro Bowl honors. Five-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Danielle Hunter also remains on the roster. Yet, the team is currently No. 15 in yards allowed.
The Texans are playing well against the run and still generating a lot of pressure against opposing quarterbacks. Houston's 18 sacks are the third most in the NFL, and Anderson leads the league with 7.5. But that chaos in the backfield has only yielded six turnovers.
Just like the Seahawks' efforts to avoid turnovers, the Texans getting takeaways is easier said than done. However, if they continue to stuff the run and generate pressure on opposing passers, it's probably inevitable.
Philadelphia Eagles
Fix: Air it out
It sure feels like the Eagles are toast. With a four-game losing streak and a cartoonishly long list of injuries - including season-ending blood clot issues for Jalen Hurts - it'd be understandable if Philadelphia fans are ready to turn the page to next year.
Then again, the Eagles are still just one win behind the New York Giants for first place in the abysmal NFC East. Someone has to win the division, no matter how many problems that team drags into the playoffs.
There's still plenty of reason to think Philadelphia could be that team. The Eagles still have tons of talent on defense, and they'll get running back Saquon Barkley back soon, which should provide a huge lift to a run game that's been stuck in the mud without him.
Backup-turned-starting quarterback Tanner McKee shouldn't have to do too much heavy lifting to get points on the scoreboard. He has to do something, though. While McKee didn't make any egregious errors in his start against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, only four of his 26 completions were more than 9 yards downfield. Philadelphia's longest offensive play was a 19-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, McKee's only completion more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage.
The Eagles' offense isn't designed to throw deep that often, but Hurts had the ability to make defenses pay if they inched too close to stop Barkley. He connected on nine passes for more than 20 yards downfield in his five starts this season. McKee has to convince his opponents that he's capable of doing the same.
Dallas Cowboys
Fix: Get back to what worked
The Cowboys poured a lot of resources into their roster, and they've received pretty embarrassing results. Despite making several trades and using top draft picks to get better defensively, that unit has allowed the third-most yards in the NFL. And an offense that was among the league's most dangerous in 2025 has been pretty mediocre so far this year.
The defense could make significant strides if it finally starts getting off the field. Opponents are converting 54.7% of third downs against the Cowboys, the highest rate in the NFL. The recent addition of cornerback Joey Porter Jr. could help that as he settles in, but there aren't any other realistic fixes than to hope the defensive unit jells as the season goes on.
It's the Cowboys' offensive unit that needs to make some obvious tweaks to get back to its 2025 production.
Dallas has run the ball on just 33.2% of its offensive plays through the first six weeks. That's the biggest imbalance between run and pass in the NFL, and nothing close to last season, when the Cowboys ran it 42.7% of the time.
Dallas has also abandoned the pre-snap motion that made its offense challenging to defend. Last year, the Cowboys used motion on 66.3% of their plays, which ranked 14th in the NFL. Now they're using it just 52.3% of the time, the third-lowest rate in the league.
It doesn't help that the Cowboys have trailed more often than not, but they'd be wise to slow things down a bit and try to find the efficiency and effectiveness that made them dangerous last season.
Adam Stites is a contributing writer for theScore.
