To be a fraud is to be “a person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities,” according to the Oxford Dictionary.
In sports terms, frauds are usually teams that have a record that may be better than their level of play. Now, there is no denying that the teams labeled as frauds have won games and are playing well—or supposedly are—but there is usually an accepted skepticism about their true skills. So, now 11 weeks into the 18-week NFL season, I have found three teams that, in my opinion, are frauds: the Los Angeles Chargers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Green Bay Packers.
The Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are in a unique position. They have undergone a complete turnaround under Coach Jim Harbaugh, and one could argue that Justin Herbert is playing at an MVP level. But some weeks he plays like an MVP, and other weeks he plays like a deer in headlights. This team is reliant on him, and after a beatdown from the Jacksonville Jaguars, a loss to the Colts, and losses to the Washington Commanders and New York Giants, I am really not sold that the offense has what it takes to be a machine. It could easily score 3o to 40 points against any given opponent, but it could also dud completely. I think until the Chargers really prove themselves, they, unfortunately, are on fraud watch.
The Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have the least amount of reasoning to be in this. They have by far the best record and are putting up good performances week in and week out, but they have to be here for one glaring reason. When the game gets tense, the person they have at the helm is Daniel Jones. The football fan in me, and the football fan in many people, wants to believe in the Colts and in Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, and Cam Bynum, but I cannot. They have continued to break expectations all year long, but in the playoffs, it is a completely different story. They are a new group, and Jones—who, albeit, came from New York, which is a really tough situation for anyone to be in—didn’t exactly flourish there as their leader. Maybe all he needed was a change of scenery, but until I see production in the postseason, I am putting the Colts on fraud watch.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are another really interesting team. I myself am a Packers fan, and I have noticed many things. First off, Jordan Love is having his best year as a Packer, and Micah Parsons looks great so far. But injuries, poor defense, and lackluster play-calling in critical situations have led the Packers to blow games they should have won with ease. The Packers are a team that, following the Parsons trade, were favored to win the Super Bowl, but have blown games to the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns.
They didn’t necessarily blow this game, but lost a very ugly one to the Philadelphia Eagles. When the Packers’ offense is clicking, Coach Matt LaFleur and Love look like geniuses, but when the offense doesn’t click or opposing defenses are planning for it, things can look flat-out ugly and sloppy. The Packers have yet to beat another contending team besides a Week One victory against the Detroit Lions. Teams with Super Bowl aspirations don’t lose like the Packers have. I have to, unfortunately, put them on fraud watch.
The biggest takeaway for all these teams is that it is good that they aren’t “peaking” at this moment in time, but they all have underlying problems that need to be addressed before I can take any of them seriously as contenders.
