Steelers fans can be thankful we don't root for these 8 franchises in disarray

The NFL is unpredictable in many ways. Sometimes talented teams fall flat on their faces and underperform like nobody thought possible. Other teams are dumpster-fire organizations that seem to have no hope of ever competing for a Super Bowl.

This year, we can once again be thankful that the Pittsburgh Steelers don't fall into either category.

Regardless of how you feel about Mike Tomlin's streak of never having a losing season, the Steelers always have something to play for in the final week of the season -- which is more than can be said for many sad organizations. In 2024, Pittsburgh is on the fast track to a playoff berth and looks determined to make a splash in the postseason.

With the holidays upon us, it's a great time to reflect on some sad NFL franchises we can be glad aren't the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are too talented to fall short every year. But in 2024, America's Team has hit rock bottom. The Cowboys lost franchise quarterback Dak Prescott for the season and have been without Pro Bowl and All-Pro players like Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, and Dexter Lawrence at times this season.

Dallas failed to capitalize on the Super Bowl window they had over the past three years. Now that window could slam shut. Prescott, the league's highest-paid player will be coming off a season-ending injury in 2025 and turns 32 years old in the summer. Meanwhile, former All-Pro guard Zack Martin is inching toward retirement and more talent could be headed out the door.

Just when it looks like the Cowboys are going to meet lofty expectations, they fall apart. This has been a recurring theme this century.

Carolina Panthers

You don't have to search long and hard to find major problems with the Panthers' organization. Owner David Tepper has been a trainwreck managing his team and Carolina continues to make one bad decision after the next.

It didn't help that the Panthers set themselves back years by essentially trading three first-round picks to bust on quarterback Bryce Young. Now they are back to square one and their roster doesn't look much better than an expansion team.

New York Jets

Who would have thought the New York Jets could have been so bad with Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams? The Jets entered all-in mode when they made the trade for Rodgers, but his first season in New York was lost with an Achilles injury and he's done nothing to warrant his massive contract this season.

The frustration of a disappointing 2024 season has led to some house-cleaning. Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas both got the axe this year, and more could follow early in the offseason.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Without fail, the Jaguars find ways to disappoint. Since his second NFL season in 2022, Trevor Lawrence's development has hit a brick wall. Now this team looks as bad as the one that earned the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Jacksonville should have talented players on the roster with all the draft capital they've had over the years, but this franchise didn't even give the illusion of being competitive in 2024.

Tennessee Titans

Just like we thought, firing head coach Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season didn't make all of Tennessee's problems disappear. A few years back, this was a well-coached team capable of a playoff berth. These days, the Titans are nothing more than an extra bye week on the schedule.

Quarterback Will Levis was thrown to the wolves and has become a laughingstock around the NFL. His supporting cast isn't much better, and the Titans hardly boast any young players worth getting excited about for the future.

New York Giants

It's about time the Giants understood that Daniel Jones isn't a franchise quarterback, but fans wish they would have discovered that years ago before handing him $40 million per season. Nothing this organization does seems to work, and head coach Brian Daboll probably wishes he would have stayed in Buffalo.

Yes, the Giants have a budding superstar in Malik Nabers and a perennial All-Pro in Dexter Lawrence, but a few talented players can't overcome a disastrous supporting staff. This team might as well throw in the towel.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints apparently live and die by Derek Carr's health, but their chances of competing in 2024 went out the window when they went on a seven-game losing streak in the first half of the season. To make matters worse, Chris Olave's career has been riddled with concussions and his future looks murky.

Even if New Orleans bounces back and shows promise late in the season, their salary cap situation in 2025 is a nightmare, and it's going to take a miracle to get themselves out of depth (let alone make any notable moves). The next few years look grim for the Saints.

Cleveland Browns

We have bad teams, and then there's the Cleveland Browns. Even though they are an AFC North rival, you almost feel bad for fans of this team. After decades of mediocre quarterback play, the Browns made a blockbuster move for QB Deshaun Watson, but things couldn't have worked out worse with the troubled quarterback. Even before the Achilles injury, Watson was playing terrible football.

The Browns are stuck with the league's worst contract and their team is falling apart. Cleveland won't be able to afford to spend on a quarterback over the next few seasons and they are already in the salary cap hole for 2025. This team could be stuck at the bottom of the league for a while. What else is new?