Bad football rears its ugly head in the NFL

MIAMI (AP) - Let's start at the bottom.

To recap: The Bucs' backup QB led them in rushing, the Titans' final 13 passes fell incomplete and the Dolphins again disproved the value of ball control. The Browns couldn't stop the run, the Chiefs couldn't stop the pass and the Rams couldn't stop a losing streak that's now the NFL's longest.

Although the Lions finally won Sunday, there was still plenty of bad football around the league.

Seven NFL cities are hogging the spotlight thanks to 3-0 starts. But for those with a strong stomach, the 0-3 teams deserve a closer look.

There are six - the Browns, Rams, Chiefs, Dolphins, Titans and Buccaneers - a game behind the Lions. When's the last time any team could say that?

"When you lose three games in a row, finger-pointing starts and you're saying, 'Why isn't this working?"' Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud said.

And when you start 0-3, your playoff chances dwindle. Since 1990, only three teams have made the postseason after losing their first three games.

The most surprising cellar-dwellers are the Dolphins and Titans, both division champions in 2008. In each case, the decline has been a team effort.

Against the Jets on Sunday, Tennessee's Kerry Collins misfired on his final 13 attempts, but he couldn't do it alone. Teammates dropped five passes in the second half.

The Titans had the NFL's best record last year at 13-3, but since their undefeated start in 2008 ended Nov. 23 against the New York Jets, they're 3-7. The losses this year have been by a total of 13 points.

"One play could make the difference in each game," defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "It couldn't be a finer line."

Defending AFC East champion Miami has been creative in defeat, too, undercoming an 11-minute advantage per game in time of possession. The Dolphins are third in the league in rushing offense and third in rushing defense, yet the losses mount - quarterback Chad Pennington was placed on the injured reserve list Tuesday, ending his season.

In other cities, the losing has lasted longer. With the Lions' victory Sunday over the Redskins, the Rams' 13 consecutive defeats are first in the NFL. Or last. The Browns are at nine in a row, the Chiefs at seven.

"You have to chip away at it," Cleveland coach Eric Mangini said. "There's no 20-point touchdown."

With 20-point touchdowns, Mangini's crew would really be in trouble. As it is, the Browns have been outscored 95-29.

The Browns' 218-yard average - that's total offense - is last in the league, as is their minus-7 turnover differential. And they've been outgained by 584 yards.

Mangini waffled on choosing a QB before giving the job to Brady Quinn, who ranks 30th in passing and is averaging 133 yards per game. Mangini benched him at halftime of the Browns' 34-3 loss to Baltimore.

Derek Anderson came on and threw three interceptions in the second half.

But hats off to Robert Royal, who has scored Cleveland's lone offensive touchdown in the past nine games. It came during garbage time in the season opener.

The Rams have a new coach, a new general manager and the same crummy team. They're 5-30 since 2007 and getting worse.

"Anything and everything that we want to accomplish this year is still in front of us," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. That could include securing the No. 2 draft pick for the third year in a row.

The Chiefs have lost 26 of their past 28 games, and that doesn't count an 0-4 preseason. New QB Matt Cassel has failed to revive the offense, which is 7 for 36 on third-down conversions and not great on first or second down, either.

Other winless teams are facing quarterback issues. Josh Johnson was awarded the Bucs' starting job this week after coming off the bench in Sunday's 24-0 loss to the Giants to lead the team in rushing with 15 yards.

"We made zero plays," benched QB Byron Leftwich said. That's a bit harsh: The Bucs did make five first downs. Their leading rusher this season, Carnell Williams, ranks 37th in the league, and their defense is even worse.

The Redskins (1-2) aren't winless, but they deserve special mention for losing Sunday to Detroit. That snapped the Lions' 19-game losing streak that matched the second longest in NFL history.

The Redskins have been so bad the home crowd booed even when they beat St. Louis. Washington has struggled against a weak schedule, scoring only 40 points in three games. Coach Jim Zorn is on the hot seat, and he might join the jeering if his team loses Sunday to Tampa Bay.

"It's not college," Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot said. "Nobody is going to come in here and 'Tim Tebow' us and send us on a nine-game winning streak."

At the moment, a lot of teams would settle for one win. But hang in there, Dolphins, Titans, Browns, Chiefs, Bucs and Rams - a lot of bad football remains to be played.