Five NFL Teams Whose Seasons Are Already on the Line in Week 2
Remember way back a week ago when preseason optimism still prevailed for basically every NFL team? Wild how quickly that sentiment dissipates in certain spots as soon as they start playing games that matter.
And that's for good reason. According to Evan Bleier of Inside Hook, since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, fewer than 10 percent of teams that have started 0-2 have gone on to make the playoffs. An 0-2 starter hasn't won the Super Bowl since the New York Giants did so in 2007, and only two other teams (the 2001 New England Patriots and 1993 Dallas Cowboys) have accomplished that feat.
Fifteen teams face that potential fate Sunday and Monday as we jump deep into Week 2 of the 2023 regular season.
Here are a handful that absolutely must act now or consider their Super Bowl chances to realistically be shot.
Buffalo Bills
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In most years, a Buffalo Bills team with as much talent as this one would have some margin for error and be capable of battling back from 0-2. And while that's still doable this season, two losses to fellow AFC playoff contenders out of the gates would be extremely far from optimal.
Losing to the Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets was a big blow to a team that just can't seem to get over the top despite plenty of skill throughout the roster. Losing to the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday at home—and falling two games back of a likely foe in the wild-card race in the process—would be a massive blow, especially if the high-flying division rival Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots Sunday night to move to 2-0.
Buffalo has to face that very Miami team in Week 4, with a potentially tough road matchup with the Washington Commanders wedged between that game and this potential back-breaker with Las Vegas.
The AFC is deep, putting the Bills behind the eight ball immediately.
Cincinnati Bengals
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The Cincinnati Bengals face a similar challenge to Buffalo's based on the overall talent and depth in both their division and their conference.
An embarrassing 24-3 Week 1 loss to the Cleveland Browns wasn't ideal but could be chalked up as an anomaly with Joe Burrow coming off a calf injury, but a Week 2 loss to the already-1-0 Baltimore Ravens would be within reaching distance of early-season panic mode.
The Bengals would immediately be 0-2 inside the division, and if the Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers as expected on Monday night, there will already essentially be a 2.5-game gap between the Bengals and both the Ravens and Browns.
Even if the schedule eases up a tad in the coming weeks, that'd be very hard to come back from in such a highly competitive division.
New England Patriots
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The Patriots didn't enter the season as a prime favorite, but you can't rule out a Bill Belichick-coached team.
That is until they start 0-2 as a result of a Week 2 loss to a division-rival Dolphins team that would then be 2-0.
After this, they have to go on the road to play the Jets (who at least have a major issue of their own right now) as well as the Dallas Cowboys (who look damn good at the moment). That's far from ideal, and has me wondering if Belichick and Co. might just throw in the towel if they can't shock the heavily favored Dolphins on Sunday.
This sure is beginning to look like a scrap year for the Pats, but let's keep in mind we're still talking about Belichick.
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New York Giants
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The New York Giants may have fancied themselves legit contenders, and the money they handed quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley this offseason would certainly suggest that. But this team was always going to be fighting an uphill battle after over-performing with a playoff appearance despite posting a negative scoring margin in 2022.
Now, following a humiliating 40-0 prime-time home loss to the division rival Dallas Cowboys to kick off the season, the Giants find themselves in a brutal spot.
The good news is they're a clear favorite against a weak Arizona Cardinals team on Sunday. The bad news is they're on the road on somewhat short rest and the Cardinals have very little to lose at this stage. Throw in injuries to Andrew Thomas and Darren Waller and you're allowed to wonder.
If the Giants get upset in this spot, and if the Cowboys take care of the Rodgers-less Jets to match the Philadelphia Eagles at 2-0 (the Washington Commanders can also get to 2-0 with a win in Denver), the Giants will almost certainly be toast.
Just look at their next four games beyond Week 2: at the San Francisco 49ers on a short week, home to the Seattle Seahawks, at Buffalo, at Miami.
Good freakin' luck.
Seattle Seahawks
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When the Seattle Seahawks and surprise quarterback Geno Smith dropped three consecutive games last December, some wondered if the shine had come off. They still won their final two games and snuck into the playoffs, but Smith's breakout season didn't end close to as well as it started.
Still, the team signed the 32-year-old to a lucrative new contract in the offseason. Unfortunately, in averaging just 4.3 yards per pass attempt in a one-sided Week 1 home loss to the purportedly inferior division rival Los Angeles Rams, Smith fueled naysayers who are under the impression his 2022 hot streak was a fluke.
Now, Smith is likely to be without both of his starting offensive tackles for a tough cross-country road matchup with the fired-up and rested Detroit Lions.
It's an awful recipe, with the San Francisco 49ers seemingly primed to run away with the NFC West if Smith and Co. can't pull something out of the bag quickly.
Excluded from the list
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Denver Broncos: Let's give Russell Wilson and Sean Payton a little bit of time, especially with the rest of the AFC West generally starting slow out of the gate. The Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers all have pretty tough road games in Week 2, while Denver is at least at home for Washington. Even a loss wouldn't signal the end of any hope for a successful season here.
Kansas City Chiefs: The defending Super Bowl champions definitely get the benefit of the doubt. And as I mentioned, much of the division is off to a slow start. You can't rule out K.C., even with a loss in Jacksonville Sunday. The schedule eases a bit after this one as well.
Los Angeles Chargers: The Raiders were the only AFC West team that was victorious in Week 1, and they're an underdog in Buffalo. The Chargers could lose in Tennessee Sunday and still potentially be in fine shape with Las Vegas coming to two in two weeks.
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