NFL: Breaking Down Positives for 2-0 Teams and Negatives for 0-2 Teams
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, there have been some major surprises for both winning and losing teams.
The teams who split their first two games are just trying to figure out who they want to be. Then there are the teams who are either flying high or falling fast.
Seven teams have started out 2-0 and seven teams have started out 0-2, with the 49ers trying to avoid that on Monday night.
What are the positives for the undefeated teams and what are the negatives for the winless teams? Find out here in a breakdown of all 14 clubs.
Miami Dolphins: 2-0
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It wasn't shocking when the Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are just a wreck and are probably the worst team in the NFL.
But what was a shock was the Dolphins going into Minnesota and beating Brett Favre and the Vikings, the only NFC team to go unbeaten at home last year.
Miami has now won their first two games, both on the road. The Dolphins have only allowed 20 points so far, 10 against both the Bills and Vikings. Their defense has been the biggest positive so far, led by Vontae Davis and Jason Allen.
Davis is becoming an elite cornerback, completely shutting receivers down, and Allen recorded 12 tackles in Sunday's game against Minnesota.
What can derail the Dolphins: Their offense hasn't been spectacular so far. They've only scored 29 points in two games, and new acquisition Brandon Marshall hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game yet.
It doesn't look like Miami is going to be a good passing team this season—even though Henne is very accurate—but their running game should help them score some points.
Pittsburgh Steelers: 2-0
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Who says the Steelers need Ben Roethlisberger to win games? With two games to go until his return, the Steelers have put themselves atop the AFC North with two big wins.
First, they beat the Falcons, then they went to Tennessee and knocked off the 1-0 Titans. They even lost their backup quarterback, Dennis Dixon, to a knee injury and survived. Now that's taking care of business.
The Steelers haven't shown much offense, but their defense has been amazing, led by Lawrence Timmons and Troy Polamalu.
Once Ben Roethlisberger comes back, the offense should obviously get much better. Right now though, the Steelers have pretty much gotten through the frustration of not having him, as they can't be worse than 2-2 when he returns.
What can derail the Steelers: The only thing at this point that can derail the Steelers is if Ben Roethlisberger returns and is a bust.
By not playing for the first four weeks, he may come back rusty, and then Pittsburgh would have to deal with running the ball more. Rashard Mendenhall has looked good so far, but Pittsburgh has to hope that their big quarterback is ready to roll if they want to return to the playoffs this season.
Houston Texans: 2-0
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The Houston Texans may finally be a true threat to Peyton Manning and the Colts in the AFC South. After beating the Colts in Week 1, the Texans came back from a 20-7 deficit to beat the Redskins in Washington.
In their 30-27 overtime win on Sunday, the Texans had two receivers go for over 144 yards. Andre Johnson led the way with 158, and Kevin Walter went for 144 yards.
One of the reasons the Texans are having so much success is because of the play of their quarterback, Matt Schaub. He has become an elite passer, throwing for almost 500 yards on Sunday.
They also have an up-and-coming elite running back in Arian Foster.
With a quarterback that passes the ball like Schaub, and with the best receiver in football in Johnson, the Texans are primed for a huge season.
What can derail the Texans: The Texans need to establish a better defensive unit. They have allowed opposing quarterbacks to throw for major yards against them.
In Week 1, Peyton Manning threw for 433 yards, and on Sunday, Donovan McNabb threw for 426 yards. In both games, they allowed at least 24 points, and that forces Schaub and his offense to consistently put up big points.
The Texans have averaged 32 points per game so far, and if that doesn't hold up, they could be in trouble. Schaub will really be tested this season.
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Kansas City Chiefs: 2-0
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One of the biggest surprises so far have been the Kansas City Chiefs. As the only 2-0 team in the AFC West, the Chiefs have put together a nice little offensive bunch.
Former Jets running back Thomas Jones has taken the load in the backfield, running at a pretty good rate like in his career year, 2009.
The defense stepped up to stop the Chargers and, on Sunday, a weak Cleveland Browns team.
The problem for Kansas City on Sunday was they didn't get a good game out of Matt Cassel. His QB rating was only 46.1 as he threw two interceptions and less than 200 yards.
The Chiefs' competition is going to get stiffer over their next couple of games. After facing the 49ers at home next week, they have to go to the Colts and Texans after a bye week.
What can derail the Chiefs: Matt Cassel has been less than stellar so far, and the Chiefs have to hope that Thomas Jones continues his nice run.
In order for Kansas City to win a bunch of games this season, their defense will have to really tighten up.
Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub are two of the best at passing the ball, so Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, and Donald Washington will have to cover a lot of ground against some powerful receivers to keep up the winning ways.
Chicago Bears: 2-0
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Jay Cutler has looked fabulous so far this season for the Chicago Bears. In each of his first two games, he's thrown to a QB rating of over 100 and has looked like the guy from his early Broncos days.
On Sunday, he and his team pulled off the shocker of the day. The Bears went into Cowboys Stadium and beat Tony Romo, dropping the Cowboys to 0-2.
After a foolish play by Lions receiver Calvin Johnson that saved a win for Chicago in Week 1, the Bears edged Dallas, 27-20, and used Johnny Knox and Devin Hester to their advantage.
If Cutler can continue to emerge as a good quarterback in 2010 for Chicago, he has enough pieces around him to succeed.
His huge turnover problems of the past have calmed down, as he didn't throw one against a decent Cowboys secondary on Sunday, while throwing three touchdowns.
What can derail the Bears: The downfall of Chicago would be Jay Cutler not producing like he has early on. After throwing a league-high 26 interceptions in 2009, the Bears have to hope Cutler stays consistent.
They have a quarterback in their own division, Aaron Rodgers, who has been pretty good at not turning the ball over and making big plays.
The good thing for the Bears is that their schedule really gets soft in a couple of weeks. They have a four-week span facing the Panthers, Seahawks, Redskins, and Bills.
They will face off against the aforementioned Aaron Rodgers next week on Monday Night Football.
Green Bay Packers: 2-0
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The Green Bay Packers got a nice win over the Eagles on the road in Week 1, and then took it out on the lowly Bills on Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers continued to perform nicely, and the Packers got a huge game out of Jermichael Finley in their 34-7 victory.
The Packers have a good quarterback and good defense, so it's not a huge surprise that they have started undefeated. They are already two games up on the rival Vikings in the AFC North.
What can derail the Packers: There's not too much that the Packers have to worry about at this point.
Their quarterback is one of the top 10 in the game, and their defense is among the best.
As long as they continue to play solidly on both sides of the ball, they should roll to at least 11 wins this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-0
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What? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-0? It must be that worst-to-first trend continuing in the NFC South. Or maybe it's just a fluke. No matter what, they are undefeated, something only six other teams are.
Quarterback Josh Freeman has done a decent job so far of helping his team stay in games. He's not making a whole bunch of mistakes, and in Sunday's win, he rushed the ball himself for 43 yards.
The win against the Panthers came on the road, so the Buccaneers are off to a good start on that front as well.
What can derail the Buccaneers: Well unfortunately, after saying some kind words, I must pour some cold water on your beloved Buccaneers.
They are 2-0, and they did qualify to make the list of teams with positives, but they have faced two teams who are a combined 0-4.
The Browns are a dreadful offensive team, and the Panthers are a dreadful defensive team who didn't even show up on offense with two quarterbacks playing on Sunday.
It's not as if the Buccaneers are this great team that everyone overlooked, it's just a matter of getting the easiest early schedule possible.
It'll get tougher for them to win games in the weeks ahead with a very young defense. They have three straight impossible games coming up against the Steelers, Bengals, and Saints. If they can win next week, then I'll start taking them more seriously.
Buffalo Bills: 0-2
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Let's face it: The Buffalo Bills are the worst team in football. Their quarterback is not the man for the job, and the offense around him is, frankly, terrible.
In Sunday's expected loss to the Packers in Green Bay, Trent Edwards threw two interceptions, went without a touchdown, and the Bills couldn't get anything generated all day against the Packers defense.
Playing in the AFC East with three good teams, there's no way the Bills can succeed this season. They've scored 17 points so far in two games, and are in for a long, frustrating season.
What can help the Bills: The one thing that can help the Bills is, simply, a better quarterback and stronger offensive line.
It won't happen this season, as no teams improve in season if they're that bad, but eventually they'll have to build a team that can protect the quarterback and feel comfortable in the pocket.
The Bills defense isn't the worst, but it isn't great either. It's a defense mixed with some older veterans and some younger players, but the team is just a mess all around.
Cleveland Browns: 0-2
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The Browns thought they'd be slightly better this season after finishing 2009 with four straight wins. That hasn't happened, and Eric Mangini is back on the hot seat.
The Browns lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday with Seneca Wallace as their quarterback. They're just another team with basically no offense and an average defense, although they haven't been terrible.
They allowed 17 points in their first game and 16 points on Sunday, but with an offense as bad as they have, it won't matter what they allow.
Jake Delhomme injured his right ankle in Week 1, and the Browns quarterback situation is all messed up. It looks like another terrible season for Cleveland.
What can help the Browns: The Browns need a new head coach and an entirely revamped offense. They haven't had a true quarterback in years, and when they had Derek Anderson, they probably should've kept him.
If the Browns had any hope coming into this season, it was a defense that was capable and an offense that was improved with Jake Delhomme.
The offense has only taken a step back so far, but the Browns have already put themselves in a huge hole.
Dallas Cowboys: 0-2
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Who saw this coming? The team that I, along with a lot of other people, picked to go to the Super Bowl is 0-2.
In Week 1, the Cowboys had a great defense but no offense against the Redskins. On Sunday against the Bears at home, they had a decent offense, but a bad secondary.
They allowed Jay Cutler to throw for 277 yards and three touchdowns and didn't force him into any mistakes. Cutler has looked great so far for the Bears, but even so, the Cowboys had to put more pressure on him.
On the other hand, Tony Romo was alright, but the Cowboys never seem to score when they really have to. In big spots, it seems something doesn't click—like in Week 1's penalized final play of the game.
Miles Austin had a monster game with 10 catches for 142 yards, but no other receiver came close to that, and the running game was non-existent. They only rushed the ball for 36 total yards, with 31 coming from Marion Barber. The Cowboys just haven't been in sync early on.
What can help the Cowboys: The Cowboys aren't the Bills or Browns, teams with no hope. They have just gotten off to a bad and utterly disappointing start.
Their secondary has to get healthy, and the team has to click together on the same day. The Cowboys offensive line has to do a better job of protecting Romo, and they have to score in the clutch. Jason Garrett also has to make some smarter decisions to help get the ball into the end zone.
The Cowboys are going to have a really tough shot at winning their first game this week, as they travel to Houston to take on the 2-0 Texans.
Minnesota Vikings: 0-2
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Another shocker. The Brett Favre-led Minnesota Vikings have started their season 0-2, and that must be disappointing for Favre.
Minnesota has a good defense and expectedly so, only allowing 14 points in each of the first two games. But, they haven't been able to score at all, only getting 10 points against a Dolphins team whose once "no-name" defense is improved.
Brett Favre didn't look mobile in his first game against the Saints, and the 10 days off led you to believe he'd be fresh for Sunday's game. He wasn't fresh and, in fact, looked like an old quarterback.
Over the first two games, he's played like he did in 2008 with the Jets, not 2009 with the Vikings. On Sunday, he threw three interceptions, but did gain some yardage.
Adrian Peterson had a great game carrying the ball, rushing for 145 yards and the team's only touchdown. Nothing else worked though, and so far, the Vikings offense has been anemic.
What can help the Vikings: The Vikings are similar to the Cowboys: two teams that have a ton of talent, but haven't gotten 100 percent out of their quarterback or a whole lot else.
The good thing for the Vikings is their defense has performed greatly. The thing they need to do is protect Favre more and hope this isn't the year he's run out of steam.
He certainly looks like he has, and if he doesn't get back into rhythm, the Vikings could be in some trouble. Expect Favre to get his legs back underneath him and turn this around.
Detroit Lions: 0-2
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The problem so far for the Detroit Lions has been bad luck in one game, and a terrible defensive performance in the other.
Sunday's game against the Eagles was a shootout, as both Michael Vick and Shaun Hill had huge games, but the Lions didn't have—and never have had—a good defense. Rookie Ndamukong Suh had a good game, but the defense let Vick pass for 284 yards and run free for 37 yards.
Shaun Hill has shown some promise after replacing the injured Matthew Stafford, but the Lions have already run into problems in other areas.
They would've won their Week 1 game against the Bears, had it not been for Calvin Johnson's careless play in the end zone. And after playing well against the Bears, they let the Eagles run and throw all over them. Once again, the Lions are having a bad season.
What can help the Lions: Not much can help the Lions this season. They took a step in the right direction by drafting Ndamukong Suh second in the draft. He has played well so far.
The Lions, unfortunately, have seen their young quarterback become injury prone at the start of his career, and that's something that can't happen if Detroit wants to succeed.
They need to build their defense around Suh, and hope to build a good offensive unit in the coming years to turn their losing ways around.
Both games they've lost so far were really close and were decided by one score, so there is some hope moving forward.
Carolina Panthers: 0-2
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The Carolina Panthers and John Fox have run into a messy situation: once teams in the NFL start switching quarterbacks in the middle of games, it's a bust.
That's what happened on Sunday in the Panthers' loss to the Buccaneers. Matt Moore, who looked so good replacing Jake Delhomme down the stretch last season, was taken out for Jimmy Clausen after a 6-for-16 afternoon.
The Panthers offense got off to a fast start in Week 1 against the Giants, but ever since their defense gave it up that day, the team has played awful.
To score only seven points at home against a weak Buccaneers defense is unacceptable. John Fox's job is on the line, and the Panthers are falling apart already.
What can help the Panthers: The Panthers drafted Jimmy Clausen in the second round out of Notre Dame and the question was, could he be a legitimate NFL quarterback?
Carolina can only hope he develops, and they will give him a chance starting on Sunday against the Bengals.
They have reason to believe they can turn it around this season, and that's hard to imagine. But, their passing game is solid with Steve Smith leading the way, and their running attack is good too.
DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are a solid tandem, and if Clausen can do well, the Panthers have some offense.
They looked pitiful yesterday, but they should be better than what their record shows.
St. Louis Rams: 0-2
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Just another team going through the pains of grooming a first-overall draft pick. That's what the Rams are all about this season, as they try to guide Sam Bradford through his first NFL season.
So far, the only player on the his offense that Bradford trusts is Steven Jackson. He was the man on Sunday, leading the Rams in both rushing and receiving yards.
That's not necessarily a good thing, though. You don't want to have an offense with one player carrying the load in both departments. They just don't have anything else around Bradford.
They lost to the Oakland Raiders on the road, which wouldn't have been a terrible loss had they won in Week 1 against the Cardinals. It's not a must to win road games out of your conference, but the Rams are going to lose against virtually everyone this season.
What can help the Rams: The Rams need a lot of help. They need to build the team around Bradford as long as he's not a bust. A lot of first round picks are busts, especially quarterbacks, so they need to see what he does this season.
If they can make smart draft choices, getting some receivers and some offensive linemen, then they can have hope.
This season, it's about grooming Bradford, and not embarrassing him in too many games. He had the shoulder injury at Oklahoma, so they will need to be careful as well, since they're paying him some big bucks.
Other than his development, there's nothing much to look forward to this season in St. Louis.
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