NFL Week Two: Are these teams in trouble already?

We are only two weeks into the NFL regular season, so by no means is any team in the league out of playoff contention. However, being 0-2 historically gives teams only an 11.5% chance to make the playoffs, meaning it’s an uphill battle from here (this stat will presumably change with the new extra game and playoff spot.)

The Bengals were many expert’s pick to make the Super Bowl, with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, this team has everything it needs to go deep in the playoffs once more, yet here they are, 0-2.

Through two weeks of the season, the Bengals have struggled mightily on offense, barely able to move the ball against the Browns in week one and not doing much better against the Ravens. A big reason for this is Burrow’s injury. He tweaked his calf in training camp and has been hampered by it so far, unable to manipulate the pocket as he usually does.

Burrow has also reportedly reinjured the same calf against the Ravens and is now set for a spell on the treatment table, potentially missing next week’s game against the Rams.

This is certainly not terminal for the Bengals as they started 2022 0-2 as well and nearly made the Super Bowl. This year, though, with an injured QB and two divisional losses on the record already, it could well be a battle to even make the playoffs. It all depends on Burrow’s health.

Yes, the Giants did come back to beat the Cardinals in historic fashion, absolutely full credit to them there, it’s never easy to come back from a situation like that. It was a mess of their own making though, as Joshua Dobbs was able to dismantle a Giants’ D that had some high expectations going into the year.

The biggest moment for the Giants in week two was star running back, Saquon Barkley, injuring his ankle. Reports suggest it is only a 2-3 week injury but given his importance to the Giants’ offense, even that is a big loss.

Daniel Jones was given a four-year, $160 million contract at the end of the 2022 season, a lot of money for a player of his quality. Against the Cowboys in week one, he didn’t stand a chance but was able to turn it on (just about) against an actively tanking Cardinals team in week two.

The Giants sit bottom of the NFC East, with the other three teams all riding high at 2-0 (including the Commanders somehow?) There is very little room for further error in New York this season, otherwise, they may find themselves out of the playoff race before it really begins.

This is starting to feel a little too familiar for Chargers’ fans, huge expectations going into the season, slowly but surely just not being good enough to really challenge despite having one of the best young QBs around.

Justin Herbert and the offense scored 24 points against a decent Titans’ defense, a decent enough effort. On the other side of the ball, Brandon Staley’s defense made Ryan Tannehill look like prime Tom Brady as he steadily picked apart the LA secondary.

Brandon Staley was one of the most exciting hires in the league when the Chargers brought him in; an innovative defensive mind combined with analytically sound aggression. Now it seems like he’s second-guessing himself, both with play calling and game management. At 0-2, the Chargers need to turn things around, and quickly.

Everyone knew the Vikings’ 13-4 season in 2022 was a bit of a fluke, finishing with a negative point differential and finishing 11-0 in one-score games (typically these games are coin-flips with no statistical advantage one way or the other). However, most thought they would be competitive again in 2023.

Against the Eagles on TNF, the Vikings simply could not stop the Birds from rushing the football, allowing D’Andre Swift to rush for 175 yards at 6.2 YPC. Jalen Hurts played below his best but Devonta Smith still ended up with 131 yards on four catches(!!) If the Vikings can’t stop the run or deep passing, this is going to be a long season.

There has been lots of talk linking Kirk Cousins to the New York Jets in recent weeks. There is nothing substantial to this, just pure speculation but in some ways it could make sense. The Jets are desperate for a competent QB and Cousins isn’t good enough to drag a mostly mediocre roster beyond its talent level. Maybe an extra first-round pick could be useful come draft time.

An absolutely brutal start to the season for the Jets, with such a loaded roster and aspirations to go all the way not look too farfetched. All for to come crashing down after four snaps of Aaron Rodgers as a Jets quarterback. Unfortunately, Zach Wilson just isn’t up to the level required to be an NFL QB, meaning this season could well look similar to last year.

This was never a situation where Rodgers needed to drag a mediocre roster along with him, it’s loaded from front to back, on both sides of the ball, with only the offensive line not looking genuinely elite. Wilson showed just how debilitating bad QB play can be against the Cowboys, throwing for three awful interceptions.

The 2023 Jets need to make a move, this is their year. With AFC rivals stumbling out of the gate, getting a real quarterback could put them right back in contention. Rodger’s injury has given them back a first-round pick, it wouldn’t be ridiculous to offer this for Kirk Cousins, or even Matt Stafford if the Rams decide they want to go full ‘rebuild mode’.

The Browns lost Nick Chubb to a serious knee injury in their loss to the Steelers which could well put a real dent in what is otherwise a talented team. Not worthy of panic just yet, but the weight on Deshaun Watson’s shoulders just got a whole lot heavier.