We’re through Week 2 and 10 NFL teams remain undefeated at 2-0 entering Week 3. That’s almost a third of the league, and naturally, not all of them will go on to have spectacular seasons. While being 2-0 isn’t as good an indicator of success as being 0-2 is for having a disappointing season, we can still learn a lot from which teams have made it unscathed thus far. This time last year, we were talking about how awesome the Saints looked. Clearly, not every 2-0 team will go on to great things. But which ones are legit, and which ones might be frauds?
I think most of us can agree that the Eagles, Rams, Bills and Packers are basically living up to expectations as contenders. But the other six teams — the Colts, Cardinals, 49ers, Bengals, Chargers and Buccaneers — are more of a conversation.
Which of these teams might be legit, and which are on fraud watch? Let’s examine:
Cincinnati Bengals
It’s been a tough two weeks for Bengals fans. For years, the story of the early stretch of the season in the Joe Burrow -era in Cincinnati has been slow starts. Ever since they played in the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, the opening weeks have not been kind. Even in 2022, a year they went to the AFC Championship Game, they started 0-2. In 2023, they started 0-2 and 1-3, and then last season, they went 0-3 and 1-4 to start the season.
In both 2023 and 2024, the Bengals finished the season 9-8 and missed the playoffs. By the end of the year, they’d be one of the best teams in football, but they played so poorly to open each season that they dug themselves a hole they couldn’t get out of.
This season was supposed to be different. Burrow and the starters played drives in multiple preseason games, something they’d never done before. Coaches and players alike indicated the intensity in training camp would be amped up — all with the goal of getting the team more prepared to hit the ground running and start the season stronger.
Well, though two games, the Bengals are undefeated. So mission accomplished, in that sense. But they haven’t looked good at all, struggling to a one-point win against the Browns in Week 1 before mounting a furious comeback to steal a game against the Jaguars in Week 2. The Browns might be the worst team in the NFL, and Cincinnati mustered seven total yards of offense against them in the second half. Seven! They needed a pair of freak interceptions off dropped passes to pull that one out.
Out of the Jacksonville game, the big talking point is Burrow’s injury. He’s out for at least three months with a serious turf toe injury that requires surgery. If the Bengals are still in playoff contention by then, he could return for the final few games, but that’s a big if. The Bengals face a gauntlet over the next few weeks, with the Vikings, Broncos, Lions and Packers on deck. Backup QB Jake Browning overcame three interceptions to get the win last week, but asking him to keep the team afloat through that schedule is a tough task.
Arizona Cardinals
With wins over the Saints and Panthers, it hasn’t exactly been a murderer’s row for the Cardinals to get to 2-0. But they’re here, tied atop their division, and the schedule’s about to start picking up. What have we learned about Arizona through two weeks?
Well, for starters, this defense could be legit. Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon is known for his strong defensive schemes, but he hasn’t had the personnel to run them effectively since arriving in Arizona. The Cardinals made major additions to the defensive line and secondary this offseason, however, and it’s transformed their defense.
Bringing ED Josh Sweat over from the Eagles gives them a bona fide top pass rusher who can win on money downs. Third-round ED Jordan Burch is proving his athleticism can translate, and he’s been productive early. First-round DT Walter Nolen hasn’t even played yet, and he’s a monstrous pass rusher who will only boost this defense when he returns.
Second-round CB Will Johnson slid in the draft due to injury concerns, but he was viewed as a top-10 talent at one point and he’s looking like it through two weeks. Injuries to CBs Garrett Wilson and Starling Thomas have thinned the group, but Johnson, Max Melton , and Kei’Trel Clark can ball — if they can stay healthy. Both Johnson and Melton are questionable this week.
If there’s one area of concern so far for the Cardinals, it’s that the connection between QB Kyler Murray and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. still doesn’t look quite right. For whatever reason, Harrison hasn’t looked like the same player in the NFL he was at Ohio State. He was viewed as a can’t-miss prospect last year when Arizona took him at No. 4 overall, and they need to get him right for this offense to live up to its full potential.
I was high on the Cardinals before the season because I believed in the talent they added to their defense, and it’s looking even better than I expected. If Johnson and Melton stay healthy, this is a good group.
Indianapolis Colts
I said before the season that the Colts were a high-floor team, and they could sneak into the playoffs with even average quarterback play. Colts HC Shane Steichen was 17-17 through two seasons, barely missing the playoffs in 2023 with Gardner Minshew at quarterback and only falling out of contention in the final weeks last year despite the rollercoaster that was the Anthony Richardson / Joe Flacco experience.
Still, I had no idea the offense would look this good. Through two weeks, Indianapolis looks borderline elite on offense, second in the NFL in EPA per play behind only the Bills. First-round TE Tyler Warren looks like a future All-Pro, the Colts’ retooled offensive line is playing well, and the weapons at receiver are gelling. Star RB Jonathan Taylor is turning back the clock to when he led the league in rushing in 2021, making this attack balanced and hard to stop.
The linchpin of it all has been QB Daniel Jones , a free agent brought in to offer a stable floor at quarterback. He won a close competition for the starting job with Richardson in camp, and he’s making the coaching staff (and front office) look very smart right now. He looks calm and collected in this offense, dealing to his playmakers and pushing the ball down the field more than he usually has in his career.
On defense, the Colts have a new coordinator in Lou Anarumo and brought in some premier free agents like CB Charvarius Ward and S Camryn Bynum who are making immediate impacts, and the defense does look improved overall. The unit struggled against the Broncos in Week 2, but they were down Ward and ED Laiatu Latu , a first-round pick in 2024 who was PFF’s highest-graded edge rusher in Week 1.
Beating the Broncos legitimized this team in a lot of people’s eyes, but this schedule is going to get a lot tougher. Games against the Rams and Chargers in the coming weeks will tell us if this team is actually a contender or, more likely, a fun playoff team with a ceiling. I expect the Colts to make the playoffs and they could win their division, but I have a hard time seeing Jones making a lot of noise once they get there.
