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The NFL is already two weeks in the books, meaning the dreaded 0-2 record mark has befallen a handful of teams.
The percentage of 0-2 teams that make the playoffs is not great, which can inspire some fans to get panicky about their record after a couple of weeks of play.
We're here to sort through the noise and help these NFL fan bases gauge how much worry their teams should have. On the lower end, take a breather. Either your team will figure it out, has been a pleasant surprise or wasn't expected to do much this year anyway.
If your team is higher, either a key player isn't performing or the whole operation is trending toward revamp.
Let's go ahead and dive into it.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
Look, the Chiefs drew an absolutely brutal two-game opener with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still going to give them a chance in every single game, but so far, Kansas City hasn't yet put it all together for a victory. However, the wins will come. This Chiefs team is going to eventually beat somebody (hey, New York Giants in Week 3), but getting the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 4 is another tough blow. Kansas City fans looking at a possible 1-3 record will have to remember who they have at quarterback and how often this team turns on the jets right when it matters. A Super Bowl is still within reach. Breathe, folks.
9. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are staying competitive with quarterback Spencer Rattler behind center. That's a huge win for first-year coach Kellen Moore. New Orleans has the veteran talent to give teams problems with any meaningful contribution at quarterback, and Rattler is (so far) living up to winning the job in the offseason. Sure, we're not sure how long that will last, but an 0-2 Saints team with decent quarterback play is much more encouraging than one without it. If anything, this New Orleans team has been a pleasant surprise against the worst visions of what this team could be. If you're a Saints fan, you're probably not panicking about this team outperforming its lowly expectations right now.
8. New York Jets
The Jets had lots of good vibes for a 0-1 team coming into Sunday's Buffalo Bills game. However, those vibes ran into a buzzsaw. The Bills defense gave quarterback Justin Fields fits, and the Jets defense couldn't slow quarterback Josh Allen and company down much at all. That's not cause for alarm; one of those teams is a Super Bowl contender, the other is in the midst of a rebuild. Coach Aaron Glenn has his work cut out for him in New York, and Fields returning to Earth after his stellar start won't help. However, this is a team in transition. It'll take time, but panic is not on the menu in the Meadowlands.. at least for the Jets. They're right where they need to be.
7. Tennessee Titans
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward showed real promise on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, but he's still very early into his journey as a starter. However, the Titans team around him just isn't pulling its weight. Outside of flashes from a superstar like defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and another inspired rookie in wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee isn't consistently getting what it needs to remain competitive. The real question right now is whether or not coach Brian Callahan and his staff can survive a dismal season, even if Ward is improving in real time. Callahan has the most to lose of anybody in Tennessee with a lost season. Ward is the future, but who will coach him in 2026? If he keeps flashing, it's not hard to see the Titans being a coveted coaching vacancy in January.
6. Houston Texans
The decision to trade away left tackle Laremy Tunsil is not looking good right now for Houston. An 0-2 start is tough for a Texans team expected to contend in the AFC, even if drawing the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for your first two games is not ideal. Quarterback C.J. Stroud isn't getting much help from his offensive line right now, but he also needs to play sharper. The defense should be a terror, but lapses are hampering the potential. The Bucs had no business in particular marching down the field and scoring to close Monday's game. Sitting tied with the Tennessee Titans at the bottom of the AFC South is not great. We have real concerns about this Texans offense two weeks in, and we're not sure what the right answer is for Stroud and company to get it going. Houston has all the talent in the world to turn things around, and perhaps a lighter stretch of schedule would help?
5. Chicago Bears
Look, coach Ben Johnson is only two games into his career, and his Bears just got walloped by a Detroit Lions team that knows Johnson's offense as well as any team will. He's only getting started in Chicago, but it's not great that Dennis Allen's defense got absolutely thumped like it did against the Lions. Losing cornerback Jaylon Johnson for the foreseeable future with injury is a gut-punch. We have a feeling the Bears defense will eventually rally, but the offense is alarming. Quarterback Caleb Williams can run a scripted drive as well as anybody in the NFL, but his play after the script closes hasn't been good enough. Those damning reports from Go Long's Ty Dunne gave Williams a good share of the blame for his 2024 struggles, and it's hard to get that knowledge out of your head as you watch Williams falter on the field. It's still very early, and the Johnson/Williams combo might eventually figure itself out. However, if you're a Bears fan, you expected more than what you've gotten. This team needs to find answers, answers about why this defense isn't reaching its potential and why this offense taps out so quickly in games.
4. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers entered 2025 needing to see the proof in the pudding for quarterback Bryce Young. So far, the results have been so-so. Young mounted a comeback against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but the team couldn't cash in the late success. Coach Dave Canales had Young playing inspired football to close out the 2024 season, but that progress hasn't fully translated to the season at hand. The Panthers upcoming slate (home vs. Falcons, road vs. Patriots, home vs. Dolphins, home vs. Cowboys) will tell you a lot about where Young really is and what this Panthers' ceiling and floor are. It's possible Carolina picks up a couple of wins; it's also possible they lose each of those games. It will depend on this offense's growth, if only because the defense continues to be a work-in-progress. It's hard to see Carolina wanting to make major regime changes after this season, but we guess it's not impossible. However, Young's future as the Panthers starter will be determined by how he plays this season. If he falters, it's entirely possible Carolina is taking his replacement in the 2026 NFL Draft. We'll see how he responds.
3. New York Giants
The Giants got a vintage Russell Wilson performance on Sunday, but the team still couldn't find a way to win after taking the lead with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter. So much impresses you about the Giants in sections. Wide receiver Malik Nabers is a star; that defensive line is no joke; Wilson still has a spark. However, the cohesion of the operation should have kept this team out of this ranking. The fact that coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are 0-2 right now doesn't bode well for their futures. Winning cures all, but a feisty Giants team with a losing record might not save either, even with promising rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart waiting in the wings. It's not hard to see John Mara envisioning a new staff to coach up Dart for 2026 and beyond. After all. Giants signed Wilson to stay competitive. Losses piling up would not be good for the folks in charge.
2. Cleveland Browns
On paper, the Browns have a very good defense. However, getting shredded by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday showed that Cleveland's defense is as vulnerable as any other unit in the NFL when facing an elite offense. Kevin Stefanski has won two NFL Coach of the Year honors, but he and general manager Andrew Berry may never fully shake the quarterback Deshaun Watson fiasco. Cleveland ownership owns that as much as they do, if not more, but the Watson dilemma has plagued the team's quarterback position for four seasons now. Journeyman Joe Flacco can only do so much at this point in his career, and the Browns haven't really given him much to work with on that side of the ball. The offensive line isn't as potent as it used to be, and the defense is human. If the Browns keep taking losses, it's possible Stefanski might be coaching elsewhere in 2026. Cleveland will probably need a quarterback then, too, since the Watson situation feels irreparable at this point (unless Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders hit). The Browns might finally let go of team's surprise 2023 playoff run and make wholesale changes. The team's 0-2 start does not portend to positive futures unless this team can start winning again. The panic is understandable.
1. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins showed much better this week against the New England Patriots than they did against the Indianapolis Colts. However, the team is still 0-2 in a pivotal year to keep this regime in place for the long haul. The vibes continue to be wildly off in Miami, from the odd relationship between quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the somber press conferences from coach Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins have talent on both sides of the ball, and McDaniel is a very smart coach. However, they have to find a way to turn positives into wins. Otherwise, the negatives will start piling up more and more and people will start losing jobs. A quick Thursday turnaround to Buffalo to face the hosting Bills sounds daunting, making the two-game stand against the New York Jets (home, Sept. 29) and the Carolina Panthers (away, Oct. 5) absolutely pivotal for this team. Drop both of those, and we could see owner Stephen Ross make major changes as soon as early October. It's now or never for Miami.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ranking the 0-2 NFL teams (Chiefs?!) in terms of panic level
Reporting by Cory Woodroof, For The Win / For The Win
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