With Week 2 of the 2021NFL season down to one more game, seventeamswill be 2-0 going into Week 3. On the flip side, seventeams, including the loser of Monday night's Lions vs. Packers game, willhave dug themselves 0-2 holes.
The history of each extreme start is well-documented. Since 2007, nearly 60 percent of NFL teams that have opened 2-0 have made the playoffs. During that same 14-year span, nearly 90percent of teams that have fallen to 0-2 have failed to make the playoffs.
Last season, when the league expanded to 14 playoff teams, the trends continued. Eight of the 11 teams that started 2-0in 2020 (72 percent) made the playoffs. All 11 teams that started 0-2 failed to make the playoffs.
Two seasons ago, when there were only 12 teams qualifying for the postseason, seven of the 92-0 teams made the playoffs, with the Cowboys and Rams narrowly mi sing. Also in 2019, the nine teams that started 0-2 all mi sed the playoffs.
This season is a little different with a 17-game schedule, allowing a little more margin for error for 2-0 teams and a little extra makeup time for 0-2 teams. Once again this year, there are some surprising teams at both 2-0 and 0-2.Here's abreakdown ofthe 15undefeated or winle s teams and whether they are real contenders or true pretenders:
NFL POWER RANKINGS:
2-0 teams: Contenderor pretender?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Do we need to explain this one? The Super Bowl 55 champions have the GOAT QB Tom Brady at his GOATest level Eddie Mathews Jersey and don't have any glaring weakne ses offensively or defensively, save for a few secondary i sues that every team in the NFL seems to have. They will roll through the NFC South and are headed to the expected top NFC playoff seed as contenders.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers don't get style points for how they escaped the 0-1 Lions and 1-1 Eagles on the road, but they're still away victories with a good mix of versatile offense and timely defense, even while contending with more injuries everywhere. But the Niners are back on track in 2019 form with Jimmy Garoppolo buoyed by the running game and Nick Bosa sparking the pa s rush again. After a hungover 2020 for various reasons, Kyle Shanahan has made San Francisco a contender again.
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Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders started 2-0 last season, only to finish 8-8 and mi s the AFC playoffs again behind the Chiefs. Will Jon Gruden learn from his mistakes and get this team at least a wild-card berth, for his first playoffs during hisreturn to Brian McCann Jersey the organization? The Ravens win was wild, crazy and amazing in its own right, but the Steelers victory on a short week in Pittsburgh was stamped by more explosive offenseand more inspired defense at critical times.
Derek Carr has played at a high level and the Raiders have just beaten the two toughest teams on their slate that aren't either the Chiefs (twice) and Browns (once). Even without a reliable running game despite a deeper backfield, they look more put-together with improved scheming on both sides.This is a tough call, but their overachieving isn't sustainable for a second straight season. The Chiefs and 1-1 Chargers are still the best two teams in the West and its best bets for the playoffs, so go with the safer Vegas bet and call the Raiders pretenders.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have looked impre sive taking down the 0-2 Giants and 0-2 Jaguars, both on the road to open the season. Teddy Bridgewater has stabilized their run-heavy offense with just the right dose of big pa s plays and the defense is re-energized with Von Miller fronting for Vic Fangio again. They have a great shot to get to 3-0 with Bob Uecker Jersey the 0-2 Jets looming for their home opener in Week 3.
But their future schedule is loaded with the full AFC West gauntlet and the entire daunting AFC North. The degree of difficulty will be raised for Denver starting in Week 4 with Baltimore. The Broncos profile as a playoff team early with a good cupboard of young talent, but they will hit a wall at some point as pretenders to keep them out of the playoffs in a loaded division.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are a more complete offensive team with Matthew Stafford and strength in the running game with different personnel than expected. They have lost some mojo defensively, but their top-level talent of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey set the tone for a still dangerous Brandon Staley-le s defense. They are no- Fred McGriff Jersey brainer contenders.
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Arizona Cardinals
The NFC West is a combined 7-1after two weeks, with the Seahawks providing the only blemish. The Cardinals might be the weakest overall team in the division and they are still downright dangerous with Kyler Murray and several good defensive pieces. They just mi sed the playoffs last season, tied to Murray having a shoulder injury that limited him down the stretch. They dominated the Titans on the road in Week 1 and followed by surviving a tough Vikings team at home in Week 2. There's room for four teams from the same division to make the playoffs now. That's still the most likely scenario, confirming Arizona is a contender.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have dispatched the Jets and slammed the Saints in a much more impre sive victory, both at home. Sam Darnold has overachieved at quarterback, helped by a healthy Christian McCaffrey opening up the rest of the offense again. The aggre sive young defense is making more big plays than it is giving up.
Carolina had a favorable strength of schedule when considering the combined 2020 record of its 2021 opponents. The Texans provide a very winnable first road game on Thursday night to begin Week 3. Outside of the NFC South, the Panthers play all of the AFC East and the NFC East, too. There will be no division won behind the Buccaneers, but there are enough opportunities to pad a wild-card resume. A 9-8 or 10-7 mark should be sufficient for the last seed. The Panthers have a low ceiling but their high starting floor gives them a shot as contenders should one of the NFC West teams falter through inter-division attrition.
0-2 teams: Contenderor pretender?
Jacksonville Jaguars
Let's get the easy ones out of the way. Urban Meyer isn't inspiring in his first foray into Mike Soroka Jersey NFL coaching. The support system for first overall pick QB Trevor Lawrence is dysfunctional as expected and the defense has deficiencies everywhere. The Jags can already think what they will do to help Lawrence in the 2022 NFL Draft as clear-cut pretenders.
New York Jets
The Jets have
