WHAT WE LEARNED: NFL WEEK 2

BY ADAM GREENE

Did we overreact after Week 1 like we always do? Of course. Did we expect this many upsets again in Week 2 to not only cost us parlays, but ruin every suicide pool in the country? No. No we did not.

But each week wrapping up offers us a chance to grade what we saw. We have a better sample size now heading into Week 3 and can make some real calls. There are multiple teams that, legitimately, could see their postseason hopes evaporate before the leaves have started to change.

Here’s some thoughts on the events of Week 2 that appear as if they’re going to impact the entire rest of the season.

THE 0-2 TEAMS COULD BE IN SOME REAL TROUBLE

Though the season is just two weeks old, some teams that many of us (especially me) expected to be standing at the end are having some serious issues. The Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons have all opened the season 0-2. And while those last two teams being winless shouldn’t surprise anyone., the Titans and Raiders both made the playoffs a season ago and the Bengals made it all the way to the Super Bowl and nearly won it.

There are still 15 games to go and, hey, maybe all these teams can finish 15-2. But history says that an 0-2 start means trouble for any squad looking to play deep into January.

Since the league merger in 1970, only 38 teams TOTAL started the season 0-2 and made the playoffs. No team has made the postseason after an 0-2 start since 2018. Now, I’m not a mathematician, but by my calculations that’s a full Olympics ago. From 2019 on, 27 franchises opened their campaigns 0-2 and every single one of them wore a hole in their recliners during the playoffs.

While I think you can go ahead and stick the proverbial fork in the Panthers, the Falcons have been surprisingly tough in their two defeats. Their problem is that they get no break in their schedule. After a winnable game at the Seattle Seahawks, they have the Cleveland Browns, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Jimmy Garoppolo San Francisco 49ers then the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s probably a safe bet they won’t be cashing any postseason checks.

The Bengals get a perceived breather with a trip to the New York Jets, only the Jets beat them last year. Cincy can not take that game lightly at all, in spite of probably being favored by a touchdown.

As for the Titans and Raiders, somebody is getting off the schneid because they play each other. And those two teams better look at it as a playoff game because I have even worse news. Only six teams since 1970 have managed to make the postseason after an 0-3 start. An 0-4 start? Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers punched their ticket to the tournament.

For the Bengals, Titans and Raiders, the season could realistically be on the line Sunday. The AFC is too crowded to stumble this early.

OH, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE COLTS

Lost in the 0-2 start talk is the Indianapolis Colts, who don’t quite fit the stats available for 0-2 starts since they have decided to begin their 2022 campaign 0-1-1. 

No on was higher on Indianapolis in the preseason than me. I thought the addition of Matt Ryan to that loaded roster would make them a serious contender, if not a Super Bowl dark horse. It’s safe to say, that bandwagon emptied out faster than a Golden Corral men’s room after Mike McCarthy’s fourth trip to the barbecue rib station.

It’s not just that they’ve not won a game. The Raiders, at least, have played good teams — the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals. Indy has tied with the Houston Texans, the worst roster in the league, and was completely skunked by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, 24-0.

Ryan, who I thought would fit right into what the Colts want to do, has barely completed 60 percent of his passes for 547 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. His quarterback rating is 63.9.

This week, they have to try to fix it against the Kansas City Chiefs to avoid an 0-2-1 start. Or, 0-1-2 is on the table, I guess. After that, it’s the suddenly hot Jaguars (who lead the AFC South) and then a Titans team that might be as desperate to turn around the early season as they are.

It’s not looking good for Indianapolis and, while I never dreamed Frank Reich would be on the hot seat this year, if they keep losing he might not even make it until Thanksgiving.

THE 49ERS ARE NOW A CONTENDER

While some in punditry still viewed the San Francisco 49ers as a potential playoff team, even a Super Bowl participant, with Trey Lance at quarterback, I was not fooled in the least. I knew that they would struggle with their first-year starter and while I didn’t think they’d post a losing record, I didn’t see them playing in the second half of January.

With Lance out for the rest of the year after going down with an ankle injury against the Seahawks, that all changed.

Yes, the nightmare scenario of every Los Angeles Rams fan looking for an easy NFC West run was made manifest when Jimmy Garoppolo entered the game and promptly ran the Seahawks off the field.

The road remains a tough one for the Niners, but they have a floundering (and underperforming) Denver Broncos team coming up to really show what they can do with a healthy Jimmy G back under center. After that, it’s an NFC West showdown with the Rams in Levi’s Stadium, a team they’ve swept in the regular season for three consecutive years.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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