It doesn’t take long as a football fan to know that you should only take so much stock in preseason predictions, because once the teams hit the field, you can put those predictions through the shredder.
Through the first couple of weeks of the NFL season, a number of contenders have gotten off to the starts we thought they would, but there have been a few top teams who have struggled out of the gate. And at the same time, a couple of teams who might not have been on everyone’s radar have jumped on it with unbeaten starts.
Which surprise teams have staying power, and which slow-starting contenders are headed for disappointment?
Which ‘Surprise’ 2-0 Team Is For Real?
Four of the teams that are currently 2-0 didn’t make the playoffs last season – Buffalo, Carolina, Arizona, and Denver.
Of those, the biggest surprise is obviously Denver. Their offense looks to have the firepower to hang with anyone, but their ability to keep this going throughout the season hinges on their defense stopping people, which could be a problem.
Buffalo has shown in the first two weeks that they may be able to make some real noise in the AFC East, with a blowout win over Seattle and a road win at Jacksonville, and a 4-0 start looks like a good bet, as they host Oakland on Sunday, and in Week 4, they go to St. Louis, who’s really, really, really, really bad right now. The true test? They go to Arizona in Week 5, and after a bye week in Week 6, host San Diego. Buffalo’s defense has played well so far, and Trent Edwards is looking sharp, so if those two things don’t change, they’ll be the team to watch for in the AFC East, not the New York Jets.
Speaking of Arizona, I was high on the Cardinals coming into the season, and I think they’re the best team in a weak NFC West, but does that mean anything? They have road games against the Redskins and Jets in the next two weeks, followed by home games against the Bills and Cowboys. If they can at least break even, that’s a good sign.
The NFC South is really up for grabs between New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, and while Carolina’s win over San Diego was a bit of a surprise, it won’t be a shock if the Panthers end up on top of the division.
Which Struggling Contenders Are Done?
In the AFC, Jacksonville and San Diego were both considered to be among the best coming into the season, but each has gotten off to an 0-2 start.
San Diego’s defense let them down against Carolina and Denver, and that can’t happen again on Monday night against Brett Favre and the Jets. However, they came back from a slow start to win the AFC West and make the AFC title game last season, so you’ve got to feel good about their chances of coming back and winning the division, as long as their defense doesn‘t continue to miss plays at the wrong time.
As for Jacksonville, falling two games back in the deep AFC South isn’t the way they needed to start. Their vaunted rushing attack has managed only 131 yards in the first two games, and that puts a lot of pressure on David Garrard to have to win the game with his arm, which isn’t really his game. There really isn’t a single gimme in Jacksonville’s schedule, so they could find it hard to come back from this early hole.
There’s also Indianapolis, who’s 1-1. The Colts got it together to rally from a 15-0 deficit to beat Minnesota on Sunday, but their start hasn’t really been too inspiring, and they’re now going to be without star safety Bob Sanders for at least a month. But, you’ve got to believe that Colts are going to be just fine.
Just like Jacksonville, Cleveland’s tough schedule could mean too steep of a hill to climb back from after an 0-2 start. The Browns have been terrible on offense so far, and with four of their next five games coming on the road (with the only home game vs. the Giants), the ship needs to be righted right now, or they could be out of it before November.
In the NFC, Minnesota was primed for a big season, but the Vikings have dropped their first two games, which has precipitated a change under center. Is it going to get things turned around? Until further notice, I see Green Bay as the best team in the NFC North – and I did even after all the signings Minnesota made – and if they want to win the division, they’ll have to go through the Packers to do it. And if they want to make the playoffs, they’ll have to go through the NFC East and potentially the second-place team in the NFC South.
As for Seattle? Well, their receiving corps is in disarray, Matt Hasselbeck is struggling, and they’ve given up 67 points in two games. They could still find a way back in a weak division, but something has to change quickly.
Which contenders are going to be able to get it right? Which surprise teams are going to be able to keep it up? Weigh in with your opinions.
