2-0 vs. 0-2: The undefeated NFL teams you should doubt — and the winless ones you should still believe in

Week 2 delivered quite the whiplash for many clubs. Probably none typified both ends of the spectrum more than the Chicago Bears, who went from 59-point juggernauts in the season opener to an outfit that couldn’t cross the end zone due to … rain?

As for the teams that stayed consistent winners or losers after two games, this week we had Yahoo Sports writers Frank Schwab, Jay Busbee, Jori Epstein and Eric Edholm look at the clubs that shouldn’t panic and ones that could be fooling us all.

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What 2-0 team gives you the most doubt?

Schwab: The Raiders are improved, but beating the Dolphins in 2026 doesn’t move the needle and the Chargers are absolutely shellshocked. Give credit to the Raiders, who should be better when Brock Bowers returns. First-year head coach Klint Kubiak is changing the perception of Las Vegas overnight. It’s not out of the question the Raiders could be in playoff contention all season. But if we’re picking a team for this exercise, this has to be the pick.

Busbee: Obvious answer is the Raiders, but all congratulations to them for winning the games in front of them.

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Let’s look at Cincinnati, which is one Joe Burrow hangnail away from dropping five straight yet is at one-third of its entire 2025 season’s win total. The Bengals‘ short-term schedule looks incredibly favorable — Steelers twice, Dolphins, Falcons and Titans all await in the next few weeks — so if they have even a hint of a struggle through that run, it’ll speak volumes about this team’s viability. Let’s check back with Cincinnati in mid-November and see what’s up.

Epstein: The Las Vegas Raiders are my true answer, but I’ll mix it up for the sake of reader interest and as a nod to Frank, whose machine-like work ethic led him to once again file his answers first. Instead, I’ll take the San Francisco 49ers.

I actually fully believe a healthy 49ers team could win the Super Bowl. I think an 80% healthy 49ers team could make a run for it, too. But the Niners have taken a series of bets on players who are aging, boast an injury history or both. NFL wisdom says past injury history is the best predictor of future injury. If the health bug (that of course has nothing to do with the substation) strikes more than wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, the promising rookie already expected to miss 10 weeks due to surgery, can the 49ers make the cut in the league’s toughest division?

Edholm: The Raiders have beaten two 0-2 teams, including a Dolphins team that’s the only one not to have the lead in a game yet this season. Bully for them!

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Look, Kirk Cousins has been solid with an underwhelming receiving corps, and the defensive pressure has been impressive so far. It looks like keeping Maxx Crosby has been a good thing to this point. But the next five games, all against competitive teams, will tell us whether these Raiders are for real or not. Don’t forget the Arizona Cardinals started 2-0 last year and finished with three wins.

What 0-2 team do you still believe in?

Schwab: I still want to believe in the Texans, even though going 0-2 at home to start the season is brutal. Don’t forget, they were 0-3 last season and finished 12-5.

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I still believe Houston‘s defense will be one of the best in the NFL by the end of the season. Its offense needs Nico Collins. We saw that in Week 2. If Collins’ injury isn’t too serious, there have been positive signs from the offense through two weeks. DeMeco Ryans is a good head coach and he’ll figure things out. The Texans will need to steal some road wins to make up for a poor start.

Busbee: I very much want to believe in the Chargers, because I love the idea, in theory, of Mike McDaniel unlocking Justin Herbert. In practice, it’s proving much tougher to teach that sort-of-old-dog some new pocket tricks, and the Chargers have the most murderous short-term schedule you could design without throwing in the ’85 Bears and the Brady-Moss Patriots.

If they can survive the next five weeks and then start picking off division wins, they can drift-slide their way into the playoffs. And if I keep asking, maybe Santa will one day bring me a new PlayStation. I still believe that could happen, too.

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Epstein: “Believe” might be a strong word to describe my decision to vote for the Indianapolis Colts here, especially as receiver Alec Pierce is expected to miss weeks after aggravating his surgically repaired heel. But I defined “belief” as belief in the possibility of making the playoffs, and I think the Colts’ chance is better than any of their 0-2 counterparts.

The AFC South standings are their first benefit: No division team is 2-0; the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans join the Colts at 0-2.

The Colts’ schedule gives me a second reason for optimism: While hosting the Texans this weekend might be tricky, the Colts then face a Commanders team likely without quarterback Jayden Daniels, a Steelers team that hasn’t figured out its offense and a Titans team whose early-season grit almost gave them my nod here over the Colts but nonetheless doesn’t have the talent Indianapolis has.

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As Daniel Jones settles into his post-Achilles tear year, the Colts can and should lean on Jonathan Taylor to control the clock. Taking the Chiefs to overtime is reason for optimism. So I believe … that the Colts are the most likely 0-2 team to make the playoffs right now. Time will tell how likely that actually makes them.

Edholm: I am not quitting the Texans. They dropped two games against good teams. They were 0-2 (and then 0-3) a year ago and would have been dangerous with a little more offense.

I know the C.J. Stroud vibes aren’t great right now, and the offensive line ones are worse. I also hate that the two losses were in Houston, where the Texans play only twice more until mid-November. But if there’s an 0-2 club to get behind, it’s the one with the great defense in the division that has one victory combined right now.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com