Week 2 of the NFL season delivered some serious whiplash for a ton of clubs. Probably nobody typified both ends of the spectrum more than the Chicago Bears, who went from absolute 59-point juggernauts in their season opener to an outfit that couldn’t even cross the end zone in Week 2, thanks to rain! But beyond those wild swings, some teams are still sitting pretty at 2-0. The real question is, are they for real, or are they just fooling us all? Let’s dive into the early season buzz.
Are The Raiders Actually Good? Probably Not.
Look, the Las Vegas Raiders are 2-0, and yeah, Klint Kubiak is supposedly changing the perception of Las Vegas overnight. Give credit where it’s due, they’re winning the games in front of them, and it’s not out of the question they could be in playoff contention all season. Kirk Cousins has been solid with an underwhelming receiving corps, and their defensive pressure? Impressive so far. Keeping Maxx Crosby has definitely been a good thing to this point. Plus, Brock Bowers is returning soon!
But come on, who have they actually beaten? They took down the Dolphins and the Chargers, both 0-2 teams! The Dolphins are the only team in the league that hasn’t even had the lead in a game yet this season, and the Chargers are absolutely shellshocked. Beating those two doesn’t exactly move the needle for me. This just screams “fool’s gold.” Remember the Arizona Cardinals last year? They started 2-0 and finished with a measly three wins total. The next five games for these Raiders are all against competitive teams, and that stretch will tell us everything we need to know. Kirk Cousins is giving Raider Nation reason to hope, but my gut says hold your horses.
Cincinnati and San Francisco Are Playing With Fire
It’s not just the Raiders making us scratch our heads. Let’s talk about Cincinnati. The Bengals are 2-0, but honestly, they’re one Joe Burrow hangnail away from dropping five straight games. Yet, they’re already at one-third of their entire 2025 season’s win total! Their short-term schedule looks incredibly favorable too, with the Steelers twice, Dolphins, Falcons, and Titans all lined up in the next few weeks. If they even hint at a struggle through that run, it’ll speak volumes about this team’s viability. You gotta watch Burrow closely.
Then there are the San Francisco 49ers. I fully believe a healthy Niners squad could win the Super Bowl, and an 80% healthy team could totally make a run for it. But that’s the rub, isn’t it? The Niners have taken a series of bets on players who are aging, have an injury history, or both. NFL wisdom says past injury history is the best predictor of future injury. And guess what? Rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is already expected to miss 10 weeks due to surgery! If that “health bug” strikes more players, can the 49ers actually make the cut in what’s already considered the league’s toughest division?
So yeah, Week 2 brought some crazy swings, and a couple of these 2-0 teams might just be building castles on sand. We’ll be watching closely over the next few weeks to see who actually holds up. The truth is coming.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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