The adage is to not get too far ahead of yourself, right? And while that’s largely true, there is a good amount that we can gather from teams through the 2025 NFL season’s first two weeks. Does it mean that we can crown a Super Bowl champion or an MVP? Of course not. However, what we’ve seen unfold through two games does give us a sense for how the rest of the year will unfold, particularly when it comes to clubs that have jumped out to a 2-0 record and what that means for their playoff fortunes.
Since 1990, teams that begin the season with a 2-0 record make the payoffs 64.3% of the time. Those are pretty good odds, but they are not 100%. So, we’re tasked with combing through the 10 undefeated teams through the season’s initial two weeks and ranking them from impostors to true contenders.
Jake Browning is the Bengals’ QB1 in the wake of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury, which is slated to sideline Burrow for at least three months. Browning did go 4-3 as Cincinnati’s starter in 2023 and lifted it to its 31-27 win over the Jaguars in Week 2, but this team’s ceiling has cratered. The Bengals have deficiencies along the offensive line and on defense, but Burrow masked all of that. Folks continued to view the team as a playoff threat because they had an elite player at his position under center. Without Burrow, those weaknesses are likely to be brought to the forefront, which demotes Cincinnati out of any meaningful playoff conversation.
Who saw the 2-0 Indianapolis Colts coming?! The Colts’ decision to hand the offense over to Daniel Jones has proven to be a masterful stroke by coach Shane Steichen, as the former Giants quarterback has lit it up through two weeks. The Indianapolis offense has been dialed in thus far and is yet to punt, scoring on 83% of its drives (the highest rate by any team through two games since at least 2000). So, what’s the problem? Why are they so low? I still want to see more from Jones. As CBS Sports fantasy football analyst Jacob Gibbs recently noted, Jones had a 97% first-read target rate in Week 2 against Denver. That’s a massive number. What happens when defenses get a little wiser to that and make Jones go through his progression a bit more? How much of a regression (if any) will we see? As exciting and surprising as Indy has been through two games, I’m proceeding cautiously here.
Some NFL experts this offseason considered Arizona as a dark-horse candidate win the NFC West. I was on the more skeptical side of that and remain so despite the Cardinals jumping out to a 2-0 record. They narrowly escaped a New Orleans Saints team in Week 1 that many believe will finish with the NFL’s worst record. In Week 2, Arizona jumped out to a 24-point lead over the Panthers but almost had an epic collapse as it surrendered 19 straight second-half points in its 27-22 win. Kyler Murray has been solid through two games, but let’s pause on ranking them any higher until they prove themselves.
Despite everyone down to seemingly the equipment manager getting hurt, the Niners are 2-0. Sunday’s 26-21 win over New Orleans with Mac Jones under center further proved the advantage the organization has at head coach with Kyle Shanahan. They’ll need to get healthy and have Brock Purdy and George Kittle return sooner rather than later to truly contend for a playoff spot, however. Until we see key figures on this team get out of the infirmary and back onto the field, we can’t put them much higher.
The cardiac Bucs! Tampa Bay is 2-0 after a couple of last-second road victories against the Falcons and Texans. Baker Mayfield has been stellar through these first two weeks, and the organization has seemingly hit on another wide receiver with first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka piling up eight catches for 96 yards and three touchdowns to begin his NFL career. That has helped cushion the loss of Chris Godwin to begin the year, but this club desperately needs start left tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee) back. Mayfield has taken five sacks and been hit nine times, which isn’t sustainable. That said, when both Godwin and Wirfs return, that’ll only make Tampa Bay more dangerous, so this 2-0 start gives them a strong inside track at another division title.
After all the preseason concerns around Matthew Stafford and his back, the Rams quarterback has a 107.1 passer rating (the seventh-best figure among quarterbacks) through two weeks while leading L.A. to a 2-0 record. The combination of Stafford and Sean McVay, along with an emerging young defense, makes the Rams a legit contender not only to win the NFC West but go deep into the playoffs. L.A. finds itself at 2-0, and I don’t believe that it’s played its best ball yet, which is a scary thought for the rest of the NFC.
We’re watching Justin Herbert level up right before our eyes. Through two games, Herbert is second in passer rating (127.8), tied for second in passing touchdowns (5), and has yet to throw an interception. He outdueled Patrick Mahomes in the opener and was hyperefficient in the win over Las Vegas on Monday night, notching two key AFC West wins. With Herbert thrusting himself into the MVP conversation and the defense flying around the field, the Chargers are live to win the division.
These next three 2-0 teams are in a tier of their own. These are the clubs that not only should be in the playoff or division conversation but could win the whole damn thing. And let’s start with the Packers, who arguably look like the NFL’s best team through two weeks. The trade for Micah Parsons has worked out wonderfully, and the defense has been superb. What should excite Green Bay fans even more than the defense, however, is that Jordan Love is coming out of the gate hot. Since becoming the full-time starter, Love had been a bit cold through the first half of his campaigns. Not in 2025. Love boasts the league’s fourth-highest passer rating (120.0) and has not thrown an interception. If the Packers are getting a more consistent version of Love to pair with this high-powered defense, look out.
The defending champs are getting a little bit of grace as we place them above the Packers, albeit without looking as dominant out of the chute. They’ve been a bit out of sync, but have won back-to-back one-possession games nonetheless against a division rival in the Cowboys and then on the road against Kansas City. They can win in so many different ways and outmatch most teams in terms of talent. They are firmly in the Super Bowl conversation and have a great chance to repeat, especially after jumping out to a 2-0 record.
Josh Allen is the difference maker here, and what puts Buffalo above the rest of the 2-0 teams. Right now, he’s the NFL’s best player after beating Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 1 and then handling the Jets quite easily in Week 2. The offense is averaging 35.5 points per game, and the defense showed flashes in that convincing win over New York. The Bills should run away with the AFC East and could very well end up as the conference’s No. 1 seed.
