One of the most interesting times of any professional sports league schedule is Week 2 of the NFL season.
Week 1 is always wild and the results could be a bit misleading. “Any given Sunday.” Still, for those who lose to open the season, they will feel real pressure to avoid starting 0-2, which, as history has shown, can be a steep hole to dig out of. So, let’s look at five teams and figures who are under pressure to deliver after Week 1 stumbles., presented in alphabetical order:
The Ravens looked great for most of Sunday night at the Buffalo Bills. They looked like a real Super Bowl contender. Then, they have an epic meltdown, blowing a 15-point lead in the final four minutes of the game, and losing 41-40 to the Bills. What an absolutely bitter way to start the season. Of course, the Ravens’ season is far from over. They are clearly an upper-level team in the AFC. But they must respond positively this week to try to move on from the Buffalo disaster. They are setup nicely as they host the Cleveland Browns — though they did lose to the Browns in 2024. John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and company must respond and take care of business.
Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions
Unlike the Ravens who were strong in defeat, Campbell’s Detroit Lions were a team with big expectations that did not play well in Week 1. They were completely outclassed by the Green Bay Packers in a 27-13 game that wasn’t even that close. Campbell replaced offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (who both got head-coaching jobs) with John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard, respectively. There were a lot of questions about who this transition would look and in Week 1, it didn‘t look good. Now, Campbell must regroup against Johnson at the Chicago Bears at home. The NFC is tough, if Detroit drops to 0-2, things will get tight around the Motor City.
The Cowboys played pretty well in a tough circumstance in a 24-20 loss at the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Playing in the season opener on the road is always tough and the Cowboys players were still processing the stunning trade of star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay just a week prior. But the Cowboys played hard under new coach Brian Schottenheimer. Now, they must do everything they can to improve to 1-1 at home against the New York Giants. Vibes will sink further around Jerry World if the Cowboys drop to 0-2 and to two division foes. If they win, they can feel pretty good about themselves, though.
The Chiefs followed their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, with a tough 27-21 defeat to AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. That’s a long flight home after that type of loss. The Chiefs fought hard and could have won. But Patrick Mahomes’ already thin group of weapons took a hit when wide receiver Xavier Worthy was lost after a friendly-fire collision with Travis Kelce. Plus, the Chiefs’ defense was uncharacteristically out of sync. Now, the Chiefs are tasked with a Super Bowl rematch with the powerful Eagles at home in Week 2. This is a tough, tough challenge. If the Chiefs aren’t up to it, they will fall to 0-2 and could be on the brink of a serious Super Bowl hangover season in a division where the three other teams started 1-0. This feels like must-win territory for Andy Reid and Mahomes.
You know it was a tough start to Wilson’s tenure with the New York Giants when coach Brian Daboll was asked if he was going to be replaced the day after the game. Wilson is clearly on a short leash and the Giants could turn to first-round pick Jaxson Dart soon. If Wilson, who is clearly near the end of his career, puts up another stinker in Dallas on Sunday, he would soon be benched.
