How much trouble is each NFL team at 0-2 in?

Which NFL team is in the most trouble after an 0-2 start?

It can get late early in the NFL and an 0-2 start can be a death sentence for a lot of teams. Starting 0-2 essentially means a team has to 9-5 minimum over the remainder of the season to get to the playoffs, which certainly isn’t easy by any means.

Not all 0-2 starts are created equal, however, so let’s assess each team’s state of panic on a scale from one (we’ll call that the Aaron Rodgers R-E-L-A-X) to ten (panic city). Let’s start with Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Bengals panic level: 4

The Bengals are 0-2 after close losses to the Chargers and Browns. Joe Burrow has looked pretty good but might get killed behind a dreadful offensive line. They’re not going anywhere in 2020 but their potential to get Burrow beaten to a pulp raises the panic meter to mid-tier status.

Detroit Lions panic meter: 7

A popular preseason sleeper pick, the Lions collapsed in Week 1 before getting gashed at Lambeau Field badly in Week 2. The absence of Kenny Golladay hasn’t helped, but blowing two divisional games isn’t exactly a great confidence booster for Matt Patricia.

Minnesota Vikings’ panic meter: 8

Despite being a trendy pick to win the NFC North this season the Vikings have looked dreadful over their first two games. Aaron Rodgers shredded Minnesota’s rebuilt secondary in Week 1 while Kirk Cousins was awful against the Colts, throwing three interceptions in a brutal loss. Considering how dominant Green Bay has looked to start the season it’s not a good time to be a Vikings’ fan.

New York Jets’ panic meter: 10

Sound the alarms in New York as the Jets look like the worst team in football over the first two weeks of the season. Despite facing a 49ers’ team down eight starters (Deebo Samuel, Dee Ford, George Kittle and Richard Sherman didn’t suit up while Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Jimmy Garoppolo and Raheem Mostert got hurt) the Jets got blown out as Adam Gase’s unimaginative play-calling was complemented by an awful defensive showing, including this third-and-31 conversion on a toss play. Yikes.

New York Giants’ panic meter: 5

The Giants may be without Saquon Barkley, which spikes the meter a bit, but for the most part, this team has been highly competitive under Joe Judge. The woeful state of the division also reduces the panic meter since they could well be just a game out of first place at the end of the day.

Philadelphia Eagles’ panic meter: 7

The Eagles got pushed around by the Rams after collapsing against Washington last week, which is not great. The close division race will help, but the bigger concern for Philadelphia is its offensive line, which is in shambles thanks to a slew of injuries and age.

Carolina Panthers’ panic meter: 7

The Panthers weren’t expected to do much this year but their defense is looking pretty bad. After giving up 34 points to Las Vegas last week Carolina surrendered another 31 to Tampa Bay today. Despite the greatness of Christian McCaffrey that defense and division will make it a tough road to climb back to relevance for the Panthers.

Denver Broncos’ panic meter: 4

The Broncos have been competitive against two tough opponents so far, which is encouraging, and they easily could have at least one win with a few bounces of the football. If starting quarterback Drew Lock’s shoulder injury proves to be serious this rating will rise significantly.

Miami Dolphins’ panic meter: 5

The Dolphins are 0-2 with a pair of division losses, which isn’t great, but they haven’t played terribly in their losses. They also have rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the bench who could be inserted at any point to try and spark a turnaround. This isn’t as bad for Miami as it might look.

Atlanta Falcons’ panic meter: 10

The Falcons are in deep trouble right now. After an epic no-show against Seattle last week, the Falcons utterly collapsed on Sunday, blowing a massive early lead and failing to cover an onside kick before losing to the Cowboys at the gun.

Dan Quinn is on the hottest of seats as the Falcons are staring at a massive hole in the NFL’s most competitive division this side of the NFC West. It’s time to sound the alarms in Atlanta.