Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and there was a lot to take away from the first slate of games. While 16 teams are off to a fast start with their first victory, the other half of the league is feeling the pressure to get a win in Week 2 to avoid a dreaded 0-2 start.
Not all situations are created equal, however, as there is less pressure on an 0-1 team in the early stages of a rebuild than an 0-1 contender hoping to make a Super Bowl run. With that in mind, let's go around the league and rate each 0-1 team's level of panic entering their Week 2 matchups. We'll go down the standings by division, beginning with the AFC East.
Miami Dolphins
Arguably the worst performance as a team came from Miami in Week 1, which got waxed by the Daniel Jones-led Colts and saw Tua Tagovailoa look completely ineffective moving the offense. With Mike McDaniel firmly on the hot seat and lowly New England coming to town in Week 2, there is a legitimate chance the Dolphins' season could spiral out of control if they drop that game.
Panic Level: 9
New England Patriots
Mike Vrabel's first game as the Patriots' head coach was underwhelming as New England couldn't take down the Raiders at home. New England is still building Vrabel's program, however, so lofty preseason expectations shouldn't impact the perception that a slow start for second-year quarterback Drake Maye is a bad thing.
Panic Level: 3
New York Jets
The Jets surprised in Aaron Glenn's debut by nearly taking down the Pittsburgh Steelers with an explosive offensive performance, with a few key mistakes costing them a victory. No one expects much out of the Jets this year so if New York can keep showing fight under Glenn while cleaning up their mistakes the season could still be a positive, even if they miss the playoffs for a 15th consecutive season.
Panic Meter: 2
Baltimore Ravens
The way the Ravens lost on Sunday night to the Bills was alarming as their tendency to fail to finish games bit them at the worst time. There is still a ton of talent here and a very winnable home game in Week 2 on tap against Cleveland, so the panic meter is relatively low, especially with this team having come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the AFC North last year. Lose to Cleveland, however, and this panic meter skyrockets.
Panic Meter: 3
Cleveland Browns
The Browns were very competitive against Cincinnati and should have beaten the Bengals if Andre Smzyt had made the two kicks he missed, an extra point and a key field goal, in a 17-16 loss. No one thinks the Browns will be good this year and as long as they are playing hard before giving their rookie quarterbacks a look all will be okay here.
Panic Meter: 2
Houston Texans
While Houston's defense came to play, C.J. Stroud struggled mightily in a 14-9 loss to the Rams. With questions about their offensive line and Stroud's playmakers, further regression could be in order for the third year passer, which would be more alarming than losing to Tampa Bay at home on Monday night.
Panic Meter: 5
Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward's NFL debut involved going on the road to play Denver's ferocious defense at altitude and he didn't look overwhelmed, which is a big win for the Titans. There will be growing pains for Ward but the bar is very low in Tennessee.
Panic Meter: 1
Kansas City Chiefs
The reigning three-time AFC Champs are looking up at everyone else in their division, which is rare, after a sloppy performance in a loss to the Chargers in Brazil. Add in an injury to Xavier Worthy, further dinging Patrick Mahomes' thin receiving corps, and a Super Bowl rematch in Week 2 with an Eagles team that crushed them in February and the cause for concern is higher than you would think.
Panic Meter: 6
Dallas Cowboys
If CeeDee Lamb didn't commit four drops or if Miles Sanders didn't fumble in the red zone there was a strong possibility Dallas emerged from Week 1 with a huge road win over the defending champs. Instead they are staring at 0-1 with the hapless Giants coming into town, which is a tremendous get-right spot, so their panic meter isn't high (unless they lose to New York, which will get talk radio fired up about whether Brian Schottenheimer is the right man for the job).
Panic Meter: 3
New York Giants
Another year begins with the Giants failing to score a touchdown in their season opener, making them the first team since the Detroit Lions from 1940-1942 to fail to score a Week 1 touchdown in three consecutive years. Russell Wilson looked cooked, raising the pressure for Brian Daboll to throw Jaxson Dart to the fire, and failing to win in Dallas could have New York staring at an 0-4 start with the Chiefs and Chargers headed to MetLife Stadium in the following two weeks.
Panic Meter: 8
Chicago Bears
The Ben Johnson era didn't get off to a great start as the Vikings scored three consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter to turn a 17-6 deficit into a 27-24 victory. Caleb Williams also didn't look entirely comfortable running Johnson's complex system yet, which is going to be the key to their season as preseason predictions about playoff contention look premature at this juncture.
Panic Meter: 5
Detroit Lions
A tough loss to the Packers in Micah Parson's debut isn't the end of the world for Detroit, but it does raise questions about how much they will miss Johnson and Glenn as their coordinators. Shaky offensive line play didn't help as this week's home date with the Bears looms as a must-win to avoid questions about Detroit being one of the season's flame outs.
Panic Meter: 6
Atlanta Falcons
While Michael Penix showed flashes of brilliance, the story of this game was Atlanta giving away a critical game late to Tampa Bay, which has been a common occurrence under Raheem Morris. There is a lot of talent for the Falcons that needs to learn how to win, making this week's trip to Minnesota a challenging one for the second-year passer in his fifth NFL start.
Panic Meter: 7
Carolina Panthers
The optimism that Bryce Young had figured things out after a solid end to the 2024 season came to a crashing halt after he delivered a dud against the Jaguars, completing just 18-of-35 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and two picks. If Young can't become a franchise quarterback, Carolina is in deep trouble.
Panic Meter: 8
New Orleans Saints
A frequent contender for the worst team in the league among pundits preseason, the Saints played very hard and nearly toppled Arizona in their season opener. That kind of effort is a culture builder for new coach Kellen Moore, and if they can do more of these while losing enough games they should be well-positioned to get a franchise quarterback in April's draft.
Panic Meter: 1
Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold's Seattle debut didn't go great as he couldn't generate enough big plays against the 49ers' tough defense. Being the only team without a win in the competitive NFC West is far from ideal, making Sunday's trip to Pittsburgh a must-win if the Seahawks hope to stay in the wild card picture for the long haul.
Panic Meter: 5