It’s not looking good for some of the NFL teams early in the season. The Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans weren’t expected to turn things around right away so their 0-2 starts aren’t as alarming. But the Kansas City Chiefs, well the last time they were 0-2 to start the year was Andy Reid’s second season with the Chiefs.
Is it time to put the Super Bowl runners up on high alert after a second-straight loss to start the 2025 season? Along with the struggling Chiefs, who else’s slow start is alarming? There’s quite a few teams to keep on the radar after their slow starts are leaning more toward red flags rather than cautious optimism.
Here is every 0-2 team ranked based on the good ol’ panic meter and it’s bad news for the Chiefs and a handful of other teams.
Ranking every 0-2 NFL team based on their panic meter
Nos. 7-9
No. 9: Tennessee Titans
I wouldn’t be alarmed at all if you’re a Tennessee Titans fan after an 0-2 start to the year. The Titans played two of the best defenses in the NFL to start the year, which isn’t an easy way for your rookie quarterback to get their NFL career rolling. That said, Cam Ward hasn’t looked horrible at all in his first two games. The Titans have somewhere to start and right now, they should be happy the games are competitive. Don’t hit the panic meter at all Titans fans, this was always a rebuilding year.
No. 8: New Orleans Saints
There were a lot of new things going on in New Orleans this season and truthfully, Derek Carr put you guys in a terrible spot. Don’t be alarmed by a slow start at all. It’s frustrating and feels never-ending but you weren’t going to make noise in the NFC South anyway. Take your lumps this year and continue to build around the young quarterbacks. Kellen Moore was at a disadvantage from the start, but they can certainly find a silver lining out of this season.
No. 7: Cleveland Browns
Yeah, this was a brutal stretch for the Cleveland Browns to endure, opening the year against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The expectations should have been low considering they brought Joe Flacco back and have put an immense amount of pressure on the rookies already. This is going to be a long season and losing winnable games will only make it worse.
Nos. 4-6
No. 6: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are still in full rebuild mode so starting 0-2 shouldn’t be too alarming. What should be is that a large part of that 0-2 start is that Bryce Young hasn’t looked like he’s progressed. It’s one thing to not win, but to not look like he’s improved since his rookie season is a problem. At times he looks like he’s developed, but he’s still growing and at some point the Panthers are going to get impatient. No need to hit the panic button yet, but you should be a little worried.
No. 5: Chicago Bears
The Bears down 0-2 should be alarming for two reasons, one, they should be 1-0 after losing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead in Week 1 and two, their offense has been their biggest problem. I don’t know if Caleb Williams is overhyped or Ben Johnson came in biting off more than he can chew with this team, but this offense isn’t looking good. That’s his strength and if they continue to struggle, that’s not a good sign at all.
No. 4: New York Jets
The New York Jets lost to the quarterback they kicked to the curb in Week 1 and lost the quarterback they put faith in to a concussion in Week 2. The Jets’ margin for error is slim and if they fail to get a win in the next couple of weeks, it’s clear they’ll still be up to their old ways. They have to start winning, with or without Fields; somehow, some way.
Nos. 1-3
No. 3: Miami Dolphins
If the Miami Dolphins needed to hit the panic button after an embarrassing Week 1 loss to Indianapolis, their loss to New England means they need to be smashing it now. Things are not working the way they want at all and it might be time to start thinking about blowing this team up while they still can. The Dolphins look like a team that’s lost and has no idea how to turn things around. Tua Tagovailoa isn’t getting the job done and now they’re inching toward being one of the worst teams in the NFL rather than one of the best.
No. 2: Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are supposed to look like a team determined to get it right this year after getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl last year. They still can turn it around, but the fact that Patrick Mahomes has never started the year 0-2 in his NFL career, it shows this Chiefs team is beatable. If the Chiefs aren’t the threat they used to be, what does that mean moving forward?
No. 1: New York Giants
It’s time for Giants fans to start panicking. Week 2 was supposed to be a win for the Giants for a couple of reasons. For one, Russell Wilson will probably never play that good again this season and the Giants still lost. If New York can’t win when Wilson throws for 450 yards and three touchdowns, it’s going to be a long season. Brian Daboll can’t afford another losing season and things are trending that way.