Let’s say you’re an 0-2 NFL team. Here’s the good news: Starting the season with a pair of losses isn’t quite as catastrophic as it used to be, now that 14 teams make the postseason. The bad news is that it’ll still be an uphill climb to get one of those playoff berths. So for the nine squads currently sitting at 0-2, we ask the following question: Is it time to panic? Welcome to The Ringer’s Panic Meter.
Cincinnati Bengals
A close loss to the Chiefs is tough for Cincinnati to stomach, given their rivalry. But the Bengals should be encouraged by their performance in Week 2, at least relative to how flat they looked in the opener.
Joe Burrow was far more comfortable in the pocket Sunday than he was against the Patriots in Week 1, and the Bengals found a way to spread the ball around, getting 91 yards from tight end Mike Gesicki and two touchdown catches from preseason standout Andrei Iosivas while Kansas City focused its defensive attention on shutting down Ja’Marr Chase.
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Burrow still shoulders too much responsibility in this offense, which can’t seem to figure out its running game, and the run defense also looked concerning against the Chiefs, who had a success rate of 57 percent on the ground. But the expected return of Tee Higgins within a few weeks will help, and I trust defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to figure the defense out in time. The secondary, highlighted by Cam Taylor-Britt’s brilliant interception of Patrick Mahomes, looks solid enough to build around.
Four of the Bengals’ next five games are against the Commanders, Panthers, Giants, and Browns, so they have a good chance to recover from this latest slow start.
Plus, Cincinnati isn’t in much of a hole in the AFC North. The Ravens should be its top competition, and Baltimore also dropped its first two games. The Steelers currently lead the division, and they’ve scored just one touchdown in two games, so the Bengals should be OK.
Panic meter: 2/10
Relaaaaaax.
Baltimore Ravens
Like the Bengals, the Ravens benefit from the fact that their main division rival has also stumbled out of the gate. Unlike Cincinnati, though, Baltimore seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Losing to the Chiefs by a toe in Week 1 is no big deal, but blowing a 10-point lead in the third quarter and falling to the Gardner Minshew–led Raiders in Week 2? That should cause a bit more alarm.
The biggest cause for concern is that the right side of this offensive line, particularly right guard Daniel Faalele, is nonviable for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. After Chris Jones disrupted Baltimore’s offense in the season opener, Maxx Crosby wreaked havoc with twists and stunts on Sunday, focusing his attention on the right side of the Ravens line. The constant pressure forced Baltimore into the blandest version of its offensive playbook.
Baltimore had to replace multiple starters on the offensive line this offseason, and it’s still a work in progress. Rookie Roger Rosengarten has been playing in a rotation with right tackle Patrick Mekari, and Rosengarten seemed to handle Crosby better in his 18 snaps of work and may have earned himself more playing time. Another guard option, Ben Cleveland, remains on the bench. There are moves the Ravens can make, and they’d better do something—or risk being stumped by any opponent with a high-end pass rusher.
Another issue that’s come up has been the performance of kicker Justin Tucker. The all-time great missed a 56-yarder on Sunday after missing from 53 yards in Week 1. It’s notable, and even somewhat dramatic, since it feels like we’re watching the beginning of the end for the GOAT. Still, I don’t think it’s too much for Baltimore to overcome if Tucker isn’t automatic on long kicks anymore. He’s still accurate from shorter distances—he made 31 of 32 kicks under 50 yards last season and is five for five so far this season.
Panic meter: 3/10
It’s probably fine? Right?
Tennessee Titans
Yes, the Titans are 0-2, but their defense has looked stout through the first two weeks. They’re 10th in expected points added per play allowed, and they’ve given up the fewest yards in the league. They led at halftime in both games they’ve played. They’ve got the Malik Willis–led Packers at home next (assuming Jordan Love still isn’t ready), and now they’ll have some tape on how Green Bay is running that offense.
But a message to Will Levis: What happened to the Titans in the first two weeks can never happen again.
In Week 1, it was throwing a pick-six at the end of the game, instead of simply falling on the football. In Week 2, it was another boneheaded decision to lateral the ball under pressure, again resulting in a turnover—and head coach Brian Callahan shouting, “What the fuck are you doing?” on the sidelines. The Titans genuinely might be 2-0 without those two plays.
I don’t really know how Callahan can coach that out of Levis, but I know the Titans aren’t going anywhere if Levis keeps turning into Josh Allen’s Wario when he feels pressured.
Panic meter: 4/10
It’s actually the panic that’s the problem.
Indianapolis Colts
It’s been an up-and-down start for the Colts offense. A week after second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson threw some dazzling deep balls in the opener against the Texans, the Packers (surprisingly) played mostly two-high safety looks, and Indy wasn’t able to take advantage of open looks underneath.
An inability to make the layups is a hole in Richardson’s game. He often looks rushed in his decision-making, and after throwing three picks on Sunday in Green Bay, he’s tied for the most in the NFL.
Still, he’s shown real physical talent, and that should have Colts fans feeling hopeful. Head coach and play caller Shane Steichen can probably help him out more than he has through these two weeks by relying more on the run game and allowing Richardson to use his own legs more often than he has so far.
A bigger problem than Richardson’s growing pains is that the defense is already badly banged up. Last year’s team leader in sacks, Samson Ebukam, tore his Achilles during training camp. Starting corner JuJu Brents went on injured reserve with a knee injury from Week 1. And both star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and first-round edge rusher Laiatu Latu left the game against the Packers with injuries, an ankle sprain for Buckner, who was carted off the field in the first quarter, and a hip injury for Latu.
In part—and the Colts should hope in large part—because of those absences, the Packers managed to literally run up the score. Green Bay ran for 237 yards against Indianapolis in just the first half of the game and managed to win 16-10 with Willis at quarterback. Indy faces two relatively limited offenses in Chicago and Pittsburgh next, and both of those games are at home—but it’s hard to feel confident after that Week 2 performance.
Panic meter: 5/10
Take some deep, calming breaths—and wait for the MRIs.
New York Giants
An 0-2 start isn’t exactly shocking for this Giants team, but there are a lot of jobs on the line in New York. If this winds up being the final season of Brian Daboll’s tenure as head coach, we may look back on the silliness of Week 2 as the real beginning of the end.
To recap: Daboll’s team lost to Washington, a division rival, and in doing so, managed to become the first team in NFL history to score three or more touchdowns, allow none, and lose in regulation.
The situation at kicker was a full-blown clown show. Starter Graham Gano injured his groin late last week, but the coaching and medical staffs decided he was healthy enough to kick Sunday and didn’t call up backup kicker Jude McAtamney to the game-day roster. Then, Gano pulled his hamstring on the opening kickoff. For the rest of the game, the Giants attempted only one extra point, taken by punter Jamie Gillan, who missed it wide right.
The Giants play the Browns and Cowboys next. The tank is all but on. Daniel Jones has a $23 million injury guarantee for 2025, and the questions about whether the Giants will bench him to avoid triggering it can’t be far off. He has started eight games since signing his four-year, $160 million contract and is 1-7.
Panic meter: 6/10
Just. Protect. Malik Nabers.
Denver Broncos
Through two weeks, the Broncos have basically nullified any of the hype they built up in the preseason. That offseason sales pitch was based on coach Sean Payton’s ability to design an offense and rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s fit in Payton’s specific scheme. But so far, the Denver offense seems to be bravely raising a question: What if late-career Drew Brees weren’t accurate with the ball?
So far, Nix has been operating within a painfully limited system. He’s averaging just 5.0 yards per attempt and has completed only five passes of more than 10 air yards. If the Broncos mascot, a horse named Thunder, would like to hang out and munch on some field grass during games, anything more than 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage is available.
Very few NFL offenses will succeed while playing so conservatively, and the rare ones that do usually need pristine quarterback play (à la late-career Brees). Nix isn’t giving Denver that right now.
Meanwhile, Payton’s decision-making, like choosing to pass up an onside kick against the Steelers on Sunday, also looks suspect.
It’s not as though the Broncos entered this season with massive expectations, but this team’s calling card is supposed to be Payton’s leadership and his ability to work with quarterbacks. Denver’s long-term rebuild depends on Payton’s success on both fronts, and it’s a big deal that he seems to be delivering on neither right now.
There is one primary area for optimism, though: the defense. Denver ranks 11th in EPA per play through the first two weeks, despite a tough outing Sunday for star cornerback Pat Surtain II, which shouldn’t be a long-term concern.
The Broncos have also turned the ball over five times so far this season, and if they can protect it better while controlling games defensively, they’ll put themselves in a better position to win. But they’ll have to do it fast, and likely as the underdog, since they have road games against the 2-0 Buccaneers and 1-1 Jets up next.
Panic meter: 7/10
Please identify your nearest exit.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams might not be this bad, but they are this injured. Two weeks into the season, Los Angeles’s offensive depth chart is depleted. In the opener, the Rams lost wide receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, and tackle Joe Noteboom—who was already filling in for Alaric Jackson while he serves a two-game suspension—to injured reserve, which will have them out for at least the next month. And during Sunday’s 41-10 loss to Arizona, veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp joined the list of Rams dealing with ailments when he hurt his ankle on a crossing route in the second quarter.
I will tell you who does not seem to be panicking: Sean McVay, who had his 36-year-old quarterback and best remaining healthy playmaker, running back Kyren Williams, still on the field in the third quarter Sunday, when the Rams were down by four scores.
I admire McVay’s optimism, but if this offensive line can’t find a way to handle the 49ers defensive front this Sunday to avoid an 0-3 start, this season may be over before it ever really began.
Panic meter: 8/10
Put Stafford in bubble wrap.
Jacksonville Jaguars
What’s most worrisome in Jacksonville is that areas that should be strengths continue to look like weaknesses. The leaders of this franchise are a heralded quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, and an accomplished offensive-minded coach, Doug Pederson. And yet, in a continuation of last season’s issues, the offense appears disjointed and is especially impotent in the red zone. Jacksonville ranked 29th in EPA inside the 20-yard line last season, and so far, the Jags have converted on just three of seven trips this season.
There are more problems than that, however. There’s little happening in the run game, the offensive line is bad, and yet they’re still asking Lawrence to air it out. Lawrence has the second-highest intended air yards of any quarterback—a full 11.0 yards per throw, according to Next Gen Stats—but is completing only 51 percent of them, 10.7 percentage points below expectation. You want a quarterback of his caliber to push the ball downfield, but Jacksonville’s protection issues and lack of receiver separation make that a dangerous and ineffective strategy.
On a fundamental level, this is supposed to be an offensive team with a generational talent at quarterback. Lawrence has now lost his last seven starts dating back to last season. Since he was drafted at no. 1 in 2021, the Jags have made the postseason one time and won one playoff game. Up next are two tough road games against the Bills and the Texans. The Jaguars need to win one, if not both, of those games against AFC contenders or their playoff hopes will be all but dead.
Panic meter: 9/10
Starting to worry that it should be NeverBank Stadium. :(
Carolina Panthers
After two losses by a combined 60 points, and with his offense responsible for just a single touchdown and only 10 passing first downs, Bryce Young was asked Sunday night how he maintains confidence. In his answer, he invoked faith.
I don’t know what it says that this is how he was answered:
Good for first-year head coach Dave Canales for recognizing what absolutely wasn’t working and acting on it. Sounds simple enough, but it doesn’t always happen, especially when high draft picks are involved. The Panthers have a very long way to go, but at least now there’s a chance they’ll be headed in the right direction.
Panic meter: 10/10
Let there be Dalton.
