While some 2-0 teams will parlay their fast starts into successful seasons, others will ultimately succumb to flaws overlooked during the season's first few weeks. Bill Cowher, a CBS Sports NFL analyst and a Hall of Fame coach, was on both ends of that spectrum during his time on the sideline. In 1998, his Steelers team started 2-0 before faltering to a 7-9 finish.
Pittsburgh started 2-0 again in 2005, but that season ended with Cowher and his players hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy after Pittsburgh became the first sixth seed to win it all. So, which one will it be for this year's teams? This season, eight teams enjoyed 2-0 starts and have an early leg up over the rest of the league.
Below is a rundown of each 2-0 team, broken up into the ones that are for real and the ones that may falter in the coming months. Not only is Seattle 2-0, but it also won both games with Drew Lock at quarterback in relief of an injured Sam Darnold. Lock wisely leaned on Jaxon Smith-Njigba in both games, while Seattle's defense has given up the second-fewest points in the NFL.
Another impressive facet of Seattle's 2-0 start is its running game, which is ninth in the league despite Kenneth Walker III's departure. It'll be interesting to see if the Seahawks' running game can keep it up. Guilty as charged in terms of drinking the Bengals Kool-Aid after two games.
A big reason for the optimism is Cincinnati's revamped defense (including former Giants Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence), which has complemented Joe Burrow and the team's high-flying offense. In fact, the Bengals' defense is actually ranked ahead of their offense through two games. Cincinnati's schedule is another reason for optimism.
They'll play five games against teams that are currently 0-2. The Bengals also play in an AFC North division that appears to be having a down year. At this point, it would be hard to pick against the Bills in terms of which AFC team will represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
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