2018 NFL Season: Contenders and pretenders among 2-0 teams
By Erik Lambert
The 2018 NFL season has reached the halfway point of its first quarter, and with it a total of seven teams that remain undefeated at 2-0.
While the 1972 Miami Dolphins begin the slow process of sweating to see if any of these teams are ready to challenge their record, the bigger question is asking if any of those teams are true Super Bowl contenders or if they’re just beneficiaries of a hot start. There are plenty of factors to take into consideration for each team.
This will be an assessment for all of them. For some, it may be determined by their talent on the roster. For others, it might be the lucky bounces of an easy schedule. In the end, they all have that key strength or fatal weakness that turns the tide for or against them. So here is a breakdown of every team involved and whether they are a contender or pretender looking towards the short and long-term.
Los Angeles Rams: Contender
The Rams were a playoff team in 2017 and they only got better in terms of their overall talent since then. They added two outstanding corners in Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib. They put Ndamukong Suh next to Aaron Donald in the middle as well. Jared Goff has picked up right where he left off with a new toy in the speedy Brandin Cooks. Head coach Sean McVay has this team playing loose and confident. Their division is also weaker than years past. It feels like their season.
Kansas City Chiefs: Pretender
Patrick Mahomes is off to a magnificent start with 10 touchdown passes. That Chiefs offense is stacked with talent. So why would anybody consider this team a pretender, especially under Andy Reid? The simple answer is the defense. It’s a weak point. They’ve allowed 65 points through the first two games and don’t look anything like the unit they were a couple years ago. This means the teams will have to keep scoring every week. That may be possible, but it’s not easy, especially as they start to encounter better defenses.