Ranking NFL's 2-0 Teams: Assessing the Bengals' Legitimacy and Chiefs' Early Performance

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.

Who's real

1. Seattle Seahawks

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.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

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.

3. Buffalo Bills

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 . Buffalo is receiving MVP-level play from Josh Allen , whose success so far has at least partly been a byproduct of his connection with Dalton Kincaid , who already has 12 receptions this season. The offense also has one of the league's best running backs in James Cook III , who is averaging a whopping 5.6 yards per carry.

Buffalo's offense is championship caliber, but the same can't currently be said of the defense, which is why the Bills aren't ranked higher. Their defense has allowed the fifth-most points in the NFL through two games.

4. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers might be the NFL's best team when they are healthy. Health, however, continues to be a challenge, which is why they are ranked so low. Mike Evans was the latest 49ers receiver to get hurt, injuring his hip during last Sunday's win over the Cardinals . San Francisco recently signed Brandin Cooks to help atone for their ongoing injuries at receiver.

It doesn't help that the 49ers play in the NFL's toughest division, which includes the defending champion Seahawks and a Rams team that was a trendy preseason pick to win it all.

Despite the injuries, the 49ers continue to impress behind the play of Brock Purdy , Christian McCaffrey , George Kittle , and Fred Warner . The 49ers are currently fourth in the NFL in points scored and third in points allowed.

Pretenders

1. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs look much more like the Super Bowl version of themselves than last year's 6-11 outfit. Kansas City dominated the Broncos (in Denver) in Week 1 and improved to 2-0 after edging the Colts in overtime in Arrowhead.

Kansas City is off to a great start, but it's more than fair to wonder if its success is sustainable. Kenneth Walker III already has 47 carries and 56 total touches. Walker and 37-year-old Travis Kelce have atoned for a receiving corps that has left something to be desired so far. The defense has something to prove after giving up 30 points to a Colts offense that played most of the game without Michael Pierce .

Fortunately for the Chiefs, their schedule (three games against teams that are currently 0-2 and seven games against 2025 non-playoff teams) should allow them to grab a playoff spot. The question is whether their current question marks will prevent them from making a deep postseason run.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Ironically, the two teams that met in the Super Bowl less than two years ago are labeled as pretenders after 2-0 starts. But while the Chiefs being placed in this category is somewhat surprising, anyone who has watched the Eagles this season (and for most of last season) probably isn't shocked to see them here.

The Eagles nearly relinquished a double-digit lead against the Commanders in Week 1, and they needed a last-second touchdown pass to beat the lowly Titans last Sunday. Yes, the Eagles won both games, but they didn't do much to instill confidence in their fans that this season will be much different than last.

Jalen Hurts continues to have both breathtaking and head-scratching moments. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks have been solid, but the same can't be said for the rest of the receiving corps (especially rookie Makai Lemon , who has four catches for nine yards so far). Saquon Barkley  is already dealing with an injury after leaving Sunday's game early with a pinched nerve in his neck.

3. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings and coach Kevin O'Connell deserve a ton of credit for their 2-0 start that included a comeback win over the Packers in Week 1 and a gritty win in Chicago in Week 2. The Vikings won both of those games with Carson Wentz playing for an injured Kyler Murray , who will make his first start this Sunday against the Buccaneers  since a Week 1 injury.

Quarterback, however, remains the biggest question surrounding the Vikings, which his why they sit in this spot. To this point, the jury is still out on Murray, who threw just five passes in Week 1 before getting hurt.

If Murray can regain his Pro Bowl form, the sky might be the limit for the Vikings, who could take advantage of an NFC North division that is down at the moment. If Murray struggles, however, the onus will be back on Wentz, who has made just 15 starts since the start of the 2022 season.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Kirk Cousins is following in the footsteps of Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon, two other older quarterbacks who enjoyed career rebirths with the Raiders . Plunkett and Gannon led the silver and black to the Super Bowl, and while Cousins has helped lead the Raiders to a 2-0 start, it's hard to imagine Las Vegas in the big game this year.

Let's start with the fact that the Raiders' two wins came against teams that are currently 0-2. Las Vegas' schedule will be considerably harder moving forward, with eight games against 2025 playoff teams.

Las Vegas was impressive in its first two games (especially on defense), but there were some noticeable flaws, particularly on offense — Cousins has already thrown three interceptions. The Raiders struggled to run the ball in those games, and the offense is just 23rd in the NFL in third-down efficiency.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-nfls-2-0-teams-bengals-chiefs-bills/)._