We’re into Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season after a wild start to the season. As usual, week 1 was unpredictable and there were many surprises.
Now, several teams (and players) must regroup to avoid an 0-2 start to the season. The teams that will face the most pressure in Week 2 are listed in alphabetical order:
The Cowboys, as it seems every year, were tabbed as a coveted Super Bowl contender in the offseason. They looked away from it in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. The Giants, one of the worst teams in the league last season, were the better team on Sunday night and outplayed Dallas. To stay in the early mix in the NFC East, the Cowboys need a home win against the Washington Chiefs on Sunday.
The Broncos looked like the same team in the first week of training camp with a team that came off a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos were out of sorts on both sides of the ball and didn’t look like one of the NFL’s best rosters. This may only be a week. But the issue with the Broncos is their schedule. The next four games are against the Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, Chargers and Seahawks. Denver better face Jacksonville at home on Sunday.
The Packers are feeling it this week. In the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings and Carson Wentz, of all people, melted down on Sunday. The host Vikings scored 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to shock the Packers 39-22. To make matters worse, Green Bay was the only losing team in the tough NFC North in Week 1. If Green Bay stumbles against the highly-touted New York Jets on Sunday, they’ll dig themselves a big hole in the tough NFC.
The Texans entered the season with the reputation of having one, if not the best, defense in the NFL. Then Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills put up 36 points. It was a classic game against two AFC heavyweights. In the 36-31 loss, the Texans’ offense looked solid and the defense should be good. But they have to show at home on Sunday against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Losing two games to start the season would be a loss for a team with Super Bowl hopes.
The Rams’ Super Bowl streak could last. The darlings of the league were punched in the mouth by NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers in Australia. The Rams were slow on their road trip to the Hurricanes and then lost star rookie Myles Garrett on injured reserve. The Rams don’t have much time to be upset. They host the upstart Giants on Monday night. This will not be an easy challenge for the Rams. But they usually get their stuff together (they were on both offense and defense against the 49ers) or they could be in a big hole in the NFC West, where the other three teams are all 1-0.
The push here starts with quarterback Drake Maye. Following a tough Super Bowl game against Seattle, he had a rough performance against the Seahawks in Week 1. In fact, Maye cost the team the game. May needs to bounce back from a setback against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense on Sunday.