Thirty-two games have been played in the 2021 NFL season, and … are we really sure which teams are good and which are bad? There are 18 1-1 teams, including the New Orleans Saints, who looked fantastic in Week 1 and then only scored 7 points in a Week 2 loss, and the Green Bay Packers, who got their doors blown off in Week 1 before a Week 2 bounce-back. There are seven 0-2 teams, all of which have shown major flaws so far. That means there are seven 2-0 teams — three in the NFL West alone — including the surprising Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
So, what do we really know two weeks into the season? That’s what we asked our 32 NFL reporters to judge. They picked the biggest surprises for the team they cover, then gave their verdict — real or a mirage? — on whether each surprise will continue for the rest of the season. Their surprises include Tom Brady’s super-hot start, the Raiders’ defense dominating and a few rough patches from Justin Jefferson, the Chiefs’ defense and the Steelers’ sputtering run game.
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
The biggest surprise: The Cowboys have six takeaways on defense.
The verdict: Real. This could be a mirage, but it’s not just the last two games. Dating back to last season, the Cowboys have forced takeaways in their last nine games, their longest streak since 2018. The Cowboys did not record their sixth takeaway last season until the eighth game. They have had timely turnovers, too, with Damontae Kazee forcing a fumble and picking off a pass with the defense in the red zone. Trevon Diggs became the first Cowboy since Roy Williams in 2006 to open the season with interceptions in each of the first two games. Given some of the defensive limitations, the Cowboys better continue this streak of takeaways. — Todd Archer
New York Giants
The biggest surprise: The Giants’ defense is allowing 413.5 yards per game and 28.5 points per game.
The verdict: Mirage. The Giants were 12th in total defense (349.3 yards) and ninth in points allowed (22.3 ppg) last season. If anything, they’re more talented this year after adding OLB Azeez Ojulari and CB Adoree’ Jackson while getting back OLB Lorenzo Carter. Maybe they maxed out last year, but law of averages says Patrick Graham’s unit will be a quality group when all is said and done. — Jordan Raanan
Philadelphia Eagles
The biggest surprise: The Eagles’ defense is off to a strong start.
The verdict: Real. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was a hot commodity this offseason, and we’re starting to see why. His group is tied for second in points allowed (11.5 avg.) and ranks third in passing yards per game (162.5) through two weeks. Here’s the key stat: The Eagles have allowed just one pass play of 20-plus yards to date, which is tops in the NFL. The loss of defensive end Brandon Graham hurts, and they won’t be this dominant all year, but it’s time to heighten the expectations for this defense. — Tim McManus
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
The biggest surprise: OLB Robert Quinn has 1.5 sacks.
The verdict: Real. Quinn seemed particularly miffed by last year’s subpar season. The Bears guaranteed Quinn $30 million to get after the quarterback, and he failed to do so in 2020 — tallying only two sacks. Quinn is off to a much better start this season. He comes across as a very prideful individual, and even though he’s an older player with back issues, my best guess is that Quinn will have a productive year — just as long as he stays healthy. – Jeff Dickerson
Detroit Lions
The biggest surprise: The Lions are perfect 5-for-5 in red zone this season.
The verdict: Mirage. Detroit is 0-2, but tied for red-zone efficiency through the first two weeks. Although Jared Goff appears poised in those situations, with a dependable target in Pro Bowl TE T.J. Hockenson, it doesn’t seem sustainable for the Lions to keep up this pace, especially without a top receiver emerging and injuries continuing to mount. This is certainly a surprise stat, but also impressive for what the team has on it’s roster and the level of competition they’ve faced to open the season. — Eric Woodyard
Green Bay Packers
The biggest surprise: The Packers have struggled to rush the passer.
The verdict: Mirage. It has to get better, right? What could be worse than not a single player having a sack through two games. The Packers’ only sack was a credited team sack after Lions quarterback Jared Goff fumbled without contact. The reason it’s likely a mirage is they’re winning at least some times. They rank 21st in ESPN’s pass rush win rate at (39.6%), which is nearly the same as last season. However, it’s nowhere close to their 2019 rate of 47%, which ranked ninth in the league. — Rob Demovsky
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons
The biggest surprise: The Falcons have allowed 80 points.
The verdict: Mirage. First, the number is a little misleading because of two pick-sixes. But while Atlanta’s defense isn’t good — it is showing signs of improvement and has weathered an unfamiliar offense (Philadelphia) and a top-flight one (Tampa). Things should settle down considering the schedule to come, making this a mediocre unit, not the rough one shown so far. — Michael Rothstein
Carolina Panthers
The biggest surprise: The Panthers’ defense has 10 sacks.
The verdict: Real. I said before the season this unit has a lot of good pieces, it’s just a matter of how fast it comes together. It’s come together — fast. The Panthers are at the top of the NFL in most defensive categories — sacks (10), yards per game (190.8), rushing yards per game (46.5) and points per game (10.5). Credit DC Phil Snow for utilizing the strengths of these pieces rather than forcing them into a set scheme. DE Brian Burns is for real. Edge rusher Haason Reddick is for real. DT Derrick Brown is for real. CB Jaycee Horn is for real. The list goes on. This is sustainable. — David Newton
New Orleans Saints
The biggest surprise: The Saints’ offense was all-time bad in Week 2.
But we can expect better performance and bet on Meridian.
The verdict: Mirage. The Saints gained only 128 yards at Carolina — by far the lowest of Sean Payton’s tenure. It was especially stunning on the heels of New Orleans’ dominant 38-3 win over Green Bay a week earlier. And it didn’t help that five offensive coaches missed the game under COVID-19 safety protocol. So of course they won’t be this bad all season. But there are some genuine reasons for concern. The Saints’ normally outstanding offensive line struggled mightily with communication with center Erik McCoy sidelined by an injury (and QB Drew Brees now retired). New QB Jameis Winston threw two ugly interceptions once he got into desperation mode for the first time this season. And New Orleans’ WRs have struggled to get open in both games while Michael Thomas is sidelined by an ankle injury. — Mike Triplett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The biggest surprise: Tom Brady has thrown nine touchdown passes.
The verdict: Real. Brady finally feels at home in Bruce Arians’ offense. He has thrown in several of his own new wrinkles, and his rapport with receivers has gotten better. It’s night and day from where they were at this point last year. The scary thing is — they’re actually still leaving a lot of points on the field by failing to convert on fourth-and-1 and taking sacks in the red zone. They’re also leading the NFL with five turnovers and 22 penalties. Brady continues to say, “We can be better.” And he’s right. — Jenna Laine
NFC WEST
Arizona Cardinals
The biggest surprise: The Cardinals are averaging 36 points per game.
The verdict: Real. This is the offense everyone expected when Kliff Kingsbury was hired back in 2019. But like anything else during a transition, the Cardinals needed time to get to this point. It helps this season that they have all the pieces to complement quarterback Kyler Murray, especially wide receivers A.J. Green and Rondale Moore, who are enough of a threat each to take coverage away from DeAndre Hopkins and spread out the field. It also helps immensely that Murray has taken the types of strides he has, from checking in and out of plays, to having a better understanding of what defenses are trying to do. Arizona’s offense is what happens when the game slows down for Murray. — Josh Weinfuss
Los Angeles Rams
The biggest surprise: Cooper Kupp is among the top three receivers in receiving yards.
The verdict: Real. The Matthew Stafford to Kupp connection has been a dominant force in powering the Rams offense through a 2-0 start. Kupp is the first Rams player with 100 receiving yards in each of the first two games of a season since Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce in 2004. And his three receiving touchdowns in two games have already matched his 2020 season total. This blazing pace might somewhat slow for Kupp as opponents alter their defense to account for him, but he’ll undoubtedly remain a go-to target for Stafford. — Lindsey Thiry
San Francisco 49ers
The biggest surprise: WR Brandon Aiyuk has one catch for six yards.
The verdict: Mirage. Much has been made of Aiyuk’s disappearance in the first two weeks, which is understandable given that he looked poised for a big Year 2 jump as recently as the opening weeks of training camp. Coach Kyle Shanahan has said Aiyuk is not in any doghouse, and the lack of opportunities is more related to Aiyuk’s late camp hamstring injury and Trent Sherfield’s emergence. But there’s also clearly a message here for Aiyuk to pick it up. The reality is that Aiyuk is too talented not to climb his way out of his current situation and become the type of significant contributor he was expected to be. It might not happen immediately, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it was sooner than later. — Nick Wagoner
Seattle Seahawks
The biggest surprise: S Jamal Adams has not registered a sack.
The verdict: Mirage. Actually, it’s somewhere between real and a mirage. Adams has only rushed the passer eight times in two games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That’s a big drop-off from the 8.25 rushes he averaged last season, when he set the record for most sacks by a defensive back with 9.5 in 12 games. The way he has been used so far doesn’t seem like an accident considering defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s comments this summer about how Adams would be more than a blitzer in his second season with Seattle. But Adams had a sack wiped off the board in the opener by a questionable penalty. And the Seahawks didn’t give him a $70 million contract to not take advantage of his best skill — rushing the passer. — Brady Henderson
