NFL Week 2: 5 teams that need a win
The National Football League is a weird place. Going into the regular season, a team can be seen as a favorite to represent its conference in the Super Bowl but then lose in Week 1, and immediately be on the bubble of playoff contention. There’s no other sport that provides that type of drama from start to finish, which is one of the large reasons why the game is so popular.
So which teams need to win the most in Week 2? We run them down:
5. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas needs to come out and find a way to win behind rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott played well in Week 1 against the New York Giants, but ended up on the wrong end of a 20-19 decision. This weekend, the Cowboys travel to take on the Washington Redskins and simply can’t afford to start out 0-2 both overall and in the division. A loss here would be simply devastating to a veteran team that needs to stay afloat until Tony Romo returns to the starting lineup around midseason.
4. Houston Texans
Houston is 1-0, so some might disagree with this ranking. Still, the Texans are under major pressure to have a terrific season and perhaps even push themselves into the Super Bowl chase. After beating the Chicago Bears in the opening weekend, Houston now faces the Kansas City Chiefs, who twice beat it last year in NRG Stadium. The Chiefs are a much tougher foe than Chicago and should push Brock Osweiler to be even better. If the Texans lose this game, most will continue to dismiss them as a faux contender.
3. Washington Redskins
Obviously, either Washington or Dallas is going to lose at FedEx Field this weekend. So why is it more important for the Redskins? This is a group trying to prove that its NFC East title in 2015 isn’t a fluke but a sign of things to come. Kirk Cousins looked awful on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, and needs to bounce back versus a poor defense in Dallas. If he and his team can’t, the Redskins will be 0-2 with eight road games remaining on the schedule.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
Few teams came into the season with higher expectations compared to recent success than the Jaguars. Jacksonville had a huge offseason, adding Malik Jackson, Myles Jack, Tashaun Gipson, Prince Amukamara, Chris Ivory, Kelvin Beachum, Jalen Ramsey and more. After all those additions, Jacksonville still came up short in Week 1 at home against the Green Bay Packers. If the Jaguars can’t beat the San Diego Chargers this weekend, they will be 0-2 and facing a long uphill battle toward the AFC playoff picture.
1. Arizona Cardinals
Arizona absolutely has to have this game. The Cardinals somehow lost its opener at home to Jimmy Garoppolo and the Rob Gronkowski-less New England Patriots. Now, they face Jameis Winston and a very frisky Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad. If Arizona falls short here, it will be 0-2 after a pair of home dates. With the Seattle Seahawks in the division, that’s bad news.
