After week 2 games and business concluded, we’re left with 8 undefeated teams in this NFL season. Five in the AFC (Patriots, Ravens, Steelers, Texans, Broncos) and three in the NFC (Giants, Eagles, Vikings).
Who is still undefeated in the AFC?
- The New England Patriots, coming off a 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins. It should have been a reason to celebrate, but they lost their #2 quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, for at least one game. With Tom Brady still suspended, it means rookie Jacoby Brissett will start
- Baltimore Ravens, one of two AFC North teams without a loss. The Ravens overcome falling behind 2-20 against the Cleveland Browns, with the connection between Joe Flacco and Mike Wallace working wonders once more
- The other team are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who we placed as the number one team on the power rankings. The Steelers pulled off an impressive 24-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, even without Antonio Brown putting up too many yards
- The Houston Texans lead the AFC South, and look by far like the best team in the division. Brock Osweiler threw two interceptions in their 19-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, but the J.J. Watt (1.5 sacks) led defense carried the load
- And speaking of defenses carrying the load, here come the Super Bowl champions, Denver Broncos. Trevor Siemian isn’t any good? The Broncos don’t care, scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns off turnovers to beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-20
Who is still undefeated in the NFC?
- The New York Giants didn’t look very impressive, but still won 16-13 against the New Orleans Saints. One might say scoring just 13 against such a bad defense is something to worry about. Someone else will point out all the close games the Giants lost last season, while winning two games by a total of 4 points in 2016
- The Giants achilles heel, the Philadelphia Eagles, are off to a surprising 2-0 start, coming away with a 29-14 win over the Chicago Bears. Carson Wentz continues to have an excellent rookie season, and has yet to throw an interception
- The Minnesota Vikings have lost their starting quarterback for the season, and now Adrian Peterson, who hasn’t been playing very well anyway, for a long time. Who cares? Their defense is great, holding the Green Bay Packers to only 14 points, while Sam Bradford was close to flawless in his debut for the team
Two more things:
- The current split is 8 undefeated teams, 16 teams at 1-1, and 8 teams without a win. That’s the same result you’d expect to get if you’d coin flip for the win before every game
- The only division without an undefeated team? The NFC West. All four teams are 1-1, with the Rams playing both their games against division rivals.