On Tuesday, we looked at the 10 teams in the NFL that were 0-2 and their slim chances to make the playoffs this season.
Well, there are also 10 2-0 thus far. What are their playoff chances?
From 2002, when the expansion Texans entered the league, until the beginning of this season, 41 teams started off 2-0. Of the 41, 31 had records above .500. But only 24 made the playoffs.
The overall record of the 41 2-0 teams was 406-250 for a winning percentage of .619 and an average record of nearly 10-6.
So there you go. Here is a quick look at each of the unbeatens and how they got here, by division:
Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys have been the most impressive team in the NFC so far. Tony Romo has been tremendous as the Cowboys lead the league with 82 points scored. However, Dallas gets its first real test on Sunday night when it visits Chicago. WagerWeb.com lists the Bears as 3-point favorites.
Washington Redskins - The Redskins haven't been pretty, but they are 2-0 despite only scoring 36 points. Jason Campbell is taking care of the ball at QB and letting the running game and defense handle the rest. Washington is -4 against the Giants this week on WagerWeb.com.
Detroit Lions - Many thought the Lions would take a step forward this year, and they have so far. Jon Kitna has been solid in Mike Martz's offense, and the defense has done just enough. However, the Lions are +6.5 on WagerWeb.com when they travel to Philly this week.
Green Bay Packers - The Packers are 2-0, but it may be misleading. They have beaten up on two overrated NFC East teams (Philly and the Giants). Brett Favre hasn't looked his age, but a weak running game could catch up to Green Bay. The Packers are +4.5 against the Chargers this week.
San Francisco 49ers - The 49ers are unbeaten despite only a 4-point total margin of victory. But they all count the same in the win-loss column. The offense has been decent, but it's the defense that has stepped up in allowing 17 and 16 points, respectively, to Arizona and St. Louis. San Fran is +9 against the Steelers on WagerWeb.com.
New England Patriots - The Patriots are simply the best team in football after shredding the Jets and Chargers by identical 38-14 scores. Every unit is clicking. The Pats are whopping 16.5-point favorites this week against Buffalo on WagerWeb.com.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Probably the second-most impressive team behind New England thus far. Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker are playing at a top level, but it's Mike Tomlin's defense that has been awesome - allowing a league-low 10 points. Pittsburgh is -9 against San Francisco this week on WagerWeb.com.
Indianapolis Colts - No Super Bowl hangover yet for the Colts. They demolished New Orleans in the opener (which doesn't look as good as it did then) and hung on to beat Tennessee in Week 2. For some reason, the Titans always give the Colts trouble. This team really doesn't have many holes, much like New England. Indy is -6 against Houston this week on WagerWeb.com.
Houston Texans - The most-surprising team of the season has to be the Texans. Matt Schaub has been the pickup of the offseason. We'll see how real the Texans are when they host the Colts on Sunday; Houston is +6 on WagerWeb.com.
Denver Broncos - Probably the most fortunate team to be 2-0. The Broncos probably should have lost to Buffalo and Oakland, yet beat each with last-second kicks. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Denver is -3 against Jacksonville this week on WagerWeb.com.
NFL betting lines at WagerWeb Sportsbook
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