With statement victories over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, the Green Bay Packers have looked incredible through the first two weeks of the NFL season and solidified their status as Super Bowl contenders.
The Lions and the Commanders were top offenses last season who made a lot of explosive plays, but the Packers made both look stagnant and one dimensional. Offensively, Green Bay is sixth in scoring and quarterback Jordan Love is fourth in passer rating.
It’s early in the season, but the Packers look like the top team in the NFC. Here are the conference teams, broken into Super Bowl tiers.
Through two games, the Packers held the Lions and Commanders to just 238 yards per game, which is good for third in the league. They are second in rushing defense, holding their opponents to only 48.5 yards per game. That is impressive considering the opponents, with the Lions featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and the Commanders led by Jayden Daniels, who is an elite runner at quarterback.
This Packers defense, which some on social media have begun calling “The Cold Front,” might be the best in the league. Micah Parsons has been better than advertised, recording 1.5 sacks and, according to Pro Football Focus, 10 total pressures.
While his individual stats are solid, he’s been creating opportunities for the rest of the defensive front. Rashan Gary has 2.5 sacks and nine pressures and Devonte Wyatt has two sacks and leads all interior defenders with 11 pressures. Parsons shared a sack with Edgerrin Cooper against Washington. Cooper is tied for third with 22 tackles and is playing like one of the best linebackers in the league.
While the defense has been wreaking havoc, the offense has been solid, as well. The offensive line, even with eight players earning considerable playing time, has given Love plenty of time. It didn’t allow a sack against Detroit and gave up only two against the Commanders without star right tackle Zach Tom.
While Love has missed a few deep balls, he has made his fair share of explosive plays – he ranks third in yards per attempt – and has yet to turn over the ball. In fact, Green Bay is one of only six teams without a giveaway. Tucker Kraft, who had 124 receiving yards and one touchdown against Washington, has been a bright spot.
If Love can improve his deep-ball accuracy, the running game can return to last year’s form and first-round pick Matthew Golden can help offset the loss of Jayden Reed, the Packers might be on the way to the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles: One of the strongest contenders to make the Super Bowl is the team that won it last year.
The Eagles have some of the top skill-position players in the NFL, especially in the backfield with Saquon Barkley. While they have played two close games against strong opponents, including in Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch at the Kansas City Chiefs, they are doing all the right things to win those games.
While the Eagles haven’t shown the offensive explosiveness that won them the Super Bowl last season, they have 15 more games to make that happen.
Detroit Lions: The Lions scuffled in Week 1 against the Packers, losing for the first time at Lambeau Field since 2021, but regrouped with a 52-21 rout of another division opponent in the Bears. Jared Goff had as many touchdown passes (five) as incompletions and the defense stepped up with two takeaways.
So, did the Lions return to form against Chicago or take advantage of a bad opponent? They will play at the Ravens on Monday night, at the Chiefs in Week 6 and host the Buccaneers in Week 7.
Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have looked great on both sides of the ball this season as they try to push for a return to the Super Bowl in the twilight years of Matthew Stafford’s career.
Their defense has looked great, ranking first in the NFL with 14.0 points allowed per game and being right behind the Packers in yards allowed per game at 258.5. Defensively, they are second in the red zone, third in sack percentage and seventh on third down, and they have yet to allow a play of longer than 26 yards. The offense has been good, too, with Stafford taking advantage of his dynamic duo of Puka Nakua and Davante Adams to rank sixth in passing yards and seventh in rating.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers have established themselves as a strong, gritty team after grinding out two close wins over Atlanta in Week 1 and Houston on Monday night.
Baker Mayfield has five touchdown passes and zero interceptions, and first-round receiver Emeka Egubka has a touchdown in both games. The Bucs have one of the best receiver rooms in the NFL on paper, and that only gets better once Chris Godwin comes back from injury, which looks to be happening soon.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers have one of the best rosters in the league, and it has shown in their 2-0 start.
While the 49ers have been bitten by the injury bug, with quarterback Brock Purdy inactive in Week 2 and George Kittle on injured reserve, Christian McCaffrey still looks like one the best running backs in football, racking up 142 all-purpose yards against Seattle in Week 1 and 107 against the Saints in Week 2.
Plus, they have elite players at key positions with left tackle Trent Williams, defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner.
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons flirted with the line between strong contender and a wild card, but they ultimately ended up in this tier. While they have a defense that was great against the Vikings on Sunday night and some incredible skill players on offense, playoff games can come down to who is under center, and that’s where the Falcons could struggle. While last year’s first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr., has not looked bad, this is his first season as a full-time starter. He is 19th in passer rating through Week 2.
Washington Commanders: After making it to the NFC Championship Game with a rookie quarterback last season and bringing in former All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel and five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, expectations were high for the Commanders. So far, they have fallen short, especially against the Packers in Week 2. Top contenders need a good offensive line, and the Commanders have been one of the worst so far. Jayden Daniels has been sacked seven times, fourth-most through Week 2.
Dallas Cowboys: By hanging in there and barely losing to the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 1, the Cowboys looked like solid contenders. However, they needed overtime to beat the Giants – who have one of the shakier offenses in the NFL – 40-37 on Sunday. The Cowboys are one of the better offensive teams on paper, but their defense without Parsons looks suspect. The best defenses in the NFL don’t let a 36-year-old quarterback who was benched partway through last season throw for 450 yards and throw touchdowns in their home stadium.
Minnesota Vikings: While the Vikings have arguably the best receiver in football in Justin Jefferson, they are being held back by the roller-coaster ride that is first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. After a spirited fourth-quarter comeback against the Bears in Week 1, the offense was completely shut down by the Falcons and managed only two field goals. Because the Vikings have playmakers on offense, an attacking defense and a top head coach, the Vikings could contend if McCarthy can figure things out.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals have a good roster with players like Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Budda Baker. Their 2-0 start isn’t as impressive as it would seem, though, as they played two of the worst teams in the NFL and struggled to close the game out against both. They’ll need to finish stronger with the 49ers and Seahawks coming up.
Chicago Bears: Even after making moves to improve their roster and coaching staff in the offseason, the Bears have yet to put it all together on the field. There have been flashes of life from their offense and Caleb Williams hasn’t looked bad, but after their fourth-quarter collapse in Week 1 and getting stomped on by the Lions in Wee 2, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the NFL’s “offseason champions” making a run at a real championship this season.
New York Giants: While the Giants showed signs of life against the Cowboys, this is not a team that is going to make the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. The offensive line doesn’t look good, the secondary has been questionable and Russell Wilson is too on-and-off to make them a contender.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks offensive line has not been good. While they’ve allowed only three sacks, they’ve yielded 13 tackles for losses and helped their backs to only 3.65 yards per carry. Without better decision-making from quarterback Sam Darnold, who threw two interceptions against the Steelers, the Seahawks don’t have much of a shot at the Super Bowl.
New Orleans Saints: The Saints were a near-consensus pick to be the worst team in the NFL. While they haven’t quite been that bad, there simply is not enough firepower to win many games, as they have been relying heavily on Alvin Kamara and Juwan Johnson with little other options on offense.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers find themselves near the bottom of the NFL once again. Bryce Young has yet to prove himself worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. Of 31 qualifying quarterbacks, he is 27th in passer rating and completion percentage and 28th in yards per attempt.
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