Could the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens go 0-2 this weekend?
There is a world where three of the offseason favourites to win the Super Bowl could end Week Two still searching for their first win.
Going into the 2025 season, the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions were all teams seen as heavy contenders to reach Super Bowl LX in San Francisco.
All three have been number one seeds across the past two seasons, the Chiefs and Lions in 2024 and the Ravens in 2023. However, they each suffered disappointing defeats in Week One and they will want to avoid going 0-2 this weekend.
Baltimore Ravens on trap game alert
For the Ravens, their Week Two matchup represents the easiest task on paper.
With a home game against the Cleveland Browns, they are the most likely of the three to win their first game of the 2025 season. Despite this, they will be aware of the AFC North neutraliser.
No matter what the record is when two teams meet in a division game, form has a tendency to go out of the window. The Browns have one of the worst rosters in the NFL, but they will be up for the battle against the organisation that once stole their team.
There is a deep-seated rivalry between the Browns and Ravens, stemmed from Art Modell’s decision to move the Browns to Baltimore in 1995.
With a defensive stud such as Myles Garrett, this Browns team has the potential to cause the Ravens some problems in Sunday’s game. Recording two sacks and five tackles, he reminded the league just what he can do against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week One.
Nine times out of 10, the Ravens would beat the Browns in both their current predicaments, but you just never know.
Detroit Lions look for get right game in the Ben Johnson Bowl
The Detroit Lions were outplayed in their 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week One. With the Packers defense looking razor sharp in 2025 so far, it is hard to gauge how bad a performance that was from the team.
Detroit lost two key parts of the coaching staff in Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets and Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears. They welcome the latter to Ford Field on Sunday in a clash that could have massive implications for not only the division but the NFC overall.
The Lions went 15-2 in 2024, earning the number one seed in the NFC. Should they lose on Sunday and start the season 0-2, this would mark the same amount of losses than the entire of the season before. For a team that is in their Super Bowl window, an 0-2 start would be a disaster.
Given the Packers have already started this season 2-0, with the tiebreaker firmly on their side, the Lions could be looking at a three-game gap already between themselves and first place in the NFC North.
With games to come against the Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Commanders and Eagles all to come before December even hits. This a tough run for Detroit, who will need to see things improve fast in what is one of the tougher schedules in the league this season.
The Bears on Sunday, Browns in Week Four and New York Giants in Week 12 represent some of the easier games on the schedule this season for Dan Campbell’s side. A loss in one of these favourable matchups could see the Lions in further trouble in their search to reach (and hopefully win) their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Kansas City Chiefs aiming for revenge in their quest for a first win
The term Super Bowl hangover and End of the Dynasty will be branded about Arrowhead should the Chiefs go 0-2 on Sunday.
They face a rematch of the very game that denied them a historic three-peat, hosting the Philadelphia Eagles just seven months on from their 40-22 loss in New Orleans.
It was not a good performance from the Chiefs against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil, but the neutral venue element and the anomaly of Week One should not concern their fanbase too much.
The Chiefs were already light in receiver help for quarterback Patrick Mahomes prior to their loss in Week One, and their issues were furthered when Xavier Worthy went down. Whilst tight end Travis Kelce did score a fourth quarter touchdown, he was limited to just two receptions for 47 yards the entire game. Despite all of these offensive issues, they still managed to score 21 points and lost by just six points.
No-one wins Super Bowls after the first week of the season, with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 a prime example. The Chiefs are in a tougher division but with a quarterback such as Mahomes fully healthy, there is no reason to doubt their capabilities of making another deep postseason run. An 0-2 start would ring some alarm bells in the fanbase and NFL media alike. Going into a home season opener as the underdog, there is a good chance that this happens.
Andy Davies