Panthers, Raiders, Broncos and Cardinals are all 2-0, but who's for real?

By Geoff Schwartz
FOX Sports NFL Analyst

Well, Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season did not disappoint. 

Sunday was wild and wonky, and it featured some upsets the oddsmakers were happy to see. 

After the dust settled, there are multiple 2-0 teams that have exceeded expectations and a couple of 0-2 teams that carried much higher expectations into the season.

Is it time to buy or sell these teams? Let's break it down.

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Carolina Panthers (2-0) 
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 7.5

After dispatching the hapless Jets in a close season opener, the Panthers manhandled the Week 1 darlings, the New Orleans Saints. Carolina had 28 first downs while limiting New Orleans to six. The Panthers nearly doubled the Saints in yards per play and forced two turnovers. 

After spending their first seven picks in the 2020 draft on defense and adding another first-round cornerback this season, the Panthers' defense looks legit. Carolina has allowed just 21 points in two games.

Defensive end Brian Burns, Carolina's 2019 first-round pick, has two sacks on the season and more than a handful of pressures. With this defense, the Panthers will be here to stay. 

On offense, Sam Darnold improved from last week, but I’m still not sold on him being the player to lead this team when things break down. However, you can point to his improvement as a sign that he’s picking up Joe Brady’s offense after spending his career with Adam Gase, a quarterback-killer.

I’m generally going to fade preseason hype on a team with a quarterback I don’t trust, but the Panthers have the Texans, Giants, Falcons twice and Dolphins all left on their schedule. With their defense and continued game managing from Darnold, if you’re holding a Panthers over win total ticket, you should feel good about hitting it. 

Las Vegas Raiders (2-0) 
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 7.5

The most exciting offense in the NFL through two games belongs to the Raiders. Derek Carr tore apart the suspect Ravens' pass defense in Week 1 and then went across the country and did the same thing to a Steelers defense that shut down Josh Allen in its opener.

In two games, Carr has thrown for 817 yards while making plenty of plays under duress. He has far exceeded my expectations. 

While Carr starting off this hot isn’t so farfetched, the Raiders' defense being able to rush the passer and slow down opposing offenses is something no one expected. Las Vegas did add a bunch of pieces to the defense, plus coordinator Gus Bradley to call the shots. In Jon Gruden's second stint with the team, however, the Raiders' defense has never been good, no matter who’s running the show. 

Under Bradley, the Raiders have simplified schemes, they have players moving fast, and their pass-rushers have gotten home. I’d love to believe the Raiders are here to stay, but with their lack of success late in the season under Gruden, I’m not putting money on them to make the playoffs. 

However, they should go over their win total with room to breathe.

Denver Broncos (2-0)
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 8.5

Teddy Bridgewater might not be an above-average quarterback, but he’s a covering machine. With the victory and cover against the Jaguars in Week 2, he is 38-14 against the spread as a starter. It’s a simple formula. He does not turn the ball over. He throws the ball exactly where it’s supposed to go. 

With the Broncos' improved offensive line and steady run game, their offense might not score a ton of points, but it will move the ball down the field. We know Denver’s defense will be elite with its pass-rushers and secondary combo, plus a head coach who is a defensive wizard in Vic Fangio.

The concern I have with the Broncos is the same as with teams built with defense and a game manager at quarterback. There’s one formula to winning, and it involves being ahead in games. What happens when the Broncos play the Raiders twice, Chargers twice and Chiefs twice? If those teams score 27 points, can the Broncos match? I’m not sure yet. 

I’ll be keeping an eye on the Broncos' win total when they start playing better competition. 

Arizona Cardinals (2-0) 
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 8.5

I’m not a fan of coach Kliff Kingsbury, but the Cardinals have my attention. They easily beat the Titans on the road in Week 1, which looks better after Tennessee's win in Seattle on Sunday. They went toe-to-toe with the now 0-2 Vikings, who should have won the game with a chip-shot field goal. Nonetheless, the Cardinals got it done. That’s how you go over your win total. 

Kyler Murray has looked legit, minus a few mistakes Sunday. My concern with the Cardinals actually hitting their over is how Kingsbury’s teams have stunk late in the season. While at Texas Tech, Kingsbury lost six of his final eight games in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, the Red Raiders lost five in a row to end the season. In his first season in the NFL, Arizona started 3-3-1 and finished 5-10-1. Last season, it was more of the same, with a 6-3 start fizzled into an 8-8 finish. I need to see it before I buy the Cardinals.

AND ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM:

In previous years, starting 0-2 was nearly the end of your season. Since 2007, just more than 10% of teams that started 0-2 have made the playoffs. 

But with a 17th game added to the schedule in 2021, going 0-2 isn’t quite the same. That extra week could allow teams to make up the difference. With that in the back of your mind, let’s take a peek at a couple of disappointing 0-2 teams.

(I was ready to include the Ravens in this spot and tell everyone, in the famous words of Aaron Rodgers, to RELAX. But Baltimore upset the Chiefs and is now 1-1. It was a huge win for the Ravens, as they’ve exorcised their regular-season demons against Kansas City for one night. Lamar Jackson looked like the MVP again, and the Ravens' offensive line dominated Sunday night.)

Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 8.5

The Colts have lost two straight home games, and now quarterback Carson Wentz is possibly injured for the near future. It has been a disaster of a start, as Indianapolis was a favorite to win the AFC South. 

I didn’t buy the preseason hype because I just don’t believe in Wentz. He was the worst starting quarterback in the NFL last season, and even at his best this season, he probably is no better than average. He threw a laughable interception Sunday that took points off the board. The best thing you can say about Wentz is that he can avoid pressure with the best of them, as he did twice in a row near his end zone. 

If Wentz is out for a period of time, there's no chance that the Colts can win. Not with this defense, which features two cornerbacks ranked among the league's worst, as graded in pass defense by Pro Football Focus.

Minnesota Vikings (0-2)
FOX Bet 2021 season win total before Week 1: 8.5

I wasn’t high on the Vikings heading into this season. There was way too much noise around the team, and the roster just isn’t good anymore.

Yes, they have some excellent wide receivers, but do we completely trust the QB throwing to them? The Vikings were outplayed by the Bengals in Week 1, but they should have won Sunday at Arizona. Then again, of course, they didn’t. Their 0-2 start isn’t a surprise to me. I’m still on the under for their win total.

Geoff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.