Five NFL Teams Facing Must-Win Games in Week 2 After 0-1 Starts

The "must-win" label is often overplayed in sports, especially when it's handed out early in a given season. That said, a handful of teams dropped their season openers and now have their backs somewhat against the wall as they look toward Week 2.

While falling to 0-2 isn't exactly the same nail in the coffin as it was before playoff expansion, it creates an uphill battle nonetheless. At the very least, doubt starts to creep in at 0-2 about whether or not all that preseason optimism was based in reality.

Below, we'll highlight five teams still hunting their first win of 2026 and rank them by who needs to notch a win most.

NFL odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

5. Los Angeles Rams

Week 2 opponent: vs. New York Giants (Monday)

Week 2 odds: Rams -7 (-115), Rams ML (-355)

Los Angeles is still the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, but some air has been let out of the balloon since the regular season kicked off. Sean McVay's plan of arriving a day before their international matchup with the 49ers in Australia blew up in his face as the Rams fell flat in a 27-7 defeat. On top of making the 15-hour flight home at 0-1, L.A. also lost its offseason prize in the process, as pass rusher Myles Garrett was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury that requires surgery.

They'll look to rebound now that they are back stateside, where they'll host the New York Giants on "Monday Night Football" to conclude Week 2. The Giants are coming off an upset win against the Cowboys in the opener, but the Rams are a sizable home favorite, currently laying a full touchdown. If they lose this matchup and the offense continues to look stagnant like it did in Melbourne, the panic level will almost certainly reach a fever pitch. After all, the Rams are back on the road after this game, visiting the Denver Broncos in Week 3 and then the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. Those are two of the toughest road environments in the NFL, and with the added pressure of possibly still searching for their first win in both of those contests, things could get really tight in that Rams locker room.

Even after that road trip, they face the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 when they return to SoFi Stadium, so there is no letup in the early portion of this schedule. This is a game the oddsmakers believe L.A. should win with relative ease, and they'll need to pile these types of victories up where they can.

4. Denver Broncos

Week 2 opponent: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 2 odds: Broncos -2.5 (-118), Broncos ML (-148)

Denver entered the season with the reputation of having one of the top defenses in the NFL. At least for one night, however, that notion was dispelled when the Kansas City Chiefs demolished them 31-10 on Monday night.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Broncos' defense missed 28 tackles against Kansas City and allowed 247 yards after those missed tackles. Eight different defenders missed multiple tackles. Yuck. On top of the defensive issues, the Broncos' offense was clunky with Davis Webb now calling plays instead of Sean Payton.

After dropping the opener against a division rival, Denver cannot afford to not only go 0-2 on the season but also lose another key head-to-head tiebreaker against a team they could be jockeying for playoff position against in Jacksonville. Last year, the Jaguars went into Mile High and handed the Broncos a 34-20 defeat in Week 16, so they've proven to be quite comfortable in this spot.

The Broncos are accustomed to slow starts under Payton, as this would be the third 0-2 start in four seasons under his helm. That said, if the defense looks like it did in Week 1 and the offensive play calling doesn't improve as they go 0-2 this time around, things could look a little more dire than those previous seasons, particularly with a daunting slate of games (vs. Rams, at 49ers, at Chargers, and vs. Seahawks) on the horizon.

3. Green Bay Packers

Week 2 opponent: at New York Jets

Week 2 odds: Packers -4.5 (+100), Packers ML (-205)

Green Bay utterly collapsed against the Vikings on Sunday, blowing a 12-point second-half lead to Carson Wentz, who entered the game for the injured Kyler Murray. This is now the sixth straight loss for the Packers dating back to last season (including the playoffs), and the underlying metrics from Jordan Love's day on Sunday were not encouraging. Love's off-target rate (23.8%) was the highest among quarterbacks in Week 1 and, on top of his interception, he had two others dropped by Minnesota.

Despite all that, they are road favorites as they head to MetLife Stadium to face the Jets. While New York did look vastly improved from what they were a year ago, thanks to their offseason additions, they are still the Jets. If Green Bay fancies itself as a playoff-caliber team in the NFC, it should be able to head into this road environment and pull out a win against a team that is widely expected to be on the outside looking in on the postseason this year.

Meanwhile, they were the lone team in the NFC North to come out winless in Week 1 and already have a division loss on the résumé, too. While the Jets are an AFC opponent, they need to pick up the layup wins when they are in front of them.

2. New England Patriots

Week 2 opponent: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 2 odds: Patriots -5.5 (-105), Patriots ML (-218)

The Patriots -- specifically Drake Maye -- fell on their face in a Week 1 loss to the Seahawks. Coming into the season, New England was pegged as a regression candidate after making the Super Bowl last year, thanks, in part, to a cakewalk of a schedule. While they were underdogs entering the season opener, it did appear like the seas were parting for them yet again, with Sam Darnold going down with an injury early in the first quarter. That suddenly turned this into a very winnable game for New England, who would now only need to out-duel backup Drew Lock. Well, Maye tossed three interceptions in the fourth quarter, including a game-clinching pick in the end zone.

Mike Vrabel's team will now try to pick up the pieces in what should be another winnable game at home against Pittsburgh. The Steelers' offense struggled against a battered Falcons defense in Week 1, so if New England can't create distance between them on Sunday afternoon, real concerns are starting about what this team truly is. They could also be looking at the possibility of a 0-4 start if they lose here. After Week 2, the Patriots will be on the road for two weeks (at Jacksonville and at Buffalo). They most likely won't be favored in either of those contests, making this as close to a kitchen-sink game as it can be for this time of the year.

1. Dallas Cowboys

Week 2 opponent: vs. Washington Commanders

Week 2 odds: Cowboys -4.5 (-105), Cowboys ML (-225)

After all the talk about Dallas' new-and-improved defense coming into 2026, the unit didn't look impressive at all in a Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. Despite a slew of new faces, it was largely the same story for the Cowboys' defense, allowing New York to convert 9 of 11 third-down opportunities and score touchdowns on all four of their red zone trips. They were also bullied on the ground, allowing 165 yards and a touchdown on 4.5 yards per carry.

For his part, Dak Prescott also made some questionable decisions with the football, including an inexplicable interception before the half that helped New York go up by a touchdown.