Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh andquarterback Justin Herbert. Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
By Matt Clapp on
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Week 2 of the NFL 2026 season arrives after a wild opening week.

Here, we’ll offer some of the biggest NFL questions entering Week 2:

Will the offensive explosion continue?

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season featured a ton of scoring, averaging 49.4 points per game.

That was especially on display in the Chicago Bears’ 59-37 road win over the Carolina Panthers.

There have been a lot of guesses as to why offenses look ahead of defenses to open the season, with one of the popular suggestions being that it’s related to the lack of physicality and tackling from defenses in training camp these days.

But it’s also how the game has trended in terms of roster-building, coaching, and philosophy (led by the coaching and plenty of brilliant offensive minds).

Odds are that things won’t remain quite as wild as Week 1, but there are numerous high-powered offenses, while there are numerous defenses with real concerns.

Is it too soon to panic on the Chargers and Packers?

Yes. But it will be fair to panic if they lose on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered an embarrassing 26-14 home loss to an Arizona Cardinals team that many NFL evaluators thought would be league-worst. In Week 2, the Chargers will host the Las Vegas Raiders, another rebuilding team.

There are no such things as “must-win” games in Week 2, but this is pretty close, especially with the Chargers’ schedule that follows: at the Buffalo Bills, at the Seattle Seahawks, vs. the Denver Broncos, at the Kansas City Chiefs, at the Los Angeles Rams, vs. the Houston Texans, at the Baltimore Ravens. Grueling, and that’s why you really don’t want to lose home games to teams like the Cardinals and Raiders.

The Green Bay Packers continued a trend going back to last season of disastrous meltdowns

Green Bay appeared to be in full control of its game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday before allowing 29 unanswered points in the second half to lose 39-22.

A Packers loss on the road to the New York Jets in Week 2 would lead to plenty of uproar in Green Bay.

If the Broncos don’t win in Week 2, when will they?

The Denver Broncos had a pretty disappointing effort across the board in a 31-10 loss to the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Denver’s supposedly elite defense was vulnerable, and Bo Nix was awful at quarterback.

Losing in Kansas City in primetime isn’t a big deal in itself, but starting 0-1 could quickly make things uncomfortable when you consider the Broncos’ upcoming schedule:

vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 2)
vs. Los Angeles Rams (Week 3)
at San Francisco 49ers (Week 4)
at Los Angeles Chargers (Week 5)
vs. Seattle Seahawks (Week 6)

The Jaguars game is the only one the Broncos are currently favored in, and that’s by just 2.5 points. Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense looked great in Week 1.

Week 2 will be a tough test for the Broncos, but it’s a game they really want to win with what follows. And if the offense looks bad again, Sean Payton might take the playcalling duties back from Davis Webb.

Are the Browns really going to keep trotting Deshaun Watson out there?

For at least one more game, seemingly. But it seems to be a matter of when, not if, Watson is benched in favor of Shedeur Sanders.

In addition to criticizing Browns fans and the media, Watson looked bad at quarterback all camp and led Cleveland to just 10 points in Week 1.

Watson is now 31 and was last an effective quarterback in 2020. And the Browns are a going-nowhere team that needs to think about the big picture.

Sanders probably isn’t the solution either, but there’s at least some upside there worth getting an answer on. We already have the answer on Watson.

Will the Rams be fine, even after the ugly Week 1 and with Myles Garrett going on IR?

Probably.

After a travel plan that drew plenty of criticism, the Rams were steamrolled 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

Additionally, the Rams placed superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett (arthroscopic knee surgery) on injured reserve on Thursday, meaning he will miss at least four games.

Still, this is a loaded Rams team that remains the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl. Even if the defense takes a step back without Garrett and while franchise legend Aaron Donald tries to get into return-from-retirement form, the offense should be able to carry the team at times.

Now, if the Rams lose at home to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football to fall to 0-2, it will be fair to wonder if this team isn’t quite the juggernaut we anticipated.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor/writer at Awful Announcing and The Comeback.

He can be reached by email at mclapp@awfulannouncing.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp