There are 5 NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 and we just started the season!?
A single Week 1 game often generates significant attention and speculation, but it should serve only as the starting point for broader evaluation.
A convincing win can quickly elevate a team to Super Bowl contender status, while a disappointing loss raises new concerns. After months of offseason speculation, Week 1 provides the first real measure of which teams are meeting expectations.
However, one game should not define an entire season.
Yet not every Week 1 loss can be dismissed, particularly for teams with heightened expectations. That’s why we’re examining five NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 after disappointing starts to the 2026 season.
For the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, Week 2 is especially significant. Each team enters 2026 with distinct expectations and unique questions to address.
Some teams began the season amid considerable hype. Others face real pressure to advance deep into the postseason. For a few, merely reaching the playoffs is no longer sufficient, raising the stakes for Week 2.
Among the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2, the concerns aren’t identical. Houston needs offensive stability. Los Angeles needs to avoid regression. Dallas needs its rebuilt defense to show progress. The Rams need their win-now roster to look the part. Denver needs to prove its opening performance wasn’t a sign of something bigger.
While one loss is not cause for panic, another poor performance could turn an early setback into a genuine warning sign.
NFL Teams That Need Answers in Week 2: Houston Texans
Houston belongs among the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 because at some point, the Texans must give C.J. Stroud what every quarterback needs: stability and a clear offensive identity. At the same time, Stroud must give Houston more of the quarterback it saw during his breakout 2023 season.
The Texans have been trying to find their footing on offense since that first year. They’ve had a lot of changes in personnel and their offensive line has been rebuilt, which has made it hard for them to be consistent. This is a problem because they have a really good defense and they need their offense to be able to keep up.
Injuries are now adding to the uncertainty surrounding the skill positions, making things even more unpredictable.
Nico Collins, the top receiver for Houston, had a tough time in practice this week. He hurt his hamstring and couldn’t do as much as he wanted to. Collins was really important to Stroud in their last game against Buffalo, which they lost 36-31. He caught seven passes, got 75 yards, and even scored a touchdown. This injury might affect how well he can play in the next game.
His health is critical for an offense still seeking continuity.
Stroud had a pretty good game against Buffalo, completing 26 out of 38 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns, and he didn’t throw any interceptions. But despite that, Houston still has some questions to answer after the game because Stroud fumbled the ball twice and got sacked three times, which isn’t great.
That’s Houston’s central question.
The Texans have a good thing going with Stroud, and they’re able to move the ball down the field, like we saw when they scored 31 points against Buffalo. But even with that, their offense still doesn’t have a consistent rhythm, which is something a lot of people thought they’d have by now, especially after how well Stroud started out.
That constant movement around the quarterback matters.
Quarterbacks build offenses through timing, chemistry, repetition and trust. Those things become more difficult to establish when personnel changes and key skill players move in and out of the lineup.
Houston isn’t rebuilding anymore, either.
The Texans have made it to the divisional round three years in a row, and that’s raised the bar. Just being a good team in the AFC isn’t enough anymore, not with the talent they have and the hopes they’ve built up for a deeper postseason run. They’re expected to do more now, to take that next step and make a serious push for the top.
Houston must eventually take the next step.
So, it’s all about creating a strong offense around Stroud, even when there are injuries. And that’s what makes Houston one of the most interesting NFL teams to watch in Week 2, because they really need to figure some things out.
Sunday’s matchup against Cincinnati offers another opportunity to see whether Houston can finally build that consistency.
The question Houston needs to answer: Can Stroud and this offense establish a consistent identity despite another round of injuries and personnel changes?
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have some questions to answer too, but their case is a bit unique compared to other NFL teams heading into Week 2.
Their 26-14 loss to Arizona was more than a disappointing season opener.
It created a sense of urgency.
Los Angeles entered 2026 expecting further progress under Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers are already a competitive regular-season team, but their goals this season extend beyond another playoff appearance.
The next step was supposed to be moving forward after the season, making progress and getting better.
Instead, Los Angeles allowed Arizona to generate 393 yards and struggled to consistently disrupt the Cardinals’ offense.
And now comes the transparency.
The Chargers play in the AFC West.
In a tight division like this, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for teams to slip up. Kansas City is still the team to beat, and Denver is fresh off a strong run to the AFC Championship Game. When you’ve got multiple teams that think they can make a deep playoff push, every game within the division takes on extra significance, especially as you get deeper into January.
The Chargers cannot afford to spend the first month adjusting while the rest of the division gains separation.
This makes the Arizona loss worth further scrutiny.
This is not intended to be another developmental season for Los Angeles. Harbaugh has established a winning foundation, and Herbert is still believed to be this all world quarterback despite his playoff struggles.
As we headed into 2026, a big question was on everyone’s mind: could Los Angeles really become something more than it already was?
The Chargers had a tough time against Arizona, often finding themselves in tough spots on the field and struggling to make plays when they really needed to. On defense, they just couldn’t seem to get anything going and disrupt the other team’s offense like they wanted to.
Now Las Vegas comes to Los Angeles.
A win over the Raiders would move the Chargers to 1-1 and secure a key AFC West victory, but of course it will not move the needle much.
Losing again, especially to a team in their own division, would make it really tough to ignore the worries that they’re taking a step back.
The Chargers are in a tough spot right now, and they really need to step up their game in Week 2. It’s not just about bouncing back from one loss, it’s about making sure they don’t take a step back after making so much progress over the past two years under Harbaugh. They’re in a really competitive division, so they can’t afford to slip up.
The big question for Los Angeles is this: was what happened in Arizona just a one-time slip-up, or are the Chargers actually starting to fall behind in one of the toughest divisions in football? They need to figure out if they’re really struggling or if it was just a bad start.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas also enters the conversation surrounding NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 because the Cowboys dedicated much of the offseason to addressing one of their biggest issues from 2025.
The defense.
The Cowboys rebuilt much of their defense after allowing nearly 30 points per game last season. New personnel joined, and Christian Parker was tasked with reshaping Dallas’ defensive identity.
The New York Giants scored 28 points and won 28-20.
For a debut with a lot of defensive acquisitions, you would think that it would actually come to fruition. Dallas still has enough offensive talent to score points.
Dak Prescott can still play at a high level, and the Cowboys have receivers who create matchup challenges. However, Dallas has seen the consequences of relying on its offense to compensate for defensive shortcomings.
Prescott was not flawless against New York, and his interception proved pivotal. The running game was ineffective, and the wide receivers did not play their best football. The larger question is whether Dallas is truly different this season. The Cowboys did not make significant defensive changes to achieve the same results.
And now Washington comes to town, who is also 0-1.
B It’s an NFC East rivalry game, and Dallas is playing at home. This is precisely the situation in which the Cowboys need their rebuilt defense to make a statement.
The pressure on Dallas extends beyond Week 2, as Jerry Jones has publicly described this roster as one capable of competing for a championship.
Of all the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2, Dallas may have one of the simplest questions. The Cowboys spent the offseason trying to fix their defense. Now they need evidence that those changes actually worked.
The question Dallas needs to answer: Did rebuilding the defense actually change this team’s identity?
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams entered 2026 with high expectations, having aggressively built a roster to maximize the remaining championship window with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay. That immediately puts Los Angeles among the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2.
The Rams added significant defensive talent and feature established veterans. The offseason message was clear. This team was constructed to compete for a championship. But we’re having this conversation because San Francisco beat Los Angeles 27-7.
Los Angeles struggled to generate consistent offense, and the complementary football expected from a championship contender was absent. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the opener fell well short of expectations.
Granted, the game was played overseas and at an unusual time, creating circumstances Los Angeles won’t encounter during a typical NFL week.
But the Rams have too much talent for development to be the primary objective. This is not a young roster hoping to find its identity by December.
Los Angeles already knows its objective.
Win now.
The Rams will also be without highly prized acquisition Myles Garrett for the next couple of weeks, creating another challenge for a defense expected to be one of the team’s strengths.
Monday night’s game against the Giants offers Los Angeles an opportunity to regain momentum after the opener.
Another lackluster performance would prompt a very different conversation entering Week 3.
Such is the pressure of building one of the league’s most aggressive win-now rosters.
The Rams aren’t one of the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 because anyone should panic after one loss. They’re on this list because the expectations surrounding this roster leave little room for repeated performances like the one we saw in Week 1.
The question Los Angeles needs to answer: Can the Rams start looking like the championship roster they spent the offseason assembling?
Denver Broncos
Denver may have delivered the most surprising performance among the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2.
The Broncos didn’t enter 2026 simply hoping to reach the postseason.
They entered the season expecting to contend.
Denver was coming off an AFC Championship Game appearance, with Bo Nix entering his third season. The organization added offensive talent around its quarterback, while a strong defense provided a foundation to compete with the AFC’s best.
Well, they didn’t look like that in Week 1 as Kansas City handed Denver a 31-10 loss.
The performance was hard to overlook. Denver finished with only 176 total yards and nine first downs. Nix threw an interception on his first attempt, was sacked four times and never appeared fully comfortable against Kansas City’s defense.
The Broncos also struggled with tackling, turning what was meant to be a measuring-stick game into a frustrating opener.
The Broncos are no longer the surprise team.
Opponents know Denver’s capabilities, and expectations are higher. Every weakness will be targeted because the Broncos have established themselves as a team expected to compete in the AFC.
That’s why Jacksonville becomes such an interesting Week 2 opponent.
The Jaguars began their season with a convincing 34-10 win over Cleveland and arrive in Denver with confidence. At the same time, the Broncos are trying to show that their loss in Kansas City wasn’t indicative of deeper issues.
For Denver, being included among the NFL teams that need answers in Week 2 is really about validation.
Last season showed everyone what the Broncos could become.
Now they have to prove they can handle the expectations that come with it.
The question Denver needs to answer: Was Kansas City simply one disastrous night, or did Week 1 expose problems that could prevent Denver from taking another step?
