NFL Week 2 rewind

Suppose you're a pro football fan in New York, Kansas City, New Orleans or Philadelphia today. Your team (or in NY's case - both of them) is off to an 0-2 start after reaching the playoffs last season. In the case of New Orleans, your team reached the NFC Championship Game and was widely predicted to be a Super Bowl contender.

Where do you go from here, and is your season lost?

Here are some possible scenarios for you team and my view on their playoff prospects in 2007:

New York Jets - Losing QB Chad Pennington to injury hurts. They're a different team with him in the lineup. The Jets' defense played better vs. the Ravens in Week 2, but the killer was dropped passes by their receivers, particularly late in the game. ... They face a long playoff road in the highly competitive AFC, but not impossible one.

New York Giants - The back seven of their defense looks horrible. The running game has been up and down, and no one knows just how injured QB Eli Manning is. Oh, and it's only taken two weeks for people to start calling for Coach Tom Coghlin's head again. ... It's going to be a long season for the G-men, particularly in the division they play in.

Kansas City - Let's see, the Chiefs can't score and can't run the ball. The highlight so far is their defense is middle of the road and has been good against the pass. Still trying to figure out why they felt the need to trade QB Trent Green. ... The Chiefs should start planning for a high draft choice.

Philadelphia - The Eagles really might be close to being a decent team. The offense is struggling to get in sync, but that's more a product of QB Donovan McNabb regaining strength, timing and comfort. My guess is he will. The defense has been very good and seems to have solved its problems vs. the run. If Philly can put a stop to its mistakes and penalties, it will be in the hunt for a playoff berth because so many NFC teams have major flaws.

New Orleans - How does this team have just 24 points so far in two games? The league's top offense in 2006 has appeared lost at times. It's as if teams have figured out what Coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees are trying to do. The talent does not say this is a middle-of-the-pack offense. The defense has been awful, particularly the secondary - even worse than I thought it would be. The Saints' division is so bad that 8-8 might get them a spot in the playoffs, but I don't know if they can overcome Carolina, which I now view as the front-runner in the NFC South.