For Real or Fugazi??? Which 1-1 NFL Teams are Good or and Which are Bad?

Two weeks into the NFL season, the standings say almost nothing. Teams that looked great in Week 1 looked lost in Week 2, and vice versa. So The Rich Eisen Show did what it does best: invented a segment about 45 minutes before airtime to sort it out.

It's called "For Real or Fugazi." Rich originally wanted something slightly different, but Chris suggested "for real," and it stuck. There's no drop for it yet, no music, just Chris running five teams by Rich and TJ chiming in. Mike, per the rules as announced, gets no vote, though the room quickly assured him he's tremendous.

Before starting, Rich laid out the landscape. Buffalo, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Seattle and San Francisco are all 2-0. Miami is 0-2, the South divisions are full of 0-2 teams, and so are "our neighbors across the way." Washington is 0-2 too, even after coming close on the road against division opponents. So which of the in-between teams are legit?

First up for bids: the Baltimore Ravens, who won on the road in Week 1 and then lost at home. After Chris insisted on a proper dramatic pause, Rich went with "for real."

"They got the quarterback. They've got the running back. They've got the receiver. And Zay Flowers when he comes back, too," Rich said. Derrick Henry "is still Derrick Henry," and Rich can personally confirm the line about how you never know how big he is until you stand next to him. Mark Andrews looks good so far, and the defense has stars, with a new approach on offense and at head coach.

Chris admitted the photo of Henry and Lamar Jackson on screen would be his nightmares Saturday night.

Speaking of TJ, the second team was his Dallas Cowboys, who lost a division road game in Week 1 and then got a home win. The votes came back "for real" across the board, with a side of grievance about the Cowboys having let people down before. The case for the defense was a masterpiece of optimism: Dallas gave up 28 one week and 20 the next. "That looks like an improvement to me." Eight fewer points, the room agreed, is not something to shake a stick at.

The Carolina Panthers came third, a team that "got run all over in week one, then did the running over in week two." Fugazi got floated early, which prompted a defense against the charge of having no love for Bryce Young. Tetairoa McMillan was drafted in the show's league and is projected as a 1,000-yard receiver, and Jalen Coker is fifth in the league in receiving. Chuba has been awesome, even with Jonathan Brooks out six weeks.

Carolina's real question is the defense, and the next test comes against Cleveland and Deshaun Watson. The ruling: "Offensively, they're for real. Defensively, I'm going to go fugazi. Split the baby here." That opened the door for a detour on Jack Strand and the pitch that he's a TV private investigator.

Fourth, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who won a tight defensive game at home before getting their butts kicked on the road. The split verdict came quickly: "They're for real on defense. I think they're fugazi on offense." The room was puzzled by Aaron Rodgers saying he needs to do a better job of telling them what plays to call better, and wanted DK Metcalf to get going. Add that neither running back practiced and Cincinnati is coming to town, and the call was fugazi.

Last up were the Denver Broncos, an AFC Championship Game team from a year ago that looked horrible in Week 1 and then won big at home. Rich thought for a second Chris meant the Patriots and declared them fugazi on the spot. The Patriots, Chris pointed out, were not on the list.

On Denver, Rich was firm. "Denver's for real." His prediction: the Broncos hover around .500 near the midpoint of a tough schedule, everyone panics, "and then they're going to push the pedal to the metal." The defense is great, and he liked what he saw from Jaylen Waddle, though he's worried about the running back room being banged up again.

Then, one more time for good measure: "The Broncos are for real. The Patriots are fugazi."

The Patriots, for the record, were still not on the list.