Green Bay Packers, New York Giants Facing Must-Win Home Games in Week 2 - Bleacher Report

When is it too early to say that a game is a must-win?

In the case of the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, it's never too early. After respective disappointing performances in the first week of the season, the past two Super Bowl-winning teams are facing potential do-or-die matchups at home this week.

The interesting thing is that neither team is really in trouble from a talent standpoint. Both the Packers and Giants have great skill across the board. Each team also has a superb leader under center; Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning are among the top signal-callers in the entire league.

Of greater import is the talent level of the other teams in the NFC. In a loaded conference, an 0-2 start will be very difficult to overcome, especially when some of the best NFC contenders come from right out of their divisions.

Why the Packers Have to Win

The Packers have to be worried about the Chicago Bears. The Bears have a better defense than Green Bay and a surprisingly comparable amount of talent on offense. In fact, many prognosticators predicted that the Bears would overtake the Packers for supremacy in the NFC North this season.

The Bears have three dynamic players at quarterback (Jay Cutler), running back (Matt Forte) and wide receiver (Brandon Marshall). They have a stout defense led by the incomparable Julius Peppers, who could have a field day in a matchup with a suspect Packers offensive line.

A year ago, the Bears were a great team that was decimated by injuries. This year, everyone is healthy and ready to take down a bitter rival.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

If the Packers lose on Thursday night, they will fall into a deep hole that will be increasingly difficult to climb out of.

The Bears are looking like a good bet to make the playoffs. The Lions are never a tough out and are looking toward the postseason as well. The Vikings are still a ways behind, but they have enough talent to surprise Green Bay.

A Packers loss would send the Bears to 2-0 with a division win in hand, something that will be incredibly important should the division race come down to the very last week of the season.

With a Lions squad that can win on any given Sunday, the Packers will be playing catch-up for the whole season should they let the Bears escape with a win.

Why the Giants Have to Win

The Giants are facing a situation very similar to the Packers, but it could be more dire.

Although New York won the Super Bowl last season, there's no question that it wasn't the best team in the league for most of the year. The Giants squeezed into the playoffs as a mediocre team and won because they caught fire at the right time.

The margin for error this season is much smaller.

First of all, New York is already a game behind every team in the NFC East and is the only one of those four with a division loss. The defense looked lost against the Cowboys last Thursday night, and the offense was out of sync.

The rest of the NFC East looks much improved, and the Giants arguably have less talent than both the Cowboys and the Eagles. Washington appears to no longer be a doormat. Each team has toughened up. And the Giants have a huge target on their backs.

Which team is most likely to make the playoffs?

Which team is most likely to make the playoffs?

• New York Giants

• Green Bay Packers

• Total votes: 0

An 0-2 start would mean that the Giants would have to battle back in one of the toughest divisions in all of football.

And while a team like the Packers could theoretically find a way to come back, the Giants would find that road to be a lot more difficult. New York simply isn't as good as many of the other teams in the NFC.

In a league where 10-6 might not get a team into the playoffs, the Giants face Tampa Bay on Sunday with everything on the line.

So is Week 2 a little early to face a must-win? The answer is a resounding "no."

Consider this: Assuming 10-6 is the worst record either team could have to make the playoffs, both the Giants and Packers would need to go 8-4 over the last 12 games to even have a shot. That figure increases to 9-3 if 11 wins are needed.

When everything is put into perspective, it appears that an 0-2 start is something that could spell an early end for two preseason favorites in the NFC.