It's only week two - don't get your hope up!

JUBILANT fans may be celebrating undefeated starts to the NFL season, but celebrations are premature - over the last three seasons 12 teams that had a 2-0 start failed to make the play-offs.

And it is a warning echoed by Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.

"Two games is one-eighth of a season," he said. "We're still a long way away."

Indeed last year's Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots kicked off their season four years ago with two losses and still managed to land the Super Bowl.

The Patriots, however, face another early stiff challenge, when they travel to Pittsburgh in a replay of the AFC Championship game from last year - a game that hinged on New England's defensive capability in snuffing out whatever threat Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger may have posed.

But this year Pittsburgh have a new offensive weapon in the shape of Willie Parker, who has taken the leading role in the rush offence. The Patriots lie will be under considerable pressure to contain Parker.

Unlikely successes are a mark of the early season, and there are few pundits that would have predicted that the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears would be heading to their week three clash with 840 combined offence and both having managed to restrict opponents to 21 and 15 points respectively.

And worryingly for both sets of quarterbacks they can boast a combined total of 10 interceptions from week two.

Cincinnati's Carson Palmer and Chicago's Kyle Orton will need to show maturity beyond their years if they are to record any success.

But while both sides are on a high right now, the Bengals 10-year veteran tackle, Willie Anderson knows that the mild September evenings are no true indication of the season ahead.

"You're judged at the end of the year, " he said, "whether or not you're in the play-offs playing in cold weather, or at home watching TV."