Key findings

• A 0-2 start puts an NFL team’s season in jeopardy; historically, only 11.5% of teams made the playoffs after such a start.
• Recent trends show that the number of 0-2 teams making the playoffs is even lower since the NFL expanded its season to 17 games.
• Some teams desperately need a win in Week 2 to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.

Part of what the NFL Such is the scarcity of games and every game feels important.

The fact that there are only 17 games in a season makes every Sunday seem like a huge event. The downside is that a team’s season can slip away very fast with slow start.

A 0-2 start in pretty much any other professional sport means little in the grand scheme of things.

In the NFL, however, an 0-2 start usually means a lost season.

Judging by NFL trends—not just in general, but even just the trends of the last few years—an 0-2 start tends to be a telltale sign of how a team’s season will go.

How many teams made it to the playoffs after starting 0-2?

The number is really low, even since the NFL extended the season to 17 games.

Earlier this week, Rich Eisen listed five teams that must avoid an 0-2 start in Week 2.

Why is this important? Well, if you just look at recent NFL history, it’s clear that teams that start 0-2 are in a deep hole if they want to make the playoffs.

• 279 teams since 1990 started 0-2. Only 32 made the playoffs, meaning only 11.5% of teams recovered from an 0-2 start..

In most cases, an NFL season has consisted of 16 games, so you’d think that by the 17th game, more teams would recover from an 0-2 record, right? Well, that hasn’t happened in the last three seasons (the NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021).

The only two teams that started 0-2 and made the playoffs in a 17-game season were:

Are there any teams this season that would be able to climb out of a 0-2 hole and make the playoffs?

Some teams have the talent and pedigree to recover

Which teams most need to avoid a 0-2 start?

Back to Eisen’s section, he listed his top five teams that most needed a win in Week 2. And they were.

1. New York Giants
2. New York Jets
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Los Angeles Lakers

Factors such as playing strength and preseason expectations were taken into account in Eisen’s list.

Good arguments could be made for each of the teams listed above.

• The Giants simply look chaotic and lack the depth needed to recover from an 0-2 start.
• The Jets play in a strong division and conference and cannot afford to fall behind.
• The Packers are facing a difficult period, made even more difficult by Jordan Love’s recent injury.
• The Falcons were considered favorites to win the NFC South, but delivered a disappointment in the first week.
• The Rams looked impressive despite their Week 1 loss in Detroit, but must beat the 49ers in the NFC West and cannot afford to fall behind.

You could probably add the Cincinnati Bengals to this list too. Yes, they have already shown they can recover from a slow start, but they have strong competition in the AFC North this year and there are still question marks Joe Burrow‘s health.

The remaining teams trying to avoid an 0-2 start in Week 2 are:

Given what we know about the chances of teams with a 0-2 record to make the playoffs, who do you think needs a win the most this weekend?