2 days Ago By William Scott
It's rare for teams to make the playoffs after starting 0-2 but it's not impossible The 2022 Cincinnati Bengals and the 2023 Houston Texans made the playoffs after a similarly poor start. The Ravens, Jaguars and Bengals could be playoff teams despite starting badly Losing the first two games of the season is usually disastrous for a team's chances of making the playoffs in the NFL . Since the league expanded to a 17-game schedule in 2021, 21 teams have gone 0-2.
Only two have made the playoffs, the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022, and the Houston Texans in 2023. The numbers are a little bit more favorable if you use a larger sample size. From 1990-2023, 274 teams started 0-2, with 31 of those teams making the playoffs (11.
3%). Going 0-2 down is not always a death knell, and a record can make a team look a lot worse than it actually is. The numbers are skewed by the fact that most 0–2 teams are just bad, and were expected to be bad before the season.
Teams like the Carolina Panthers , New York Giants and Denver Broncos all have glaring weaknesses, and were expected to be some of the weakest teams in the league. For a team with more pedigree, especially at the quarterback position, their chances of making the playoffs are most likely higher than 11%. Teams that have dealt with a lot of player turnover or contract holdouts in the offseason can take a few games to ramp up into winning form in the regular season.
However, they have to start turning things around soon. Since 1990, only four teams have made the postseason after starting 0-3, and none of them have made the Super Bowl. At some point teams need to start getting wins on the board before the gap to the playoffs spots grows too big.
We'll take a look at the teams that we think are going to bounce back from a rough start and will still be playing come late January. Week 2 of the NFL season gave us plenty of surprises and all the more reason to overreact to what we just saw! 3 Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals have been here before. For the third straight season, they've started the season 0-2.
In 2022, they were able to bounce back, finishing 12-4 on the back of an eight-game winning streak to end the season. In 2023, it didn't quite work out, as they finished 9-8 after quarterback Joe Burrow missed seven games with various injuries. It's happened again in 2024, but there are more reasons to be optimistic than last year.
For one, they're unlucky to be 0-2. They deserved to beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon, and were one fourth down stop away from defeating the reigning champions for the fourth time since the 2021 season. Most importantly, Burrow and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher showed they can construct an efficient passing offense without the injured Tee Higgins and with Ja'Marr Chase not at 100%.
Chase only had 35 out of the Bengals' 258 receiving yards on Sunday, partially because he was often double-teamed, and partially because he's still not fully fit. Other pass catchers had to step up, and several of them played well. Tight end Mike Gesicki had seven receptions for 91 receiving yards, newly drafted Jermaine Burton caught a 47-yard bomb early in the second half and both of Andrei Iosivas' receptions were touchdowns.
Both Higgins and Chase are embroiled in contract disputes with the Bengals organization, and might not be 100% for a few weeks. The fact that Burrow and the Bengals' passing offense operated mostly smoothly despite not getting much production out of either is an encouraging sign. The Bengals have a very easy schedule for the next few weeks, and should be able to go on a run while Chase and Higgins get up to speed.
They play the Washington Commanders and the Panthers back to back, and after a tough road trip to Baltimore, they host the struggling Giants. It's easy to assume a team will win all their easy matches, especially after the Bengals lost to the supposedly terrible New England Patriots in week one, but if the Bengals play like they did yesterday afternoon, they'll be able to easily rack up four victories in the next five weeks. The Bengals have a pretty easy schedule and should only improve this season as their star wideouts return to fitness.
Bengals fans shouldn't be worried just yet. 2 Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens haven't found themselves in this position during the Lamar Jackson era. He's never started the season 0-2, and the Ravens are 8-2 in the first two weeks of the season with Jackson under centre.
Their start is even worse when you consider that the Jackson-led Ravens have not lost two games in a row since 2020. Losing to the Chiefs at Arrowhead was an acceptable loss, especially given how close it was. Surrendering a ten-point lead to the Las Vegas Raiders at home is far less acceptable.
They let Gardner Minshew lead three scoring drives in a row in the fourth quarter, while the Raiders defense limited the reigning MVP to two three-and-outs in a row. Clearly, the Ravens aren't quite the team they were last season. There was a considerable exodus of talent in the offseason, and their offensive line in particular struggled.
They lost three starters along the line, and their absence was keenly felt as Jackson was sacked twice and looked overmatched by the Maxx Crosby -led Raiders defensive line. Most concerningly, the Ravens secondary looked porous against an average quarterback. Minshew completed 30 out of 38 passes for 276 yards, and Davante Adams and Brock Bowers feasted on some of the newer starters.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat : The Ravens secondary has really struggled to limit big plays. They've allowed 10 completions of 20 yards or more, the most in the league. It's not all doom or gloom, however.
The Ravens narrowly lost both games, and Jackson still looks dangerous. He's rushed for 167 yards so far, and thrown for a further 520. Offseason addition Derrick Henry has settled in well and has scored a rushing touchdown in each game.
Jackson has never thrown to such a talented cast of pass catchers before, and there's now less pressure on him to win games on his own. If the offensive line can be reconfigured, the offense will be very productive. While the defense has had problems in coverage, the defensive line is still disruptive.
In the first two games, it has racked up seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss. The Ravens' roster is too talented not to make the playoffs, and if they can eke out a few more wins in a tricky opening set of fixtures, they should be able to breeze through an easier second half of the season. 1 Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost seven of their last eight games extending back to the 2023 season, and often seem to be defeating themselves rather than losing to their opponents.
They have all the talent in the world on both sides of the ball but are frustratingly inconsistent. The only thing consistent about the Jaguars is their ability to shoot themselves in the foot in important moments. In week one, Travis Etienne fumbled the ball inside the 5-yard line, and the Miami Dolphins scored a play later via an 80-yard bomb to Tyreek Hill.
The Jaguars weren't able to score again and lost by three points. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, the Jaguars got into the red zone four times , but were only able to score one touchdown, due to penalties and sacks. The Jaguars red zone offense could become a real problem for them.
If they converted at least one more of those red zone trips into a touchdown, there's a good chance they would've won. However, it is important to remember that they've played two playoff teams from last year and narrowly lost to both. Their defense has committed stupid penalties at inopportune moments but has played well for the most part, and Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker look like a lethal combo on the defensive line.
Their first-round pick, Brian Thomas Jr, looks very promising and currently leads the team with 141 receiving yards and 23.5 yards per catch. He caught a 66-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence to set up the Jaguars' sole touchdown against the Browns, and evaded several Dolphins defenders to score a 14-yard receiving touchdown against the Dolphins.
Lawrence is still struggling with accuracy but has shown off his arm strength to connect with several deep shots and clearly has the talent to be successful. He's taken the Jaguars to the playoffs before, and the core of that team still remains. If the Jaguars can cut out the stupid mistakes, and improve their red zone offense, they have the talent to make the playoffs.
However, their schedule is going to make that tricky. They have to travel to the Buffalo Bills and then the Texans in consecutive weeks, and need to win at least one of those games to ensure their season doesn't get too badly derailed. They have a relatively easy schedule after week four, and it's very conceivable they go on a run and make the playoffs as a wild card.
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise. These are the biggest takeaways from all the upsets that occurred in Week 2 of the NFL season..
