Advertisement

Which 0-2 NFL teams have the best chance to rebound and make the playoffs?

Charles McDonald
Staff writer
·5 min read

It’s hard to admit that your favorite NFL team might have to hit the red alert button so early in the season, but the fact of the matter is 0-2 teams rarely make the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals have bucked the trend in recent seasons, but for the most part, a team that starts off 0-2 isn’t doing the same.

To sort through some of the noise, here’s a look at the teams that are currently 0-2 (with the Falcons potentially joining them after Monday night) and their chances to make the postseason.

Come on, Ravens. Losing to the Chiefs is whatever. No one will say anything about that. However, blowing a multiple-possession lead to the Raiders? Everyone knows the Ravens are better than that.

They tend to have a couple weird losses each season and this absolutely qualifies as one of them. Gardner Minshew II had only eight of his 38 passes hit the ground — the Ravens are better than that. They have a real problem with their offensive line, but the rest of the team is certainly good enough to get past the Raiders. They simply have to be better, and they will be.

The Bengals' run defense is going to be a problem, but their narrow loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead showed they might be able to, once again, make the playoffs after an 0-2 start. They did so in 2022, and they finished 9-8 and barely missed the playoffs after starting 0-2 last season as well.

It’s tough to dig yourself in a hole over and over again, but they haven’t even gotten Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the field at the same time due to Higgins' hamstring injury. This offense has room to improve and significantly raise its ceiling, which will be beneficial to a defense that hasn’t been stout through the first two weeks of the season.

There’s still potential here for the offense to be fantastic throughout the season, even though the Colts had a rough go against the Packers. The problem here is that the defense may wind up being one of the worst in the league. There’s no reason for Malik Willis to complete 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards passing in his first start with the Packers. He’s been on the team for only a few weeks! Still, the offensive talent and system will give the Colts a chance to claw back and start getting wins.

The defense is still good. The Jags allowed only 38 points throughout the first two weeks of the season and are acclimating well to Ryan Nielsen’s system.

However, the offense has looked putrid outside of the first half against the Dolphins in the season opener. At some point, the Jags must figure this thing out. Lawrence is talented, even if his game is still a little rough around the edges. Still, the defense and Lawrence’s variance will still give them a chance to win some games as the season progresses.

The Giants just lost to a Commanders team that kicked seven field goals en route to a win, becoming the second team ever to score three touchdowns, allow zero and still lose. The defense has some talent up front that can wreck games and Malik Nabers has the makings of a long-term star at wide receiver. The rest of this team is very much a work in progress.

Perhaps the most troubling thing from this game for the Giants is they got a relatively strong performance from quarterback Daniel Jones and managed to score only 18 points. This team is still far away from getting back to the playoffs.

If Will Levis would just relax, the Titans would probably be 2-0. Unfortunately his disastrous decision-making has directly led to back-to-back losses. Either he’s going to get this under control or he’s going to get benched. The rest of the team has been playing above the quality of an 0-2 team, but Levis is holding the Titans back in a big way.

The Bo Nix experiment is not off to a great start. It’s been incredibly difficult for the Broncos to move the ball as they have mostly become a horizontal offense due to Nix’s limitations as a passer paired with the inexperience of being a rookie. Maybe they can get to a point where this is a functional offense by the end of the season, but right now, they don’t have a chance to make 2024 matter.

The Rams still have the framework of a productive team, but they might have lost the early season war of attrition. They’re incredibly banged up on offense, with star wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and multiple linemen battling injuries, which isn’t where you want to be when implementing a young defense with a new defensive coordinator. Good teams don’t lose 41-10 to a rebuilding Cardinals. The Rams can turn this around, but they face an uphill climb as the only team without a win in the NFC West.

No. They’re down 73-13 through two games, and now benching Bryce Young. No.