Reality Check for NFL’s 0-2 Teams: Who Can Still Make the Playoffs?

Nine NFL teams own the dreaded 0-2 record as Week 3 of the season arrives. 

Players and coaches of those teams will tell you it means nothing, that we’re just two games into the season. 

But we all know better.

The 0-2 mark has been the barometer of mediocre or bad teams over the past four seasons. Only two squads out of 32 have managed to make the playoffs after consecutive losses to open the season, a paltry 6.3 percent.

But not all 0-2 teams are equally bad. For example, the Baltimore Ravens are nowhere near as horrible as the directionless Carolina Panthers. 

Also, the team (Cincinnati Bengals) with Joe Burrow as its quarterback is much more likely to have a strong turnaround than a club (Denver Broncos) feeding rookie Bo Nix to the wolves each week.

We’ll take a look at the teams that still have plenty of life left. (And quickly touch on the teams that don’t).

BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Ravens visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, a challenging opponent that makes an 0-3 start a real possibility. Baltimore has started 0-3 just once, back in 2015 when it finished 5-11 and had four quarterbacks start multiple games.

But this is a team with two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson running the show. The Ravens lead the NFL in total offense (417.5 yards per game), but mistakes and failed opportunities have them in a tie for 14th in scoring offense at 21.5 points per game.

Once Baltimore cleans things up and figures out how not to blow 10-point fourth quarter leads (see last Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders), things will improve fast. Look for Baltimore to be battling for the AFC North crown down the stretch.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

The Bengals are also in the AFC North and could quickly get to .500 with the Washington Commanders at home and the woeful Panthers on the road as their next two games. Cincinnati’s 0-2 consists of a rough loss (to the New England Patriots) and a near upset (losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on a last-second field goal).

The Bengals are more like the team that battled Kansas City and have strong leadership from coach Zac Taylor and Burrow. How Cincinnati fares in division games will be key to any turnaround. Last season, they went 1-5 against the AFC North and missed the postseason.

It certainly helps the Bengals’ chances that another division team is also 0-2. But Cincinnati can’t afford many dreadful losses like the New England contest.

LOS ANGELES RAMS, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

These teams aren’t showing a lot of life right now but have the potential to turn things around. The Rams face a must-win this week with the powerful San Francisco 49ers coming to town. The Jaguars are also in a tough spot with road games against the Buffalo Bills (on Monday) and Houston Texans next on the slate.

The Rams badly miss future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald on defense, and standout receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both out with leg injuries. So Matthew Stafford has to help his club get through the short-team challenges, but on the other hand, it’s definitely hard to erase last Sunday’s horrific 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals out of the memory.

Jacksonville decided to hand out a five-year, $275 million contract to Trevor Lawrence, and I can’t seem to find his Super Bowl appearances. Oh, I see, he’s just getting paid like he has some. The Jaguars have scored just 30 points in two games. The best thing they have going is residing in the AFC South, where three of the four teams are 0-2.

NO-CHANCE GROUP

The headliners are the Carolina Panthers, who went 2-15 last season. Their awful 2023 trade with the Chicago Bears to earn the right to draft Bryce Young somehow looks even worse after the latter’s benching.

The Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson) and the Broncos (Nix) can make developing their young quarterbacks the main priority. The Tennessee Titans seem to have lost their identity in the post-Derrick Henry era, while good luck to the New York Giants, who continue to resist pulling the plug on Daniel Jones.