5 NFL teams that must win in Week 2

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 08: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline during the game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on September 08, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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Starting 0-2 is a virtual death sentence for teams hoping to make the postseason, so these five squads have to find a way to pick up a win in Week 2.

It may only be Week 2, but NFL seasons can come to an end quick if teams don’t have a win by this point. Since 2007, there have been 98 teams who started the season 0-2, and only 12 of those have gone on to make the playoffs.

That is a rate of just 12.2%, so an 0-2 start is basically a death sentence for most teams that can end a season even before fall officially starts. The Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans defied the odds last year and made the postseason after an 0-2 start, but that is more the exception than the rule.

With that in mind, all five teams on our list of must-win squads in Week 2 dropped their opener, and we’ll start with the New York Jets.

5. New York Jets

The Jets had dreams of being a sleeper postseason team entering the year, and they suffered a dreadful loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Despite building a 16-0 lead and winning the turnover battle 4-0, the Jets choked away the game and lost 17-16 at home.

The Jets are home again for Week 2 against the equally desperate Cleveland Browns, who (spoiler alert) we will get to later, but if they drop this game they will have gone 0-2 at home. To make matters worse, the Jets’ next four games are as follows: at New England, bye, at Philadelphia, Dallas, New England.

This game is a true must-win for the Jets, and this team has the potential to start 0-6 if they can’t get the job done on Monday night. It’s already panic time for the Jets and first year coach Adam Gase, which isn’t the start he was hoping for.