NFL: Ranking the 0-2 teams based on how likely they are to turn things around

Start Looking Ahead to 2021

Dating back to last season, the Lions have lost 11 straight games. In their last four games, they have lost despite holding a double-digit lead. While last year’s poor performance can at least be attributed to backups Jeff Driskel and David Blough starting over Matthew Stafford, the same mental mistakes being made with him under center is an indictment of Matt Patricia.

Jim Caldwell was fired after going 9-7, so ownership showing any sort of loyalty towards Patricia after this putrid showing should be filed under complete NFL malpractice.

An already below-average roster that found out they won’t have Saquon Barkley for the rest of the year could easily just roll over and die, but Joe Judge actually managed to have this team fighting against the Chicago Bears. While they lost and fell to 0-2, you can see the fight from this bunch.

Things don’t get much easier for Daniel Jones and the Giants next week, but this team is at the very least going to work their tails off in pursuit of a victory. The same can’t be said of every team in New York, so that’s a positive.

The Panthers didn’t have high expectations coming into the season, as a first-year head coach with Teddy Bridgewater under center weren’t expected to do much. However, Joe Brady’s offense has helped Carolina hang with two tough teams in the Raiders and Buccaneers through the first two weeks. The injury to Christian McCaffrey, however, kills whatever positive momentum Carolina had.

The Panthers will be bad this season, but they will at the very least be entertainingly bad. They won’t compete for a division title, but they have quite a solid aerial attack that will be able to snatch an upset or two from the jaws of defeat against better teams. 2021 is the year things could start to come together for Carolina.

It took all of two weeks for the oodles of hype Denver had this offseason to deflate. Not only did two very physical teams in Tennessee and Pittsburgh give them trouble, but young quarterback Drew Lock will miss around a month after injuring his throwing shoulder. An offense led by Jeff Driskel and a defense without Von Miller isn’t a recipe for success.

There is some optimism for Denver, however. Even without Courtland Sutton, they have a plethora of skill position players that are bordering on stars, and Pat Shurmur’s offense is always friendly to quarterbacks. If Vic Fangio’s defense can tighten up, Denver might be able to fight back in a competitive division.

Probably Done But Hey, You Never Know

Through two games, we know that Joe Burrow’s accuracy and pocket presence are as good as he showed us during his time at LSU. However, he has been let down by poor gameplans from Zac Taylor and an abysmal offensive line that has him running for his life. 2020 has shown there was a clear reason Cincinnati had the top pick last year.

Even with all of their flaws on both sides of the ball, the offense has some big names, as Burrow, Joe Mixon, AJ Green, and Tyler Boyd make up quite the combination. Cincinnati will likely get another Top 10 pick next year, but you can’t rule anything out with Burrow under center and Mixon behind him.

The Falcons were already in possession of one of the league’s worst defenses, and they just psychologically destroyed themselves when they choked away a lead against the Cowboys in the most embarrassing way possible. Atlanta could easily fold after such a laughable start to the season, especially from Dan Quinn’s defense, but they have too much talent on offense to do so.

There are few quarterback/running back/wide receiver combinations in the league that can top Matt Ryan, Todd Gurley, and Julio Jones in Atlanta. In Dirk Koetter’s vertical aerial attack, big numbers and lots of points are almost a guarantee. In a division that could give them plenty of upset opportunities, it’s not unreasonable to assume Atlanta could make a run all of a sudden.

The Dolphins are still building for the future, as Tua Tagovailoa is still a backup and they are hoarding draft picks for the 2021 draft. Even with all of those factors working against them, Brian Flores managed to hang around against division favorites New England and Buffalo in the first two weeks, which should make Dolphins fans optimistic about the rest of the season.

Miami has a brutal schedule given how they play the AFC and NFC West, but Flores has helped them compete against the Bills and Patriots, so they will assuredly squeak out a few wins here and there over the course of the season.