An 0-3 start to the NFL season isn't a kiss of death, technically, but it doesn't help matters. It's a sad fact several teams are staring in the face entering Week 3. There are 10 NFL teams that started the regular season at 0-2, which is tough enough to overcome — and the Miami Dolphins losing on Thursday Night Football gave us our first 0-3 team of the year as well.
The following teams were the worst of the worst through two weeks of the regular season.
Team | Record |
|---|---|
Miami Dolphins | 0-3 |
New York Jets | 0-2 |
Cleveland Browns | 0-2 |
Tennessee Titans | 0-2 |
Houston Texans | 0-2 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 0-2 |
New York Giants | 0-2 |
Chicago Bears | 0-2 |
New Orleans Saints | 0-2 |
Carolina Panthers | 0-2 |
Of those teams, the Chiefs and Texans stick out as possible postseason contenders. In fact, only the Chiefs still have favorable odds to make the playoffs among the league's winless teams entering Week 3, sitting at -184 on FanDuel. Houston is the next closest with +152 odds. But an 0-3 start could be a death sentence for playoff hopes for any of these teams.
Starting off the season with an 0-2 record is already bad enough. Of the 422 teams that have lost their first two games of the year since the NFL merger back in 1970, only 43 of them have gone on to make the playoffs.
Losing the next one, though, means that teams are going to be absolutely in dire straits, because the track record is even worse when an NFL team starts 0-3.
Has any NFL team made the playoffs after an 0-3 start?
While several teams have made the playoffs after an 0-2 start, a three-game hole is far tougher to dig out of. Only the 2018 Houston Texans have made the playoffs after an 0-3 start since 2000, as they lost their first three games to New England, Tennessee and the New York Giants. The Texans then won their next nine games, reversing their fortunes rather quickly.
Unfortunately for Houston, that team did not win a Super Bowl despite their tendency to go streaking at the right times. The complete list of other teams to make the playoffs after starting 0-3 since 2000 is as follows.
Year | Team | Final Record |
|---|---|---|
New York Jets | 1981 | 10-5-1 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1982 | 5-4 |
San Diego Chargers | 1992 | 11-5 |
Detroit Lions | 1995 | 10-6 |
Buffalo Bills | 1998 | 10-6 |
Houston Texans | 2018 | 11-5 |
Has any NFL team won the Super Bowl after an 0-3 start?
This is where fans of 0-3 teams lose me. Even if a team as talented as the Ravens or Bengals start 0-3, overcoming such an early deficit to not just make the playoffs, but win the Super Bowl is unheard of. Literally. No team has ever started the season this poorly and won a Super Bowl, which is why it's so important to begin he season the right way. Heck, just don't begin the season in the worst possible way.
That 2018 Houston Texans team which made the playoffs went on to lose in the AFC Wild Card round against the Indianapolis Colts.