What Happened: Fans of the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Broncos, Giants, Panthers, and Rams – is it over already? That’s the dreaded mindset that creeps in after an 0-2 start, which applies to all the teams listed above. (The Falcons can join them with a loss to the Eagles tonight.)

Since the NFL went to a 17-game schedule in 2021, 21 teams dropped their first two games, and most found the hole too deep to climb out of. Only two would go on to make the playoffs, despite the number of teams getting in expanded in 2020; in 2022, Cincinnati began the season 0-2 and ended the year 12-4. Last season, behind C.J. Stroud’s electric rookie campaign, the Texans overcame a rough start to win the AFC South at 10-7.

Why It Matters: Some of these 0-2 teams can’t shake off their losses as bad luck and expect to turn competitive quickly – the Giants and Panthers seem especially hopeless, and the Broncos are in a division with Patrick Mahomes, so things won’t necessarily get easier.

If you want to believe there is a postseason berth still awaiting one of these teams, the odds say to look to the AFC North. Last season, the Ravens had the best record in the NFL, and per FanDuel’s odds, they are the best bet of the 0-2 gang to turn this thing around at -134. Their division mate Cincinnati has the second-best odds at -138.

Every other team is a plus-money play to qualify for the postseason. Obviously, one non-Houston Texans AFC South team is going to have to start winning some games, but if the division is as bad as it looks right now, it won’t be sending multiple entries into the playoffs.

Both the Colts (+300) and Jaguars (+270) have been outscored by a mere eight points through two games, so they aren’t necessarily overmatched. The Texans are 2-0 but hardly look like a powerhouse so far, so maybe things get a little more interesting in the South, even if playing meaningful games in January for Indy and Jacksonville would be an odds-defying feat.