We have some bad news if your favorite team is off to an 0-2 start…
and wonder if another will join that club tonight.
Time To Panic For These Teams?
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.
What We’re Watching Today
Falcons at Eagles (8:15 PM ET) – We already know an 0-2 start all but dooms a team from having a successful season. If the Falcons fall tonight, would the team be tempted to turn things over to Michael Penix Jr. already? Many pegged Atlanta as a likely divisional winner, but if Kirk Cousins can’t get back to the QB he was before his Achilles tear, the Falcons will have an early-season dilemma on their hands.
Dodgers at Atlanta (7:20 PM ET) – Shohei Ohtani is three homers away from 50 on the season, and two stolen bases away from the same. His quest to become the first player in MLB history to hit those two numbers in one season will keep things interesting in the run-up to the postseason.
Pirates at Cardinals (7:45 PM ET) – Never miss a Paul Skenes start. The rookie fireballer has dominated St. Louis twice this season already, so we’ll tune in to see Cardinals batter flail a third time.
The Look Ahead
Dallas Goedert ANYTIME TOUCHDOWN – With A.J. Brown out, someone in the Eagles passing game is going to have to step up in the red zone. Goedert only found the end zone three times last season, but Falcons head coach Raheem Morris’ defense with the Rams last season had plenty of trouble limiting tight ends in the money part of the field. With Saquon Barkley providing the threat on the ground, play action should open things up for Goedert to make an impact.