Every year we roll out statistics that illustrate the difficulty of making the playoffs after starting 0-2 in the NFL, and every year we try to figure out which teams might beat the long odds to keep their season alive.
This season, there are some high-profile clubs in an 0-2 hole after two weeks, including three of the last four Super Bowl champions in the New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks. All three now have roughly an 11 percent chance of making the postseason, as just 23 of the 204 teams to start 0-2 since the inception of the 12-team playoff format in 1990 have qualified for the playoffs.
The past two seasons have each produced one playoff team that started 0-2, as the Carolina Panthers finished 12-4 in 2013 and the Indianapolis Colts submitted an 11-5 record last year after such a start. Despite their title aspirations this season, the Colts are again in danger of joining a list of eight current teams at 0-2, but that would require a home loss to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
Let's try to sort this out once more: Which of the eight 0-2 teams still have a shot to make the playoffs?
DEAD ON ARRIVAL
Chicago Bears: As dysfunctional as the day is long, the Bears have given up 79 points in two losses at home to begin the season, albeit against a pair of likely playoff teams. Some fans are literally calling for Jay Cutler's head, and the quarterback suffered an injury in the most Cutler way possible in a 48-23 loss over the weekend. The next four weeks include road games against the Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, so Chicago should be thinking 2016 NFL draft order before the Week 7 bye.
PROBABLY DONE
New Orleans Saints: Despite 610 passing yards through two weeks, 36-year-old Saints QB Drew Brees currently owns a passer rating (82.0) worse than Tampa Bay Bucs rookie Jameis Winston (83.6). Competing in the NFC South always affords every team a chance to win the division no matter how bad its record, but the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers have both made New Orleans' life more difficult with a pair of 2-0 starts. A relatively easy schedule is the only thing keeping the Saints from being DOA.
Philadelphia Eagles: After adding the NFL's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray during the offseason, the Eagles have somehow managed to amass only 70 rushing yards as a team through two games — the worst mark of any team in the league by far. And quarterback Sam Bradford, who has thrown twice as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (2), isn't faring much better. While the 1-1 Washington Redskins and 0-2 New York Giants don't exactly have the NFC East locked up, if Philadelphia's performance at home against a 2-0 but injury-riddled Dallas Cowboys team is any indication, they're cooked.
Detroit Lions: Here are Detroit's next three games: home against the Denver Broncos, on the road in Seattle and home vs. the Cardinals. Considering Matthew Stafford is banged up and their defense has given up 833 total yards of offense in two weeks, the Lions face the real possibility that they could be 0-5 by the time Chicago comes to town to lighten the schedule load in mid-October. In which case, cooked.
Could Go Either Way
Baltimore Ravens: The first game without the injured Terrell Suggs anchoring the defense wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement of things to come, as the Ravens watched Raiders quarterback Derek Carr carve them up to the tune of 351 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-33 Oakland victory. Baltimore still has an offense that racked up almost 500 yards on Sunday and a coach whose defenses have led the Ravens to the postseason in six of his seven seasons at the helm, so it's tough to count them out so early. Games against AFC North rivals Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Cleveland over the next three weeks should go a long way in determining whether the Suggs injury means nevermore for the Ravens' playoff hopes.
Houston Texans: As always there are high expectations in Houston, and as always the Texans aren't meeting them. Juggling two starting quarterbacks in two weeks isn't exactly a sign of stability, but Houston still has one-man wrecking crew J.J. Watt and one of the easiest schedules in the league.
New York Giants: After a second straight fourth-quarter meltdown, this time to the Falcons, the Giants' locker room preached "finishing" after their 0-2 start. They're right to take some positives from holding late leads against Dallas and Atlanta in the first two weeks, and if they can hold their own against an unimpressive trio of NFC East rivals, they face a relatively light slate down the stretch, when they've typically made their playoff push in years past.
THEY'LL STILL MAKE IT
Seattle Seahawks: A road defeat by the St. Louis Rams, even in overtime, was cause for concern in Seattle after Week 1, but the Seahawks shouldn't be too bent out of shape about Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Regardless, with eight home games still left on the schedule, keep in mind quarterback Russell Wilson owns a 22-2 record at CenturyLink Field, and the Seahawks should be able to pick up the road wins necessary to make the playoffs, even in the always tough NFC West.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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