Sep 11, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is defended by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) during the first quarter of a Week 1 NFL football game at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports

NFL 0-2 Teams Out of Playoffs

So, you are a hopeful Bengals or Ravens fan still holding out hope for your Super Bowl 59 futures bet to come around and pay off in February, despite their 0-2 starts.

History says you can forget about it. No Super Bowl, not even any playoffs. Such is the nature of teams that lose their first two games of the season – less than a 10 per cent chance of making it.

Since 2007, 139 teams have gone 0-2. Only 14 have rallied to make the playoffs but Cincinnati did it in 2022 and Houston did it in 2023. That’s 126-14 for all you math fans at home. Eleven teams were 0-2 in 2020 and seven in 2021, none made the playoffs. In 2022, the Bengals made while five failed.

The hopeless group for 2024 includes nine teams, :

Cincinnati, Carolina, Denver, NY Giants, LA Rams, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Baltimore.

With the league expanding the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020, the chances improved with two additional Wild Card positions up for grabs. But it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Does a 2-0 start get your team to the playoffs?

The trend of 2-0 being a lock to make the playoffs has waned in recent years. Overall, that same 2007 to 2021 timeframe produced 66 teams that made it and 48 that didn’t. In 2019, seven of nine 2-0 teams made it, while the Dallas Cowboys and LA Rams each choked. In 2020, only the Raiders and Cardinals failed to make the playoffs after a 2-0 start, while the other nine teams all played in January. In 2021, five of seven teams made it while it was 4-2 in 2022.

Is it the usual suspects who start 0-2 or 2-0?

The Giants started 0-2 for the fifth straight season in 2021, so they are the biggest repeat offenders, but they are 2-0 in 2022! Their AFC cousins – NY Jets – narrowly avoided four years in a row in 2022 with a miracle win at Cleveland. On the 2-0 side, the Eagles, Vikings, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Giants and Bills started fast in 2022 while 2023 saw nine teams go 2-0, including Super Bowl favorites like the 49ers, Cowboys and Eagles.

NFL 0-2 Teams, 2-0 Teams Chart

Year 2-0 Playoffs? 0-2 Playoffs?
2024 LA Chargers ? Baltimore ?
Kansas City ? Cincinnati ?
New Orleans ? Denver ?
Buffalo ? LA Rams ?
Tampa Bay ? Carolina ?
Pittsburgh ? Tennessee ?
Houston ? Jaxville ?
Seattle ? Indianapolis ?
Minnesota ? NY Giants ?
2023 Philadelphia Y Minnesota N
Baltimore Y Cincinnati N
New Orleans N Denver N
Dallas Y Chargers N
Tampa Bay Y Carolina N
Miami Y New England N
San Fran Y Houston Y
Washington N Arizona N
Atlanta N Chicago N
2022 Philadelphia Y Indianapolis N
Buffalo Y Cincinnati Y
NY Giants Y Las Vegas N
Kansas City Y Tennessee N
Tampa Bay N Carolina N
Miami N Atlanta N
2021 Las Vegas Y Indianapolis N
Denver N NY Jets N
Arizona Y Jacksonville N
LA Rams Y NY Giants N
Tampa Bay Y Minnesota N
Carolina N Detroit N
SF 49ers Y Atlanta N
2020 Buffalo Y Miami N
Baltimore Y NY Jets N
Pittsburgh Y Cincinnati N
Tennessee Y Houston N
Kansas City Y Denver N
Las Vegas N NY Giants N
Chicago Y Philadelphia N
Green Bay Y Detroit N
Arizona N Minnesota N
LA Rams Y Atlanta N
Seattle Y Carolina N
2019 Buffalo Y Miami N
New England Y NY Jets N
Baltimore Y Cincinnati N
Kansas City Y Pittsburgh N
Dallas N Jacksonville N
Green Bay Y Denver N
LA Rams N NY Giants N
San Francisco Y Washington N
Seattle Y Carolina N
2018 LA Rams Y Houston Y
Kansas City Y Buffalo N
Jacksonville N Arizona N
Tampa Bay N Detroit N
Denver N Oakland N
Miami N Seattle Y
Cincinnati N NY Giants N
2017 Denver N Cleveland N
Oakland N NY Jets N
Kansas City Y Chicago N
Baltimore N NY Giants N
Pittsburgh Y LA Chargers N
Detroit N Cincinnati N
Atlanta Y New Orleans Y
Carolina Y Indianapolis N
2016 New England Y Cleveland N
Houston Y Jacksonville N
Denver N Miami Y
Pittsburgh Y Buffalo N
Baltimore N Indianapolis N
NY Giants Y Washington N
Minnesota N New Orleans N
Philadelphia N Chicago N
2015 New England Y Baltimore N
Cincinnati Y Houston Y
Denver Y NY Giants N
Dallas N Philadelphia N
Green Bay Y Detroit N
Atlanta N Chicago N
Carolina Y New Orleans N
Arizona Y Seattle Y
NY Jets N Indianapolis N
2014 Buffalo N Jacksonville N
Cincinnati Y Kansas City N
Houston N Oakland N
Denver Y NY Giants N
Carolina Y Tampa Bay N
Arizona Y New Orleans N
Philadelphia N Indianapolis Y
2013 Seattle Y Cleveland N
Chicago N Pittsburgh N
New Orleans Y Jacksonville N
Houston N Washington N
Miami N NY Giants N
Denver Y Minnesota N
New England Y Carolina Y
Kansas City Y Tampa Bay N
2012 Arizona N Cleveland N
Atlanta Y Jacksonville N
Houston Y Kansas City N
Philadelphia N New Orleans N
San Diego N Oakland N
San Francisco Y Tennessee N
2011 Buffalo N Carolina N
Detroit Y Indianapolis N
Green Bay Y Kansas City N
Houston Y Miami N
New England Y Minnesota N
NY Jets N Seattle N
Washington N St. Louis N
2010 Chicago Y Cleveland N
Green Bay Y Dallas N
Houston N Detroit N
Kansas City Y Buffalo N
Miami N Minnesota N
New Orleans Y Carolina N
Pittsburgh Y St. Louis N
Tampa Bay N San Francisco N
2009 Atlanta N Carolina N
Baltimore Y Detroit N
Denver N Tennessee N
Indianapolis Y Kansas City N
Minnesota Y St. Louis N
NY Giants N Jacksonville N
NY Jets Y Tampa Bay N
New Orleans Y Cleveland N
San Francisco N Miami N
2008 Arizona Y Cincinnati N
Baltimore Y Cleveland N
Buffalo N Detroit N
Carolina Y Houston N
Dallas N Jacksonville N
Denver N Kansas City N
Green Bay N Miami Y
NY Giants Y Minnesota Y
New England N San Diego Y
Pittsburgh Y Seattle N
Tennessee Y St. Louis N
2007 Dallas Y Atlanta N
Denver N Buffalo N
Detroit N Kansas City N
Green Bay Y Miami N
Houston N New Orleans N
Indianapolis Y NY Giants Y
New England Y NY Jets N
Pittsburgh Y Oakland N
San Francisco N Philadelphia N
Washington Y St. Louis N
Overall 61-46 12-95
Trend Dummy (not his real name) is a veteran sports betting writer, who really should be a lot smarter by now. Starting with a betting trends fascination in 1993, Dummy has been chasing trends, patterns, streak and mathematical anomalies ever since. A serious data miner with real databases and betting acumen, he sometimes stretches stats to fit a narrative, but the data is legit. You decide if the trends have handicapping value.