The NFL schedule and playoff field has expanded, but an 0-2 start remains a problem for teams.
NFL teams are attempting to win every week, but even the best teams can struggle at times. A losing streak doesn’t mean a team will miss the playoffs, but a losing streak to open the season can be tough to overcome.
Barring any unexpected ties, 16 teams finished Week 1 with an 0-1 record. A regularly mentioned stat over the years has been the number of teams that start 0-2 that eventually make the playoffs. It’s a small number, but the context of it has changed since 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field and in 2021, the NFL expanded to a 17-game schedule. An 0-2 start still takes some work to overcome, but an 0-2 start in the 17-game schedule and with an extra playoff berth in each conference is slightly easier than previously.
Over the past three seasons since the expansion to a 17-game schedule, 21 teams have opened the season 0-2. Only two have eventually made the playoffs. In 2023, nine teams started the season 0-2 and the Houston Texans were the only team to make the playoffs. They finished 10-7 and won the AFC South. The year prior, five teams started 0-2 and only the Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs. They finished 12-4 and won the AFC North. In 2021, seven teams started the season 0-2 and none of them made the playoffs.
In 2020, when the league expanded to a 14-team playoff field, 11 teams started with an 0-2 record and none of those teams made the playoffs.
Prior to 2020, the NFL adopted a 12-team playoff format in 1990. Between 1990 and 2019, 12% of teams that started 0-2 reached the playoffs.
