NFL Trade Rumors
Week 2 is one of the most critical points of the NFL calendar, and the reason why is a big part of how the league generates so much interest compared to the other major sports leagues. With just 17 games in the regular season, there’s no margin for error. History says the teams that start 0-2 have less than a 10 percent chance of rebounding and making the playoffs.
That turns Week 2 into virtually an elimination week for the 50 percent of teams that lost in Week 1. Last year there were nine teams that started 0-2:
A remarkable three of those teams turned things around to make the postseason — the Broncos, Rams and Ravens — but that was more than the two teams that had accomplished that feat since the beginning of the 17-game season era in 2021. At least nine teams are attempting to join them in 2025, with the Texans potentially making 10 depending on the results of tonight’s game.
It’s not particularly shocking to see a few of the teams expected to be rebuilding here. Others are in a surprising place already at this point in the season, especially the Chiefs. Kansas City would probably be the betting favorite of this batch to turn things around, but could a different team make an under-dog run?
Here’s a look at each of the 0-2 teams, including what’s gone wrong so far and what needs to go right to make it back to the postseason. They’re loosely ordered from most likely to least likely.
The Browns came within a whisker of upsetting the Bengals in Week 1. Week 2 against a motivated Ravens squad was not nearly as close, with Baltimore romping to a 41-17 win. Turnovers and inefficient offense prevented the Browns from having much of a shot, and there were multiple long returns that put the defense in a tough spot after nearly dragging the team to a win in Week 1.
If the Browns are going to pull off a miracle, they have to avoid turnovers and play clean football. Their defense is the clear strength of the team. Cleveland is going to have individual players who have moments this year, and DE Myles Garrett was one of those on Sunday with 1.5 sacks, but as a whole, it’s clear this is going to be a rebuilding season for the Browns. The roster is too far behind in too many places.
Next up for the Browns is a three-game gauntlet against the top teams in the NFC North, the Packers, Lions and Vikings. It’s going to get worse from 0-2 in all likelihood.
The silver lining for the Giants is that the offense looked far more competent in Week 2...
