Nine NFL teams are off to 0-2 starts this season. Some are already thinking about the 2024 NFL Draft, while others still have a realistic chance to make the playoffs. About 11 percent of teams that have started 0-2 since 1990 have made the postseason, and one franchise that accomplished that feat last year is winless again two games into 2023.
Below, we will rank each winless team's odds not notch a victory in Week 3, make the postseason, or fail to win a game all season. We also note a few stars and hidden gems that could help their teams get back on the right path.
Likeliest to Win in Week 3
New England Patriots
New England has opened the season with a pair of one-score losses to the Eagles and Dolphins, who also defeated their non-Patriots opponents. In Week 3, New England will face the Jets, against whom the Patriots have won 14 consecutive meetings. The Patriots would have been underdogs in New York if Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) were healthy, but in a battle of defenses against a Zach Wilson-led offense, Bill Belichick's crew has a golden opportunity to notch its first win of the season.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings and Chargers have followed eerily similar scripts recently. Both teams lost winnable playoff games last season and have opened the new campaign 0-2 while showing promise on offense but being dragged down by poor defense. This one could go either way, but Minnesota gets the slight edge as the home team with an additional three days to prepare after playing on Thursday last week.
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is starting to look like a younger Kirk Cousins, with gaudy regular-season passing stats that don't lead to playoff success. Herbert's certainly capable of out-dueling Cousins on the road in Week 3's only battle between winless teams, but doing so will be tougher if star RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) misses a second consecutive game.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati finished 12-4 after starting 0-2 last season, so this is familiar territory for the Bengals. That said, there's more cause for panic this season due to the questions over franchise QB Joe Burrow's health. After missing the preseason due to a calf injury, Burrow has led Cincinnati's offense to just 13.5 PPG, and his availability for Monday's home game against the Rams is up in the air after he aggravated his calf injury last week. The Bengals are one of only three winless teams with a home game in Week 3, but winning with either a hobbled Burrow or unproven backup Jake Browning won't be easy against a 1-1 Rams team that knows the value of having a healthy franchise QB first-hand. After going 5-12 in 2022, LA looks like a playoff contender with QB Matthew Stafford back under center.
Houston Texans
Division rivalry games tend to produce some wonky results, and the Texans have actually won their last five games in Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence didn't throw a TD in the two meetings between these teams last year, while C.J. Stroud is fourth in the NFL with 626 passing yards. If Houston's defense can replicate last year's success or the Texans' running game comes alive, the Texans might just make it six straight wins in Jacksonville.
Carolina Panthers
While second overall pick Stroud is averaging over 300 passing yards per game, rookie first overall pick Bryce Young hasn't reached 300 passing yards total through two games. Carolina's defense has been solid, though (22.0 PPG against), and the Young-led offense could come alive against a Seattle defense that's allowed 30-plus points in both games this season. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the more likely outcome is another poor Young performance in one of the NFL's toughest road venues.
Denver Broncos
Denver's two losses have come by a combined three points, but both of those games were at home. Considering the Broncos were 1-8 on the road last season, they're unlikely to come into Miami and beat the 2-0 Dolphins.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have been more competitive than expected and could be 2-0 had a couple bounces gone their way, but the gulf in talent here is too great against a Dallas team that's outscored its opponents 70-10 through two games. Even at home, the Joshua Dobbs-led Cardinals don't have much of a chance.
Chicago Bears
Going on the road against the defending champs is just about the worst-case scenario for a team that's still looking for its first win. Patrick Mahomes should carve up a Chicago defense that's allowed 32.5 PPG to offenses helmed by Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield, while Kansas City's underrated defense is giving up only 15.0 PPG.
Likeliest to Make Playoffs
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota won the NFC North at 13-4 last season, but the Vikings have started 0-2 in one-score games after going 11-0 in such games last season. Even with average luck, Minnesota could well be the best team in its division. The Bears are also winless, the Lions would be 0-2 had Travis Kelce played for the Chiefs in Week 1, and the Packers' lone win came against the Bears. If Minnesota hits its stride soon, the Vikings could control their destiny down the stretch, as their final three games will be vs. Detroit, vs. Green Bay, and at Detroit.
Cincinnati Bengals
It's too early to write off the Bengals, who turned it around and won the AFC North after an 0-2 start last season. That said, they're in an early two-game hole compared to the division-leading Ravens, including a head-to-head loss. If Burrow stays healthy, Cincinnati's capable of bouncing back, but there's no shortage of competition for wild card spots in the AFC.
Los Angeles Chargers
Luckily for the Chargers, the AFC West is a collective 2-6 to start the season, so LA hasn't lost much ground in the division. That said, the Chiefs remain the team to beat in the division as long as they have a healthy Mahomes, and LA's defense has looked as bad as any in the league, so Herbert and the offense will need to put forth a massive season to climb out of this hole.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos also play in the AFC West, so they haven't dug too deep of a hole relative to the rest of the division. Denver's likely to get better moving forward as the team gets more familiar with head coach Sean Payton's offensive scheme, but the Broncos may look back at these two early home losses to the Raiders and Commanders as the reason they fail to qualify for the postseason.
New England Patriots
The Patriots just don't have enough firepower on offense to keep up with the Bills or Dolphins in the AFC East, and they have arguably the third-best defense in the division as well behind the Jets and Bills. A road loss to the Jets in Week 3 would just about put the nail in the coffin for New England, as it would drop the Patriots to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in the AFC East without having faced the preseason division favorite Bills.
Carolina Panthers
The NFC South was supposed to be one of the worst divisions in football. Instead, the three non-Panthers teams have all started 2-0, while Carolina already has a pair of losses in the division. Perhaps the Panthers will also start to fare better once they play non-division opponents, but digging out of this early hole with a rookie QB will be tough.
Houston Texans
The Texans also have to dig out of an early hole with a rookie QB, and to make matters worse, they're 0-2 with a minus-27 point differential despite Stroud having played about as well as the team could have hoped. The AFC South looks underwhelming, but Houston's unlikely to capitalize, as the Texans look like one of the worst teams in the NFL once again after winning four or fewer games in each of the previous three seasons.
Chicago Bears
After posting a league-worst 3-14 record last season, the Bears have looked no better in 2023, amassing a minus-28 point differential through two games. Perhaps the defense will gel later in the season as offseason acquisitions get more familiar with each other or things will suddenly click for Justin Fields as a passer, but it will probably be too little too late, even if one or both of those unlikely scenarios occur.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals seemingly came into the season with no intention of winning games, and even a 21-point third-quarter lead at home against the Giants wasn't enough to get one in the win column for Arizona. The team has little reason to rush Kyler Murray (knee) back from the PUP list considering the Cardinals reportedly have their eye on top 2024 NFL Draft QB prospects Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. By the time Murray's back, Arizona will likely be well out of the playoff picture.
Likeliest to Go 0-17
Arizona Cardinals
If Dobbs starts at quarterback all season, Arizona has a realistic chance to become the NFL's sixth winless team, and the first to do so in a 17-game season. Week 10 in Houston and Week 15 in Chicago should be Arizona's best opportunities to avoid that infamous distinction, and Murray's knee should be healthy enough to play in those winnable road games, if the organization allows him to. The Cardinals' two losses have come by a combined seven points, but the Commanders and Giants could turn out to be the two worst teams they play all year besides Houston and Chicago.
Houston Texans
If Stroud had looked as overmatched as Young through two weeks, 0-17 would be on the table given Houston's poor supporting cast around him. The Texans went 3-2-1 against the rest of the AFC South last season and 0-11 against everyone else, and their weak division should help Houston avoid going winless in 2023.
Chicago Bears
This year's team is better on paper than the one that managed to win three games last season. At some point, Fields should win a game with his legs, though it's getting worrisome that Chicago has dropped 12 consecutive games since starting 3-4 last season.
Los Angeles Chargers
It takes a truly disastrous season to go winless, and the remaining teams are all quite unlikely to do so, but the Chargers' horrid start on defense could leave the team vulnerable to a winless season if injuries were to strike down a few key offensive players. Ekeler's already hurt. If Herbert were to join him on the sidelines, the Chargers would have a hard time winning a game.
New England Patriots
The defense is probably too good to go 0-17, but if the Patriots lose another few games in a row, maybe they decide to pull the plug on Mac Jones and tank for his successor.
Cincinnati Bengals
The losses could pile up if Burrow has a setback with his calf injury, but there's probably too much talent on a roster that went to the Super Bowl and AFC Championship Game in the previous two seasons to go outright winless, even without Cincinnati's franchise QB.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina has its QB of the future in Young, so the team will remain motivated to improve throughout the year and build towards next season, plus this defense is good enough to keep the Panthers competitive most weeks.
Denver Broncos
Payton didn't come to Denver to lose every game, and the Broncos arguably looked like the better team in each of their first two games, so it's only a matter of time until they get a win.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings should at least win one of their two games against the Bears, and Minnesota was competitive in both of its losses.
Keys to a Turnaround
Cincinnati Bengals
Star WR Ja'Marr Chase has just 70 yards without a TD through two games. At least fellow WR Tee Higgins bounced back from his Week 1 goose egg with two TDs in Week 2, though it wasn't enough to beat the Ravens.
Minnesota Vikings
Alexander Mattison has been a massive letdown considering he had stepped up effectively whenever Dalvin Cook went down in previous seasons. As the team's top RB in 2023, Mattison has rushed for just 62 yards on 19 carries (3.3 YPC), though he does have a receiving TD. Getting Mattison going on the ground will be key for Minnesota to turn its season around. Star WR Justin Jefferson is still looking for his first TD and lost a fumble just outside the end zone for a touchback last week, though you certainly can't pin the 0-2 start on him after a pair of 150-yard receiving performances.
Denver Broncos
Jerry Jeudy missed Denver's season opener with a hamstring injury and had just 25 yards after returning in Week 2 — a pedestrian output for the team's supposed No. 1 WR. Top RB Javonte Williams is also off to a slow start with 115 scrimmage yards on 31 touches through two games, though that was at least somewhat expected with Williams being eased in after tearing his ACL last year.
Houston Texans
Injuries on the offensive line are in part to blame, but RB Dameon Pierce is off to a dreadful start after being the focal point of Houston's offense as a rookie last season. Pierce has just 69 rushing yards on 2.7 YPC after totaling 939 rushing yards on 4.3 YPC in 2022.
Carolina Panthers
Miles Sanders was brought in as part of Carolina's offseason offensive overhaul. Coming off a 1,269-yard, 11-TD rushing season in Philadelphia, Sanders has yet to find the end zone for Carolina, and he's averaging just 3.6 YPC after notching 5.0 YPC across his first four NFL seasons with the Eagles.
Los Angeles Chargers
Scoring points hasn't been the problem for the Chargers, who are averaging 29.0 PPG but giving up 31.5 PPG. Still, perhaps LA would have a win by now had it gotten more from rookie first-round pick Quentin Johnston. The WR out of TCU has just three catches for 16 yards on five targets.
New England Patriots
JuJu Smith-Schuster was brought in to replace Jakobi Meyers as New England's No. 1 WR, but he has a modest 61 yards on 13 targets. Even in an offense that frequently throws it to RBs and TEs, the Patriots are looking for much more from Smith-Schuster, who topped 900 receiving yards in 2022 with Kansas City.
Chicago Bears
Rather than draft a QB with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bears chose to build around Fields and traded the pick to the Panthers for a package that included DJ Moore. While Moore overcame poor QB play to post three 1,100-yard seasons over the past four years in Carolina, he's still looking for his first TD with Chicago. Moore's 129 yards through two games are solid, but he's been targeted only nine times.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's offense is honestly outperforming expectations, but the Cardinals would like someone to step up at WR behind Marquise Brown, at least if the team intends to win this year. Rondale Moore was expected to be that guy, but he has touched the ball just six times through two games, resulting in 59 scrimmage yards. If Murray eventually comes back, he could also be a major difference-maker, as he has 84 passing TDs and 23 rushing TDs in 57 career starts.
