The agony of defeat.
It’s one of the most miserable things that we as fans have to put up with when watching our favorite teams. We as fans always start a brand new NFL season with hope, looking past the obvious flaws our team may have. Instead, we chose to focus on the good, convincing ourselves that “this is our year.” For most of us, we then end up disappointed when our team underperformed to our standards. Fans of the Texans, Colts, Titans, Bengals, Panthers, Falcons, and Raiders are surely feeling this way. Granted, the Colts and Texans only have one loss rather than two, but the point still remains. Starting the season as one of the winless teams is never a fun first two weeks of football watching.
Here is a stat that some people may not want to hear. Since the merger in 1970, only 38 out of 400 teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-2. That means that only 9.5% of teams that have lost their first two games have gone on to make the playoffs. Since 2020, NONE of the 18 teams that started 0-2 have made the playoffs.
Bottom line is, it doesn’t look good, and yes Colts and Texans fans, 0-1-1 is pretty much just as bad as 0-2, so you better hope you guys win this week.
Even though the statistics say that these teams’ playoff hopes don’t look good, that doesn’t mean that all hope is gone, right? After all, the Bengals, Titans, and Raiders are just one year removed from making the playoffs. While there is genuine hope for some of these teams, others… well let’s just get into the list. Starting from least likely to make the playoffs to most likely, let’s see just how many of these teams should be worried.
7. Atlanta Falcons
At a certain point, you have to wonder if the Falcons truly are cursed. Out of any team on this list, the Falcons are the closest to being 2-0. So why are they at the bottom? Because they are the Falcons. What else needs to be said?
In all seriousness, it is honestly quite remarkable how the Falcons continuously find ways to unintentionally torment their fans. In week one, the Falcons kicked a field goal to go up 26-10 against the Saints with 12:41 seconds reaming in the fourth quarter. That means that the Saints had to have TWO touchdowns and TWO 2-point conversions in just under 13 minutes to simply tie the game, and if they failed at even one of those two 2-point conversions, the Saints would have to have another drive that ended in points to take the lead.
So of course, that’s exactly what the Saints did.
They instantly went 75 yards in four plays and converted on the two-point conversion. Then, on the ensuing Falcons’ drive, the Falcons had a 3rd and three at their own 49-yard line, and RB Cordarrelle Patterson came up one yard short. The Saints then went and scored another TD in just three minutes and 27 seconds but failed to score the two-point conversion. The Falcons then had 3rd and one at the Saints’ 42-yard line, with only a minute and 40 seconds left and no timeouts left for the Saints. A QB sneak, handoff up the middle, or just about anything else that gained a single yard would have put the game away.
Even if the Falcons got stopped at the line of scrimmage and had a 4th and one, I’d be willing to bet they would have gone for that and attempted to put the game away. It would have been a gutsy call, but a call that head coach Arthur Smith most likely would have made. You bet on the fact that the Saints wouldn’t stop you from getting a single yard on back-to-back plays, and if you convert the 4th down you win the game.
So, what did the Falcons do?
QB Marcus Mariota Fumbles the snap.
The Falcons recovered the ball but lost their chance at converting on a 3rd and short and were forced to punt the ball away. The saints then went 47 yards in 29 seconds and kicked a 51-yard field goal to win.
Then, in week 2, the Falcons played the defending super bowl champions in a game that everyone thought the Rams would bounce back from their week 1 loss and crush the Falcons. And crush them they did.
For roughly three quarters.
The Rams were up 28-3 over the Falcons with just under seven minutes to go in the 3rd quarter and had the ball. It’s almost as if that score seems familiar…
The Falcons could have broken their curse by coming back from the same score they were at when the curse started way back in Super Bowl 51. Rams QB Mathew Stafford threw an interception with six minutes and 23 seconds left in the third quarter, and then Falcons then quickly went down and scored a touchdown. Then the Rams had a 13-play, six-minute drive that moved their win percentage chance to 99.7%.
Then, the Falcons immediately scored a touchdown on the next drive, making it 17-31. The Rams then six-and-outed, and in a disastrous turn, the Falcons blocked the Rams’ punt are returned it for a touchdown, making the game 25-31. Then FOUR plays later, Rams’ star wideout Cooper Kupp fumbled the ball, giving the Falcons 1st and 10 from the Rams’ 37-yard line with three minutes left in the 4th quarter, only down by six.
So, what happened next?
What do you think? It’s the Falcons!
Marcus Mariota threw the game-sealing interception after the Falcons had previously entered the Rams’ red zone, ending the Falcons’ comeback bid and hopes of breaking their curse.
I do not care that they very well could be 2-0, or that Drake London looks like the best rookie WR, or about anything else. The Falcons are simply impossible to trust to put away games, and that is why they are currently the most hopeless team in the NFL.
6. Carolina Panthers
I have to say, I am slightly disappointed in the Panthers’ poor start to the season. After playing the Browns and the Giants, two very winnable games, and losing in both games, it looks as though Baker Mayfield may not have been the savior some thought he would be. I admit, I thought Mayfield was never given the chance he deserved in Cleveland, and I thought because he was always injured in 2021, he would bounce back and show the world he was worth the number one draft selection in 2018.
However, so far in 2022, Mayfield is 30 of 56 for 380 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The most concerning numbers of them all, however, is that his completion percentage is 53.6% and his QBR is 23.7. Mayfield was outplayed by Daniel Jones against the Giants on Sunday, and considering that Jones went 22-34 for 176 yards and one touchdown, that’s certainly not the greatest. The Panthers fumbled on the opening kickoff and on the sixth play of their first actual offense drive, resulting in six New York points, and seeing as how the Panthers lost by 19-16, those mistakes proved to be costly. For the Panthers, the early schedule doesn’t get any easier, as they play the Saints, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, and Buccaneers in their next five games, meaning the possibility of starting 1-6 or even 0-7 is very real.
The Panthers have simply not been what I and others thought they could be, and unless they figure out some things on offense, it looks like it could be another long season in Carolina.
5. Tennessee Titans
Yikes. Things have not started well in the slightest for the Titans. The Titans kicked off the season with a game against the Giants in which they absolutely should have won. The Titans were up 20-13 with six minutes and 26 seconds left, needing to convert a 3rd and one at their own 41-yard line. They had a solid drive going, and despite RB Derrick Henry’s slow start, they still had an absolute bruiser of a running back only needing one yard to keep this good drive going, and if this drive had ended in points, the game would have been almost certainly over. So, what did the Titans do?
Well, you might start to notice a trend here, that some of the teams on this list have either had execution problems or bad coaching decisions, and it’s not different here.
The Titans decided on a 3rd and one, to run a tight end end-around with their third-string tight end.
Even if this play did work, it still would have been a terrible play call. Instead of running the ball with the best bruiser running back in all of professional football, they decided to run an end-around with their third-string tight end.
LT Taylor Lewan completely whiffed at his blocking assignment, letting Giants DL Nick Williams get in the backfield and immediately disrupt TE Chigoziem Okonkwo’s path to the edge. The Giants then swarmed the backfield to hand the Titans a four-yard loss, then proceeded to go down and score a touchdown AND a two-point conversion attempt to go up 21-20. Titans’ kicker Randy Bullock then missed a 47-yard field goal wide left, and the worst single-play decision from all of week 1 resulted in a loss.
Then, it only got worse, as the titans got throttled by the Bills 41-7. Derrick Henry looks nothing like his former self. QB Ryan Tannehill has completed only 31 of 53 balls for 383 and two touchdowns and two picks, numbers that are extremely similar to Panthers QB Baker Mayfield. The offense clearly misses AJ Brown, and the defense has struggled at times. The injuries are starting to pile up, and if they lose to the Raiders, who are also winless, the fans might start calling for head coach Mike Vrabel’s “head on a platter” so to speak.
The ONLY reason why the Titans are not lower on this list is because we know they 100% have the potential to turn things around and get back to being the Titans we’ve known for the last few years, but until then, things do not look good in Tennessee.
4. Houston Texans
Let’s give credit where credit is due: The Texans have been better than expected. Considering how the Texans’ first two games have consisted of a tie and a loss in which they only put up nine points, that shows you how people were expecting them to perform this season.
The biggest early surprise this season has been the defense, which has allowed a whopping 867 yards and somehow limited their opposing teams to only 36 combined points. Someway, somehow, this Texans’ defense is performing well below league average according to statistics, yet they are keeping their team in the game throughout the whole contest. They have quite literally been the perfect example of “bend but don’t break.”
In all reality, the Texans probably are not a better team than the Falcons, Titans, and maybe even the Panthers.
However, they have shown a grit and a scrappiness that three teams behind them have not showed, and they are simply not deserving of being ranked lower on this list than the three teams behind them.
The colts had 340 yards passing and 177 yards rushing against the Texans in week 1. They also one had two turnovers, and the Texans had a turnover themselves, meaning the turnover margin was only -1. That game ended in a tie, with both teams having chances to win. The Broncos didn’t have as many yards against the Texans as the Colts did in week 2, but still put up 350 total yards and only one turnover, again with a turnover margin of -1. However, the Texans only lost by a score of 16-9, and the Texans were in a position where they could have tied the game with a miraculous drive at the end of the 4th quarter.
The defense has kept Houston in these ball games, however, the offense has been the big issue. Quarterback Davis Mills has been solid, not spectacular or great, just simply solid, throwing for 417 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Brandin Cooks has also been somewhat of a weapon, with 136 receiving yards through the first two games. However, that’s about where the list of impact players for the Texans stops, and there’s nothing really much else to say. I say the Texans have a shot at winning four or five games this season and use that time to see if Mills truly is the future or not in Houston.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
Of any team on this list, I have to say I am the most surprised the Raiders are winless so far. Some might say that the Bengals are the most surprising winless team through two weeks, but simply because there have been so many super bowl runners-ups that have struggled the following season over the course of NFL history, the Raiders still take the cake in my eyes for the most surprising, and disappointing, winless team.
The loss against the Chargers in week 1 is okay. No loss is great in the NFL, but the Chargers look as though they have the makings of a pretty good team, and a loss to them in their home stadium is acceptable. Besides, apart from three Derrick Carr interceptions, the team looked relatively solid.
What is absolutely NOT acceptable is the loss against the Cardinals.
Losses such as that should never happen, and it would have been the worst choke of week 2 had the Browns not forgotten how to play football in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders were up by 16 points with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals went down, scored a touchdown, and completed a two-point conversion. The Raiders then almost immediately five-and-outed, and then let the Cardinals go 73 yards in four minutes and 43 seconds to score a touchdown. The Cardinals’ game-tying drive consisted of 18 plays, and three fourth-down conversions. The Raiders gave the Cardinals EIGHT plays to score from inside the Raiders’ ten-yard line.
But, possibly worse than all of that, is that on the two-point conversion attempt, the Cardinals inexplicably had a delay of game penalty after having time during the whole replay review on the touchdown to pick a play/ Then, from the seven-yard line instead of the two-yard line, the Cardinals still converted the two-point conversion.
And arguable even WORSE than that sequence, after the Raiders’ defense got a huge stop against the Cardinals offense on 4th down, the Raiders immediately went all the way to the Arizona 39-yard line, and WR Hunter Renfrow fumbled the ball on back-to-back plays, the second play resulting in a game-winning 59-yard fumble recovering for a touchdown by Cardinals CB Byron Murphy. The Raiders choked away a 16-point lead in eight minutes and fumbled twice in the opposing team’s territory while being in field goal range in overtime.
While this is an absolutely inexcusable loss, there is a silver lining.
The Raiders haven’t had any major injuries, and still get to play all four AFC South teams and the Seahawks, Steelers, and Patriots. The wins should be coming soon, but with a week 3 matchup against fellow winless team Tennessee, if the Raiders lose again there will be some serious panicking going on in Vegas.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is saying “nobody is panicking over the Bengals’ 0-2 start,” and they shouldn’t. While history is definitely not on their side and they lost to Mitch Trubisky and Cooper Rush, it’s still too early to tell if the Bengals’ 2021 super bowl run was a fluke. For other teams like the Falcons and Panthers, you can kind of tell that this season will most likely be another disappointing season, but for the defending super bowl runner-ups, it’s still way too early to hit the panic button.
Sure, the offense is struggling, but are you willing to bet that Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, and Jamar Chase won’t get going? The defense has been solid for Cincinnati, and while they haven’t faced the toughest QB competition, the defense still did their job. Remember, the Bengals turned the ball over a historically high four times in the first 20 minutes of the game, and they STILL had a chance to win if kicker Evan McPherson would have drilled a game-winning 29-yard field goal, although it was partially the long snapper’s fault as well.
Is it possible that the Bengals’ loss to Dallas can be chalked up to them playing a team that was highly motivated to prove that they could win without Dak Prescott? Possibly, or you could say that the offense just couldn’t get going again. Regardless, the Steelers and Cowboys’ defenses look as though they are going to be very solid this season, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense will get going at some point. With games against the Jets, Panthers, Titans, Falcons, and Steelers once again, there are plenty of chances for the Bengals to get some relatively easy wins, with a great chance in week 3 versus the Jets.
1. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have now started winless through the first two games for the second consecutive year, and it hasn’t been pretty. Before the toughest part of their schedule has even begun, they lost a very winnable game against the Texans and got shut out by the Jaguars. Now, it is never good to start 0-2, however, I do think the Colts still have a good chance to turn things around. Let’s take a look at the stats.
In week 1 against the Texans, the Colts had a total of 517 yards. Jonathan Taylor picked up right from where he left off last year, rushing for 161 yards and a touchdown. Michael Pitman looked great as well, catching nine balls for 121 yards and one touchdown. Matt Ryan threw for just over 350 yards and only one interception, and the Colts’ defense held the Texans’ offense to 218 yards less than what the Colts’ offense had.
So why did they tie?
The Colts started slowly in every area of the game, getting down to a 20-3 deficit early in the 3rd quarter. However, starting slow during week 1 is the most excusable time out of any point during the season to start slow. The Colts came roaring back to bring the game into overtime. Ultimately, the biggest reason they lost is that now former Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship missed a 42-yard field goal that would have won them the game.
Sometimes in this league, you simply just have to make the big-time play to win games. Blankenship simply could not convert, and was released from the team shortly after. Not a great start for the Colts.
Let’s not forget, however, that in 2020 the Colts lost to the Jaguars in the first game of the season, in what turned out to be the Jaguars’ only win that season, and the Colts still made the playoffs and very well could have beaten the Bills in the Wild Card that year. Week 1 mess-ups are excusable when you lose a game due to a missed field goal or a fluke fumble.
Surely the Jaguars’ loss isn’t excusable though, right?
Well okay, it certainly doesn’t look great. The Colts turned the ball over three times, all of which were Matt Ryan interceptions. The offense looked sluggish from start to finish, and the Jaguars dominated time of possession, with a 38:15 – 21:45 disparity.
However, there is genuine reason to believe the Colts bounce back.
For starters, the Colts’ top wideout Michael Pitman was out with an injury. When Pitman comes back, that will be a huge boost to this offense. While they lost by 24 points, they held the Jaguars to only 235 passing yards and 96 rushing yards, which is still a solid performance and a good enough defense outing that if the offense had done anything, it would have been anybody’s game.
Another interesting stat to keep in mind in this: Matt Ryan has played 224 games in his career, and in 224 games he has only ever thrown three or more interceptions in a game 13 times. Including this previous Sunday, that’s just 5.8% of his career games that he’s thrown three or more interceptions. Ryan is also 6-6 in the next game right after throwing three interceptions, meaning purely based on that stat there is at least a 50% chance of winning against the Chiefs in week 3. Since entering the league in 2008, Ryan has only ever thrown three interceptions or more in multiple games a season three times, in 2012, 2013, and 2017.
The stats point towards the fact that the Colts, and Matt Ryan, will both bounce back. After all, if the Jaguars better executed on a few plays against the Commanders in week 1, they very well could be 2-0. With games against the AFC South still looming and the unproven Commanders, Steelers, and Giants, there is plenty of room for improvement, and I still expect the Colts to win the AFC South.
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2 Comments
Really glad to not have to see the Commanders on this list! I think by the end of the season the Bengals will prove out to have been the best of this bad/unlucky bunch.
Another fantastic article!! Keep it up, I really enjoy these and will be looking forward to the next read.