NFL teams want to win every week, but even the best teams struggle sometimes. A losing streak won't rule you out of the playoffs, but a losing streak to start the season can be tough to overcome.
Barring unexpected ties, 16 teams finished Week 1 with an 0-1 record. A statistic that has been mentioned regularly over the years is the number of teams that start 0-2 and end up in the playoffs. It's a small number, but since 2020 and 2021, that has changed. In 2020, the NFL expanded to 14 playoff teams, and in 2021, the NFL expanded to a 17-game schedule. Starting 0-2 still takes some effort to overcome, but starting 0-2 with a 17-game schedule that gives each conference one extra playoff spot is a bit easier than it was before.
In the past three seasons since the expansion to a 17-game schedule, 21 teams have started the season with an 0-2 record. Only two teams have ultimately made the playoffs. In 2023, nine teams will start the season with an 0-2 record. Houston Texans They were the only team to make the playoffs. They went 10-7 and won the AFC South. Five teams had started the previous year with a 0-2 record. Cincinnati Bengals They made the playoffs. They finished the season with a 12-4 record and won the AFC North. In 2021, seven teams started the season with a 0-2 record, but none of them made the playoffs.
When the league expanded to a 14-team playoff field in 2020, 11 teams started with an 0-2 record and none of them 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 made the playoffs.
