NFL 3-0 Teams Hoping for Playoffs and Title Run

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Three teams—Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans—are the only unbeatens as the NFL gets ready for Week 4. For each of these three, a 3-0 start has been rare.

Atlanta: The Falcons are 3-0 for the first time since 2004, when they started the season 4-0. Atlanta won the NFC South that season and went on to lose to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Arizona: This is Arizona’s first 3-0 start since 1974. The Cardinals went 7-0 to start the season that year and eventually won the NFC East. They lost their first-round playoff game to the Vikings.

Houston: This is the first 3-0 start in franchise history.

Last season, three teams started 3-0: Buffalo, Detroit and Green Bay. Both the Lions and Packers ended up in the playoffs, while the Bills faltered to a 6-10 season.

Of the 12 playoff teams in 2011, two (Detroit and Green Bay) started the season 3-0, seven were 2-1 in their first three games, and three teams (Cincinnati, Denver and Atlanta) started the year 1-2.

Taking a look at the 92 Super Bowl teams, a 3-0 or 2-1 start has been most common of the title game opponents. 82 of the 92 Super Bowl teams were either 3-0 or 2-1 to start that season, (89.1 percent). If you add in the two teams that started 2-0-1, then 84 of the 92 (91.3 percent) Super Bowl teams were either 3-0, 2-0-1 or 2-1 in the first three games in their Super Bowl year.