NFL's 0-2 Teams: Can Their Seasons Be Saved?

Week 2 of the 2012 NFL season closes Monday night with Denver facing the Falcons in Atlanta. Both of these teams enter the game with 1-0 records, so we know which teams will go into Week 3 with 0-2 records.

Of the six teams that are 0-2, only one, the Kansas City Chiefs, also started the previous season 0-2.

Two 0-2 teams, New Orleans and Oakland, have not been 0-2 since the 2007 season. The other 0-2 teams are Cleveland, Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Last season seven teams started the season 0-2. None of those teams made the playoffs: In fact, no team that started the season 0-2 has made the playoffs in the last three seasons (more on that in a moment). All seven of the teams finished the season under .500.

Here are the seven teams that started 0-2 in 2011 (also noted is their final season record):

2011 season 0-2 Teams, Final record

Carolina: 6-10

Indianapolis: 2-14

Kansas City: 7-9

Miami: 6-10

Minnesota: 3-13

Seattle: 7-9

St. Louis: 2-14

No 0-2 team has made the playoffs since 2009. Since 2006, there have been only five teams that have started 0-2 that have made the playoffs. They were:

2008: Minnesota, Miami and San Diego

2007: New York Giants

2006: Kansas City

The Denver Broncos are the only NFL team that has not gone 0-2 this century. The Broncos last started a season 0-2 in 1999.

The following is the last season each NFL team started 0-2.

2012: Cleveland, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans, Oakland, Tennessee

2011: Carolina, Indianapolis, Miami, Minnesota, Seattle, St. Louis

2010: Buffalo, Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco

2009: Tampa Bay

2008: Cincinnati, San Diego

2007: Atlanta, New York Giants (won Super Bowl), New York Jets, Philadelphia

2006: Green Bay, Houston, Washington

2005: Arizona, Baltimore

2003: Chicago

2002: Pittsburgh

2001: New England (won Super Bowl)

1999: Denver

Note

Of the 72 playoff teams from the six seasons spanning 2006-2011 (the last six NFL seasons), 33 were 2-0 to start the season that playoff year, 34 were 1-1 and only five started 0-2 and made the playoffs. Last year, of the 12 playoff teams, four started the year 2-0 and eight split their first two games.

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