Is It Over For Chargers, Texans? Assessing Which 0-2 Teams Need To Panic The Most

The NFL season doesn’t end after Week 2, but if your favorite team is off to an 0-2 start, it might feel like it’s over. Historically speaking, you have a reason to feel that way, too. In the last 10 years, only 12 of the 84 teams that have lost their first two games have gone on to make the postseason that year (14.3%). That percentage was better last year, when three of the 10 teams that started the year 0-2 reached the playoffs. However, recent history says it’s likely that just one of the eight teams that are winless through Sunday’s games will end up in the playoff field. There are a few surprises in that group of eight teams as well. The Los Angeles Chargers were upset for the second straight weekend on Sunday, falling to the Las Vegas Raiders. Teams that were expected to make the postseason, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans, are also out to 0-2 starts, complicating their paths to the playoffs. And this all before the potential inclusion of the Los Angeles Rams, who could join this list if they lose to the New York Giants on Monday night. So, which 0-2 teams need to start panicking and getting their season on track? We put those eight teams on the panic meter. Not just 0-2, but 0-2 with losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders by identical 26-14 scores? That’s two teams that picked in the top three of this past year’s draft and had minimal expectations entering this season. The Kansas City Chiefs look like they’re back. The Denver Broncos bounced back from a rough opener. And the Raiders are surprisingly 2-0, firmly placing the Chargers in last place in the AFC West. The last time the Chargers opened 0-2 and made the playoffs was 2008. This was a team with a ton of offseason buzz, having added Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, but the more significant coordinator change might be losing Jesse Minter to the Baltimore Ravens. And the Chargers’ schedule doesn’t get any easier anytime soon. Their next two games? At the Bills and at the Seahawks, where they’ll do really well to avoid being 0-4 when they host the Broncos in Week 5. Then, they play at the Chiefs and have games against the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens following their Week 7 bye.PANIC LEVEL: High A close loss against the Cincinnati Bengals to open the year was discouraging, but not nearly the way losing at home as an eight-point favorite to the Cleveland Browns was Sunday. Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles in the opener, then had an interception early Sunday, and the offense has struggled to get top receivers Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin involved. Todd Bowles’ MO as head coach has been great starts, then a midseason swoon. But can they get out of this one quickly with matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys in a span of 12 days starting Sunday? Many fans wanted Bowles out after last season, so he started the year on thin ice.PANIC LEVEL: High Yes, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys to open the year 0-2 in the NFC East isn’t good. But what’s worse was seeing Jayden Daniels clearly dislocate his elbow on Sunday, making the road ahead a lot tougher for Washington. The Commanders went 2-6 with Marcus Mariota starting last year, and there’s more of the same ahead, so it’s a question of whether head coach Dan Quinn can survive another year of noncompetitive games with the asterisk of a quarterback injury. If there was a chance of them getting back to the heyday of 2024, that seems very unlikely with Daniels injured and a big hole to dig out of if/when he’s back healthy.PANIC LEVEL: High This can’t be shocking, given that the Falcons have played without their top two quarterbacks. But a 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers was particularly damning. Cooper Rush had three turnovers before getting benched for undrafted rookie Jack Strand, who went on to throw a pick-six on his first career pass. Can the Falcons get Michael Penix Jr. back this week? Perhaps, but they’re at Green Bay in prime time on Thursday night, so that doesn’t solve all the problems. They’re also without their top two edge rushers, so creating pressure is a challenge. They can’t be minus-5 in turnover margin as they were in Sunday’s loss.PANIC LEVEL: HIGH Houston opened 0-3 last year and still somehow went 12-5, so if it’s possible to be good at this kind of unnecessary comeback, the Texans certainly are. Losing to the Buffalo Bills on a touchdown with two minutes left is one thing, but getting held to six points by the (checks notes) Bengals defense is a bit more concerning. C.J. Stroud had 55 passes in Sunday’s loss, and having an elite defense isn’t as great when the offense is struggling to move the ball with any consistency. They face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, and Indy gave up 41 points to Baltimore in Week 1 and 33 points to Kansas City (27 before overtime) in Week 2, so that could be a get-right game.PANIC LEVEL: MEDIUM Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs was really close to being a road win at Arrowhead, and the Colts are in a division where three teams are 0-2. So, there’s ample time to make up for a disappointing first two games. Injuries to cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius “Mooney” Ward could be problematic, and facing another 0-2 team in the Texans in Week 3 will raise the panic level for one of those teams. But a win against the Texans could serve a quick turning point for the Colts. Their three opponents after that are the Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Titans. So, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if we looked at the AFC South standings in a month and saw the Colts sitting at 3-3 or 4-2. Everything’s still in play for them, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ loss on Sunday certainly helps things, too. PANIC LEVEL: Medium The Titans were so close to knocking off the Eagles, losing on a touchdown with nine seconds left. So yes, they’re 0-2, but they’re probably closer to 1-1 than most Tennessee fans would expect to be. Losing 23-10 to the New York Jets doesn’t sting as much when they took the Packers to overtime. Get rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate more involved in the pass game, get more takeaways from the defense and head coach Robert Saleh’s first season can be a step in the right direction. The next two games are on the road, facing the Giants and Ravens. But if you took the Eagles to the wire, there’s nothing to say you don’t have a chance in the next two as well.PANIC LEVEL: Medium What were you really expecting? If they lost to the Raiders, they weren’t going to beat the San Francisco 49ers, lingering jet lag or not. This is a long year for Miami and head coach Jeff Hafley, and wins will be hard to come by. The Chiefs come to town in Week 3, and it shouldn’t look much different from this week. Focus on making progress, finding what you can build around, including the high draft pick likely ahead with their record. Can Malik Willis show enough to convince the Dolphins they should take Jeremiah Smith and not another quarterback?PANIC LEVEL: Low