Starting 0-2 is a virtual death sentence for teams hoping to make the postseason, so these five squads have to find a way to pick up a win in Week 2.
It may only be Week 2, but NFL seasons can come to an end quick if teams don’t have a win by this point. Since 2007, there have been 98 teams who started the season 0-2, and only 12 of those have gone on to make the playoffs.
That is a rate of just 12.2%, so an 0-2 start is basically a death sentence for most teams that can end a season even before fall officially starts. The Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans defied the odds last year and made the postseason after an 0-2 start, but that is more the exception than the rule.
With that in mind, all five teams on our list of must-win squads in Week 2 dropped their opener, and we’ll start with the New York Jets.
5. New York Jets
The Jets had dreams of being a sleeper postseason team entering the year, and they suffered a dreadful loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Despite building a 16-0 lead and winning the turnover battle 4-0, the Jets choked away the game and lost 17-16 at home.
The Jets are home again for Week 2 against the equally desperate Cleveland Browns, who (spoiler alert) we will get to later, but if they drop this game they will have gone 0-2 at home. To make matters worse, the Jets’ next four games are as follows: at New England, bye, at Philadelphia, Dallas, New England.
This game is a true must-win for the Jets, and this team has the potential to start 0-6 if they can’t get the job done on Monday night. It’s already panic time for the Jets and first year coach Adam Gase, which isn’t the start he was hoping for.