Entering Week 3, eight NFL teams are 0-2. While 0-2 teams can still make the playoffs, it becomes much harder if you start 0-3. A 17-game regular season and 14 playoff teams—7 in each conference—help, but digging out of an 0-3 hole seems insurmountable, especially if you’re a team that just lost its franchise quarterback, as the Washington Commanders
did with Jayden Daniels. Daniels dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow in Sunday’s Week 2 loss to the Cowboys.How impossible is it to begin the season 0-3 and make the playoffs? Consider this from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
But since 2002, 102 teams have started their seasons by losing three consecutive games. Even if we expand our scope and treat the seventh seed from 2002 to 2019 as a would-be playoff
team, just four of those 102 teams overcame their 0-3 start and finished in the playoff picture, for an advancement rate of 3.9%. Two of them were Mike Tomlin-led Steelers teams that finished seventh in the AFC in 2013 and 2019, missing the postseason because the league hadn't yet gone to the 14-team field.
As you know, Washington is 0-2, has a litany of injuries, including Daniels, and faces the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Making matters worse, the Commanders play in London the following week against the Indianapolis Colts.
Of the eight 0-2 teams, where does Washington rank? And what are the Commanders’ chances of making the playoffs at this point?
Barnwell ranked the eight winless teams:
- 1. Houston Texans
- 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 3. Indianapolis Colts
- 4. Los Angeles Chargers
- 5. Atlanta Falcons
- 6. Washington Commanders
- 7. Tennessee Titans
- 8. Miami Dolphins
Before we dive into the Commanders, you can remove the Falcons from this list. They blew out the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football to improve to 1-2.
Per ESPN’s FPI, Washington’s playoff odds are 7.4%.
Barnwell explains why he ranks the Commanders No. 6, and he’s not wrong. He cites Washington's defensive breakdowns, the Daniels injury, injuries to Sam Cosmi and Laremy Tunsil, and how close the Commanders are to being 2-0. However, with Daniels out and a brutal schedule, including this Sunday against the Seahawks, a trip to London, a Monday night game at San Francisco, and games against the Eagles and Rams, this is a team that can’t afford another loss.
Right now, Washington needs a win. Just one win. Then focus on getting the next one. For a team that looked as inept as the Commanders did on defense last week, and that’s also lost two of its best offensive linemen and its star quarterback, it's tough to see Washington turn things around.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: How do Commanders stack up against the NFL's other winless teams?
