Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Seven look to avoid bad hat trick
Playoff chances miniscule for teams at 0-3
It’s desperation time in the NFL.
Yes, it’s Week 3 and the calender still reads September. But numbers don’t lie, and the numbers say teams that start 0-3 can start planning their vacations for early January.
Five of 173 teams that have started 0-3 since 1980 have made the playoffs. That’s 2.9 percent. No team wants those odds.
Since 1990, three teams have made the postseason after an 0-3 start — the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Lions and 1998 Bills.
There are seven 0-2 teams. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s gone wrong and how each team can turn it around:
The 0-2 power rankings 1. Houston Texans
Before Deshaun Watson took off in his rookie season, he had two subpar games. You get the sense that’s happening again, which was expected after Watson tore his ACL last season. He had a solid performance in Week 2 with 310 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Titans. Star defensive end J.J. Watt is also going through the same situation as Watson. Watt is exploding off the line of scrimmage, but it hasn’t led to sacks. He might be rusty after breaking his left leg last season. Once Watson and Watt get going, expect the Texans to make a run in the AFC South.
2. New York Giants
The Texans and Giants, who meet Sunday, are probably the most talented teams from the 0-2 squads. Nothing has gone right for the Giants’ offense that features Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Saquon Barkley. Eli Manning deserves some of the blame, but he has not received any protection from a poor offensive line. The signing of Nate Solder hasn’t helped, and Ereck Flowers’ struggles have continued at right tackle. If the line doesn’t improve, there’s not much hope for the Giants.
3. Oakland Raiders
It’s simple for the silver and black: Play better in the second half. They’ve been outscored 43-7 in the final two quarters. They probably won’t recover on the defensive line this season after trading Khalil Mack, but the secondary has played well. On offense, they’re getting closer to clicking. Quarterback Derek Carr had a stellar performance last week against the Broncos. He’ll need a better performance Sunday at 2-0 Miami.
4. Detroit Lions
It’s been a disaster on defense for first-year coach Matt Patricia, a defensive guru in New England. Unfortunately for him, the Lions host the Patriots on Sunday. But it’s not a daunting task. The Patriots have their own struggles, so maybe the Lions get them at the right time. It’s the same story for Detroit. Fall behind early and let quarterback Matthew Stafford air it out. They need to get the running game going. Enough with the committee backfield. Hands the keys to Kerryon Johnson.
5. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks got bad fast. They had a good six-year run. It’s time to remember the good times. Seattle won’t be making a playoff push this season even with Russell Wilson under center. For the first time in his career, Wilson looks lost behind a disastrous offensive line and already has been sacked 12 times. Safety Earl Thomas is all alone on defense. On Sunday, Thomas plays against the team he wishes to be on, the Dallas Cowboys.
6. Arizona Cardinals
Did first-year coach Steve Wilks ignore the offense all offseason, and does he know David Johnson is on his team? Arizona has been awful on offense, scoring six points, including a 34-0 embarrassment against the Rams last week. But the Cardinals have hope with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, who should take over for Sam Bradford at some point this season.
7. Buffalo Bills
This team is on the clock for the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. There’s not much to say. Rookie quarterback Josh Allen already is playing, but it hasn’t helped. The Bills are 16½-point underdogs Sunday in Minnesota.