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A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast
Is it too early to get out the shovels and start burying NFL teams?
Of course it is. Or is it?
Think about the stats. Teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs 11% of the time. That means of the nine teams that are now 0-2 after two weeks, the stats say one will make the playoffs.
That’s not good news for the Chargers, Broncos, Panthers, Cardinals, Vikings, Bears, Patriots, Bengals and Texans.
OK, so maybe it’s too early to start throwing dirt on their graves, but the data doesn’t usually lie. So those teams are in big trouble.
Of those nine teams, the biggest surprises are the Bengals and Chargers. They were expected to be either contenders in their own divisions — or maybe more. Yet after two games, the Bengals are in big trouble, especially with two division losses, while the Chargers, with two close losses, are in a big hole in their chase to topple the Chiefs in the AFC West.
I’d say the Bengals have the best chance to bounce back, but only if Joe Burrow is healthy. He seemed to be limping again with his bad calf late in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens. The Bengals did start 0-2 last season, only to bounce back to make the playoffs and more. So it’s possible. But only if Burrow is playing.
The San Francisco 49ers remain in the top spot in my Power Rankings this week, but the Dallas Cowboys are right behind them. They move into the second spot based on a defense that has allowed just 10 points this season. The Philadelphia Eagles, who were in the second spot, drop down behind Dallas after two lackluster showings in getting to 2-0.
But the good news for those teams is they aren’t 0-2. As history shows us, that is likely a death blow to a team’s playoff chances.
Get out the shovels. It’s not too early.
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