Week 2 NFL Records
Week 2 NFL Records
Does it matter if teams begin the season at 2-0 or 0-2? Week 2 NFL records historically say a resounding YES! The numbers speak loudly when it comes to playoff success. Data compiled since 2002 shows a massive statistical gap in postseason qualification depending on how a team handles the first two weeks of the regular season.
Teams that start an NFL season 2-0 make the playoffs about 62% of the time, while 1-1 teams make it 42% of the time, and 0-2 teams make it just 12% of the time.
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: A Look at the Numbers
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: Playoff Success Rates by Two-Game Record
Start Record Total Teams (2002–2025) Reached Playoffs Playoff Percentage
2-0 200 124 62%
1-1 360 152 42%
0-2 200 24 12%
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: The 0-2 Hole
Long odds: Only about one in every eight or nine teams that start 0-2 manages to turn their season around and reach the postseason.
Historical context: Before the shift to a 17-game schedule, fewer than 10% of 0-2 teams made the playoffs. Even with the extra game and expanded playoff format, the hole remains deep.
Following the conclusion of Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season, there are exactly eight teams standing at 2-0 and eight teams sitting at 0-2.
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: 0-2 Teams
These eight teams face a steep uphill battle to rescue their seasons, holding a historical playoff qualification rate of just 12%.
Atlanta Falcons
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
This list has two teams for sure that had big expectations heading into this season: the Texans and Chargers. Tampa Bay was viewed as likely NFC South Champion as well. Miami and Tennessee at 0-2 are right where experts figured the teams would be. For all eight teams at 0-2, history shows Week 3 games are huge. Let’s call it a must-win week if the playoffs are the goal.
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: 2-0 Teams
These eight teams have maximized their postseason odds, historically granting them a 62% chance of playing in January.
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
A look at this list shows two teams ranked in everyoneś top 3 or 4 before the start of the season: Buffalo and Seattle. It is not shocking to see teams like Cincinnati, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco at 2-0. Minnesota, that is maybe a reach. The one team that no one saw at 2-0 is Las Vegas. Our LWOS The Braintrust Week 1 rankings had Las Vegas begin the season ranked #28, for instance!
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: Historical Standout Teams
Week 2 NFL records
Oct 1985; Chicago, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton (34) on the sideline during the 1985 season at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
1972 Miami Dolphins: Miami began the season 2-0 and won Super Bowl VII. Miami is known as the symbol of perfection, also finishing the regular season 14-0 and as the only team in the modern era to finish the season unbeaten.
1992 Dallas Cowboys: This Cowboys team set the standard for Dallas, as Jimmy Johnson orchestrated a 2-0 start into a dominating season that concluded with a win over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII.
1985 Chicago Bears: The Monsters of the Midway began 2-0, finished 15-and-steamrolled through the playoffs to win Super Bowl XX. The Bears´ only defeat came at the hands of the Dan Marino-led Dolphins.
2019 Kansas City Chiefs: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Head Coach Andy Reid began the season with a 2-0 start, and ended the season with a win in Super Bowl LIV.
Week 2 NFL Records Matter: Head-to-Head Desperation Bowl
Houston Texans (0-2) at Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
For the Texans and Colts, so much is on the line, with playoff chances plummeting in a loss. Coaching and general manager jobs are also on the line, as a loss likely puts the Texans’ DeMeco Ryans or the Colts’ Shane Steichen at the top of the list for coaches about to be fired.
The Last Word
A look at historical records in the NFL after the second week of play finds overwhelming evidence that beginning the season 2-0 or 0-2 really matters if a team aspires to earn a playoff berth. 2-0 teams have a 62% chance of making the postseason, while 0-2 teams sport a lowly 12% chance. Winning every week matters. As legendary Saints Coach Jim Mora said, ¨We play to win the game.¨ The Week 3 Houston and Indianapolis game will result in one playoff contender likely dropping out of playoff contention at 0-3, barring a tie. Buckle up, football fans. Week 3 matters.
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