A slow start in the NFL can quickly snowball into a lost season, and history isn't kind to teams that stumble out of the gate. Since the league expanded the postseason field in 1990, fewer than 13% of clubs that start 0-2 have gone on to make the playoffs. Even with an extra game and two more playoff spots added, that number hasn't budged. The margin for error is razor-thin, and for the 10 teams sitting at 0-2, Week 3 already feels like a crossroads.

Since 2020, when the playoff format expanded again -- this time from 12 teams to 14 -- the percentage of teams that make the postseason after a 0-2 start has stayed at 12.2%. By contrast, 2-0 teams qualify at a 78.6% clip. Basically, starting 0-2 is a death wish for a season. Hope is not lost in qualifying for the postseason, as the New Yo

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