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Reality Check for NFL's 0-2 Teams: Who Can Still Make the Playoffs?

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Nine NFL teams own the dreaded 0-2 record as Week 3 of the season arrives. 

Players and coaches of those teams will tell you it means nothing, that we’re just two games into the season. 

But we all know better.

The 0-2 mark has been the barometer of mediocre or bad teams over the past four seasons. Only two squads out of 32 have managed to make the playoffs after consecutive losses to open the season, a paltry 6.3 percent.

But not all 0-2 teams are equally bad. For example, the Baltimore Ravens are nowhere near as horrible as the directionless Carolina Panthers. 

Also, the team (Cincinnati Bengals) with Joe Burrow as its quarterback is much more likely to have a strong turnaround than a club (Denver Broncos) feeding rookie Bo Nix to the wolves each week.

We’ll take a look at the teams that still have plenty of life left. (And quickly touch on the teams that don’t).

BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Ravens visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, a challenging opponent that makes an 0-3 start a real possibility. Baltimore has started 0-3 just once, back in 2015 when it finished 5-11 and had four quarterbacks start multiple games.

But this is a team with two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson running the show. The Ravens lead the NFL in total offense (417.5 yards per game), but mistakes and failed opportunities have them in a tie for 14th in scoring offense at 21.5 points per game.

Once Baltimore cleans things up and figures out how not to blow 10-point fourth quarter leads (see last Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders), things will improve fast. Look for Baltimore to be battling for the AFC North crown down the stretch.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Injured Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) walks to the locker room at halftime of the NFL 16 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023. The Steelers led 24-0 at halftime. credits: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bengals are also in the AFC North and could quickly get to .500 with the Washington Commanders at home and the woeful Panthers on the road as their next two games. Cincinnati’s 0-2 consists of a rough loss (to the New England Patriots) and a near upset (losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on a last-second field goal).

The Bengals are more like the team that battled Kansas City and have strong leadership from coach Zac Taylor and Burrow. How Cincinnati fares in division games will be key to any turnaround. Last season, they went 1-5 against the AFC North and missed the postseason.

It certainly helps the Bengals’ chances that another division team is also 0-2. But Cincinnati can’t afford many dreadful losses like the New England contest.

LOS ANGELES RAMS, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Sep 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

These teams aren’t showing a lot of life right now but have the potential to turn things around. The Rams face a must-win this week with the powerful San Francisco 49ers coming to town. The Jaguars are also in a tough spot with road games against the Buffalo Bills (on Monday) and Houston Texans next on the slate.

The Rams badly miss future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald on defense, and standout receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both out with leg injuries. So Matthew Stafford has to help his club get through the short-team challenges, but on the other hand, it’s definitely hard to erase last Sunday’s horrific 41-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals out of the memory.

Jacksonville decided to hand out a five-year, $275 million contract to Trevor Lawrence, and I can’t seem to find his Super Bowl appearances. Oh, I see, he’s just getting paid like he has some. The Jaguars have scored just 30 points in two games. The best thing they have going is residing in the AFC South, where three of the four teams are 0-2.

NO-CHANCE GROUP

Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The headliners are the Carolina Panthers, who went 2-15 last season. Their awful 2023 trade with the Chicago Bears to earn the right to draft Bryce Young somehow looks even worse after the latter’s benching.

The Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson) and the Broncos (Nix) can make developing their young quarterbacks the main priority. The Tennessee Titans seem to have lost their identity in the post-Derrick Henry era, while good luck to the New York Giants, who continue to resist pulling the plug on Daniel Jones.

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Donovan Mitchell nets 32 as Cavaliers overpower Raptors

NBA: Playoffs-Toronto Raptors at Cleveland CavaliersApr 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points and James Harden added 22 points and 10 assists, powering the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-113 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first round series Saturday.

Max Strus had 24 points off the bench and Evan Mobley scored 17 for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who have won 11 straight playoff games over the Raptors. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland, where Toronto is 0-8 all-time in the postseason.

Mitchell extended his league-record streak of scoring 30-plus points in a series opener to nine straight, two more than Michael Jordan had on two occasions. The Cavaliers’ largest lead was 100-76 early in the fourth quarter on a Sam Merrill 3-pointer.

RJ Barrett scored 24 points and Scottie Barnes contributed 21 points and seven assists for the fifth-seeded Raptors. Brandon Ingram added 17 points and Jamal Shead had 17 points in his playoff debut, starting for injured guard Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring strain).

Harden became the fifth player in NBA history to appear in a playoff game in 17 seasons, joining Karl Malone, John Stockton, Tony Parker and Jason Kidd. He also moved past Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird into 13th place in playoff points with 3,917.

Strus made back-to-back 3-pointers and followed with a layup in transition, giving the Cavaliers a commanding 82-60 lead midway through the third. Mitchell recorded 11 points in the period, which saw Toronto held to five made field goals.

Cleveland held a 61-54 advantage at the half, fueled by Harden’s 15 points and six assists and Mitchell’s 13 points and four assists. The Raptors had four players in double figures with Ingram scoring 13 points and Barnes, Barrett and Shead with 11 apiece.

Mitchell had eight points and a pair of assists in the first quarter, including a strip of Shead that he turned into a Strus’ layup at the buzzer and a 35-31 Cavaliers lead. Ingram and Barnes scored nine apiece.

Both teams shot the ball well, but the Cavs buried 16 of 32 from 3-point range. They also enjoyed a significant advantage at 52-36 for points in the pain.

Cavaliers backup center Thomas Bryant (left calf strain) was inactive and has not played since April 5.

–Field Level Media

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LAFC, Earthquakes clash in Western Conference showdown

MLS: LAFC at Austin FCMar 21, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; LAFC forward David Martinez (30) waits for gameplay to resume during the first half against Austin FC at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Goals will be at a premium when two of the top teams in the Western Conference meet Sunday as Los Angeles FC plays host to the San Jose Earthquakes.

Each team allowed just two goals through seven league games to lead MLS. They are also two of four teams in the league with a positive goal differential in double digits.

LAFC (5-1-1, 16 points) will be out to protect a perfect 4-0-0 home record in league play during a busy early part of the season.

In two home games during the first seven days of April, LAFC earned a 6-0 MLS victory over Orlando City and a 3-0 victory over Mexico’s Cruz Azul in CONCACAF Champions Cup play. The club absorbed its only MLS loss, 2-1 on the road against the Portland Timbers, on April 11, then went to Mexico on Tuesday and advanced against Cruz Azul with a 1-1 road tie.

While Denis Bouanga leads LAFC with four goals and eight goal contributions in MLS play, 20-year-old forward David Martinez of Venezuela has six goals across all competitions and scored twice in the first leg against Cruz Azul.

“If you guys would see training, for me it’s normal,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said of Martinez’s play. “… When he has space in front of him, he goes and it’s fantastic to watch. He has this quality. David is strong. He seems little, but he’s really strong when he has courage behind him.”

Mired in mediocrity after not delivering a winning season in any of the previous 13 seasons, the Earthquakes (6-1-0, 18 points) have been reborn in just the second season under head coach Bruce Arena.

The Earthquakes are on a four-game winning streak across all competitions and are coming off a 2-0 victory over Phoenix Rising FC on Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup play. The 7-1-0 start across all competitions is the best in club history.

“We’re going to utilize our (full) roster this week,” Arena said. “If we have any aspirations of being a good team, it’s critically important that we can show that we can have depth and we can rotate our squad when it’s called upon.”

San Jose also scored three goals in each of its last two MLS games, earning a road victory over Sporting Kansas City and a home shutout win over San Diego FC on April 4.

Jack Skhan scored a pair of goals against Sporting KC, and Niko Tsakiris scored two against San Diego FC. Preston Judd leads the Earthquakes with three goals on the season, while Tsakiris has four assists.

–Field Level Media

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Cody Bellinger homers twice, as Yankees eclipse Royals

MLB: Kansas City Royals at New York YankeesApr 18, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a two run home run against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Cody Bellinger homered twice and collected five RBIs Saturday afternoon, and the New York Yankees easily recorded a 13-4 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.

The Yankees notched their most lopsided win this season after their previous five victories were decided in the final at-bat.

Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer, and Ben Rice hit a solo shot during a five-run third off Kansas City left-hander Noah Cameron. (1-1).

Rosario started the scoring with his two-run blast to left after a three-base error by Kansas City center fielder Kyle Isbel.

J.C. Escarra hit a fly ball to the warning track in center field, and the ball was not caught when Isbel and right fielder Jac Caglianone converged. Isbel knocked the ball out of Caglianone’s glove and was charged with a three-base error.

After Rosario’s homer, Aaron Judge walked, then Bellinger sent a first-pitch slider into the second deck in right. Rice homered two batters later when he hit a fastball into the right field seats for his third straight game with a homer.

Bellinger homered again in the sixth off Mitch Spence for a 10-0 lead. It was Bellinger’s 20th career multi-homer game and his eighth game with at least five RBIs.

Bellinger also had an RBI single in between homers. Rosario added a run-scoring single in the sixth and Escarra contributed an RBI double in the fourth.

Escarra also drove in two with his first career triple in the seventh as the Yankees collected 11 hits. Randal Grichuk added a sacrifice fly in the eighth for his first RBI with New York.

New York’s Will Warren (2-0) allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings. The right-hander matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts and walked none.

The Royals dropped their sixth straight. Kansas City was blanked until Carter Jensen hit a two-run homer in the seventh and got a two-run double from Michael Massey in the ninth.

Cameron was shelled for a career-worst seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in four innings.

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was tossed by second base umpire Nestor Ceja before Cameron threw a pitch after the Royals batted in the first.

–Field Level Media

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