Early success and failure. Part One: Success
Since 1990, and the addition of two extra teams to make a twelve team postseason, only 22 of the 117 teams to start the season 0 and 2 have made it to the playoffs. That’s 12.4%. However, 112 of 175 teams to start the season 2 and 0 have graced the post season. That’s 64%.
Stats are, in the end, nothing but gracefully arranged numbers (and last I checked numbers didn’t play, the players did) so you have to be careful when extracting any kind of trends from them. Still, we currently have seven 2 and 0 teams and seven 0 and 2 teams. Numbers say that four of those teams and one of the 0 and 2 teams will be making the trip past the regular season. Which will it be?
The Surprise 2 and 0 Teams.
Buffalo Bills (played the Chiefs and Oakland)
Interesting fact, through week two the Bills have scored the most points of any team in the NFL (79). If the Bills can keep playing like have against the lesser teams in this league a playoff trip isn’t out of the question. The AFC is very weak this year when you get past the Chargers, Pats and so on. The North will be pushing a wild card with the Steelers and Ravens, but the South (since the Colts became irrelevant) and West are not good divisions.
Oakland no doubt sees this as their year, the Broncos might make a push, but the inner division Jets will be running them hardest. They play twice this season; those games will make or break the Bills post-season push. Personally I can’t see them doing it, they just simply are not talented enough, but it’s certainly not an impossibility. Next week they’ll try and break the longest current NFL losing streak (4th longest in history at 14 games in a row) vs the Pats. It’ll be a test to see if they’re real.
Detroit Lions (played the Bucs and Kansas City)
Kansas City has gone from winning a division title to losing to two teams that, last year, lost their divisions. Not just losing to them either – getting battered by them. The Lions no doubt looked good this preseason, but by good most people probably meant 8-8 or maybe stalking a 9th win. The Lions look like they are playoff contenders. Currently the Lions have a +52 point differential (leading the NFL) and have beaten a Bucs team that will be pushing the NFC South hard.
Stafford looks on fire, Johnson looks unstoppable and that defence is truly a force to be reckoned with. The Lions have the same problem as the Bills. As far as teams going to the playoffs the East could send three teams, the South could send three teams and now, with the Lions, so could the North. That’s six legitimate teams fighting for just two postseason wildcard spots. With teams like Atlanta and the Bears the Lions are sadly going to be left looking out through no fault of their own. They have, in my opinion, a better chance than Buffalo and all the teams in this list, I’d back Detriot as my playoff hopeful…still doesn’t mean they’ll do it.
Washington Redskins (Played the New York Giants and Arizona)
The Redskins have to be the biggest surprise this year. The Bills have always been able to win games when their D is on form and the Lions have been stockpiling quietly. People may have picked either of them two to do well this year, but for the Redskins to be 2 and 0? I don’t think anyone saw that coming.
The NFC East is a brutal division, but the Giants don’t seem to have much going for them with almost half their D out injured and a stagnant, turnover prone offense and the Cowboys seem to be a Jekyll and Hyde team this year, losing games by through mistakes or rallying late in ugly showdowns (with a QB that has a punctured lung). The Redskins are for sure not on the level with the Eagles, but could they maybe sneak the other two and take a playoff spot with it? Sadly, once again, no. It’s not going to happen. Odds say that at least one of these three surprise teams makes the playoffs; I’m saying the odds will get it wrong this year.
The NFC is just simply too tough. The Giants and Cowboys may look like struggling there way into obscurity, but they will have days where they will rumble over teams. The Redskins have been good so far, but Grossman can go cold in a hurry. If he keeps up his form, then the East will need to maybe pay this team more respect, right now though they just simply don’t have the firepower in a stacked division and loaded conference.
