NFL teams can’t win Super Bowls in September, but history suggests they can play themselves out of contention for one before the calendar flips to October.

Since the NFL playoffs expanded to 14 teams in 2020, 32 franchises have started the season 0-2. Only two of those 32 teams (6.25%) — Cincinnati in 2022 and Houston in 2023 — made the postseason. Just five of the 32 teams finished the season with a winning record.

Only three teams (1993 Dallas Cowboys, 2001 New England Patriots and 2007 New York Giants) have ever won the Super Bowl after an 0-2 start.

The Ravens’ 0-2 Start

For the Ravens, Sunday’s collapse against the Raiders sets up what could be viewed as a must-win game against the Dallas Cowboys, who are early 1 1/2-point favorites in the matchup, next Sunday afternoon. Since 1979, only six teams have made the postseason after starting the season 0-3. Only one team since 2000 — the 2018 Texans — has made the postseason after going winless in its first three games.

No Super Bowl champion has ever started a season 0-3.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn’t share the same level of dread as the stats do when asked about the 0-2 start in Sunday’s postgame news conference.

“We define our season,” Harbaugh said. “We’re not gonna be defined by everybody that’s gonna say that we’re not any good. That we’re done. That the season’s over after two games. That’s what’s gonna be said, but they’re not here. They’re not inside. No one inside is going to say that.”

While Harbaugh can point to Cincinnati and Houston as recent examples of success after sluggish starts, a bad start is largely uncharted territory for the longtime coach. This season marks Baltimore’s first 0-2 start since 2015 when it began 0-3 and finished the season 5-11. There’s not much institutional knowledge about starting 0-2, although current defensive coordinator Zach Orr was a rookie linebacker playing on Baltimore’s 2015 team.

Ravens History with Lamar Jackson

Outside of their 0-2 start in 2015, the Ravens usually start the season fast under Harbaugh’s watch. That’s been especially true with Lamar Jackson starting at quarterback.

Since Jackson’s first full season as Baltimore’s starter in 2019, the Ravens had been 8-2 in the first two weeks of the season. The lone losses came against Las Vegas in 2021 and Miami in 2022. The Ravens squandered fourth-quarter leads in both of those defeats.

Sunday’s blown lead was particularly demoralizing, with Las Vegas having lost 49 consecutive games when trailing by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter. Baltimore led by 10 in the final quarter, with a 1-1 start well within its grasp. Finishing out the Raiders would’ve squashed September questions about qualifying for the postseason. Instead, players explained to reporters how they plan to rally after joining teams such as the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers with a winless first two weeks.

Ravens' Immediate Future

“There’s no way we should be 0-2, but hey, it is what it is,” middle linebacker Roquan Smith said.

Baltimore’s immediate path forward isn’t easy. The Ravens’ next two games (at Dallas and vs. Buffalo) come against 2023 playoff teams, and a road game against division rival Cincinnati follows.

Even with challenging games ahead and the meltdown against Las Vegas, the Ravens believe they can buck the trend by becoming one of the few NFL teams to start 0-2 and make the postseason. Entering Sunday, they had a 60% chance to make the playoffs according to ESPN Analytics and a 73% chance according to The Athletic — the highest among 0-1 teams.

“We’ve got to take care of our business, take care of our work,” Harbaugh said. “We know that we’re a good football team.”

The 0-2 Trend Across the NFL

The NFL schedule and playoff field has expanded, but an 0-2 start remains a problem for teams.

NFL teams are attempting to win every week, but even the best teams can struggle at times. A losing streak doesn’t mean a team will miss the playoffs, but a losing streak to open the season can be tough to overcome.

Barring any unexpected ties, 16 teams finished Week 1 with an 0-1 record. A regularly mentioned stat over the years has been the number of teams that start 0-2 that eventually make the playoffs. It’s a small number, but the context of it has changed since 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the NFL expanded to a 14-team playoff field and in 2021, the NFL expanded to a 17-game schedule. An 0-2 start still takes some work to overcome, but an 0-2 start in the 17-game schedule and with an extra playoff berth in each conference is slightly easier than previously.

Over the past three seasons since the expansion to a 17-game schedule, 21 teams have opened the season 0-2. Only two have eventually made the playoffs. In 2023, nine teams started the season 0-2 and the Houston Texans were the only team to make the playoffs. They finished 10-7 and won the AFC South. The year prior, five teams started 0-2 and only the Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs. They finished 12-4 and won the AFC North. In 2021, seven teams started the season 0-2 and none of them made the playoffs.

In 2020, when the league expanded to a 14-team playoff field, 11 teams started with an 0-2 record and none of those teams made the playoffs.

Prior to 2020, the NFL adopted a 12-team playoff format in 1990. Between 1990 and 2019, 12% of teams that started 0-2 reached the playoffs.

The 0-2 Curse

Part of what makes the NFL so great is the scarcity of games, and each game feeling important.

The fact that there are only 17 games in a season makes every Sunday feel like a massive event. The drawback is, a team's season can slip away very quickly with a slow start.

An 0-2 start in just about every other professional sport means little in the grand scheme of things.

However, in the NFL, an 0-2 start usually means it's a lost season.

Going by NFL trends, not just in general, but even in just the last few years, an 0-2 start tends to be a telltale sign for how a team's season will go.

Teams in Danger of the 0-2 Curse

Jeff Diamond feels a rough early slate could domino into a letdown season from the big blue.

Earlier this week, Rich Eisen listed five teams that need to avoid an 0-2 start the most in Week 2.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, just looking at recent NFL history, teams that start 0-2 are in a deep hole if they wish to make the playoffs.

For most of that time frame, an NFL season was 16 games, so you would think with the 17th game, more 0-2 teams would recover, right? Well, that hasn't come to fruition yet in the last three seasons (the NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021.)

Teams That Have Started 0-2 Since 2021

The only two teams to start 0-2 and make the playoffs in a 17-game season were:

Are there any teams this season that would be capable of digging out of an 0-2 hole to make the playoffs?

Back to Eisen's segment, he listed his top five teams that need a win in Week 2 the most. They were.

Factors such as strength of schedule and preseason expectations were taken into account on Eisen's list.

You could make a good argument for each team listed above.

You could also probably throw in the Cincinnati Bengals on this list. Yes, they've already shown they can recover from a slow start, but they have fierce competition in the AFC North this year, and there are still question marks around Joe Burrow's health.

The remaining teams that are trying to avoid an 0-2 start in Week 2 are:

Knowing what we know about 0-2 teams' chances of making the playoffs, who would you say needs a win most this weekend?

Avoiding the 0-2 Curse

Week 2 is on the horizon, and there are compelling matchups across the league. Of those games, which ones present the best value for bettors.