Yes, teams can reach the NFL Playoffs after a 0-3 start
Five NFL teams have yet to taste victory in 2021. But history says a 0-3 record doesn’t mean the end of a club’s playoff hopes.
It’s been a rough start for three NFL clubs that finished last in their respective divisions last season. There are also two other teams that have yet to win this season, one of those squads a playoff participant in 2020.
The Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and New York Jets all sport 0-3 records. And such a start has not been a formula for reaching the postseason. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
The 1981 New York Jets were the first franchise to turn the trick. Under head coach Walt Michaels, quarterback Richard Todd and a defensive line dubbed the “Sack Exchange,” the club was actually 1-3-1 before winning nine of its final 11 contests.
A year later during the league’s strike-shortened campaign (9 games), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled it off. Three straight losses to start the season were followed by five wins in their next six games. John McKay’s squad finished 5-4 and qualified as one of the eight playoff teams in the conference in the Super Bowl Tournament.
It wouldn’t happen again for 10 years. And the then-San Diego Chargers really made it hard on themselves. Under new sideline leader Bobby Ross, the Bolts dug themselves a 0-4 hole before prevailing in 11 of their final 12 contests. Not only did the Chargers win the AFC West, they bested the rival Chiefs in the wild card round before losing to the Dolphins a week later.
There was Wayne Fontes’ 1995 Detroit Lions, who actually dropped six of their first nine games before running the table and finishing 10-6. Three years later, the Buffalo Bills circled back after a 0-3 start and resourceful quarterback Doug Flutie was the primary catalyst for the comeback.
Finally, it was just three years ago that the Houston Texans dropped their first three games before embarking on a nine-game winning streak. The end result was an 11-5 mark and an AFC South title.
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Digging yourself a 0-3 hole is not the ideal way to reach the postseason. But as documented, it’s been done before and as recently as 2018. And perhaps it’s a bit easier now that the league has expanded every team’s schedule to 17 games. Could the winless Lions, Colts, Jaguars, Giants and/or Jets be poised for a playoff run?