The Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans are all in the same boat, and it’s barely afloat. All three clubs are looking for their first victory of 2024, and each will be looking to avoid an 0-4 start. Each team is also on the road in Week 4. The Bengals are in Charlotte, the Jaguars clash with the Texans in Houston, and the Titans battle the Dolphins in South Florida on Monday night.
In league annals, there are only six examples of a team opening 0-3 and rallying to make the playoffs. It has happened somewhat recently, but it’s safe to say it’s still a very tall task.
1981 New York Jets
Walt Michaels’s team not only lost their first three games (by a combined 100-43 score), the Jets only won once in their first five outings. The team gathered itself and prevailed in nine of their final 11 regular-season contests—both losses to the Seahawks. A 10-5-1 record put them in second place in the AFC East.
The Jets’ season began with a 31-0 loss at Buffalo, but by season’s end, they had finished ahead of the Bills in the standings. They hosted Chuck Knox’s team in the wild card round, and trailed 24-7 in the second quarter. Jets’ quarterback Richard Todd threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns, but was also picked off four times. His final interception came in the final seconds, and the Jets’ rally fell short in a 31-27 setback.
1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It was an NFL season that would be limited to nine regular-season games. A midseason work stoppage created havoc, but the league revamped its postseason format and there was a total of eight playoff teams from each conference. There would be a seeding system, with No. 1 playing No. 8, and so on.
John McKay’s Buccaneers had won the NFC Central in 1981, but were dispatched quickly by the Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs. The club got off to a 0-3 start, losing all three games by single digits. Led by quarterback Doug Williams and a strong defense, the Bucs won five of their last six games. Tampa earned the No. 7 seed in the NFC but for the second consecutive year, they fell at Dallas in the playoffs.
1992 San Diego Chargers
These Chargers have the distinction of being the only team in league history to overcome a 0-4 start to reach the postseason. The light came on and the team won 11 of its last 12 contests. Bobby Ross, in his first season as Chargers’ head coach, led the team to an AFC West title—the team’s first since 1981.
San Diego’s defense was led by future Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau. After losing to Kansas City twice during the regular season, the Bolts shut out Marty Schottenheimer’s club, 17-0 in the wild card playoffs. Apparently, turnabout was fair play as a week later. Quarterback Stan Humphries threw four interceptions and Ross’s team was limited to 202 total yards in a 31-0 road loss to the Miami Dolphins.
1995 Detroit Lions
This franchise made six postseason appearances in the 1990s. They came within one victory of Super Bowl XXVI in 1991, reached the playoffs three straight years from 1993-95, and also earned wild card berths in 1997 and 1999. It was in ‘95 that Wayne Fontes’s team dug itself several holes before bouncing back.
The Lions not only dropped their first three outings that season, the team owned a dismal 3-6 record nine games into ’95. Scott Mitchell was in his second year with the club, and running back Barry Sanders was in his prime. The Men from Motown ranked second in the NFL in points scored. However, the Lions were eliminated via a 58-37 wild card loss at Philadelphia—the second-highest postseason game in NFL history.
1998 Buffalo Bills
In 1998, Wade Phillips became the Bills’ new sideline leader. It was a rough debut for the experienced coach as the team dropped its first three games. After beating the 49ers in Week 5, quarterback Rob Johnson went down early at Indianapolis seven days later. Enter talented journeyman Doug Flutie.
Buffalo would rally to beat the Colts, and was now in the midst of a five-game winning streak. The team would eventually finish 10-6, two games behind the division champion New York Jets, but with the same record as the rival Dolphins. Miami would edge out the Bills in a tiebreaker and hosted Phillips’s club in the first round of the playoff. Despite a huge outing by wideout Eric Moulds, Buffalo fell short, 24-17.
2018 Houston Texans
Bill O’Brien’s team was in his fifth season as the Texans’ head coach, and the club was coming off a last-place finish in 2017. Things would only get worse as the club dropped its first three games in ’18, all by seven points or less. However, O’Brien’s club would soon learn how to win those close encounters.
The Texans would even their record by winning three in a row, ironically all by seven points or less, and two in overtime. Eventually, the streak would reach nine straight before a home setback to the Colts. When it was all said and done, Houston would capture the AFC South with an 11-5 mark. The third seed in the AFC playoffs would host Indianapolis in the wild card round, and once again fell to the Colts at home.