After the conclusion of Sunday of Week 2 in the NFL, there are now nine teams that have started the season with an 0-2 record. And while that mark is not necessarily a death sentence for a team, many of them will struggle to find their way back into any playoff races in 2025.
Nine NFL Teams Have Started The Season With An 0-2 Record
Many of the winless teams have started off as expected. 7 of the 9 teams that are currently 0-2 finished last season in the bottom 10 in terms of overall record, including the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns. The Chicago Bears and New York Jets were hoping to elevate their performances in 2025 under new regimes, but they’ve both gone winless so far.
There aren’t many surprises amongst the group of 0–2 teams, except for one. The schedule hasn’t exactly done any favors for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the defending AFC Champions are winless over the first two weeks for the first time since 2014.
9 NFL teams started 0-2 in 2024 and 3 still made the playoffs
Ravens, Broncos, Rams
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) September 15, 2025
The last time the franchise jumped out to 0-2, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a freshman at Texas Tech, and Travis Kelce was in his second year in the NFL. Mahomes hasn’t started winless in his first two games of any season since high school, and the Chiefs have now lost three games in a row (dating back to last season) for the first time with Mahomes under center.
The season is certainly not lost for Kansas City, at least not yet. They are barely removed from being one of the most dynamic and dominant teams that the league has ever seen, and there is plenty of time to right the ship in 2025.
Are The Chiefs In Serious Trouble?
But the numbers are stacked against them. Since 2020, 42 NFL teams have started out with 0-2 records, and only five of them qualified for the postseason. That is an average of about 12%, which means it will be a struggle for the Chiefs the rest of the way.
And as far as their ultimate goal? Kansas City isn’t happy with merely getting back to the playoffs; success with the team is currently measured in Super Bowl championships. Unfortunately for Mahomes and company, only four teams in the history of the league have ever made it to the Super Bowl after starting out 0-2, with the most recent being the 2007 New York Giants.
The Chiefs haven't started 0-2 since 2014.
Per ESPN Analytics, Kansas City opened with an 18% chance to reach the Super Bowl. A Week 2 loss to the Eagles would drop that to 9% 📉
Only 4 teams have ever reached the Super Bowl after an 0-2 start 👇 pic.twitter.com/ioMVA3GEMR
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 11, 2025
The New England Patriots accomplished the feat in 2001 and 1996, and the Dallas Cowboys were the first ever in 1993.
Unless the Chiefs are able to pick up a win next Sunday night against the New York Giants, things will start to look bleak. They are scheduled to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, and have a date with the Detroit Lions on October 12th. Even if they defeat the teams they are favored to between now and then, the Chiefs could be looking at a 2-4 record more than a third of the way through the season.
