Ranking the 0-2 teams in terms of most likely to make the playoffs (Shutdown Corner)

It's an NFL blogging rite of passage. After two weeks, we must look forward and make grand judgments based on what we've seen for one-eighth of the season. Granted, history backs us up quite a bit that starting 0-2 is, well, not likely to portend good things. Since the 2007 season, there have been 59 teams that started 0-2 — and a mere four made the postseason. The Carolina Panthers did it last year, winning the NFC South. Before that, it had been since 2008 that another 0-2 team made it, when two did. Of course, it's not necessarily a death knell, either. After all, the 2007 New York Giants started 0-2 and won the Super Bowl over the 18-0 (to that point) New England Patriots. So we'll put on our positive faces and try our best to make a case, in descending order, for each of the seven 0-2 squads. But we'll be honest: If more than two make it to the postseason, it would be a stunner. 1. New Orleans Saints — We're still believers. They've lost two games by a combined five points on the road, with both losses happening on the final drive. That last part isn't any consolation prize that makes us feel better, but the Saints did suffer three of their five losses last season by one score. And all five losses were on the road, as the team went 8-0 at the Superdome. With eight games left at home, we like those odds. Still, the sight of blown coverages, missed tackles and terrible angles to the ball defensively are a bit unnerving, far more so than any fabricated or imagined tension between Sean Payton and Rob Ryan. Those guys are fiery enough to argue over what temperature a steak should be cooked, so pass on that narrative. Instead focus on a multifaceted offense that's just starting to crank and a defense that should find its bearings with better pressure and a more disciplined approach. 2. Indianapolis Colts — They benefit from the fact that the AFC South remains a work in progress, at best. The Houston Texans might be 2-0, but they had that same record last season and we know how that ended. The Tennessee Titans, world beaters in Week 1, fell flat in Week 2. The Jacksonville Jaguars ... ugh, don't get me started on the team that I was pumping up as one of the league's potential surprises this season. So the Colts can't feel too awful about the 0-2 start against two playoff teams from a year ago, even if Monday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles saw them get very conservative when it mattered most . Andrew Luck is good enough to lead this team to another double-digit win season, and the schedule softens up considerably from this point. The defense has a host of issues, especially with no Robert Mathis to bail it out, and the offensive line is not going to dominate anyone. But there is still enough of a collective lot here to forecast a winning season, and perhaps a postseason spot.



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