After only two weeks of the 2023 NFL season, several sides’ Super Bowl hopes are in jeopardy after losing successive matches. Only three sides in the last 30 years have won the Super Bowl after consecutive defeats in two opening games.
The 2007 New York Giants stunned the world with a remarkable victory over the 18-0 New England Patriots to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy after making a stuttering start to their season. In 2001, a quarterback called Tom Brady inherited a 0-2 Patriots team after replacing the injured Drew Bledsoe and led his team on a surge to the Super Bowl, defeating the St. Louis Rams as 14-point underdogs.
Previously in 1993, the powerhouse Dallas Cowboys fumbled the start of the term before rallying to win their second-straight Super Bowl. So, there is optimism for slow-starting sides, but the cold, hard fact remains that recouping losses is rare and only 31 of the 270 teams that have started 0-2 have reached the post-season. This is sobering and alarm bells will be out for those franchises that have made a stuttering start.
Bengals look to repeat a rare feat
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of those teams. But, history is on their side as they were one of the 31 teams to have reached the post-season after starting 0-2 as they did in the 2022 campaign. Joe Burrow and company were slow out of the gate but won 12 out of their next 15 games to surge into the playoffs as AFC North champions. Only an abandoned game between themselves and the Buffalo Bills prevented a potential charge toward the second seed in the AFC Conference.
Only a tight game with the Kansas City Chiefs halted their progress in the AFC Championship Game. The Bengals would have been hopeful for a stronger start to the term to avoid having to reel off another dominant surge, but that has not been the case.
After starting the season as one of the leading contenders in the NFL betting odds, their favorability has slipped as a result of their poor run. Burrow’s calf injury is a concern, but when firing on all cylinders, the Bengals can be one of the most formidable sides in the NFL. So, they could well emulate the Cowboys, Patriots and Giants.
Patriots and Chargers aim to defy the odds
The Patriots, a team that once started 0-2 but went on to win the Super Bowl, find themselves staring down a challenge yet again. The side has started 0-2 for the first time since 2001, the year of their first Super Bowl triumph. Unlike 2001, there’s no Brady in the line-up or even anything comparable. Bill Belichick remains on the sidelines, but his team will have to conjure the magic of 2001 to repeat the feat in 2023, and even reaching the post-season at this stage would be quite the achievement.
The Los Angeles Chargers are another team that has made a disappointing start to the season, losing two close games against AFC rivals. It has been the story of the Chargers’ franchise to lose tight games and Brandon Staley’s team will have been furious to drop themselves into a 0-2 position after their collapse in the post-season in 2022. They face a make-or-break campaign but must defy history to avoid yet another underwhelming season.