How often do 2-0 teams miss the playoffs?

Week 2 recap: The NFL closed out Week 2 on Monday and we have nine teams sitting at 2-0 heading into Week 3. The Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers are all undefeated through two games.

The NFL kicked off the second week of the season with the Philadelphia Eagles holding off the Minnesota Vikings in a 34-28 shootout on Thursday Night Football. It was a battle of two playoff contenders that had some questions coming out of Week 1. There’s a lot of football left, but Philadelphia kept things on track while Minnesota might be slipping off the rails.

The Vikings dropped to 0-2 with the loss and there has been plenty to analyze around what that kind of start means for the playoffs. Just as important, the Eagles improved to 2-0 with their win and it brings us to the notable stat we hear every season heading into Week 2. Since the NFL expanded its postseason in 1990, 63.8% of teams that start 2-0 have reached the playoffs while 41.8% of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs.

The NFL expanded the playoffs again in 2020, moving to 14 teams with one new playoff team in each conference. Add in the move from 16 to 17 games on the schedule and 2-0 isn’t quite the same as it once was. That being said, a 2-0 start indicates some things are going right and it’s still worth considering each year.

A year ago, six teams started the season with a 2-0 record and all six made the playoffs. Here’s a look at their final records and results.

Buffalo Bills: 13-3, division champs, lost Divisional round
Kansas City Chiefs: 14-3, division champs, Super Bowl champs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9, division champs, lost Wild Card round
Philadelphia Eagles: 14-3, division champs, lost Super Bowl
Miami Dolphins: 9-8, lost Wild Card round
New York Giants: 9-7-1, lost Divisional round

This season, we had no ties, which means half the teams across the leagues started the season 1-0. Three of the matchups in Week 2 will feature 1-0 teams facing each other. Those include Packers-Falcons, 49ers-Rams, and Jets-Cowboys. The full list of 1-0 teams is as follows.

Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles (won, 2-0)
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders