Why an 0-3 start might not mean an end to an NFL team's playoff dream
We presented the following question to the USA TODAY NFL staff: Whoever stands at 0-3 at the end of the day will not go to the playoffs. True or false? Their responses:
NANCY ARMOUR
Depends on the team. I have more confidence in a team like the Ravens rallying and making the playoffs, given who they have and the division they're in, than teams like the Bears and Lions.
NATE DAVIS
I still think the Colts could survive an 0-3 start. They’ve clearly got flaws but also have talent and an elite quarterback. But mostly, they play in an imminently winnable division. If they lose to the Titans today, it would be the Colts’ first AFC South loss since 2012. Even spotting Tennessee (or maybe even Jacksonville) a two-game lead this year hardly seems an insurmountable hole to dig out of.
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TOM PELISSERO
False, in part because I hesitate to speak in absolutes on anything after the Panthers didn’t win a game for more than two months last season and still made the playoffs. You have to consider context. If the Eagles lose to a Jets team that’s playing well, we’re really going to rule them out in the mess of the NFC East? Having said that, it’d be a blow for the Ravens (at home against Cincinnati), the Saints (at Carolina) and the Colts (at Tennessee) to fall to 0-3 with a divisional loss. And if the Seahawks lose to a Jimmy Clausen-led Bears team at home, they shouldn’t just not make the playoffs – they should be relegated to the arena league.
LORENZO REYES
False. I might be crazy, but I'm not counting out the Eagles just yet — even if they lose to the Jets. With devastating injuries to the Cowboys and the struggles of the Giants and Redskins, the NFC East resembles last year's NFC South, where 8-8 could get you in the playoffs. A loss Sunday puts Philly in a big hole, but with only one of those defeats coming against a division rival (Dallas), the Eagles would still have a shot. The margin of error, however, would be next to nothing.