The start of the NFL season hasn’t gone according to plan for a handful of teams.
For all the ups and downs of the first four weeks, five franchises still find themselves winless and searching for answers.
While there’s still plenty of season to play, they’re now face long odds to reach the postseason. The margin for error is completely gone, and they’ll all have to be nearly flawless the rest of the way to have a chance at playing January football.
Here’s a look at what history says about teams that start the season 0-4:
Five teams have started the season 0-4:
At least one of these teams is guaranteed to pick up their first win in Week 5, as the Titans and Texans play Sunday in Nashville.
Yes — but only once.
The 1992 San Diego Chargers started 0-4, then went 11-1 down the stretch to win the AFC West. They won a playoff game but eventually lost in the divisional round. That team, led by quarterback Stan Humphries, is the only one to win a playoff game after starting 0-3 or worse since 1979.
The last 0-3 team to make the postseason was the 2025 Texans. That was the first time the feat has been accomplished since the league expanded to a 17-game regular season schedule in 2021.
Since 1979, seven teams have overcome an 0-3 start to make the postseason and one has done so after going 0-4. Two ended up winning their division, while the other five were wild card teams.
1. 1981 New York Jets: Started 0-3, fell to 1-3-1, finished at 10-5-1, lost in the wild card round
2. 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Started 0-3, finished 5-4 in strike-shortened season, lost in wild card round
3. 1992 San Diego Chargers: Started 0-3, fell to 0-4, finished 11-5, won the AFC West, won in wild card round, lost in divisional round
4. 1995: Detroit Lions: Started 0-3, fell to 3-6, finished 10-6, lost in wild card round
5. 1998 Buffalo Bills: Started 0-3, finished 10-6, lost in wild card round
6. 2018 Houston Texans: Started 0-3, finished 11-5, won the AFC South, lost in wild card round
7. 2025 Houston Texans: Started 0-3, finished 12-5, won in wild card round, lost in divisional round
Dating back to 1990, just five of 171 teams to start 0-3 had made the postseason (2.92%). Just two of those 171 won their division (1.17%), two won a playoff game (1.17%) and none won the Super Bowl.
