It’s hard to say that any team can be facing a must-win game in Week 3 of the NFL season. But for teams that have gotten off to 0-2 starts, it might just be critical for them to begin turning things around about now.
Starting the season 0-2 already puts a team in a major hole when it comes to making the playoffs, as only about 11 percent of teams that started the year with two losses have gone on to earn a postseason bid since 2007. But those odds get much longer for 0-3 teams: the last team to start with three losses and make the playoffs was the 1998 Buffalo Bills.
That means teams like the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks are going to have to turn things around in a hurry if they want to dream of reaching the postseason.
Gordon Debuts for Patriots in Detroit
Of the 0-2 teams playing on Sunday, the Detroit Lions might have the toughest task. They’ll be hosting the New England Patriots (1-1), who are looking to bounce back from a loss to Jacksonville Jaguars last week. The Patriots will be bolstered by the addition of wide receiver Josh Gordon, who was traded to New England earlier this week by the Cleveland Browns.
According to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, his team will need all the help it can get in dealing with an aggressive Lions defense.
“They have very good coverage players, they have good pass rushers and they have multiple variations in their scheme that make it hard for quarterbacks to find open receivers,” Belichick told reporters. “They do a good job disguising and mixing up their coverages and the looks and the leverage that they play on different patterns and receivers. So, all those lead to problems in the passing game.”
Despite those challenges, oddsmakers see New England as the clear pick to win the game. The Patriots head into the Sunday Night Football encounter as seven-point favorites according to Bovada.lv.
Battle of Los Angeles
One of the most intriguing matchups of Week 3 sees the Rams (2-0) welcome the Chargers (1-1) to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a battle between the NFL’s two LA franchises. While Chargers coach Anthony Lynn acknowledged that the Rams have few weaknesses on defense, he downplayed talk about a rivalry between the two Los Angeles franchises.
“It’s a big game because it’s the next game,” Lynn told reporters. “I love playing in the Coliseum as well – that place, I have a lot of fond memories of that place and it’s a great place to play a football game.”
The Rams (-7) are heavily favored to win the LA showdown, as they look to build on a strong start that has seen them outscore their opponents 67-13 over their first two games.
Other teams are also looking to stay hot after getting out to 2-0 records. The Kansas City Chiefs (-7) will look to stay undefeated in their home opener against the San Francisco 49ers, while the Miami Dolphins (-3) host the Oakland Raiders after starting the year with one-score wins over the Titans and Jets.
