Teams that go 0-2 to start the year often say not to panic. There’s plenty of football left to be played.
Teams that go 0-3, though?
Well, it’s definitely time to panic.
Only six of the 225 teams that started 0-3 in the Super Bowl era have made the playoffs. The latest to do so was the 2018 Houston Texans, who turned their season around quickly as they rattled off nine-straight wins.
A dismal 2.4% of 0-3 teams reaching the postseason shows just what type of odds the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals face after losing three games to start the year.
The most surprising of those teams is the Bengals. They entered the season with the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+1400), according to BetMGM.
A lot was expected of them with Joe Burrow back under center after last year’s season-ending wrist injury. Instead, they’ve lost two games as seven-plus point favorites to the Patriots and Commanders. Sandwiched between those upsets was a heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs.
Despite these facts, the public is relatively bullish on Cincinnati. They’re +2500, the 11th-best odds in the league, to win it all after dropping to 0-3. They’ll look to finally get into the win column next week against the Panthers, another game in which they’re heavily favored.
On the other hand, the public doesn’t believe in the Jaguars or Titans one bit. Jacksonville is +10000 to win the Super Bowl while Tennessee has the second-worst odds at +30000.
