After five weeks of the NFL season, 14 teams currently have a losing record. If your team is 0-5, you face a historic uphill climb to make the NFL Playoffs, as no team has made the playoffs since 2016. The same almost goes for 1-4 teams: only one team in NFL history has made the playoffs after that slow start, the 1992 Chargers.
However, that doesn’t apply to 2-3 teams, whose playoff odds are significantly higher than those of other losing records. Despite still having a realistic shot at playoff contention, this record leaves teams with less margin for error as they make a run. With plenty of football left to play, teams with losing records shouldn’t give up on their playoff hopes just yet.
Without further ado, let’s look at the losing-record teams most likely to make the NFL playoffs.
Losing-Record Teams Most Likely to Make NFL Playoffs
1. Los Angeles Rams
After going all-in on winning a Super Bowl in the offseason, it’s shocking to see the Los Angeles Rams with a losing record after five weeks. However, it’s still too early for this team to panic, as they have shown they have the talent to make the NFL Playoffs.
Despite a disappointing 2-3 record, the Rams have shown in the first five weeks that they are better than their record suggests. The team has had to battle injuries after Week 1 as they placed Myles Garrett on the injured reserve due to knee surgery and lost Puka Nacua for two weeks before returning in Week 4. As a result, we haven’t seen the Rams play at full strength.
The Rams have fought hard during this time, blowing out a New York Giants team that currently leads the NFC East and overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. They have come agonizingly close in their losses, blowing a 16-point halftime lead to the Denver Broncos and failing to score a game-winning field goal in their overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills. Other than their season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, this team has been in every game but has come up short because they haven’t executed the small details.
Matthew Stafford has been lights-out, throwing for 300+ passing yards since Week 1. The team has averaged the most overall and passing yards in the league. However, the defense, which has allowed an average of 24 points, has also hurt this team, as have its turnovers, which averaged two per game until the loss to the Bills. The Rams have to clean up the small details if they want more wins.
The good news for the Rams is that their schedule gets easier from here, as they face only one team with a winning record (the Las Vegas Raiders) over the next five weeks. This is a huge opportunity for them to not only make a run at the playoffs but also put themselves back in the race for a top NFC seed. The Rams should be fine despite their record, and once this team is fully healthy, they will be back in the Super Bowl conversation.
2. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL after the first two weeks, scoring only 16 points. However, after the last three weeks, they are still in the playoff race and in contention to win the NFC South despite their 2-3 record.
Since Michael Penix Jr.‘s Week 3 return from injury, the Falcons have been one of the league’s most explosive offenses, averaging 34.3 points and 428.3 yards per game. Offensive playmakers like Bijan Robinson and Drake London have taken advantage of Penix Jr.’s return, as the duo has generated 888 scrimmage yards during this stretch. After a slow 0-2 start, the Falcons blew out the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints on the road before an agonizing overtime home loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Defensively, this unit has done its job, forcing a turnover in all but one game this season. However, the team’s outlook has changed drastically since the first two weeks, when it looked lifeless offensively with Cooper Rush under center. It’s becoming clear that the Falcons’ quarterback of the future should be Penix Jr., despite starting the season with Tua Tagovailoa before he got injured. More evidence came when Tagovailoa threw a game-losing interception against the Ravens after coming in for an injured Penix Jr.
While Penix Jr.’s rib injury is worth monitoring, this team has shown it can be among the league’s best offenses when it has a starting-caliber quarterback. Things won’t get easier for the Falcons, as they face seven teams with a winning record in their next eight games, but a weak NFC South division gives them room for error. This could be Atlanta’s first playoff appearance since 2017.
3. Houston Texans
After the Houston Texans lost to the Dallas Cowboys to remain winless after four weeks, it was fair to wonder whether the Texans still had a shot at the playoffs, as only one team in NFL history has made the playoffs after starting 0-4. That team was the 1992 Chargers, and they won their next game to put themselves 1-4, just like the Texans did this week. Now, after that win, it’s fair to consider the Texans as the next team to pull off this feat.
Despite being 1-4, the Texans are better than their record suggests, with three of their four losses by five points or less. Their defense, the NFL’s best last season, struggled through the first two weeks, giving up 27.25 points per game. This forced head coach DeMeco Ryans to take over defensive play-calling, and it seems to have sparked this unit. In their win over the Tennessee Titans, the defense forced two turnovers, kept the Titans under 200 yards, and allowed only three points.
The offense has played much better despite offensive line and running-game problems, scoring an average of 28 points since Nico Collins returned from injury. If the defense plays as it did against the Titans, the Texans have a strong chance to run another comeback to make the playoffs, like they did last year when they started 0-3. Coincidentally, the Texans’ first win last season also came against the Titans, so that history could repeat itself.
Despite a tough challenge against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London this week, the Texans’ schedule becomes more winnable because they won’t face a team more than a game above .500 until Week 12, after the Jaguars game. The Texans have overcome slow starts before, so we shouldn’t be surprised if they do it again.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
After a 2-0 start, the Eagles have fallen apart, losing three straight games. This team has a lot of problems, from its offensive line to injuries. However, because they play in a wide-open NFC East, the Eagles still have hope.
The Eagles have struggled since the start of the season on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they’ve scored no more than 24 points this season and rank second-worst in yards per game. Defensively, they have allowed an average of 356.8 yards, and it took them until Week 4 to get their first turnover. On top of the struggles, the team has been battered by injuries, with all three of the Eagles’ first running backs hurt, forcing them to turn to fourth-string running back Dameon Pierce. Lane Johnson announced his retirement last week, leaving the offensive line short-handed, and DeVonta Smith has missed the last two games due to injury.
However, Jalen Hurts continues to prove he is a winner, leading the team to its first two wins, including a game-winning drive against the Titans. Despite losing to the Jaguars last week, he led his team down to what originally looked like a game-winning field goal, but disaster struck when his special teams allowed the Jaguars to return the kickoff and get within field goal range to win in eight seconds. It also blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Rams, and this team could easily have a better record right now if they hadn’t made those critical mistakes.
This team must get healthy as soon as possible to spark a struggling offense. The defense has been playing better, holding the Jaguars to under 20 points and forcing three turnovers in the last two games. Once this team is fully healthy, it should play much better, as it has veterans and players who can handle adversity. Nick Sirianni needs to coach this team better, especially after last week. The NFC East is wide open right now, giving them room for error, so as long as this team gets its act together, it should be the favorite to win the division for a third consecutive season.
Main Image: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
