After 2 weeks into the 2015 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts are both 0-2. How much trouble does this put each team in as far as making the NFL playoffs? Only about 10% of teams that start the season 0-2 even make the playoffs, let alone do anything once they reach the playoffs.
The 1993 Dallas Cowboys are the only glaring exception as a success story, starting the season 0-2. They repeated as Super Bowl champions that year, after re-signing running back Emmitt Smith following the 0-2 start.
I think the Colts are in more trouble with their poor start than the Seahawks. The Seahawks who won the Super Bowl 2 years ago, and then were a last second interception away from winning another one last year, can improve their flailing secondary immediately by re-signing safety Cam Chancellor, who is currently holding out for a new contract. Although he should not be rewarded for holding out one year after signing a 4-year contract.
The Seahawks are in a tough division, maybe the toughest in the entire NFL, the NFC West, and they are currently the only team without a win in the division, after their 27-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The Arizona Cardinals lead the division at 2-0, while the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers are each 1-1.
However, the Seahawks have a pretty easy schedule for their next 6 games. They do play 3 teams that are 2-0, but one is the Carolina Panthers, which won’t stay undefeated very long, and another is the Dallas Cowboys, who look like a MASH unit, with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten injured. Only Witten might be back when Seattle comes to town on November 1st.
The Colts aren’t in that much trouble either. They are in the AFC South, which is an easy division. The other teams in the division are the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans. Only the Jaguars and the Titans have a win, so the Colts are winless, but only one game out of first place in their division at this point.
The problems with the Colts lie in their offensive line, which has been juggling players at every position other than left tackle, and at quarterback. Yes, I’m talking about Andrew Luck. After the 20-7 loss to the New York Jets on Monday night, Luck has more turnovers than anyone in the NFL since the start of last season. This may be a surprising statistic considering many have anointed him as the next great quarterback.
Indianapolis will probably still win their division, even with the 0-2 start, but Seattle will have a hard time catching the Cardinals, although they do play them twice later this year. I think both teams will still make the playoffs, especially if Seattle gets Chancellor back soon. The Colts do need to cut way back on their turnovers, and shore up their offensive line somewhat, and they should be fine. There are still 14 games left in the season, so it’s not time to panic.
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