The Rams have officially entered a territory they’ve not been in in over a decade. Not even the Jeff Fisher-led Rams started a season the way this year’s team has, and that’s alarming.
For the first time since 2011, the Rams are 0-2 after two weeks. Under Sean McVay, they’d never been worse than 1-1, in part because they’d only lost one season opener prior to their loss against the Lions in Week 1 this season.
In a 17-game season, there’s a long way to go but the Rams are watching their playoff hopes quickly slip away. That’s because history says the majority of teams that start 0-2 end up missing the postseason.
The Rams can buck that trend this season by turning things around like they did last year when they were 3-6, but they’ve got a lot of work to do.
According to Stathead, of the 409 teams that have started a season 0-2 since the merger in 1970, only 40 of them went on to make the playoffs. That’s a rate of only 9.8%. Not impossible, but certainly not encouraging, either.
Since the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020, it’s somehow become even less likely for an 0-2 team to make the postseason. Since 2020, 32 teams have started 0-2 and only two of them made it: the 2023 Texans and 2022 Bengals. That’s a rate of 6.3%.
409 teams have started 0-2 since 1970
– Made playoffs: 40 (9.8%)
– Missed playoffs: 369 (90.2%)
32 teams have started 0-2 since 2020
– Made playoffs: 2 (6.3%)
– Missed playoffs: 30 (93.7%)
Granted, the Rams beat the odds last season when they made the playoffs after a 3-6 start, which had an even lower probability than a team making the postseason after starting 0-2. Since 1970, 234 teams have started a season with a 3-6 record and only 10 made the playoffs (4.3%).
What the Rams really can’t afford to do is lose their Week 3 game against the 49ers. They’re 7.5-point underdogs, so a loss seems likely, but that might be the knockout blow for Los Angeles’ playoff hopes.
Since 1970, 218 teams have started 0-3 and only five of them went on to make the postseason – a rate of just 2.3%. And if the Rams lose their next two games, only one team has ever started 0-4 and made the playoffs (1992 Chargers).
In other words, Sunday’s game against San Francisco is borderline must-win and if the Rams do lose that game, they have to beat the Bears in Week 4. Otherwise, they can probably kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
