NFL Week 2 Betting Takeaways: Which 0-2 Teams Will Right the Ship?

So, after two weeks, what are the playoff odds of the surprise 0-2 teams, and which of them will still be able to live up to their preseason expectations for 2024?

Below, we’ll break down the betting outlook for five of the NFL’s biggest disappointments to date, including two teams (the Bengals and Ravens) that remain favorites to reach the playoffs.

Each club’s playoff odds (listed in parentheses below) are courtesy of FanDuel and current as of Tuesday, September 17.

Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Odds: -134

Upcoming schedule:

• Sept. 23: vs. Washington (1-1)
• Sept. 29: at Carolina (0-2)
• Oct. 6: vs. Baltimore (0-2)

Every loss counts the same in the standings, but sometimes, a team can look like a playoff contender even in a losing effort. The Bengals’ Week 2 trip to Arrowhead Stadium served as exactly that, as they nearly knocked off the Chiefs.

Joe Burrow threw for 258 yards and two TDs while missing No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), who is expected back in the lineup soon. If this offense can hang with KC at Arrowhead when Higgins is out of the mix and Ja’Marr Chase is limited (the latter had four catches for 35 yards on Sunday as he continues to shake off the rust after holding out of training camp), the Bengals should be able to beat just about anyone when they are at full strength.

Despite the Bengals being just 0-2, they feel like a lock to get to 2-2 thanks to favorable upcoming matchups against the Commanders and Panthers.

Bengals to make playoffs? Yes

The defense needs to step up, especially against the run, but a healthy Burrow is a good bet to get this team into the postseason one way or another, hence Cincinnati having the shortest playoff odds at FanDuel of any 0-2 team.

Baltimore Ravens Playoff Odds: -128

Upcoming schedule:

• Sept. 22: at Dallas (1-1)
• Sept. 29: vs. Buffalo (2-0)
• Oct. 6: at Cincinnati (0-2)

The Ravens are in real danger of needing a miracle to reach the playoffs if they don’t find some fixes on the offensive line ASAP. That unit isn’t the only one on this team that got worse due to key departures this offseason, but its struggles have been the biggest reason Baltimore is 0-2 instead of 1-1 or 2-0.

The loss at Kansas City in the season opener hardly set off red flags, but the Week 2 collapse against the Raiders made it fair to reconsider our expectations for this team.

We’ll know by early October whether the Ravens are back on track, as their next three games all loom as massive. Baltimore needs to win at least two of them to maintain realistic playoff aspirations in the AFC.

Ravens to make playoffs? Yes

It’s tough to fully trust a team with a schedule as daunting as Baltimore’s, but we’re going to assume they pull out a win in Dallas and get to at least 2-3 going into Week 6. From there, Baltimore would have just enough room for error over the second half of the season.

Indianapolis Colts Playoff Odds: +260

Upcoming schedule:

• Sept. 22: vs. Chicago (1-1)
• Sept. 29: vs. Steelers (2-0)
• Oct. 6: at Jacksonville (0-2)

Before the 2024 campaign got underway, the Colts looked like one of the highest-variance teams in the league thanks to their talented but unproven quarterback, Anthony Richardson.

Through two weeks, we’ve seen A) glimpses that explain why Indy selected Richardson at No. 4 in the 2023 NFL Draft and B) mistakes that explain why taking a raw prospect like him at No. 4 was widely considered a major risk.

With a sub-50 completion percentage on 53 attempts and four interceptions (compared to just three TDs) through two games this year, Richardson’s inability to take care of the football has proven costly. If you’re bullish on him putting it all together quickly, the Colts offer plenty of upside at this price, but he’d need to take a dramatic, immediate leap for Indy to beat Chicago and/or Pittsburgh the next two weeks.

Colts to make playoffs? No

Over the summer, Indy was a trendy value pick to take a step forward and reach the playoffs in Richardson’s first full, healthy season at the helm.

But the defense has been unable to stop the run (Houston and Green Bay combined to gash this D for 474 yards on the ground). And on offense, while Richardson has delivered some “wow” moments, he does not look — at least for now — like the quarterback of a playoff team.

Jacksonville Jaguars Playoff Odds: +270

Upcoming schedule:

• Sept. 23: at Buffalo (2-0)
• Sept. 29: at Houston (2-0)
• Oct. 6: vs. Indianapolis (0-2)

Jacksonville went 9-8 in both 2022 and 2023, and the Jags memorably won a playoff game in 2022, which was only QB Trevor Lawrence’s second year in the league. After the Jaguars stumbled from a 6-2 start in 2023 to a 9-8 finish that wasn’t good enough for a playoff appearance, optimism around this team’s ’24 season started with the notion that Lawrence’s late-season injuries were to blame for last year’s collapse.

With Lawrence healthy by all accounts entering 2024, it was fair to ask, “Why can’t the Jags get back to the playoffs?”

They got off to a great start to this season, taking a 17-7 lead over the Dolphins at halftime of Week 1. But Jacksonville ended up losing that game 20-17, then lost to Cleveland as home favorites in Week 2.

Jaguars to make playoffs? No

Since taking that 17-7 lead over the Dolphins in Week 1, the Jaguars have scored 13 points (one rushing touchdown and two field goals) in their last three halves of football, and they’re about to take on the Bills and Texans on the road the next two weeks.

Right now, a 1-3 record entering October feels like the best-case scenario for this team, and that would be a near-impossible hole to climb out of for a playoff spot in the loaded AFC.

L.A. Rams Playoff Odds: +430

Upcoming schedule:

• Sept. 22: vs. San Francisco (1-1)
• Sept. 29: at Chicago (1-1)
• Oct. 6: vs. Green Bay (1-1)

The first two weeks of the 2024 season have not been kind to Sean McVay’s team. One key offensive linemen after another has gotten hurt, both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are on IR (or IR-bound) and L.A. is reeling after a 41-10 loss to Arizona last Sunday.

Still, the Rams could overcome a brutal start thanks to a manageable schedule after Week 3. While oddsmakers expect L.A. to fall to 0-3 this weekend, its opponents after that are the Bears, Packers, Raiders, Vikings, Seahawks, Dolphins and Patriots.

Only two of those teams (Green Bay and Miami) made the playoffs last year, and neither of those teams’ starting QBs is currently healthy.

If the quarterbacks the Rams face from Weeks 4-11 end up being rookie Caleb Williams, Malik Willis*, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Tyler Huntley/Skylar Thompson and Jacoby Brissett, Matthew Stafford and Co. would have a real chance to enter the home stretch of the season at 5-5 or better, even if the Niners drop them to 0-3 this weekend.

As recently as a year ago, in fact, L.A. made the playoffs (and nearly took down Detroit on the road in the Wild Card round) after starting the year 3-6.

*Jordan Love will reportedly be back under center for GB by Week 5, but that’s no guarantee.

Rams to make playoffs? Yes (hear us out!)

L.A. has an uphill climb ahead, but don’t count out the Stafford-McVay combo, which has reached the playoffs two of the last three years.

Also keep in mind that in seven years leading the Rams, McVay has reached the postseason five times, including three appearances with a young Jared Goff at quarterback.

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