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Since 1990 there have been 24 teams that have made the playoffs starting the season 0-2. Including a few Super Bowl winners. So we have hope!!!
1990
Houston Oilers.
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: The Oilers went into the bye at 4-5, but quarterback Warren Moon and the high-powered offense won five of seven down the stretch to sneak into the postseason. The stay was short-lived as Houston was dispatched in the Wild Card round by division rival Cincinnati, 41-13.
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1990 Philadelphia Eagles
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: Led by dual-threat quarterback Randall Cunningham, the Eagles closed the season on a three-game winning streak and won eight of their last 10. That earned them home-field advantage to open the playoffs, but Washington was able to come to Philadelphia and take care of business, 20-6.
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1990 New Orleans Saints
Final Record: 8-8
Overview: A rare instance when a team with a .500 record made the playoffs without winning their division. The Saints had to beat the NFC's best team, San Francisco, on the road in Week 16 to get to that point. Not surprisingly, New Orleans was dumped in the opening round of the postseason, a 16-6 loss to Chicago.
----1991 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 10-6
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1991 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: Deion Sanders was 24 and 1991 was his first of six Pro Bowl seasons. There was also a 22-year-old rookie quarterback named Brett Favre on the bench. Atlanta won seven of eight at one stretch, with the only loss coming at the hands of eventual Super Bowl champion Washington. The Falcons won their playoff opener before falling to Washington again in the Divisional round.
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1992 San Diego Chargers
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: The Chargers are the only team since the playoff expansion to start the year 0-4 and still qualify for the postseason. San Diego caught fire, winning 11 of their final 12 games. The momentum continued into the playoffs, with a shutout win against Kansas City, but the Chargers' run came to an end with a scoreless effort against Miami, 31-0.
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1993 Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: After getting embarrassed by the Los Angeles Rams, 27-0, to fall to 0-2, the Steelers ripped off four straight wins. Pittsburgh went .500 the rest of the way, earning the final playoff spot in the AFC. In the Wildcard round they took the Chiefs to overtime at Arrowhead, but ultimately fell to Kansas City.
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1993 Dallas Cowboys
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: The defending Super Bowl champs dropped the first two games while running back Emmitt Smith held out for a new contract. He returned in Week 3 and Dallas lost just two more the rest of the way, going on to defend their championship, 30-13 against Buffalo.
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1994 New England Patriots
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Patriots dropped a couple shootouts to start the year before the defense picked it up. Led by second-year quarterback Drew Bledsoe, New England won its final seven games. Unfortunately, it didn't carry into the postseason as the Patriots were dumped in the opening round by the Cleveland Browns, 20-13.
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1995 Detroit Lions
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Lions got off to a brutal start, losing their first three and going 3-6 through the first nine weeks. But the high-octane offense, led by running back Barry Sanders and receivers Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, went on a scoring binge to run off seven straight wins to close the year. That offense put up 37 points in the playoff opener, but it wasn't close to enough as Philadelphia hung 58 on Detroit, which included a pair of pick-sixes courtesy of the Lions quarterbacks.
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1996 New England Patriots
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: The Pats opened the year with a couple road losses against AFC East rivals, before winning seven on their next eight. Drew Bredsoe had another monster year and veteran running back Curtis Martin racked up more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns as New England earned a bye and represented the AFC in the Super Bowl, losing to eventual champion Green Bay.
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1998 Arizona Cardinals
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: After more than a decade of ineptitude, the Cardinals bounced back from two blowout losses to start the season, hovered around the .500 mark before winning the final three weeks to snag the final playoff spot in the NFC. Arizona went on to upset Dallas (with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin) in the opening round before getting beaten handily by Minnesota, 41-21.
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1998 Buffalo Bills
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Bills lost their first three games by a combined nine points then got an early bye week. The team, led by quarterback Doug Flutie, returned focused, winning seven of the next eight. Buffalo drew division rival Miami at home in the playoffs after splitting the season series, and despite a 240-yard outing from receiver Eric Moulds, five turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
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1998 New York Jets
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: This is the third Bill Parcells team on the list, proving the legendary coach knew how to keep his teams focused through rough starts. The Jets responded to two early losses with a 44-6 thrashing on Indianapolis that kick-started a 12-2 stretch to end the year. New York got the bye, bounced the Jaguars in the divisional round before falling to eventual Super Bowl champs, Denver.
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2001 New England Patriots
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: After going 5-11 in his first season with the Patriots, Bill Belichick's group got off to a shaky start, dropping the first two and losing accomplished starter Drew Bledsoe in that second game. Enter Tom Brady, the second-year man out of Michigan, who led New England to an 11-3 mark the rest of the way, followed by a stunning Super Bowl run.
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2002 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 9-6-1
Overview: After missing the playoffs three straight years, the Falcons dropped the first two of the 2002 season by a combined four points. But second-year quarterback Michael Vick proved tough to beat, leading Atlanta eight straight without a loss (7-0-1). The Falcons would go on to stun the Packers, at Lambeau, in the Wildcard game, before falling to Philadelphia, 20-6
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2002 Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Record: 10-5-1
Overview: 13-3 the season before, the Steelers stumbled out of the gate, dropping double-digit decisions to New England and Oakland to start the year. An early bye didn't help, as Pittsburgh needed OT to squeak by Cleveland before getting dumped by New Orleans and falling to 1-3. XFL standout Tommy Maddox ended up taking over at QB in Week 4 and led the Steelers to the 9-2-1 finish and a second-round playoff exit.
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2003 Philadelphia Eagles
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: Yet another team that shook off a slow start to earn a bye. The Eagles were sputtering and in danger of falling to 2-4 before Brian Westbrook returned a punt 85 yards in the closing minutes to stun the New York Giants. That started a nine-game winning streak. The Eagles advanced past the Divisional round, besting the Packers, but couldn't get anything going in a 14-3 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game.
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2006 Kansas City Chiefs
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: The Chiefs lost starting quarterback Trent Green in the opener and managed just one touchdown in the first two games. The offense came alive in Week 3, a 41-0 thrashing of the 49ers. That started a streak of five wins in six games. Kansas City managed to survive a three-game losing skid in the middle of the season, but were eventually knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round by the Indianapolis Colts.
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2007 New York Giants
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: No one remember this team for its 0-2 start. The Giants actually surged to 6-2 after the opening losses, but limped into the postseason, splitting their final eight games. But New York got hot again at the right time, rolling through the playoffs and knocking off heavily favorited and undefeated New England in the Super Bowl.
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2008 Miami Dolphins
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: This was a team that went 1-15 the year before, so two losses to open the season surprised no one. The 9-1 finish, well, that's another story. And hey, look who was the team's new Executive Vice President, it's Bill Parcells. Perhaps the most memorable part of Miami's season was the Wildcat formation the team popularized with running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. It didn't help in the postseason as Baltimore thrashed Miami, 27-9.
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2008 Minnesota Vikings
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Vikings benched Tavaris Jackson in favor of Gus Frerotte after the 0-2 start, finishing 6-2 on the back half of the schedule. Adrian Peterson, in his second season, led the league in rushing with more than 1,700 yards. Minnesota hung tough with a more experienced Philadelphia team in the Wildcard round before succumbing to the Eagles, 26-14.
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2008 San Diego Chargers
Final Record: 8-8
Overview: Not really a shining example of rebounding from an 0-2 start, the Chargers got into the playoffs because the AFC West wasn't competitive in 2008. To San Diego's credit, they won their last four games to get into the postseason, then proceeded to knock off the Peyton Manning-led Colts in the opening round before getting ousted by Pittsburgh.
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2013 Carolina Panthers
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: The Colts wilted under the early-season pressure of primetime, falling to the Broncos on Sunday night the opening week and the Eagles on Monday night eight days later. But a couple cupcake matchups against division foes, Jacksonville and Tennessee, got the confidence back up as QB Andrew Luck posted monster numbers for the year. Indy reached the conference championship by besting Cincinnati and Denver, before getting worked over by the Patriots in the game now known for the Deflategate scandal.
1990
Houston Oilers.
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: The Oilers went into the bye at 4-5, but quarterback Warren Moon and the high-powered offense won five of seven down the stretch to sneak into the postseason. The stay was short-lived as Houston was dispatched in the Wild Card round by division rival Cincinnati, 41-13.
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1990 Philadelphia Eagles
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: Led by dual-threat quarterback Randall Cunningham, the Eagles closed the season on a three-game winning streak and won eight of their last 10. That earned them home-field advantage to open the playoffs, but Washington was able to come to Philadelphia and take care of business, 20-6.
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1990 New Orleans Saints
Final Record: 8-8
Overview: A rare instance when a team with a .500 record made the playoffs without winning their division. The Saints had to beat the NFC's best team, San Francisco, on the road in Week 16 to get to that point. Not surprisingly, New Orleans was dumped in the opening round of the postseason, a 16-6 loss to Chicago.
----1991 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 10-6
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1991 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: Deion Sanders was 24 and 1991 was his first of six Pro Bowl seasons. There was also a 22-year-old rookie quarterback named Brett Favre on the bench. Atlanta won seven of eight at one stretch, with the only loss coming at the hands of eventual Super Bowl champion Washington. The Falcons won their playoff opener before falling to Washington again in the Divisional round.
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1992 San Diego Chargers
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: The Chargers are the only team since the playoff expansion to start the year 0-4 and still qualify for the postseason. San Diego caught fire, winning 11 of their final 12 games. The momentum continued into the playoffs, with a shutout win against Kansas City, but the Chargers' run came to an end with a scoreless effort against Miami, 31-0.
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1993 Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: After getting embarrassed by the Los Angeles Rams, 27-0, to fall to 0-2, the Steelers ripped off four straight wins. Pittsburgh went .500 the rest of the way, earning the final playoff spot in the AFC. In the Wildcard round they took the Chiefs to overtime at Arrowhead, but ultimately fell to Kansas City.
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1993 Dallas Cowboys
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: The defending Super Bowl champs dropped the first two games while running back Emmitt Smith held out for a new contract. He returned in Week 3 and Dallas lost just two more the rest of the way, going on to defend their championship, 30-13 against Buffalo.
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1994 New England Patriots
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Patriots dropped a couple shootouts to start the year before the defense picked it up. Led by second-year quarterback Drew Bledsoe, New England won its final seven games. Unfortunately, it didn't carry into the postseason as the Patriots were dumped in the opening round by the Cleveland Browns, 20-13.
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1995 Detroit Lions
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Lions got off to a brutal start, losing their first three and going 3-6 through the first nine weeks. But the high-octane offense, led by running back Barry Sanders and receivers Herman Moore and Brett Perriman, went on a scoring binge to run off seven straight wins to close the year. That offense put up 37 points in the playoff opener, but it wasn't close to enough as Philadelphia hung 58 on Detroit, which included a pair of pick-sixes courtesy of the Lions quarterbacks.
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1996 New England Patriots
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: The Pats opened the year with a couple road losses against AFC East rivals, before winning seven on their next eight. Drew Bredsoe had another monster year and veteran running back Curtis Martin racked up more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns as New England earned a bye and represented the AFC in the Super Bowl, losing to eventual champion Green Bay.
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1998 Arizona Cardinals
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: After more than a decade of ineptitude, the Cardinals bounced back from two blowout losses to start the season, hovered around the .500 mark before winning the final three weeks to snag the final playoff spot in the NFC. Arizona went on to upset Dallas (with Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin) in the opening round before getting beaten handily by Minnesota, 41-21.
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1998 Buffalo Bills
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Bills lost their first three games by a combined nine points then got an early bye week. The team, led by quarterback Doug Flutie, returned focused, winning seven of the next eight. Buffalo drew division rival Miami at home in the playoffs after splitting the season series, and despite a 240-yard outing from receiver Eric Moulds, five turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
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1998 New York Jets
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: This is the third Bill Parcells team on the list, proving the legendary coach knew how to keep his teams focused through rough starts. The Jets responded to two early losses with a 44-6 thrashing on Indianapolis that kick-started a 12-2 stretch to end the year. New York got the bye, bounced the Jaguars in the divisional round before falling to eventual Super Bowl champs, Denver.
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2001 New England Patriots
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: After going 5-11 in his first season with the Patriots, Bill Belichick's group got off to a shaky start, dropping the first two and losing accomplished starter Drew Bledsoe in that second game. Enter Tom Brady, the second-year man out of Michigan, who led New England to an 11-3 mark the rest of the way, followed by a stunning Super Bowl run.
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2002 Atlanta Falcons
Final Record: 9-6-1
Overview: After missing the playoffs three straight years, the Falcons dropped the first two of the 2002 season by a combined four points. But second-year quarterback Michael Vick proved tough to beat, leading Atlanta eight straight without a loss (7-0-1). The Falcons would go on to stun the Packers, at Lambeau, in the Wildcard game, before falling to Philadelphia, 20-6
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2002 Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Record: 10-5-1
Overview: 13-3 the season before, the Steelers stumbled out of the gate, dropping double-digit decisions to New England and Oakland to start the year. An early bye didn't help, as Pittsburgh needed OT to squeak by Cleveland before getting dumped by New Orleans and falling to 1-3. XFL standout Tommy Maddox ended up taking over at QB in Week 4 and led the Steelers to the 9-2-1 finish and a second-round playoff exit.
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2003 Philadelphia Eagles
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: Yet another team that shook off a slow start to earn a bye. The Eagles were sputtering and in danger of falling to 2-4 before Brian Westbrook returned a punt 85 yards in the closing minutes to stun the New York Giants. That started a nine-game winning streak. The Eagles advanced past the Divisional round, besting the Packers, but couldn't get anything going in a 14-3 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game.
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2006 Kansas City Chiefs
Final Record: 9-7
Overview: The Chiefs lost starting quarterback Trent Green in the opener and managed just one touchdown in the first two games. The offense came alive in Week 3, a 41-0 thrashing of the 49ers. That started a streak of five wins in six games. Kansas City managed to survive a three-game losing skid in the middle of the season, but were eventually knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round by the Indianapolis Colts.
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2007 New York Giants
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: No one remember this team for its 0-2 start. The Giants actually surged to 6-2 after the opening losses, but limped into the postseason, splitting their final eight games. But New York got hot again at the right time, rolling through the playoffs and knocking off heavily favorited and undefeated New England in the Super Bowl.
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2008 Miami Dolphins
Final Record: 11-5
Overview: This was a team that went 1-15 the year before, so two losses to open the season surprised no one. The 9-1 finish, well, that's another story. And hey, look who was the team's new Executive Vice President, it's Bill Parcells. Perhaps the most memorable part of Miami's season was the Wildcat formation the team popularized with running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. It didn't help in the postseason as Baltimore thrashed Miami, 27-9.
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2008 Minnesota Vikings
Final Record: 10-6
Overview: The Vikings benched Tavaris Jackson in favor of Gus Frerotte after the 0-2 start, finishing 6-2 on the back half of the schedule. Adrian Peterson, in his second season, led the league in rushing with more than 1,700 yards. Minnesota hung tough with a more experienced Philadelphia team in the Wildcard round before succumbing to the Eagles, 26-14.
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2008 San Diego Chargers
Final Record: 8-8
Overview: Not really a shining example of rebounding from an 0-2 start, the Chargers got into the playoffs because the AFC West wasn't competitive in 2008. To San Diego's credit, they won their last four games to get into the postseason, then proceeded to knock off the Peyton Manning-led Colts in the opening round before getting ousted by Pittsburgh.
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2013 Carolina Panthers
Final Record: 12-4
Overview: The Colts wilted under the early-season pressure of primetime, falling to the Broncos on Sunday night the opening week and the Eagles on Monday night eight days later. But a couple cupcake matchups against division foes, Jacksonville and Tennessee, got the confidence back up as QB Andrew Luck posted monster numbers for the year. Indy reached the conference championship by besting Cincinnati and Denver, before getting worked over by the Patriots in the game now known for the Deflategate scandal.
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