Cincinnati Bengals Look To Join list of Teams To Make Playoffs Despite QB Chaos After 2-0 Start

CINCINNATI – Since the Cincinnati Bengals hired Zac Taylor in 2019, the exercise this time of year has been to dive into the history of teams who started 0-2 and still made the playoffs.

The 2022 Bengals are on that thin list.

But despite losing quarterback Joe Burrow to a turf-toe injury that will require surgery, the Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since Marvin Lewis’ final season in 2018.

So let’s take a look at how robust the list of 2-0 teams to make the playoffs is.

We’ll break it down into two parts – since the playoff field expanded to 12 teams in 1990, and since the playoff field expanded to 14 teams and the season grew from 16 to 17 games in 2021.

From 1990-2020, there were 255 teams to start 2-0 and 160 of them (62.7 percent) made the playoffs, including 21 of the 31 Super Bowl champions and 24 of the 31 Super Bowl runners-up.

That means 95 teams who started 2-0 failed to make the playoffs. Five of them were Bengals teams – 2006 and 2018 with Lewis, 2021 with Dick LeBeau and 1992 and 1995 with David Shula.

The average win total for teams starting 2-0 from 1990-2020 was 9.9.

Since the expanded playoffs in 2021, there have been 31 teams who have started 2-0, including two of the four Super Bowl champions).

Twenty-four of the 31 made the playoffs (77.4 percent).

The average win today for teams who have started 2-0 since 2021 is 10.4.

Of the seven teams that didn’t make the playoffs after a 2-0 start, four had to make changes at quarterback:

 2024 Saints (Derek Carr injured in Week 4, returned, injured again in Week 14, Jake Haener started Week 15, Spencer Rattler started Weeks 6-8 and 16-18; finished 5-12).

2024 Seahawks (17 starts by Geno Smith; finished 10-7).

2023 Saints (17 starts by Carr, finished 9-8).

2023 Commanders (17 starts by Sam Howell; finished 4-13).

2023 Falcons (Desmond Ridder benched after eight games for Taylor Heinicke, returns to role in Week 12, benched again after Week 15; finished 7-10).

2021 Broncos (Teddy Bridgewater hurt against Bengals after 14 starts, replaced by Drew Lock; finished 7-10).

2021 Panthers (Sam Darnold benched after seven starts, replaced by P.J. Walker then Cam Newton; finished 5-12).

If you’re looking for teams that endured quarterback chaos after a 2-0 start and made the playoffs, here are a few:

2023 Browns (Deshaun Watson started six games, Dorian Thompso-Robinson three, P.J. Walker one, Joe Flacco five and Jeff Driskel one; finished 11-6)

2022 Steelers (Kenny Pickett started first 12 games, Mitch Trubisky two, Mason Rudolph three; finished 10-7)

2022 49ers (Trey Lance started first two games; Jimmy Garoppolo next 10; Brock Purdy final five; finished 10-7 and reached NFC Championship Game)

2022 Dolphins (Tua Tagovailoa started first four games before injured against Bengals, Teddy Bridgewater started Week 5, Skylar Thompson started Week 6; Tagovailoa started next 10, Thompson meaningless 17th game; finished 9-8)

2021 Cardinals (Kyler Murray injured after eight starts, Colt McCoy starts three, Murray returns; finished 11-6)