The Big Five: Ranking the NFL’s 0-3 teams by their chances of a turnaround

There's always next year. 

For some of the NFL's six 0-3 teams, the 2025 season is already a wash. But who might be able to turn things around the fastest, whether with an improbable in-season turnaround or in 2026 and beyond?

With apologies to the winless New Orleans Saints, who have the hardest turnaround road and are not included here, here's a list of five 0-3 NFL teams ranked by how quickly they might contend again, highlighting what's gone wrong and what needs to change.

5. Miami Dolphins

Not only does it feel like it's only a matter of time before Mike McDaniel runs out of time as Dolphins head coach, but Miami also needs an exit strategy for QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has regressed this season. It could be a while before the Dolphins recover.

The franchise is projected to be up against the salary-cap wall this offseason, and Tagovailoa is set to have a $56.4M cap hit. Per Spotrac, the Dolphins would incur an astronomical $99.2M dead-cap charge by releasing him after the season, making that a non-starter. 

As bad as the offense is, the defense might be worse. The unit ranks last in scoring defense (32.3 PPG), and after trading its best corner (Jalen Ramsey) to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason. Miami has no obvious answers to solve its weakness in the secondary. The pass-rush has also struggled, ranking 24th in ESPN's win-rate metric. The Dolphins could be in for a long overhaul, with the rest of the season determining who's along for the ride.

4. Tennessee Titans

The Titans have questions of their own at head coach as the fan base has grown frustrated with Brian Callahan, who is 3-17 since 2024. Tennessee looks directionless under Callahan, failing to establish an identity in the 20 months since his hiring in January 2024. As we've seen in recent years, a shift at head coach can pay immediate dividends, with teams including the 2022 Dolphins, 2023 Houston Texans and 2024 Los Angeles Chargers making the playoffs the season after making a change. 

The Titans appear far from sniffing the postseason, but in the unpredictable AFC South, they could be a year away from surprising everyone. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who has just a 54.5 percent completion percentage and leads the league in sacks taken (15), must make strides to prove he's the future of the franchise. The defense, which has struggled this season, isn't devoid of talent, with corner L'Jarius Sneed and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons players worth building around. The 2025 season might already be a lost cause, but there's a (slim) chance Tennessee could improve with the right moves this offseason.

3. New York Giants

Quarterback Jaxson Dart, the No. 25 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, will get his first start in Week 4 against the 3-0 Los Angeles Chargers, a questionable move considering the Chargers have one of the league's top defenses, ranking fourth in points allowed (16.7). If the Giants expect Dart to instantly enter the starting lineup and win, they'll be sorely disappointed.  

But New York's outlook could certainly look much different by the end of the season. The Giants finish with four of their final five games against teams currently with a losing record. By that time, Dart may have begun to find his footing. Wide receiver Malik Nabers is one of the league's top young wide receivers (15.7 YPG), and rookie running back Cam Skattebo has flashed potential (4.4 yards per carry). The defense remains a work in progress, but with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and rookie Abdul Carter leading the charge up at the line of scrimmage, it has key ingredients for an effective rush.

2. New York Jets

Two of the Jets three losses have come by four points combined, with both coming on walk-off field goals, including a 60-yarder from Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell in Week 1 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin's 36-yard make in Week 3. New York also has only one full game from starting QB Justin Fields, who left a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills with a concussion. The AFC is too deep for New York to become a playoff contender this season, but there's little reason it can't end the season second in the AFC East, building momentum heading into 2026.

1. Houston Texans

If one 0-3 team can somehow turn things around and make the 2025 playoffs, it's the Texans. They've lost their first three games by 13 points combined, each by a touchdown or less. Houston's offense has been horrendous, and while it's hard to be too optimistic about a turnaround, don't rule one out completely.

Under new OC Nick Caley, Houston is last in third-down conversion rate (24.2 percent) and red-zone touchdown rate (zero percent). If it can simply improve to a middle-of-the-pack team in those areas, with its defense, it might be able to come back in the wide-open AFC South (unless the Indianapolis Colts are really the 2007 New England Patriots in disguise). That will be challenging because of Houston's offensive line, one of the NFL's worst, but Week 4 will be informative to the team's outlook the rest of the season. The Texans play the division-rival Titans, who rank 30th in scoring defense (31.3 points per game), giving the Houston offense an opportunity to get back on track.