The NFL season is only a couple weeks old, but panic is in the air for a number of franchises, as the Giants, Redskins, Buccaneers, Panthers, Steelers, Jaguars, Vikings and Browns all are on the cusp of going 0-3 with a loss on Sunday and a couple games feature both teams in matchups, including New York-Carolina as well as Minnesota-Cleveland.
An 0-3 start is not a total death sentence, but going without a win through the first three weeks of the season can be demoralizing for any club and some of these teams will not be able to recover. Jacksonville and Cleveland are obviously not going anywhere and there almost no way the Jaguars are going to win in Seattle against the Seahawks. If the 49ers can't win there, there' no way the Jags are going to pull the upset, which would make the Seahawks 3-0 this season, matching the Chiefs with the best record in the league.
The Vikings are playing the Browns, who are reeling from the trade of Trent Richardson, making it a perfect time to get off the schnide against Cleveland. The game is at home and with Adrian Peterson looking to get better after starting his first two games and the team really needs to win, as the Bears are 2-0 and looking strong before they play the 0-2 Steelers on Sunday night. Pittsburgh needs the win badly, but they are banged up and that could be an issue as they have been inconsistent so far this season on both sides of the ball.
The Giants and the Panthers are matching up in a must-win game for both teams, as the Panthers are looking to avoid the start they had last season, while the Giants are just hoping to avoid disaster after turning the ball over 10 times over two games against the Broncos and Cowboys. The game is set up for the Giants to win, as the Panthers blew both their games and should still be reeling after having a depleted secondary. The Giants will likely win or lose based on Eli Manning's day passing to Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Reuben Randle. The Cowboys are in the top spot in the NFC East and the Giants and Redskins are both 0-2. The Redskins play the Lions at home and they need a nice game from Robert Griffin.
The rest of the divisions are mixed up with 0-2 teams, as the North has one in Minnesota, while the Bears are leading at 2-0. The South division in the NFC has the Bucs and Panthers are 0-2 and Tampa Bay is playing New England, so good luck on that one. The NFC West and AFC West both have zero teams that are 0-2, as does the AFC East. Yes, the Jets are not 0-2. The Steelers and the Jaguars fill out the other teams along with Cleveland, while Denver and Houston are both 2-0.
