Which 0-3 Teams Can Finally Get A Win?

Spotlight NFL Teams With 0-3 Starts

Most of this season’s 0-3 teams just narrowly missed out on wins on Sunday, so there could be hope on the horizon, despite none of these squads facing one another in week four.

Schedule aside (they’ve faced the Bills, Bengals and Colts), the Texans are the most shocking 0-3 squad given their Super Bowl expectations heading into 2026. But Houston’s long-struggling offense actually isn’t the problem this season, with the team in the top half by of the NFL by yards per game. It’s the typically stout defense that’s really had a tough time.

The Texans have allowed 25 points per game and rank near the bottom of the league at passing yards allowed per game at 238.7 per. Week four’s opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, could offer some respite given their paltry rushing average (94 yards per game) and potential exhaustion returning from Brazil. If not, the Titans will be up next.

Out in Buffalo, the Chargers did all they could to avoid starting 0-3, forcing five turnovers against the Bills. Yet they still lost, 24-16, marking the third time since 2015 that the Bolts have been defeated after forcing five turnovers. Unfortunately, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are up next, followed by similarly tough matchups against the Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens, respectively.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were struggling when Baker Mayfield was healthy. Now, the Bucs could be without their quarterback for a while after he dislocated his thumb. Tampa has manageable games ahead against the struggling Green Bay Packers at home and the Cowboys on the road. They’ll have to overcome some of the league’s worst offensive production so far, though.

For the Titans and Dolphins, 0-3 isn’t alarming given preseason expectations. But the Titans, in particular, have to feel some disappointment following two straight narrow losses to NFC East foes the past two weeks. Tennessee has the Ravens, Texans and Colts up next, though two of those are on the road.

The Dolphins’ poor season, meanwhile, keeps getting worse. Star running back De’Von Achane tore his ACL against the Chiefs on Sunday, and the most winnable game in the next six is the suddenly respectable Jets on October 25.

Surprising Sprints To 3-0

On the other end of the spectrum, two of the NFL’s unbeaten teams are among the most shocking: the Las Vegas Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Raiders have sported the NFL’s top turnover margin thus far, at plus-5 – including league-highs in both interceptions (four) and fumbles recovered (five). Las Vegas’s Kirk Cousins-led offense has also scored over 29 points per game so far, against the Dolphins, Chargers and Saints. Bigger tests await in October, though, with games against the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams.

For the Vikings, the defense has fueled an impressive beginning despite losing starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the better part of two games.

Minnesota is allowing just 13.7 points per game (second in the league) and lead the NFL in sacks with 14. Through three games, they’ve effectively shut down the offenses of the Packers, Bears and Buccaneers, respectively. The Bears game is arguably one of the season’s most impressive feats yet, since Chicago scored 59 points in week one.

The Vikings have just three games in October, against the Dolphins, Saints and Colts. Even a moderately good Minnesota team could enter November with six or seven wins and great positioning in a toss-up NFC North.

Star NFL QBs Fighting Narratives

Some of the NFL’s top quarterbacks had the unenviable task of battling narratives about their play heading into this season. Unfortunately for nearly all of them, they’ve yet to put those negative ideas to bed.

Justin Herbert was supposed to have the “best season of his career” under the tutelage of Mike McDaniel this year, effectively putting his past struggles as Chargers QB (including zero playoff wins) to bed. But in three games, he’s completing a career-low 59.1% of his passes, and has just three touchdowns to four interceptions.

Jordan Love, a long-time analytics darling, was rated the No. 6 quarterback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus ahead of the 2026 season. Honing in on his efficiency and explosive play ability, the evaluation was not a stretch. And yet now, three weeks into the season, Love’s Packers are 1-2. Green Bay was just embarrassed by the previously winless Falcons on Thursday night. And Love is barely completing 52% of his throws as the Packers offense struggles with no rushing attack to speak of (averaging a league-worst 48.7 yards per game).

In New England, Drake Maye has yet to shake the criticisms from his play in the Super Bowl. He has just one touchdown to six interceptions this season, and his problems with accuracy and play-making have been one of the key reasons for New England’s alarming 1-2 start.

Going back to the wildcard round last year, Maye has hit less than 60% of his throws in four of seven games, has thrown multiple interceptions three times, and has just seven touchdown passes to 10 picks in that stretch. He’s also been sacked 30 times, and has made the NFL MVP campaign of last regular season a distant memory.

All three quarterbacks have a chance to turn their narratives around in 2026. But for players that had their doubters heading into the year, nothing fans have seen so far would suggest the lingering questions about their respective abilities were wrong.