Bills trying to avoid historical NFL losing streak that has only happened to one team over the past 20 years

The month of October has been a rough one for the Buffalo Bills. The Bills haven't won a single game this month and if that drought continues on Sunday in Carolina, Buffalo will make the kind of history that no team wants to make. 

Although the Bills started the season 4-0, they're now on a two-game losing streak and if they lose to the Panthers, they'll become just the seventh team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to lose three straight games after a 4-0 start. It's a situation that's so rare that it's only happened exactly one time over the past 20 years and that came in 2012 when the Arizona Cardinals lost nine in a row after a 4-0 start. 

Let's take a quick look at the six previous teams that started 4-0 only to have things go down the drain with a three-game losing streak following their hot start. 

If there's any team on this list that's comparable to the Bills, it would probably be the Raiders. Back in 2002, they had the fifth-best preseason Super Bowl odds and they were hot coming out of the gate with their 4-0 start, but it looked like their season was going to fall apart after they lost four straight games, which dropped them to 4-4. Instead, they rode the back of the 2002 NFL MVP, Rich Gannon, who led the Raiders to a 11-5 record and a Super Bowl appearance. 

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Garrett Podell

Josh Allen will likely have to put the team on his back if the Bills are going to turn things round, but even if he plays well, the Bills still need to get two things fixed quickly. First, they can't stop the run. Heading into Week 8, the Bills are giving up 156.3 yards per game on the ground, which is the second-most in the NFL. Although the Bills are favored by 7.5 points this week, this game certainly won't be a cake walk and that's because their run defense is going to get a stiff test from a Panthers rushing attack that ranks third in the NFL with 140.1 yards per game. 

No team has been better at running the ball over the past few weeks than the Panthers. Behind Rico Dowdle, the Panthers are averaging 193.3 yards per game on the ground since Week 5, which is the highest number in the NFL over that span. The 4-3 Panthers are also undefeated at home this season (3-0). The Panthers will also be starting Andy Dalton, who will be stepping in for an injured Bryce Young. Dalton also had to fill in for Young last season and during his first game of the year, he threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, so the Bills better not take him lightly. 

The other issue for the Bills is that their once explosive offense hasn't looked so explosive. They've averaged just 17 points per game during their two-game losing streak and their lack of a No. 1 receiver is starting to show. Josh Allen has only topped 255 yards passing once this season and that came back in Week 1. In their most recent game, Allen threw for just 180 yards in a 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. 

If there's any good news for Buffalo, it's the fact that they have Allen and that they're coming off a bye: 

• Allen has never had a three-game losing streak in his career. The 2024 NFL MVP has made 116 straight starts without losing three in a row, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history to start a career, trailing only Patrick Mahomes. Allen has also never lost coming off a bye, going 7-0, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history by a quarterback. 
• As a team, the Bills have been unbeatable off a bye. The've won 10 straight games off their bye, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history, trailing only the Eagles, who won 13 straight from 1999 thru 2011. 

With the Kansas City Chiefs on deck in Week 9, the Bills can't afford to overlook the Panthers. Buffalo still hasn't beaten a single team this year that currently has more than one win -- they've beaten four teams that are a combined 3-24 heading into Week 8 -- so a win in Carolina could be exactly what they need to get their season back on track.