Panic meter for every 0-2 team: Texans have been here before, Commanders on downward spiral

You heard the same general concept from almost every coach of an 0-2 team after their loss this past weekend.

From Chargers coach John Harbaugh: "I'm not deterred. No one in that locker room is deterred."

From Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski: "We've got great resolve, we've got great resilience in that locker room."

From Titans coach Robert Saleh: "I've got a lot of faith in the group we have."

What else are they going to say? They don't believe in themselves or their teams?

Unfortunately, teams are what their records say they are, and beneath the belief that things will get better, there are some major, major concerns bubbling under the surface. It can start to get late early for some teams and, in turn, some coaches.

The popular stat is that from 2020 to 2025, only 16% of teams that started 0-2 made the playoffs, but what about the ones facing down the misery of not just an awful season but also larger developments? The seasons that set franchises back multiple seasons.

After Bryan DeArdo ranked every 0-2 team's chances of making the playoffs, today we detail the panic meter for every 0-2 team, ranking them from least panicked to most panicked, taking the big picture into account.

8. Miami Dolphins

Panic meter: 1/10

Miami knew this was going to be a rough season. There was a wholesale destruction transitioning into this season. Eight of the Dolphins' nine largest cap hits this year are from players not on the team. We expected the Dolphins to have the least talented roster in the NFL and be among its worst teams -- at best. So far, they are living up to that.

Miami is 32nd in offensive success rate and 27th in defensive success rate. And yet much of this is by design. It's unfortunate, hard-to-watch design, yes, but this is what it was supposed to look like.

If anything, the Dolphins can be encouraged by several players from their 13-player draft class, which is far, far more important than any result. Caleb Douglas had 94 receiving yards in his NFL debut. Jacob Rodriguez leads the team in tackles, and Michael Taaffe is second. First-round cornerback Chris Johnson has a pair of pass breakups.

The Dolphins are in for a long, slow build. The word "panic" shouldn't enter their lexicon, even as the losses accumulate.

7. Atlanta Falcons

Panic meter: 1/10

Like the Dolphins, the Falcons are in their first year under a new head coach. Unlike the Dolphins, there's a decent amount of talent on the team, talent that is frustratingly going to waste again. With Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. out for the first two weeks, Cooper Rush looked unplayable, capping everything on offense.

But Penix will start Thursday, giving him yet another chance to prove he should be the answer as starter (even if the returns so far have been uninspiring). Atlanta has had a different Week 1 starter each of the last six seasons. And even if Penix isn't the answer, and Tagovailoa isn't either, there's not a lot of reason for panic. This was always going to be a gap year of sorts, given the quarterback situation. Yes, the Jalon Walker injury stinks, and James Pearce Jr. is suspended eight games, but there's no real panic. Bijan Robinson and Drake London are still here for the long haul.

If this were a "frustration meter" or even a "misery meter," the Falcons would be ranked higher. It seems like the same story every year in Atlanta. But panic? There's no panic here.

6. Tennessee Titans

Panic meter: 3/10

After Week 1, the Titans would have been much higher on this list. They looked downright awful in a 23-3 loss to the Jets, a performance that had Jordan Dajani saying, "In fact, it's fair to question if this is as bad as it has ever been."

It was much better -- though still not a win -- in Week 2, a 24-20 loss to the Eagles. Unlike Week 1, both the offense and defense looked competent, and they did so against a playoff hopeful with a talented roster. Most importantly, Cam Ward had some nice moments. Wow, isn't it nice when everything around a quarterback doesn't look completely broken?

There are no moral victories, but there is improvement, and the Titans showed the latter. It's a week-to-week league, of course, and another Week 1-esque performance would sound alarm bells. But for now, we can lay off Tennessee as a complete disaster zone.

5. Houston Texans

Panic meter: 4/10

This is a tough one. The case for the Texans panicking is ...

• They were expected to be a playoff -- if not Super Bowl -- contender;
• Nico Collins' injury seemingly singlehandedly destroys the passing offense (especially following Jayden Higgins' season-ending injury);
• The offensive line and the running game still look pretty bad;
• Both losses have come to AFC opponents they're expected to compete against for playoff seeding/in the playoffs this season;
• and 0-2 is 0-2 any way you look at it.

The case for the Texans not panicking is ...

• They're 0-2 for the third time in four years, and each of the last two times, they've rallied to make the playoffs;
• They still have arguably the best defense in the NFL;
• Collins won't be out forever;
• And three of the AFC South teams are also 0-2, with the only one that isn't (Jacksonville) being only 1-1

The injuries are worrisome; they show how paper-thin the depth is at wide receiver, and guard Ed Ingram's absence was also noticeable in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Bengals. The offensive line is worrisome, but it has been for a bit. At least this unit should have higher floor and ceiling heights. The Texans shouldn't be panicking whatsoever, but a divisional showdown against the Colts has quickly become nearly a must-win. Speaking of the Colts ...

4. Indianapolis Colts

Panic meter: 5/10

On one hand, the Colts looked much, much better against the Chiefs in Week 2. On the other hand, they still lost, the defense still looks completely lost, and Alec Pierce suffered another injury.

Rather, the bigger cause for concern is that Shane Steichen was already perceived as a hot-seat coach, and Chris Ballard absolutely is (and has been) a hot-seat manager. Carlie Irsay-Gordon's comments at the end of last year made that clear as day. I'm of the opinion that Ballard is far more at fault than Steichen, especially given that the side of the ball he doesn't coach is arguably the worst in the NFL.

The Colts can't be any higher than this because Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line are excellent and should keep things at least somewhat on track. But potential rumblings about Steichen's and/or Ballard's jobs could throw things completely off course.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Panic meter: 7/10

The Buccaneers' six-point loss to the Bengals was a missed opportunity, but not exactly an upset. The Buccaneers' loss to the Browns, though? It was a stunner. And even worse in terms of panic meter, Baker Mayfield -- extended at the 11th hour this preseason -- looks awful. Only Cooper Rush has more turnovers this season. He's running around and trying to make plays like he's still the Heisman winner at Oklahoma. The problem? It's 10 years and many, many injuries later, and Mayfield should know (and probably does know) he can't play like this:

... or this

Meanwhile, the defense -- the side hot-seat coach Todd Bowles controls -- was really disappointing against the Deshaun Watson-led Browns. Watson had 238 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers one week after looking like an absolute disaster in the opener. First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. has two pressures in two games, unfortunately casting a shadow over second-round pick Josiah Trotter, who looks awesome.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Panic meter: 8/10

We don't even need to talk about how brutal the schedule gets for the Chargers -- and it gets really brutal -- if they can't beat the Cardinals or the Raiders. The offense is a train wreck. The defense is getting exposed now that former ace coordinator Jesse Minter is gone. It's all bad, and I wrote about it here:

Chargers' worst-case scenario has come to life with nowhere for Justin Herbert, Jim Harbaugh to hide

Zachary Pereles

For the offseason hype to go to in-season dread so quickly is so disappointing and, frankly, so Chargers. Justin Herbert has shown high-level stuff, and Mike McDaniel has shown high-level stuff. But the stylistic meld between the two just isn't happening, the procedural issues are all over the place, there are clear issues with the interior offensive line, Omarion Hampton keeps fumbling, and the entire offense falls apart without Ladd McConkey. Other than that ... it's going great!

1. Washington Commanders

Panic meter: 9/10

In Week 1, the Commanders' offense started slow, but the defense allowed them to hang around with the Eagles. It wasn't a win -- in fact, it was a major missed opportunity -- but it was a respectable showing.

Week 2 was a disaster. A panic-meter-shattering disaster. Jayden Daniels looked outstanding until suffering a dislocated left elbow, the same injury he suffered last year. Then the Cowboys sliced and diced the Washington defense en route to a 37-20 win, exposing the defense in a major way.

Franchise quarterback out indefinitely? Check. The defense is getting shredded, especially in the secondary. Check. This looks like last year all over again. And last year was very much a disaster. Washington has now lost 12 of its last 14 contests.

There are going to be big questions here, especially if this season slips away -- and it's on the precipice. It feels like piling on to mention the schedule, but in the next eight weeks, the Commanders face the Seahawks, the 49ers, the Eagles, the Rams and the Bengals. Marcus Mariota is a high-level backup, but he's facing a monumental task.

What's Dan Quinn's job status? Has first-time offensive coordinator David Blough even gotten a fair shot? What role has GM Adam Peters played in Washington not building on their breakthrough in 2024? Is another full-on reset upcoming? It could all be on the table very, very soon.