The Pittsburgh Steelers – and fans who back them at PA sportsbooks – are hoping for a much better outcome than the team had on Sunday. The Steelers were leveled, 30-7, at home last week by the San Francisco 49ers.
Down 20-7 at halftime, the Steelers were shut out in the second half, managing only 239 total yards for the game, just 41 of those on the ground. A proud Steelers team with playoff ambitions and looking to keep coach Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons intact does not want to drop their first two games.
Just how tough is it to make the playoffs after an 0-2 start? Utilizing Stathead.com, PennStakes.com – your source for PA sportsbook promo codes – looked at how teams since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger ended up the rest of the NFL season after starting their season with an 0-2 record. There have been 406 teams that have started 0-2 since the 1970 NFL merger. Here is what we found out:
Performance of NFL Teams Starting 0-2
Tough Road Ahead for 0-2 Clubs
A total of 57 teams (14%) went on to have a winning season after starting the season 0-2 and 39 of those (9.6%) made the playoffs. Advancing in the postseason is tough, as only four of those teams (1%) went on to make the Super Bowl, with three of them (0.7%) actually winning it.
To date, the best record of 0-2 teams is a final record of 12-4 (2022 Cincinnati Bengals, 2013 Carolina Panthers). Last season, there were six 0-2 teams: the Bengals, Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Tennessee Titans.
Monday Night Matchup
The Steelers will host an AFC North rival, the 1-0 Cleveland Browns, on Monday Night Football (ESPN, 8:15 p.m.). The Browns routed Cincinnati, 24-3, at home last Sunday. In the game, Cleveland limited Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to 14-for-31 passing for just 81 yards.
At BetMGM Sportsbook PA, the Browns are a 2.5-point and -140 moneyline favorite over the Steelers (+110), with the over/under game total at 38.5 points. Pittsburgh has won three of the last four matchups, including a 28-14 home victory on Jan. 8, and is 6-4 in the last 10.
