The NFL is an ugly place right now, so let's hold these Buffalo Bills dear. They are 2-0, on track for an undefeated season that won't materialize, but is still certainly possible. Possibility is hope, which can't be complete sadness. The defense is terrifying. The offense is youthful. The team's future is safe in Buffalo, secure from aging rock stars fronting for usurpers in suits. Jim Kelly appears to be cancer-free.
The undefeated Bills are your new favorite team
The head and the heart agree: the Bills may be onto something big.
Tom Szczerbowski
The win streak probably isn't sustainable. The team's potential undoing -- quarterback E.J. Manuel -- hasn't been tested yet thanks to the outstanding work of the defensive, rushing and special teams units. The Bills have been down on the scoreboard for all of four minutes and 43 seconds this season, and that was early in the first quarter of Week 1. At some point, the team is going to be in a late-game deficit and reliant on Manuel's arm. It's unclear what we can expect when the second-year passer has to handle that type of situation.
Buffalo Bills
But every team that isn’t 2-0 right now -- there are 25 of them! -- would rather be in the Bills’ place. Being 2-0 doesn’t necessarily mean a team is good. Certainly not in the Bills’ case. The team started 4-0 in 2008, but limped to an injury-riddled 3-9 finish to the season. In 2011, they went 3-0 before going 3-10 the rest of the way. But overall, winning games can’t be a bad thing.
The larger trend is good for the Bills. Ninety-one teams have started 2-0 since 2004. The cumulative final regular-season records of those teams (not including the seven 2-0 marks this season) is 827-516-1, or an average of 9.83 wins to 6.16 losses and .01 ties per season.
Nearly 10 wins put most of those teams in the playoff picture. Better than 61 percent (51 of 83) of teams that started 2-0 over the last 10 years made the playoffs. Sixteen of those teams went to the Super Bowl, and seven of them won a title.
Notably, 16 is also the number of those teams that finished with losing records. Based on our sample, the Bills have as good a chance of going to Glendale in February as they do finishing sub-.500 now that they’ve started 2-0, and they’ve already done the latter twice in the last six years. They’re due!
Another problem: The Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles also deserve karmic retribution. Among the seven teams currently sitting at 2-0, there have been 17 Super Bowl appearances (four by the Bills) and just two titles (both by the Broncos, the last in 1998). Based on the past decade of history, we can guess that there is a good chance that a champion will come out of this group, and experts (or, at least, our guys) support that -- three of the seven are in the top five of SB Nation's latest power rankings, and five are in the top 10. None of them are the Bills, who very nearly have the worst odds of winning a title among the Undefeated Seven, coming in at No. 13 just ahead of the Texans at No. 14.
A title for any of those teams would make for a compelling story, but among them, the Bills' (and now I'm shoehorning my opinion here) would make for the best. No team has had a crazier offseason that wasn't a PR disaster it deserved, from Ralph Wilson's death to the franchise's future, Kelly's recovery and a mortgage on 2015 for Sammy Watkins' athleticism and brittle body.
No one is more deserving of a pure, good thing than the Bills, and that’s before we account for the team’s ‘90s heartbreak. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they became something other than an oddity?
Teams that have started 2-0 since 2004
Arizona Cardinals
2008 - Record: 9-7 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2012 - Record: 5-11 Division: 4th in NFC West Postseason: nope
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: ?
2004 - Record: 11-5 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2006 - Record: 7-9 Division: 3rd in NFC South Postseason: nope
2009 - Record: 9-7 Division: 2nd in NFC South Postseason: nope
2012 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2006 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2008 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in AFC North Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2009 - Record: 9-7 Division: 2nd in AFC North Postseason: Divisional Round loss
Buffalo Bills
2008 - Record: 7-9 Division: 4th in AFC East Postseason: nope
2011 - Record: 6-10 Division: 4th in AFC East Postseason: nope
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: ?
Carolina Panthers
2008 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: ?
2006 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC North Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2010 - Record: 11-5 Division: 1st in NFC North Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2013 - Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd in NFC North Postseason: nope
Cincinnati Bengals
2005 - Record: 11-5 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: Wild Card loss
2006 - Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd in AFC North Postseason: nope
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: ?
2007 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC East Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2008 - Record: 9-7 Division: 3rd in NFC East Postseason: nope
Denver Broncos
2007 - Record: 7-9 Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: nope
2008 - Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: nope
2009 - Record: 8-8, Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: nope
2013 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in AFC West Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in AFC West Postseason: ?
2004 - Record: 6-10 Division: 3rd in NFC North Postseason: nope
2007 - Record: 7-9 Division: 3rd in NFC North Postseason: nope
2011 - Record: 10-6 Division: 2nd in NFC North Postseason: Wild Card loss
2007 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC North Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2008 - Record: 6-10 Division: 3rd in NFC North Postseason: nope
2010 - Record: 10-6 Division: 2nd in NFC North Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2011 - Record: 15-1 Division: 1st in NFC North Postseason: Divisional Round loss
Houston Texans
2007 - Record: 8-8 Division: 4th in AFC South Postseason: nope
2010 - Record: 6-10 Division: 3rd in AFC South Postseason: nope
2011 - Record: 10-6 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2012 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2013 - Record: 2-14 Division: 4th in AFC South Postseason: nope
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: ?
2005 - Record: 14-2 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Divional Round loss
2006 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2007 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2009 - Record: 14-2 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2004 - Record: 9-7 Division: 2nd in AFC South Postseason: nope
2006 - Record: 8-8 Division: 3rd in AFC South Postseason: nope
2005 - Record: 10-6 Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: nope
2010 - Record: 10-6 Division: 1st in AFC West Postseason: Wild Card loss
2013 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: Wild Card loss
2010 - Record: 7-9 Division: 3rd in AFC East Postseason: nope
2013 - Record: 8-8 Division: 3rd in AFC East Postseason: nope
2006 - Record: 6-10 Division: 3rd in NFC North Postseason: nope
2009 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in NFC North Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2004 - Record: 14-2 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2006 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2007 - Record: 16-0 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2008 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in AFC East Postseason: nope
2011 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2013 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC East Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2006 - Record: 10-6 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2009 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2010 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in NFC South Postseason: Wild Card loss
2013 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in NFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2005 - Record: 11-5 Division: 1st in NFC East Postseason: Wild Card loss
2008 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in NFC East Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2009 - Record: 8-8 Division: 3rd in NFC East Postseason: nope
2004 - Record: 10-6 Division: 2nd in AFC East Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2009 - Record: 9-7 Division 2nd in AFC East Postseason: Conference Championship Game loss
2011 - Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd in AFC East Postseason: nope
Philadelphia Eagles
2004 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC East Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2012 - Record: 4-12 Division: 4th in NFC East Postseason: nope
2014 - Record: 2-0 Division: 1st in NFC East Postseason: ?
2005 - Record: 11-5 Division: 2nd in AFC North Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2007 - Record: 10-6 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: Wild Card loss
2008 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2010 - Record: 12-4 Division: 1st in AFC North Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2006 - Record: 14-2 Division: 1st in AFC West Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2012 - Record: 7-9 Division: 2nd in AFC West Postseason: nope
2007 - Record: 5-11 Division: 3rd in NFC West Postseason: nope
2009 - Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd in NFC West Postseason: nope
2012 - Record: 11-4-1 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: Super Bowl loss
2004 - Record: 9-7 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: Wild Card loss
2006 - Record: 9-7 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2013 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in NFC West Postseason: Super Bowl champions
2005 - Record: 11-5 Division: 1st in NFC South Postseason: Wild Card loss
2010 - Record: 10-6 Division: 3rd in NFC South Postseason: nope
2008 - Record: 13-3 Division: 1st in AFC South Postseason: Divisional Round loss
Washington
2005 - Record: 10-6 Division: 2nd in NFC East Postseason: Divisional Round loss
2007 - Record: 9-7 Division: 3rd in NFC East Postseason: Wild Card loss
2011 - Record: 5-11 Division: 4th in NFC East Postseason: nope
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