Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, only 12 teams that began the season 1-4 went on to make the playoffs. The encouraging news for this season’s six 1-4 teams is that the Texans and Chiefs did it just last year.
The bad news is the Chiefs and the Texans are the recent exception, not the burgeoning rule, and actually raised the percentage of 1-4 teams to qualify for the playoffs to just 6 percent.
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The Chargers are 1-4 and face a tough division opponent Thursday night when the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos (4-1) come to Qualcomm Stadium (8:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network, CBS, Twitter).
The Broncos are coming off their first loss, falling Sunday to the Falcons. The Chargers suffered yet another heartbreaking loss with a botched snap on a potential tying field-goal attempt against the Raiders.
All four of San Diego’s losses have come after it held second-half leads.
“There are some very difficult lessons for us to learn from,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said this week. “We’ve just got to keep fighting through this, and that’s what we’re going to do as a team.
“We’ve got to move on.”
Eagles (3-1) at Redskins (3-2), Sunday 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Carson Wentz is human after all. The rookie quarterback threw his first interception Sunday as the Eagles lost for the first time, a 24-23 defeat against the Lions.
The Eagles still have plenty of reasons for optimism, but will now face a Redskins team that has won three straight. The Redskins secondary is led by Josh Norman, but Wentz has done an excellent job of spreading the ball around with at least four completions to nine different receivers.
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins had a huge game against the Eagles last December, throwing for 365 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-24 Redskins victory. Tight end Jordan Reed, who had nine catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in that win, leads Washington this season with 33 receptions for 316 yards and two scores, but is questionable after he suffered a concussion Tuesday.
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Panthers (1-4) at Saints (1-3), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Despite just one win after five games, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said there “are things to build on” from Monday’s disappointing loss to the Buccaneers.
One thing that would help is getting MVP quarterback Cam Newton back after he missed Monday’s game because of a concussion.
“Despite the fact that some people want to give the division to somebody already with 11 games left to play, we’ll just wait and see,” Rivera said. “We’re going to play them one at a time and that’s how we’re going to look at it.”
The Saints are in a similar situation, entering the season with playoff expectations, but sitting with just one victory after five weeks. The lone victory was an improbable comeback to beat the Chargers.
The Saints defense has struggled and will have a tough test against a motivated Panthers team, though New Orleans will be the more rested team, coming off a bye while the Panthers have a short week.
"The most desperate team wins, so if there’s not desperation, you create desperation," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "I do not think it makes or breaks the season, but it is certainly important. I would say that both teams would expect to be much better than what their records reflect right now."
Falcons (4-1) at Seahawks (3-1), Sunday, 425 p.m. ET (Fox)
The Falcons are threatening to run away with the NFC South after wins over the Panthers and Broncos.
Atlanta beat last season’s Super Bowl teams in completely different fashions. Wide receiver Julio Jones blew up against the Panthers (12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown). But the Falcons used a variety of checkdown passes to running backs to beat Denver’s vaunted pass rush and outstanding secondary.
“We knew it was going to be an all-day fight and it certainly was,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said of the win over Denver. “I think our toughness and resiliency was certainly on hand and our guys battled. And now we reset and go through our process to get ready to play ball again.”
The Seahawks have the NFL’s top-ranked defense with a stout front seven and the “Legion of Boom” secondary. And it will be tested against the league’s best offense.
Cowboys (4-1) at Packers (3-1), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
It will also be strength vs. strength at Lambeau Field as the Cowboys have the NFL’s best rushing offense and the Packers feature the league’s top run defense. The Packers have been absurdly good against the run, giving up less than 43 yards per game and 2 yards per carry. But the four teams the Packers have played all rank in the bottom 10 in rushing.
The Cowboys' offense is led by two rookies in quarterback Dak Prescott, who has yet to turn the ball over in five starts, and Ezekiel Elliott, who leads the NFL with 546 yards. Elliott has rushed for at least 130 yards in three straight games.
“We just have to take it one game at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time,” Prescott said. “We’ve done a great job of putting the past behind us — win or lose — and just focusing on what’s in front of us. Right now, that’s the next team.”
The Packers are vulnerable through the air with nine touchdowns allowed. But so are the Cowboys, who have given up 12 plays of 20 yards or more. Opposing quarterbacks have a 101.5 rating against the Cowboys, and two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers has 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions in six career games against Dallas.