2018 NFL Season: 5 do-or-die teams in Week 3 and their odds

Everybody knows the saying. It’s hard to recover if you start 0-2. Well, that’s unlikely to be any different for those teams this 2018 NFL season.

The deck is most definitely stacked against them going into week three. They must win. There’s no getting around that fact. It doesn’t matter if they’re banged up or simply off to a slow start. Even if they must be fueled by pure desperation, another loss would most likely cripple any further hopes of making a run at the playoffs this year. So here’s a quick rundown of every matchup featuring an 0-2 team this coming Sunday and what their odds of success will be.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago

People knew it would be bad when Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians retired, but they had no idea it would be this bad. The Cardinals defense is still strong, but their offense has fallen off a cliff. It’s scored just six points in two games and struggled to get anything going at all in the passing game. Now Sam Bradford may have to go against the best pass rush in football with two of his primary receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, ailing from injuries. This means unless they can establish David Johnson, this team could be in big trouble.

Odds of victory: 20%

Detroit Lions vs. New England

This is not the reunion Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia was looking forward to with his former team. The Lions met with disaster in their opener against the Jets and then lost a tough one in San Francisco. Now they’re 0-2 and limping home to face a Patriots team that is angry after their own loss in Jacksonville. Given how ineffective the Lions defense has been to this point (78 points allowed in two games), it will take a herculean effort to avoid their third-straight loss. Expect Matthew Stafford to carry the load if that’s to happen. New England’s pass rush is banged up.

Odds of victory: 15%

Oakland Raiders at Miami

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Jon Gruden is squarely in the crosshairs of Oakland fans right now. His decision to trade Khalil Mack is looking more and more foolish by the week as the defense continues to struggle to apply pressure on the quarterback. Meanwhile, the offense hasn’t been doing much either. Derek Carr is struggling to adapt to Gruden’s West Coast-style system. Now they face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins. The Raiders have won just twice in the past nine times they’ve played down there. If they can’t pressure Ryan Tannehill, it could be a long day.

Odds of victory: 25%

New York Giants at Houston

Seems Dave Gettleman didn’t solve the issues he’d hoped to for the Giants. This team is still bad. Eli Manning looks like a spent man and the addition of Saquon Barkley in the backfield hasn’t helped much. What’s worse is their defense ranks among the worst in the league. It’s unknown if Pat Shurmur can somehow pull them off the canvas to take down the equally desperate Texans in Houston. Deshaun Watson is aching for a breakout game while the Texans pass rush remains dangerous. This feels like one of those games that look even on paper but could get ugly.

Odds of victory: 25%

Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas

Poor Russell Wilson. His offensive line is a mess and it doesn’t figure to get better with yet another strong pass rush coming to town in Dallas. Luckily he’s finally at home this time and perhaps the Seahawks will be able to rally with their home crowd behind them. The Cowboys defense is good but their offense has proven one dimensional. If they can’t run, Dak Prescott has repeatedly shown he’s incapable of attack defenses through the air with any consistency. Seattle may just be able to take advantage of that. If Wilson doesn’t die first, of course.

Odds of victory: 50%

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