Of the five winless franchises entering Week 5, only the Buccaneers have secured a victory so far in 2026, leaving four squads still winless.
Two of those struggling teams, the Chargers and the Texans, reached the playoffs last season.
According to NBC Sports research, the last instance of two playoff teams from the prior year beginning the following season at 0-4 occurred in 1999, when both Super Bowl participants from the previous year, the Broncos and Falcons, lost their first four games.
Moreover, no pair of playoff teams has ever started a subsequent season 0-5. That combination has never occurred.
On an individual basis, no playoff team has started the following year 0-5 since the 2017 Giants.
The record for the most teams beginning a season 0-4 stands at five. The 2026 group ties that mark, matching occurrences in 2009, 1996, 1991, 1979, and 1962.
With the 0-4 Texans set to play the 0-4 Titans, the season could see a maximum of three teams finish winless: the Chargers, the Dolphins, and the loser of the Texans-Titans matchup.
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