PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two losses in five days already puts the Minnesota Vikings in a big hole that’s been difficult for NFL teams to overcome.
Since 1990, only 31 of the 270 clubs (11.5%) that began a season 0-2 advanced to the playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals recovered from losing their first two defeats last season to finish 12-4 and reached the AFC championship game.
The Vikings have to buck the losing trend after another sloppy effort in a 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. They had four costly fumbles, including Justin Jefferson losing the ball out of bounds in the end zone. That followed up a mistake-filled 20-17 loss at home to Tampa Bay in Week 1.