DETROIT — The Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions are desperately hoping to have enough success this season to end long playoff droughts.
Detroit hasn’t played beyond the regular season since 2016, while Atlanta’s most recent postseason appearance was the year after that, with both dry spells ranking among the NFL’s longest active streaks without a playoff berth behind the New York Jets’ 12-year run of futility.
Now the Lions (1-1) will host the Falcons (2-0) at Ford Field in a potentially pivotal game Sunday.
While it may seem way too early to peek ahead at the playoff picture two weeks into a 17-game regular season, history suggests how teams fare early can indicate their chances of making it to the NFL’s tournament.
Each of the six teams that started 2-0 last season made the playoffs, and 64% have since 1990. Eight of the 14 teams in the playoffs last season lost at least one of their first two games, and 42% of 1-1 teams over the last 23 years have earned a spot in the postseason.