Column: In the NFL, nine teams off to 0-2 start see situation as disappointing to dire

The 0-2 Philadelphia Eagles are frustrated, perplexed and embarrassed.

But they aren’t lonely.

Nine NFL teams have opened this season with back-to-back losses, leaving a lot of hands hovering over panic buttons.

The season is a marathon and not a sprint, true, but no one wants to start a marathon with an unceremonious face plant in the first mile.

“I don’t know how the players felt; I was embarrassed,” Eagles Coach Chip Kelly said this week, looking back at Sunday’s 20-10 home loss to Dallas. “That’s not the way we’re supposed to play football, and that’s not what we’re all about.”

Coaches were saying the same kinds of things in Baltimore, Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Seattle, where teams likewise began the season with consecutive defeats. The New York Giants lost their first two games too, heading into Thursday night’s home game against Washington.

Four of those 0-2 teams made the playoffs last season: Seattle, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Detroit.

If history is a guide, not many of these 0-2 teams will reach the postseason. Since 1990, when the NFL adopted its current 12-team playoff format, just 11.7% of teams that lost their first two games made the playoffs (24 of 205). The Colts did it last season, and the Carolina Panthers the season before that.

For some of this season’s teams, the situation is more disappointing than dire. The Seahawks, for instance, opened with two tough road games — at St. Louis, which always seems to play Seattle well, and at Green Bay, where Aaron Rodgers has not been intercepted since 2012.

The Seahawks played those games without Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor, who was holding out for a more lucrative contract. He ended that holdout Wednesday, vowing to set aside his contract demands until after the season. The sigh out of Seattle was almost audible.

“It felt like he never left,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said Thursday after Chancellor’s first practice back. “He came back and he was really poised, he did everything he usually does. He even made checks that we haven’t heard in a while. It was like, ‘Oh, damn. Kam’s back.’ He knows exactly when to call things, and it’s cool to have him back out there. He’s so comfortable in his position and he’s one of the best at his job.”

If the Seahawks aren’t hyperventilating about losing their first two, it’s partly because they lost three of their first six last season before regaining their balance and making it to the Super Bowl. What’s more, they play host to the winless Bears on Sunday, and Chicago probably will have Jimmy Clausen at quarterback in place of the injured Jay Cutler. The Bears, who have been outscored by a league-high 33 points, are bad on both sides of the ball.

Heading into Week 3 without a victory feels familiar to the Colts, seeing as they advanced all the way to the AFC title game last season after that inglorious start. But there’s also a different feeling in Indianapolis these days in light of the thick tension between Coach Chuck Pagano, already on the hot seat, and General Manager Ryan Grigson.

Like the Eagles, the Colts have a porous offensive line and a suspect defense. Even Andrew Luck, among the league’s elite quarterbacks, faltered badly Monday against the New York Jets with three intercepted passes and a fumble.

“It’s not that hard,” a frustrated Pagano said when asked about Luck’s turnovers. “It’s not trigonometry.”

Pagano later backpedaled on his criticism of Luck, saying, “He’s been doing phenomenal things for us over the last three years. He makes huge plays. We put a lot on his plate, and he handles it extremely well. He manages the game. He finds a way when we do have a breakdown here or there in a protection. He’s big and he’s strong and he’s athletic and he can escape and he can extend plays.”

Seeing as Houston is 0-2, as well — and neither Tennessee nor Jacksonville is a powerhouse — the Colts are still in decent position to regain their equilibrium and make a run at another AFC South title. But Sunday’s game at Tennessee is suddenly hugely important for Indianapolis.

The Texans already are groping for answers at quarterback, switching from Brian Hoyer to Ryan Mallett after the opener, with neither player looking particularly impressive. The team might have been better off sticking with Ryan Fitzpatrick, now under center for the 2-0 Jets.

The Saints are not only winless, but they’re toothless at home, where they used to dominate. Dating to last season, they have lost six in a row at the Superdome. Drew Brees has a bad shoulder, and looks all of his 36 years, and has precious few playmakers around him.

After two weeks, the Lions are ranked 30th in defense and 25th in offense. There has been a dearth of big plays, and an abundance of breakdowns on the offensive line.

“There have been some bright spots and been some things we’ve done well,” Detroit Coach Jim Caldwell said. “But we’ve got to be able to stack those on top of one another.”

Meanwhile, it’s the losses that keep stacking up. And that ratchets up the tension by the week.

“We all understand the situation,” said Baltimore Coach John Harbaugh, whose 0-2 team is coming off a 37-33 road loss decided by an Oakland touchdown with 26 seconds left. “We’ve lost two games in a row before. We’ve lost three games in a row before and we’ve overcome it. But we’ve never done it in the beginning of the season, so it feels a lot tougher.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesfarmer