While NFL teams that start 3-0 aren’t guaranteed a playoff spot, going undefeated through the first three weeks of a season usually leads to a postseason appearance.
Since the NFL moved to 32 teams and realigned its divisions in 2002, 106 teams have begun a season 3-0, according to PFR’s Stathead database. Seventy-seven of those clubs — roughly 73% — ended up in the playoffs.
The NFL expanded its postseason field to seven teams per conference in 2020. Since then, 15 of the 17 squads that started 3-0 have made the playoffs. The only exceptions came in 2021, when the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos began the year undefeated before finishing 5-12 and 7-10, respectively.
In 2024, four NFL teams — including the reigning Super Bowl champions — have already reached a 3-0 threshold. Here’s how we rank the four members of the NFL’s 3-0 club.
Ranking the NFL’s 3-0 Teams
1) Kansas City Chiefs
- Wins: 27-20 vs. BAL (Week 1); 26-25 vs. CIN (Week 2); 22-17 at ATL (Week 3)
- Offensive stats: 25 points per game (sixth); 0.05 EPA per play (sixth); 50.5% success rate (second)
- Defensive stats: 20.7 ppg (16th); -0.05 EPA per play (18th); 46.7% success rate (29th)
- Week 4 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs almost have to stay atop any sort of NFL rankings until they’re no longer the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
Kansas City’s offense is still clicking on almost every cylinder. Despite a few personnel question marks, more than half of their plays have been successful by EPA (expected points added) through three games.
Offseason addition Hollywood Brown won’t play this season after shoulder surgery, while the Chiefs have already benched Week 1 starting left tackle Kingsley Suamataia. Running back Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula in Week 2 and is expected to miss at least six weeks.
But Mahomes’ remaining weapons have been enough thus far. The Chiefs aren’t pushing the ball downfield; 37% of Mahomes’ throws have been at or behind the line of scrimmage, the NFL’s third-highest rate through three weeks.
Dart delivered 🎯 @PatrickMahomes
📺: #KCvsATL on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/5hy1MmlIoZ— NFL (@NFL) September 23, 2024
However, Kansas City’s underneath strategy has benefitted WR Rashee Rice, who leads the league with 23 receptions and 3.39 yards per route run. While he’s only averaging 5.21 air yards per route, Rice makes up for his lack of depth by averaging 7.8 yards after the catch, fourth-best among wideouts.
On defense, coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is mixing it up as much as ever. He hasn’t played any single coverage on over 30% of the Chiefs’ snaps. Quarters coverage has been Spags’ favorite through three weeks, but even then, he’s only at 25.7%. Quarterbacks never know what look K.C. will give them, and those looks can vary before and after the snap.
With the Los Angeles Chargers missing quarterback Justin Herbert and offensive linemen Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, and the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at 1-2, the Chiefs should waltz to their 10th straight AFC West title.
2) Minnesota Vikings
- Wins: 28-6 at NYG (Week 1); 23-17 vs. SF (Week 2); 34-7 vs. HOU (Week 3)
- Offensive stats: 28.3 points per game (third); 0.04 EPA per play (seventh); 50.5% success rate (ninth)
- Defensive stats: 10 ppg (second); -0.24 EPA per play (fourth); 34.4% success rate (fourth)
- Week 4 opponent: Green Bay Packers
While Seattle’s early slate of opponents diminishes its 3-0 start, the Vikings have taken down the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and dominated the Houston Texans, who many viewed as a shoo-in for an AFC title game appearance.
Through three weeks, Sam Darnold ranks eighth in EPA per dropback (0.06). He’s been great from a clean pocket, ranking second in EPA per dropback (0.55) when not pressured while completing 77.4% of his passes at 9.9 yards per attempt. But Darnold also has a perfect passer rating and leads the NFL in completion rate over expectation (+29.1%) when blitzed.
Head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin O’Connell is pushing all the right buttons to get the most out of Darnold’s elite physical talent. Darnold’s three play-action touchdown passes led the league. He’s third in EPA per dropback on play-action throws, behind only Josh Allen and Brock Purdy.
READ MORE: PFN NFL Power Rankings Week 4
Even if Darnold comes back to Earth as the season progresses, Minnesota’s defense is a weekly challenge for its opponents. Brian Flores remains one of the NFL’s most creative play-callers and consistently designs game plans that are nearly impossible for quarterbacks to sort through.
In 2023, the Vikings led the league in both blitz rate (49.5%) and drop-eight rate (20.7%). While many thought Flores went to those extremes because he was concerned about Minnesota’s lack of defensive talent, he’s repeating the same strategies this season, even though the Vikings upgraded their defensive roster.
Flores isn’t blitzing or dropping eight into coverage at quite the same rates through three games in 2024. Relative to the rest of the NFL, though, Flores remains an outlier, as Minnesota still ranks second in both blitz and rush-three rates.
3) Seattle Seahawks
- Wins: 26-20 vs. DEN (Week 1); 23-20 at NE (Week 2); 24-3 vs. MIA (Week 3)
- Offensive stats: 24.3 ppg (eighth); -0.04 EPA per play (13th); 45.6% success rate (14th)
- Defensive stats: 14.3 ppg (fourth); -0.28 EPA per play (second); 33.8% success rate (third)
- Week 4 opponent: Detroit Lions
It might be hard to get a casual NFL fan excited about Seattle’s 3-0 start.
In Week 1, the Seahawks got bailed out by a Broncos defensive offsides penalty late in the fourth quarter; otherwise, they’d have been punting back to Bo Nix with the game on the line. In Week 2, they had to go to overtime to beat Jacoby Brissett and the New England Patriots. And on Sunday, Seattle got to face Miami Dolphins QBs Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle instead of 2023 passing leader Tua Tagovailoa.
Still, even if you want to take the Seahawks’ defensive results with a grain of salt, Geno Smith has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks through three weeks.
DK. 71. YARDS. pic.twitter.com/6uQblU6h22
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 22, 2024
Seattle’s offensive line is a defined weakness and ranks 31st in pass-block win rate in 2024. However, Smith’s 7.2% sack rate ranks just 16th in the NFL, largely because he’s a master at evading pressure within the pocket. Pro Football Focus’ charting suggests Geno hasn’t been responsible for any of the 36 pressures that have come his way.
The Seahawks should continue to find more answers as the season progresses. First-year OC Ryan Grubb already looks like an improvement over Shane Waldron, who’s struggled to get the Chicago Bears offense on track in 2024. Once RB Kenneth Walker III (oblique) returns to add another dose of explosion, this offense could truly take off.
On defense, Mike Macdonald’s scheme has unlocked potential superstars in Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen, while veteran safeties Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins have been outstanding in coverage.
Seattle is only blitzing on 18.3% of dropbacks (league average: 25.8%) but still ranks third in pressure rate (44.2%). Three Seahawks defenders — EDGEs Boye Mafe and Derrick Hall and DT Leonard Williams — rank top-15 in pressure rate.
What’s the next evolution for Seattle’s new defense? More chaos. Macdonald deployed sim pressures — a four-man blitz with a non-traditional rusher (LB or DB) in place of a dropping lineman — at nearly double the NFL average as the Baltimore Ravens’ coordinator in 2023. He also used stunts — defensive line “games” in which ends and tackles exchange rushing roles to confuse opposing OLs — on nearly 30% of the Ravens’ passing plays.
Macdonald has dialed back his front’s complexity through three weeks, but that could change as the Seahawks’ defensive line and linebackers become more comfortable and get better at communicating.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers
- Wins: 18-10 at ATL (Week 1); 13-6 at DEN (Week 2); 20-10 vs. LAC (Week 3)
- Offensive stats: 17 points per game (24th); -0.08 EPA per play (16th); 38.5% success rate (28th)
- Defensive stats: 8.7 ppg (first); -0.33 EPA per play (first); 36.7% success rate (fifth)
- Week 4 opponent: Indianapolis Colts
Like Darnold, Justin Fields is a one-time first-round quarterback hoping to cash in as a free agent in 2025.
And like Darnold, Fields is making the most of his newfound opportunity this season.
Fields and the Steelers moved to 3-0 on Sunday after he threw for 245 yards and one touchdown while running for another in Pittsburgh’s 20-10 win against the Chargers. He avoided mistakes for the third straight week. Fields took just two sacks, while his lone interception came on a tipped pass.
Fields’ skill set, combined with Pittsburgh’s elite defense (which has allowed 10 or fewer points in every game this season), represents a winning formula and might be the idealized version of how head coach Mike Tomlin and first-year OC Arthur Smith want to play.
The Steelers defense didn’t give up its first touchdown until Chargers WR Quentin Johnston scored on Sunday. With T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward creating pressure up front and Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. in the back end, Pittsburgh’s defense gives this team a solid floor.
Still, it’s hard to discount that the Steelers have faced an immobile Kirk Cousins, a frazzled rookie in Nix, and a hampered Herbert (who was eventually relieved by Taylor Heinicke).