The Chargers and Texans Are 0-4 and the NFL Is About to See Something That Has NEVER Happened Before

Alright, so Week 5 of the NFL just kicked off, and while one of the five 0-4 teams, the Buccaneers, finally grabbed a win, there are still four teams out there who haven’t tasted victory. And here’s the kicker: two of them, the Chargers and the Texans, were in the playoffs last year. That’s a rough start, plain and simple.

This Hasn’t Happened in 25 Years

When you’ve got two playoff teams from the previous season staring down an 0-4 start, you know something wild is happening. The last time two playoff teams went 0-4 the very next year? That was all the way back in 1999. Get this: it was both Super Bowl teams from the season before, the Broncos and the Falcons. Talk about a reality check! Right now, the 2026 season has already matched a record for the most teams ever to start 0-4, with five clubs hitting that mark. That’s only happened five other times in NFL history: 2009, 1996, 1991, 1979, and 1962. It’s a club nobody wants to be in.

An NFL First Nobody Wants

Here’s where it gets truly wild and potentially historic: according to NBC Sports’ research, no pair of playoff teams has EVER started the next season 0-5. Not once. Ever. The last time *any* playoff team started 0-5 the next year was the 2017 Giants. So, if the Chargers and Texans both lose their Week 5 matchups, they’d be making the kind of history nobody wants. It’s a huge stat. It shows just how tough the NFL grind is, and how quickly things can go sideways.

The schedule makers also threw in a wild card: the 0-4 Texans are playing the 0-4 Titans. That means at least one more team is guaranteed to move to 0-5. With the Chargers and the Dolphins also sitting at 0-4, we could be looking at a maximum of three 0-5 teams this year. It’s going to be brutal for whoever has to face that kind of start. Keep an eye on those matchups, because the NFL record books are definitely on high alert right now.

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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.