NEW YORK, United States, October 8, 2026: Five NFL teams have played four games and won none.
That fact is rare enough. What makes it more interesting is how little the identical records tell us about the teams themselves.
The Houston Texans are 0-4 despite C.J. Stroud producing some of his best football of the young season. The Los Angeles Chargers entered 2026 expecting to return to the playoffs and instead have watched Justin Herbert absorb pressure, turnovers and offensive-line injuries. Tampa Bay owns the best point differential of the winless group but has lost Baker Mayfield. Tennessee cannot generate enough offense around Cam Ward. Miami is rebuilding and has scored only 46 points.
Five teams reaching 0-4 ties the NFL record and marks only the seventh time the league has produced this many winless teams after four games.
The historical warning is much harsher.
According to the NFL’s official Week 4 analysis, 109 teams had started 0-4 since 1990 before this season. Only one reached the playoffs.
The 1992 San Diego Chargers.
That does not mean all five 2026 seasons are already over. The schedule is longer now, seven teams qualify from each conference, and four weeks remain a relatively small sample.
It does mean the margin for another bad month has disappeared.
Which Five NFL Teams Are 0-4?
| Team | Points For | Points Against | Point Differential | Week 5 Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 84 | 109 | -25 | at Tennessee |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 76 | 96 | -20 | at Dallas |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 67 | 106 | -39 | vs. Denver |
| Tennessee Titans | 55 | 83 | -28 | vs. Houston |
| Miami Dolphins | 46 | 101 | -55 | vs. Cincinnati |
The official NFL standings make the contrast visible immediately.
Tampa Bay has been outscored by only 20 points. Miami’s deficit is 55.
Houston has scored 84 points, almost twice Miami’s 46.
Tennessee has allowed fewer points than any of the other four but owns one of the NFL’s least productive offenses.
The records are identical.
The football is not.
TSE’s complete Week 4 report already identified this split: five teams reached the same destination through five different problems. The more useful exercise now is determining which problems are actually fixable.
Why Is Houston the Most Surprising 0-4 Team?
Because the Texans were not built to be here.
Houston made the playoffs last season and entered 2026 with legitimate expectations of playing deep into January.
Stroud is not the central reason those expectations have collapsed.
Against Dallas, he threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Houston gained 397 total yards and averaged 7.6 yards per play.
The Texans still lost 34-30.
For the second consecutive week, Stroud helped put Houston in position to win and the defense could not finish the job.
CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards against a secondary that could not find an answer for him. Dallas scored touchdowns on four of five second-half drives.
The NFL’s Week 5 assessment therefore reaches an uncomfortable conclusion for a team whose identity was supposed to begin with defense: Houston can no longer reasonably describe that unit as elite.
The decline is especially striking because TSE entered the season viewing that defense as a potential foundation. Our offseason analysis of Houston’s addition of Reed Blankenship reflected how much talent already existed around Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter and the secondary.
Injuries have hurt.
Execution has hurt more.
Houston is currently allowing 27.3 points and 343.8 yards per game. The Texans are also allowing explosive passing plays at an alarming rate.
That gives this team a strange profile.
The quarterback is functioning.
The offense has now scored 30 or more twice.
The defense is wasting it.
Can the Texans Still Recover?
Of the five teams, Houston may have the clearest path to immediate stabilization.
It begins Sunday in Tennessee.
Two 0-4 AFC South teams meet in a game where, barring a tie, one finally gets a victory.
Houston then plays Jacksonville in London, giving the Texans consecutive division games that can either reconnect them to the AFC South race or effectively end it before November.
Jacksonville is already 3-1.
Indianapolis is 2-2.
Houston therefore cannot spend another month waiting for its defense to become the unit everyone expected.
TSE’s training-camp coverage of Jaylin Noel’s return captured a Texans roster that still looked like it was building depth around a playoff core.
Four games later, the question is no longer whether Houston has enough talent.
It is whether that talent can stop losing games that Stroud has put within reach.
Why Are the Chargers 0-4 After Making the Playoffs?
This may be the most confusing offensive collapse among the five teams.
Los Angeles hired Mike McDaniel to work with Justin Herbert and expected the combination to expand the offense.
August offered evidence that the transition could work.
TSE’s preseason Week 1 report documented a Chargers offense that produced 379 yards in a 27-7 win over Houston, an encouraging first live look at McDaniel’s system.
The regular season has looked nothing like that.
Herbert has thrown six interceptions and taken 12 sacks in four games. Both figures are among the league’s highest totals.
The combination is historically ugly. He is the first Chargers quarterback since Ryan Leaf in 2000 to throw at least six interceptions and take at least 10 sacks through the first four games.
Seattle exposed the problem again in Week 4.
The Seahawks forced four turnovers and beat Los Angeles 30-23. Herbert threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.
The offensive line then deteriorated around him.
Rashawn Slater, Joe Alt and Trevor Penning all left the Seattle game with injuries, forcing Los Angeles to play significant snaps with three backup linemen.
A quarterback already trying to become comfortable in a new offense suddenly had even less time to process it.
Is Mike McDaniel Already in Trouble?
Jim Harbaugh says no.
The Chargers coach publicly backed McDaniel after the 0-4 start and said the offensive coordinator’s job is not in jeopardy.
The more important question is whether Los Angeles can make the partnership function quickly enough for that support to remain comfortable.
The Chargers have scored 67 points, an average of 16.8 per game.
That is nowhere near the output expected from an offense built around Herbert.
Los Angeles hosts Denver next, then has a Week 7 bye.
The Broncos game therefore carries unusual value.
A victory gives the Chargers something to build around before the schedule briefly pauses.
An 0-5 start would turn a disappointing first month into a season that requires something close to perfection afterward.
Why Might Tampa Bay Have the Best Division Path?
Because the NFC South has not escaped from the Buccaneers.
Carolina and Atlanta are both 2-2.
New Orleans is 1-3.
Tampa Bay is 0-4 but only two games behind the division leaders.
Among the five winless teams, the Buccaneers also have the smallest point differential at minus-20.
That combination makes their season more salvageable than the record suggests.
The problem is quarterback health.
Baker Mayfield will miss Thursday’s game at Dallas with a right thumb injury, according to the official NFL Week 5 injury report.
Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels therefore remains in charge of an offense that cannot afford another developmental week.
Daniels showed enough against Green Bay to provide some encouragement. He threw for 148 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 55 more and kept Tampa Bay within three points.
He also threw two interceptions.
The Buccaneers lost 17-14.
That opening game now looks less like an isolated ball-security disaster and more like the beginning of a pattern.
Tampa Bay has repeatedly remained competitive.
It has repeatedly failed to finish.
Why Tampa Bay Is Not in the Same Position as Miami
The standings put both teams at 0-4.
The underlying numbers separate them dramatically.
Tampa Bay has scored 76 points.
Miami has scored 46.
The Buccaneers have been outscored by 20.
The Dolphins have been outscored by 55.
Tampa Bay’s problem is turning competitive games into victories.
Miami’s problem is producing enough offense for close games to exist consistently.
That distinction matters when evaluating whether a season can still change.
How Bad Has Miami’s Offense Been?
The Dolphins are averaging 11.5 points per game.
They have not scored more than 13 in any of their first four games.
Even Week 4 provided an unusually painful example.
Minnesota did not score a touchdown.
Miami still lost.
Will Reichard kicked five field goals and the Vikings won 15-10.
The Dolphins’ defense gave the offense the kind of game every struggling team asks for: low scoring, manageable and within one possession.
The offense could not take advantage.
Miami’s current season was never supposed to resemble a normal contender’s cycle. The franchise entered 2026 with significant roster turnover, a rebuilt secondary and enormous dead-cap consequences from previous decisions.
TSE’s late-preseason report on Trey Moore’s injury showed how quickly the Dolphins’ depth was already being tested before the regular season.
The Week 1 loss to Las Vegas exposed the offensive ceiling more clearly.
Miami generated only 259 total yards while De’Von Achane was held to 36 rushing yards. TSE’s opening-week analysis identified the inability to establish Achane as one of the team’s first major warnings.
Four weeks later, that warning has become the identity of the offense.
Can Miami Still Call This a Development Season?
Yes, but that changes how success should be measured.
If Miami is genuinely rebuilding around younger players and a cleaner future cap structure, then 2026 does not need to be judged only by playoff qualification.
That does not make 0-4 acceptable.
It changes the questions.
Is Malik Willis developing into a quarterback worth keeping?
Are younger defensive players improving?
Is the offensive line identifying pieces that can remain when the roster becomes more competitive?
Are the Dolphins losing because the plan is incomplete or because the plan itself is poor?
Cincinnati visits Miami in Week 5.
The Bengals’ pass rush presents exactly the kind of test a low-output offense does not need.
What Is Tennessee Trying to Build Around Cam Ward?
The Titans are not pretending 2026 is the finished product.
Cam Ward is the central long-term project.
Tennessee has already cleared the quarterback room around him. Former starter Will Levis was released before the season, a decision TSE examined in our analysis of the Titans moving fully into the Ward era.
The offensive line also received major investment.
Peter Skoronski signed a four-year, $100 million extension that made him the league’s highest-paid guard. TSE’s breakdown of the Skoronski deal explained why Tennessee viewed him as a cornerstone of the rebuild.
The pieces do not yet form a functional offense.
The Titans average 13.8 points and 261.3 yards per game.
The latter figure ranks last in the NFL.
Ward is also trying to adapt within Brian Daboll’s offense, and the fit has not consistently maximized what he does best.
Against Baltimore, the problem became particularly strange inside the red zone.
Tennessee ran 14 plays inside the Ravens’ 20-yard line.
Ward attempted one pass.
It was a touchdown.
Head coach Robert Saleh continues to publicly back his quarterback, and that patience is reasonable for a young passer.
The offense around him must still help him develop rather than simply asking him to survive it.
Why Texans-Titans Is the Most Important 0-4 Game
Because one bad team is guaranteed another painful result, and because both share the same division.
Houston averages 21 points per game.
Tennessee averages 13.8.
Houston produces 343.8 yards per game.
Tennessee produces 261.3.
Those numbers point toward Houston.
The psychological pressure points toward both.
An 0-5 record would leave either franchise staring at Jacksonville’s 3-1 start and Indianapolis’ 2-2 record from an almost impossible divisional position.
Los Angeles beat Houston 27-7 that night.
Tennessee beat San Francisco.
None of it predicted what followed.
That is why regular-season evidence eventually has to replace preseason optimism.
TSE Recovery Ranking: Which 0-4 Team Has the Best Chance to Matter Again?
This is not a mathematical playoff probability model. It is a football assessment based on quarterback play, division position, point differential, injuries and whether the team’s central problem appears fixable.
| Rank | Team | Why There Is Still Hope | What Could End It |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Texans | Stroud is playing well and the offense can score enough to win | Defense continues surrendering late leads and explosive passes |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Best point differential of the five and only two games behind NFC South leaders | Mayfield’s absence and repeated late-game mistakes |
| 3 | Los Angeles Chargers | Herbert and playoff-level roster talent remain | Offensive line instability and continued turnovers |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | Defense has kept the point deficit manageable and Ward can still develop | League-worst yardage production leaves almost no scoring margin |
| 5 | Miami Dolphins | Young roster can still make the season useful developmentally | 46 points in four games and a minus-55 differential |
Why Houston Ranks First Despite Being 0-4
Because quarterback problems are usually harder to fix than defensive regression.
Houston has a quarterback.
Stroud has already shown he can move the offense and create late leads.
The Texans therefore need their defense to return closer to expected performance rather than needing the entire offensive identity rebuilt in October.
That does not make the problem small.
It makes the solution easier to imagine than Miami suddenly becoming a high-output offense or Tennessee finding 100 extra yards per game.
Why Tampa Bay Could Rise Fastest in the Standings
Because division context matters.
The Texans and Titans are already chasing 3-1 Jacksonville.
The Chargers are stuck beneath 4-0 Kansas City and 3-1 Las Vegas.
Miami trails Buffalo and New England in a division where the Bills began 3-1.
Tampa Bay is looking at Carolina and Atlanta at 2-2.
A two-game deficit after four weeks is uncomfortable.
It is not terminal.
The Buccaneers simply need the quarterback situation to stabilize before their close losses stop mattering.
What Does NFL History Say About an 0-4 Start?
History says the comeback is possible.
It also says teams should not build plans around miracles.
The 1992 Chargers started 0-4, then won 11 of their remaining 12 regular-season games to finish 11-5 and win the AFC West.
They remain the only team since the NFL-AFL merger era to turn 0-4 into a playoff appearance.
That team is useful because it proves that early failure does not mathematically determine everything.
It is dangerous because every modern 0-4 team can point to it while ignoring how exceptional the recovery was.
The Chargers essentially had to become one of football’s best teams immediately.
That is the standard these five teams are now confronting.
How Much Has the 17-Game Schedule Changed the Math?
There is more runway than the 1992 Chargers had.
Teams now play 17 regular-season games instead of 16, and seven teams per conference make the playoffs.
That creates additional theoretical recovery space.
It does not eliminate the practical problem.
An 0-4 team that finishes 10-7 must go 10-3 the rest of the way.
To reach 9-8, it must go 9-4.
Those are not small corrections.
They require a team that spent September losing every week to begin winning at a contender’s pace almost immediately.
What Should Fans Watch in Week 5?
- Houston’s defense in Tennessee: Stroud has already done enough to create winning situations. The Texans need evidence that their defense can actually preserve one.
- Cam Ward’s red-zone role: Tennessee cannot continue minimizing its quarterback near the goal line while simultaneously asking him to become the franchise.
- Jalon Daniels at Dallas: Tampa Bay needs the rookie to protect the football while Mayfield remains out.
- Herbert’s protection against Denver: The Chargers’ comeback chances depend heavily on whether the offensive line can prevent another high-pressure game.
- Miami’s scoring ceiling: The Dolphins have not exceeded 13 points. Until that changes, every game demands near-perfect defense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NFL Teams Are 0-4 in 2026?
The Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans are all 0-4 after four games.
Is Five 0-4 Teams an NFL Record?
It ties the record. The 2026 season is the seventh time in NFL history that five teams have been 0-4 at the same point and the first occurrence since 2019.
Has an NFL Team Ever Made the Playoffs After Starting 0-4?
Yes. The 1992 San Diego Chargers are the only team to recover from 0-4 and reach the playoffs. They finished 11-5 and won the AFC West.
Which 0-4 Team Has the Best Point Differential?
Tampa Bay has the best differential among the five at minus-20 through four games.
Which 0-4 Team Has Scored the Fewest Points?
Miami has scored only 46 points, an average of 11.5 per game.
Why Are the Houston Texans 0-4?
Houston’s biggest problem has been defensive regression rather than quarterback play. C.J. Stroud has produced late leads, but the Texans have struggled to stop explosive passing plays and close games.
What Has Gone Wrong for the Chargers?
Justin Herbert has thrown six interceptions and taken 12 sacks while trying to adjust to Mike McDaniel’s offense. Injuries across the offensive line have made the transition more difficult.
Who Is Starting for Tampa Bay While Baker Mayfield Is Injured?
Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is starting while Mayfield recovers from a right thumb injury.
Who Do the Texans Play in Week 5?
Houston visits Tennessee in a matchup between two 0-4 AFC South teams.
Which 0-4 Team Looks Furthest From the Playoffs?
Miami currently faces the most difficult statistical position because it has scored the fewest points of the five and owns the worst point differential at minus-55.