So the Vikings and Cowboys are a combined 0-4, while the Bears, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Texans and Roethlisberger-free Steelers are 12-0.
That would be totally shocking if it wasn't completely typical of the NFL.
Two teams heavily favored to slug it out for the NFC title can't win a game. And six teams that missed the playoffs last season haven't lost a game.
It's enough to make a cosmetically altered NFL owner pop a stitch.
"I am mad, upset, frustrated and extremely disappointed," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters after Sunday's 27-20 upset loss to the visiting Bears. "I'm disappointed for our fans, first of all, to begin with. They have and should expect more in terms of the record. We have dug a big hole here and we've got a lot of work to do to even have a semblance of getting out of it."
From now until Sunday, there is hope for the seemingly hopeless in Minnesota and Dallas. From now until Sunday, there's a precedent that says your out-of-whack team can start 0-2 and still make the Super Bowl.
The 1993 Cowboys, 1996 Patriots, 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants are your guiding light this week. Each started 0-2 and made the playoffs. All but the 1996 Patriots won the Super Bowl.
This lifeline of hope, however, expires for all 0-2 teams if they lose on Sunday. That's because in the Super Bowl era, no 0-3 team has made it to the championship game. And only three of the 332 teams to start 0-3 have even made the playoffs.