The norm is to over-react early in the season one way or the other!
It's a long season and anything can happen, good & bad!
Just look at last season, the Bengals started 5-4 while the Ravens were 8-3 by week 11 and sitting alone at the #1 seed. The Ravens wouldn't win another game and the Bengals went on to the Superbowl.
In 2000, the Ravens had what many experts believe to be 1 of the top 5 defenses in NFL history. Yet in week 2 they played Jacksonville and managed to win a shootout 38-35...that's in a season where they gave up 162 points for the season. That game represented over 20% of the points they allowed all season.
We also went through a 5 game stretch where we didn't score a touchdown!!! At the end of that stretch we were 5-4 and basically a laughing stock on sportscenter.....we never lost another game and won the Superbowl.
Much like in MFN, if you can start at least 2-2 in the first 4 games....any team can figure it out and go on a run....especially in this day and age where nobody plays in the preseason!
The first 4 games basically become your preseason where you can self-scout and figure out what your identity as a team actually is. Of course the problem is you can't start 0-4 and bury yourself to far.
With that being said, I do believe we will see a team start 0-4 one season soon and make a serious playoff run
