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Week One Shutout Doesn't Spell Doom

Let’s play “Name that quarterback.”

“I went 14-for-28 for 123 yards with 0 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a passer rating of 22.5 on Opening Day as my team got shutout in a lopsided loss to a division rival.”

The answer? Tom Brady in a 31-0 loss to Buffalo to begin the 2003 season.

That year the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

I am not going to pretend that the Bengals 20-0 loss to Baltimore to begin the season was encouraging, but after doing a little research on Pro-Football-Reference.com, here are a few examples of teams that got shutout in week one before going on to have excellent seasons.