NFL teams that start the season 3-0 have one foot in the postseason door. Since 2002, 82 of the 111 teams to begin with three straight victories have advanced to the playoffs. That's a success rate of nearly 74%, and it should rise even higher with more seasons of a 14-team playoff bracket. Just three teams began the season 3-0 in 2023, and unsurprisingly, the 49ers, Dolphins and Eagles all ended up playing postseason football.
The last time a team started 3-0 and missed the playoffs was 2021, when the Broncos and the Panthers both did it and then went a combined 6-22 afterward.