The NFL has a record-tying 5 teams with an 0-4 record so far this season

The NFL finds itself in a tight race for the bottom, as five teams have faced a record-tying 0-4 record after just four games this season. This unprecedented occurrence has only happened seven times before in NFL history, most recently in 2019. Among the teams struggling are Miami, who are part of a rebuild season with significant cap issues, and Tennessee, which has failed to improve after two consecutive three-win seasons.

Surprisingly, Tampa Bay, a division favorite, Houston and the Los Angeles Chargers are now among the winless teams. The Buccaneers have been particularly competitive, suffering from a -20 point differential – the fifth-worst ever for an 0-4 team. The Chargers have struggled even more, getting outscored by 39 points in the first four games, the second-worst point differential in the league so far.

The Houston Texans' performance has been frustrating, with three of their four losses coming after leading in the final two minutes. This is the second time since 1991 that a team has lost three times in the first four games after leading in the final two minutes, the other instance being the 2016 Chargers. The only other teams in Super Bowl history to start the season 0-4 while leading at any point in the fourth quarter of three games were the 2013 Bucs and 2011 Vikings.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud has been the first since 1950 to lose four games without throwing an interception. Despite changing teams immediately after winning the Super Bowl MVP, Stroud's performance so far has been uncharacteristic of other MVP winners who changed teams, like Larry Brown and Desmond Howard. The NFL has seen a record-high number of penalties this week, with 271 accepted infractions, the second-most in any week in league history.

The average of 16.9 penalties per game in Week 4 is the second-highest since 2000, with the Chargers' game against Seattle leading in penalties and personal fouls.