Could the Lions or Jaguars go 0-17 this season?

The Detroit Lions and the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only two teams still winless in the 2021 NFL season.

Before Week 4, five teams had yet to finish their games celebrating a win. They were the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Giants, the New York Jets, and, of course, the Lions and the Jaguars.

On Sunday, the Colts won their game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (27-17). The Giants won theirs against the New Orleans Saints in overtime at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The Jets, at home at MetLife Stadium, won their clash, also in overtime, against the Tennessee Titans (27-24).

The Lions lost 24-14 to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Meanwhile, in primetime Thursday Night Football, the Jaguars lost their game against the Cincinnati Bengals (21-24) at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

In a colossal coincidence, all winless teams won, scoring 27 points, and if the Jaguars and the Lions had also scored 27 points, they would have celebrated their first win of the season, too.

Could the Lions go 0-17 this season?

During the first three weeks, it seemed like the Lions were closer to victory than to an 0-17 season.

They played well against the San Francisco 49ers, won the first half against the Green Bay Packers, and lost in a last-second record-breaker field goal to the Baltimore Ravens.

But this last game against the Bears showed that the team has enormous flaws and that, maybe, the first three games were more luck than quality.

After a dreadful game against the Cleveland Browns, rookie quarterback Justin Fields threw 200+ yards and controlled the game. But it was running back David Montgomery that destroyed the Lions. The third-year RB ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

With such a potent running game, the Bears dominated the contest. The Lions only scored for the first time in the third quarter.

Especially after the tight loss to the Ravens, the Lions seemed like a team that could win a couple of games this season. With injuries and extremely low morale, the Lions have a real chance to become the first team to have a 0-16 season and also the first to have a 0-17 season.

Could the Jaguars go 0-17 this season?

The Jaguars were a terrible team last year. The team finished with a 1-15 campaign, and few players, if any, deserved to be praised at the end of the season.

But then the team hired head coach Urban Meyer and drafted Trevor Lawrence, and it seemed like things would be different this year.

Well, they are not.

But unlike the Lions, the Jaguars have a little bit more talent and potential.

Lawrence and Meyer are struggling, but this is a standard part of adapting from college to the NFL.

Especially for Lawrence. The game in the NFL is faster than it is in college. That is a difference that every athlete cites when talking about the contrast between the pro-level and the amateur game. Also, pros are smarter and more used to the game; they can read the QB's eyes better than the defenders in college.

Lawrence will struggle, but as soon as things click, he will shine and help the Jaguars win a couple of matches.

The Jaguars could finish the season 0-17 if all predictions about Lawrence's talent are wrong, and Meyer fails to understand that coaching an NFL team is not like commanding a college team. But that is the worst-case scenario. The Jaguars will lose more than they will win, but they should win at least a handful of games thanks to Lawrence's talent.