Lose now, win later is plan that pays off in NFL

Good news for the Vikings, Cowboys, Colts, Eagles and a dozen more NFL teams: They aren’t dead yet.

Being 0-1 doesn’t mean the season is over, far from it. Since realignment in 2002, 55 of 96 teams (57.3%) that made the playoffs began the season at 1-1 or 0-2.

What’s more, four of the last nine Super Bowl champions got off to a 1-1 or 0-2 start.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, tried to put a positive spin on things this week after his team lost its opener at Washington.

“I have never been part of a team, Super Bowl or otherwise, that didn’t have its ebbs and flows during a season,” Jones told reporters. “It’s disappointing that one of our ebbs hit us the very first game. That’s happened before in my 22 years here and we’ve gone on in many cases to have a really good season.”

Turns out, they’re not the only ones.

How last year’s playoff teams fared after two games:

Team, W-L, Playoff result
Arizona, 1-1, Advanced to divisional
Baltimore, 2-0, Advanced to divisional
Cincinnati , 1-1, Advanced to wild card
Dallas, 1-1, Advanced to divisional
Green Bay, 1-1, Advanced to wild card
Indianapolis, 2-2, Advanced to Super Bowl
Minnesota, 2-0 , Advanced to NFC championship
New England, 1-1, Advanced to wildcard
New Orleans, 2-0, Won Super Bowl
New York Jets, 2-0, Advanced to AFC championship
Philadelphia, 1-1, Advanced to wild card
San Diego, 1-1, Advanced to wild card

50-yard dash

Tennessee’s Chris Johnson is aiming to become the first player with two 2,000-yard rushing seasons. He got off to a good start, gaining 142 in a victory over Oakland last Sunday. He had a 76-yard touchdown run in that game, the eighth time in his career he’s had a scoring run of at least 50 yards.

If Johnson were to have another 50-yarder against Pittsburgh today, he would become the third player in NFL history with at least nine of those runs. Only Hall of Fame backs Barry Sanders (15) and Jim Brown (12) have more.

The most surprising aspect of Johnson’s feat? He’s reached eight such touchdowns in only 32 career games.

“He’s definitely putting himself up there to be talked about as the best in the game, if he keeps this up,” Steelers linebacker James Farrior said of Johnson.

Players with the most career 50-yard touchdown runs:

Player, TD, Games
Barry Sanders, 15, 153
Jim Brown, 12, 118
Chris Johnson, 8, 32
Ollie Matson, 8, 171
Lenny Moore 8 143
O.J. Simpson, 8, 135
Robert Smith 8 98
Fred Taylor, 8, 147

It takes two

The 0-1 Vikings are hoping to emerge from today’s game against Miami as a .500 team. It would help if Brett Favre could emerge as a 500 quarterback -- as in 500 career touchdown passes. He’s at 498, the NFL’s all-time leader.

A look at Favre’s milestone touchdown passes (including plays needed to accomplish the feat):

TD pass, Receiver, Length, Plays
No. 1, Sterling Sharpe, 5 yards, 1,189
No. 100, Edgar Bennett, 14 yards, 113
No. 250, Donald Driver, 32 yards, 13
No. 300, Ahman Green, 8 yards, 5
No. 350, Javon Walker, 79 yards, 3
No. 400, Greg Jennings, 75 yards, 2
No. 450, Laveranues Coles, 34 yards, 1

sam.farmer@latimes.com? twitter.com/LATimesfarmer