INDIANAPOLIS -- Human nature is to have some nervousness when you look at the standings and see the Indianapolis Colts are 0-2 and sitting at the bottom of the AFC South.
You knew the first two games of the season would be tough when the schedule came out in the spring. They opened on the road at Denver and at home against Philadelphia. You hoped that they would be able to split those two games.
Nope.
They dropped both. Now they need a victory against fellow-winless division counterpart Jacksonville on Sunday.
"I'm not worried," coach Chuck Pagano said. "Nobody is ready to hit the panic button. It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. We've got 14 games to go. Only thing we're worried about right now is Jacksonville, a division game."
Pagano and quarterback Andrew Luck are in an unfamiliar position by starting the season winless together. Luck said he couldn't even remember the last that has happened, going back to his days playing as a youth. He did lose back-to-back games during the 2009 season while at Stanford.
"We realize we have to right the ship," Luck said. "There is a sense of urgency."
History is not on the Colts' side when it comes to making the playoffs.
Only four teams have made the playoffs after starting the season 0-2 since 2007. The Carolina Panthers did it last season. The New York Giants, who had current Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw on the roster, started the 2007 season 0-2 before going on and beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The Colts are 0-2, but they could just as easily be 2-0. The two losses are by a combined 10 points.
"There are no pity parties in football, nobody feels sorry for the Colts," Pagano said. "Certainly we're not going to sit here and dwell on the past and what could have been. We have to worry about this week. We have to worry about practice and being sharp. We have to execute, we have to put a complete 60-minute game together, try to get on the board."
The mood around the team's facility could quickly change if the Colts falter in Jacksonville, a place where they've won in their last two trips. There will be a lot of nervous people inside the organization if they board their plane with an 0-3 record late Sunday afternoon.
"Just don't panic," defensive lineman Cory Redding said. "Continue to believe. Continue to have faith. And continue to work the process. It's as simple as that. Everybody who tries to make it bigger can hurt themselves. You have to stay focused and know this is a long season."