The Worst Season Each Of The 32 NFL Teams Have Ever Had

Every NFL team has gone through its fair share of rough patches, and fans can only hope they’ll have a chance to forget those underwhelming stretches with some more inspiring runs that make it all worth it. However, it’s hard not to lose hope when you watch your squad post the worst record in franchise history.

Anyone who decides to root for an NFL team does so knowing there’s a good chance they’re going to eventually be subjected to some crushing disappointment, and that’s certainly the case with anyone who’s had to watch their team slog their way through a historically awful season.

For the purpose of this list, we’re only going to consider campaigns that transpired from 1978 onward (the first season the NFL expanded from 14 to 16 regular season games), but every single franchise has managed to have at least one very underwhelming season since then.

Arizona Cardinals: 3-13 (2000 and 2018)

1999 marked the start of a nine-year playoff drought for the Cardinals, who had their worst season ever the following year when Vince Tobin was fired after the team started at 2-5 before Dave McGinnis went 1-8 during his time as the interim head coach.

Arizona also went 3-13 during what would end up being Steve Wilks’ only season at the helm, although they did receive a consolation prize in the form of the first overall draft pick they used to scoop up Kyler Murray.

Atlanta Falcons: 3-13 (1989 and 1996)

Marion Campbell went 8-23 during his first two seasons as the head coach of the Falcons after being hired in 1987 and was fired midway through his third following a 3-9 start before Jim Hanifan went winless in his four games in the interim role.

June Jones fared a bit better by going 7-9 in his first season in 1994 before Atlanta punched its ticket to the playoffs with a 9-7 campaign the following season. However, he also found himself out of a job after they once again went 3-13 in 1996.

Baltimore Ravens: 4-12 (1996)

The Falcons weren’t the only avian-inspired NFL team to have a rough year in 1996, as the Ravens got off to a rough start during the first year of their existence.

Baltimore started at 2-2, but it was largely downhill from there. They eked out an overtime win over the Rams at the end of October to end a three-game losing streak but ended up dropping seven of their last eight games (the lone win during that stretch came at the expense of the Steelers).

Buffalo Bills: 2-14 (1984 and 1985)

The Bills ended the 1980s on a high note by kicking off a string of seasons that saw them make it to the Super Bowl four wins in a row (although they infamously lost every single time), but fans were forced to suffer through a brutal stretch a few years before that point.

The Bills went 8-8 in 1983 before imploding the following year, as they started at 0-11 before getting a couple of meaningless victories toward the end of the season.

The pain only continued in 1985, but it did end up setting the stage for Marv Levy to replace Hank Bullough in 1986 before staging a drastic turnaround.

Carolina Panthers: 1-15 (2001)

The Panthers made it all the way to the NFC Championship during what was just their second year of existence in 1996. However, the good times came to a fairly swift end, as they wouldn’t make the playoffs again until their Super Bowl run in 2003.

That stretch featured what remains the worst season in franchise history, as Carolina opened up the 2001 season with a win over the Vikings before losing its next 15 games.

That did turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as John Fox was hired to replace George Seifert as the team’s head coach and fared significantly better until he was fired following a 2-14 campaign in his ninth and final season.

Chicago Bears: 3-13 (2016)

Interestingly enough, John Fox was responsible for the worst season in  Chicago Bears history, which transpired during his underwhelming three-year stint with the team.

The Bears went 6-10 during his first year in charge in 2015, but a slew of injuries to key players (none more notable than Jay Cutler) led to them dropping to 3-13.

The depleted roster led to the Bears giving Fox one more shot, but his time in Chicago came to an end after they went 5-11.

Cincinnati Bengals: 2-14 (2002 and 2019)

In 1991, the Bengals went 3-13 after making it to the playoffs the previous season.

That marked the first of 14 consecutive years where they finished at .500 or below while missing out on the postseason, but the nadir came in 2002 when they went 2-14 during their first year in the newly-formed NFC North.

Cincinnati had the same record in 2019 during a season where they lost their first eleven games, but there was a major silver lining when you consider they got the chance to draft Joe Burrow as a result.

Cleveland Browns: 0-16 (2017)

There are two teams on this list that have gone winless since the regular season was expanded to 13 games, and the Browns are the most recent franchise to befall that unenviable fate.

It seems like Cleveland had nowhere to go but up after Hue Jackson posted a 1-15 record during his inaugural season as head coach in 2015, but they somehow managed to outdo themselves by failing to win a single game while posting a -176 point differential.

Jackson was somehow allowed to return for a third rodeo in 2018, but was kicked to the curb after getting off to a 2-5-1 start before the Browns finished at a relatively phenomenal 7-8-1.

Dallas Cowboys: 1-15 (1989)

The end of the 1988 season marked a seismic shift in Dallas, as the Tom Landry Era came to an end after 29 years when Jerry Jones fired the legendary coach a day after buying the franchise.

Jimmy Johnson had some big shoes to fill after replacing a man who’d led the Cowboys to a 3-13 record during his final season, but the new regime got off to a very troubling start; things began with an eight-game losing streak that ended with a win over Washington before they closed out the season with another seven-game skid.

However, Johnson was able to right the ship after the inauspicious start and subsequently led the Cowboys to two of the three Super Bowl victories they’d secure in the 1990s.

Denver Broncos: 4-12 (2010)

The Broncos also knew they were going to have some big cleats to fill when John Elway retired after leading Denver to two consecutive Super Bowl victories, but they still managed to remain fairly competitive under the watch of Mike Shanahan.

In 2009, Shanahan headed to Washington to bring his tenure to an end after 14 seasons, and the Broncos were hoping Bill Belichick disciple Josh McDaniels would be an adequate replacement.

It’s safe to say he was not, as McDaniels went 8-8 during his first year as head coach and was fired midway through the 2010 season after the Broncos started at 3-9. Eric Studesville went 1-3 to close things out, and that remains the worst year Denver has ever had.

 

Detroit Lions: 0-16 (2008)

This is the second team on this list to go 0-16 and the first one to do it since the feat became possible.

The new millennium was not kind to the Lions, as Detroit missed the playoffs in 2000 to kick off a 12-year drought where they posted a losing record in the last 11 of those seasons.

None of those campaigns stand out more than the one that brought Rod Marinelli’s stint as head coach to a merciful end after three seasons, as the Lions arguably made the Browns look good by comparison with their -249 point differential during the then-historic stretch.

Green Bay Packers: 4-12 (1986, 1988, 1991, 2005)

I’m going to spare you a deep dive into all of these seasons when you consider none of the four were really that disastrous in the grand scheme of things.

However, it is worth noting the Packers found themselves dealing with a 10-year playoff drought that kicked off in 1983, and as you can see, the tail-end of that run was not exactly the best time to be a fan of Green Bay.

Houston Texans: 2-14 (2005 and 2013)

The Texans posted a losing record during the first three seasons of an existence that began in 2002 but were trending in the right direction by upping the number of wins each year.

Unfortunately, things took a nosedive in 2005 when they went 2-14 while failing to win a single game in their division or on the road.

That led to Gary Kubiak replacing Dom Capers as the team’s head coach, and after a string of middling seasons, Houston had back-to-back playoff appearances starting in 2009.

However, all of the optimism those runs inspired firmly dissipated when Kubiak was fired after the Texans started the 2013 season at 2-11, and Wade Phillips wasn’t able to get a win in the three games he oversaw to end things.

Indianapolis Colts: 1-15 (1991)

Ron Meyer led the Colts to the playoffs during his first year as head coach in 1987, but his first four years in Indianapolis were decidedly average when you consider the team went 33-30 during that span.

However, average would have been a godsend compared to what the Colts found themselves dealing with in 1991. Meyer was fired after the team started at 0-5, but Rick Venturi was only able to salvage a single win in the next 10 games before they finished at 1-15.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 1-15 (2020)

The Jaguars had missed the playoffs nine years in a row before Doug Marrone led them to the AFC Championship during his first season as head coach in 2017, and it seemed like Jacksonville was headed in the right direction.

That did not turn out to be the case, as the Jaguars went 5-11 and 6-10 before the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion in 2020. They beat the Colts to open up the season, but a 15-game skid that followed led to Marrone and GM David Caldwell losing their jobs.

Kansas City Chiefs: 2-14 (2008 and 2012)

It’s kind of hard to remember a time when the Chiefs weren’t one of the best teams in the NFL, but they were in pretty dire straits somewhat recently before Andy Reid swooped in to help reverse their fortunes.

Herm Edwards was responsible for what was then the worst season in franchise history during his third and final year in Kansas City; they’d gone 4-12 a year after making the playoffs but were only able to notch a couple of wins in 2008.

A few years later, Romeo Crennel was named head coach after stepping into the interim role following Todd Haley’s dismissal toward the end of the 2011 season, but he only lasted a single year after matching that dubious mark.

Las Vegas Raiders: 2-14 (2006)

2024 is the worst season the Raiders have recorded since relocating to Las Vegas, but they had an even more pathetic one during their time in Oakland.

The Raiders capped off the 2002 season with a loss to the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, which marked the start of a pretty dark period for a team that didn’t make the playoffs for the next 13 years.

None of those seasons were more absent of light than 2006, as Art Shell oversaw a truly anemic offense that averaged just 10.5 points a game while going 2-14 in what ended up being his only season as the head coach of the Raiders.

Los Angeles Chargers: 1-15 (2000)

The Chargers were in the midst of what would end up being a nine-year playoff drought during Mike Riley’s second season as head coach in 2000, and the franchise hit a low point after going 8-8 the previous year.

The team (which was then based in San Diego) lost its first 11 games and needed a last-second field goal to get its first win of the year over the Chiefs in Week 13. It also turned out to be its last, and while Riley got one more chance to redeem himself, he was fired after going 5-11 in 2001.

Los Angeles Rams: 1-15 (2009)

The Rams had an absolutely brutal stretch between 2007 and 2011, as the team (which was playing in St. Louis at the time) went 15- 65 during the span of five years where the only semi-bright spot was the 7-9 campaign they had during Sam Bradford’s rookie season.

The Rams earned the right to draft him in the first place thanks to what went down in 2009, as they started at 0-7 before getting their lone win against the Lions prior to losing another eight.

Miami Dolphins: 1-15 (2007)

The Dolphins found themselves in need of a new head coach after Nick Saban headed to Alabama to bring his time in Miami to an end after two seasons, and they turned to Cam Cameron to fill the void.

That did not turn out to be the best decision, as the team lost its first 13 games before getting its only win against the Ravens in overtime and closing out the season with losses to the Patriots and Bengals.

Minnesota Vikings: 3-13 (1984 and 2011)

Bud Grant initially spent 17 seasons as the coach of the Vikings while leading them to four Super Bowl appearances (but no wins) before stepping down in 1983.

He was replaced by Les Steckel, but the Vikings lured Grant out of retirement after going 3-13 during his only season as head coach.

That remained the dubious mark to beat until Leslie Frasier earned the full-time gig in 2011 following a six-game stint as the interim coach after Brad Childress was fired midway through the previous campaign. However, he met the same fate after Minnesota went 3-13 for the second time.

New England Patriots: 1-15 (1990)

In 1985, Raymond Berry was named the permanent coach of the Patriots after a stint as the interim and led the team to an 11-5 record and an appearance in the Super Bowl during his inaugural season.

Berry posted a winning record during his first four years in New England before the Patriots regressed by going 5-11 in 1989.

However, they plummeted off a cliff after kicking off the new decade, as a team filled with aging veterans got off to a 1-1 start before losing 14 games in a row to bring Berry’s time with the team to an end.

New Orleans Saints: 1-15 (1980)

The Saints played their first NFL season in 1967, and anyone who hopped on the bandwagon at that point probably ended up questioning that decision when you consider they failed to make the playoffs a single time in the first two decades of their existence.

New Orleans had some absolutely dreadful campaigns during that span, but none of them were as atrocious as the one that transpired in 1980.

The Saints lost their first 14 games (their head coach was fired after 12) thanks in no small part to their wildly lackluster defense, and they edged out the Jets by a single point in the second-to-last week to narrowly avoid becoming the first team to go 0-16.

New York Giants: 3-13 (2017)

The Giants had fairly high hopes heading into 2017, but they were quickly extinguished during a year where they got off to an 0-5 start and saw Odell Beckham Jr. suffer a season-ending injury during that fifth loss.

Eli Manning also struggled to the point where he was replaced by Geno Smith to snap his streak of 210 consecutive starts, and head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese both lost their jobs thanks to what transpired.

It’s worth noting the Giants will have a chance to outdo themselves this season, as they’re currently sitting at 2-13 with two games left on the schedule.

New York Jets: 1-15 (1996)

Jets fans have been no strangers to pain and suffering thanks to a team that hasn’t appeared in the Super Bowl since the end of the 1960s, but the franchise reached its nadir in 1996.

Rich Kotite kicked off his tenure as head coach with a 3-13 record in 1995, and anyone who thought there was only room for improvement was proven incorrect during a season where their only win was sandwiched between a string of eight and seven losses.

Philadelphia Eagles: 3-13 (1998)

In 1995, Ray Rhodes was hired to coach the Eagles and led them to the playoffs during his first two seasons.

They ended up on the outside looking in when he wrapped up his third by going 6-9-1 in 1997, which preceded a 3-13 campaign where the three QBs who played at some point threw a grand total of seven touchdowns in 16 games.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-11 (1988)

The Steelers have largely spared their fans of any truly dismal seasons when you consider this is easily the best worst record on this entire list.

However, the legendary Chuck Noll hit a bit of a rough patch in the second half of the 1980s while missing the playoffs five times in a row, and the 5-11 season he oversaw in 1985 remains the low point of the franchise’s 92-year history.

San Francisco 49ers: 2-14 (1978, 1979, 2004, and 2016)

I’m not going to do a deep dive into all of these, but with the exception of one team we’ll get to in a second, no franchise has repeatedly hit a concerning low point like the 49ers.

As you can see, the end of the 1970s was a brutal time to be a fan of the team, as they posted a 2-14 record during a season where Pete McCulley was fired and replaced by Fred O’Connor before Bill Walsh did the same during his first year in charge in San Francisco.

The following year, Walsh decided to switch things up at QB by giving Joe Montana a chance to start under center, and that turned out to be a pretty good move for a franchise he led to four Super Bowl wins in the 1980s.

Seattle Seahawks: 2-14 (1992)

In 1992, Chuck Knox stepped down as the coach of the Seahawks after nine seasons following a 7-9 campaign and was replaced by Tom Flores.

Seattle ended up having the Defensive Player of the Year in the form of DT Cortez Kennedy, but he couldn’t make up for an offense that is considered one of the worst in NFL history while averaging a paltry 8.8 points per game and losing all but two of them.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-14 (1983, 1985, 1986, and 2014)

Remember that team I said we’d get to in a second? It’s this one.

As you can once again see, you did not want to be a fan of the Buccaneers in the middle of the 1980s, as the team was almost unfathomably awful by going 2-14 in three of the four seasons it played between 1983 and 1986.

The lone reprieve was a 6-10 showing during John McKay’s last year as head coach, and Leeman Bennett understandably only lasted a couple of seasons after replacing him.

Tennessee Titans: 2-14 (1983, 1994, and 2014)

This is yet another situation where I’m not going to get in too deep, but it’s hard to ignore the pattern that suggests Titans fans usually don’t want to get their hopes up in years ending in “3” or “4” (which is once again the case this season—and also was in 2004–even if they’ve avoided another 2-14 showing).

Washington Commanders: 3-13 (1994, 2013, and 2019)

The team now known as the Commanders was just a few years removed from a Super Bowl win when it suffered the worst season in franchise history during Richie Petitbon’s only year as head coach after taking the reins from Joe Gibbs.

It’s not that shocking to discover the other two 3-13 campaigns came during the Dan Snyder Era, as both Mike Shanahan and Jay Gruden lost their job as head coach due to what went down during those seasons.