Some seasons are tougher than others. Looking at those teams would rather forget since the turn of the century. The record isn’t the only factor in these decisions. Expectations count, too.
Arizona Cardinals
There were two 3-13 seasons since 2000. However, the 2018 seasons stands out because two of the Cardinals’ wins came against the San Francisco 49ers, who were equally awful. The stunner was the victory over the Green Bay Packers, which sealed Mike McCarthy’s doom as coach.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons had one year that leaps off the page. They were 13-3 in 2012 and sank to 4-12 in 2013. That’s a drop of nine wins overnight. After a 1-1 start to the season, Atlanta lost eight of its next nine games. Far from the Super Bowl contender many thought the Falcons would be in a season ravaged by injuries.
Baltimore Ravens
Sandwiched between a 13-3 season 2006 and an 11-5 mark in 2008 is a 5-11 season. The Ravens were 4-2 before losing nine straight games. Head coach Brian Billick entered his ninth and final year with the Ravensin 2007, as he was fired at the end of the season
Buffalo Bills
Plenty to choose from with Buffalo. However, we will go with the 2001 season that saw the Bills finish 3-13 for Gregg Williams. This came after a three-year run that saw Buffalo win 29 games. Williams had replaced Wade Phillips as coach. John Butler, who had been the Bills’ general manager from 1993–2000, left to take the same position with the San Diego Chargers. In the wake of Buffalo’s quarterback controversy, Doug Flutie was released by the Bills, prior to the season and followed Butler to San Diego. Buffalo named Rob Johnson their starting quarterback for the 2001 season, which would ultimately be his last in Buffalo. Bills defensive end Marcellus Wiley, linebacker Sam Rogers, and linebacker John Holecek also left Buffalo for San Diego in 2001, leaving a gap in Buffalo’s defense.
Carolina Panthers
It would be easy to go with the 2010 Panthers, who finished 2-14 after winning 20 game in the prior two seasons. However, the best of the worst for Carolina will come down as 2016. It isn’t every team that can go 15-1 and make it to the Super Bowl and follows that with a 10-loss season. That’s one for the record books.
Chicago Bears
The Bears were 3-13 in 2016. However, that came in the middle of a four-year run that saw 19 victories over four seasons. What was extremely disappointing was the 2019 season. Chicago was coming off an NFC North crown and 12-4 mark. It finished 8-8, third in the division and never came close to contending. Mitchell Trubisky has proven to be a bust at quarterback leading to a trade for Nick Foles. So much more was expected than delivered by the Monsters of the Midway.
Cincinnati Bengals
Too fast to leap to the 2019 Bengals and their sorry 2-14 season that started 0-11 and Ryan Finley sacrificed and Andy Dalton benched. Gonna go with the 2010 team that went from a 10-win season as AFC North champions to dead last of four and 4-12 for Marvin Lewis. Those Bengals were 2-2 and before you knew it they were 2-11.
Cleveland Browns
A no-brainer. Hue Jackson and his staff managed to follow a season that started 0-14 in 2016 and finished 1-15 with one that was winless. The 0-16 Browns top the bottom for all teams this century. Although, it was tempting to go with 2019, which was a team that underdelivered in every way imaginable en route to Freddie Kitchens being a one-and-done coach.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys had won 33 games between 2007-09. They were on a solid roll, nothing wild and exceptional. Then came 2010, which saw Wade Phillips fired and Jason Garrett named head coach of a team that finished 6-10 after winning the NFC East the year before.
Denver Broncos
The year 2010 is by far the low point for Denver. Josh McDaniels was shown the door in his second season after coming over from New England. Following an 8-8 mark, the Broncos wound up 4-12 as Eric Studesville — there’s a trivia question for you — finished up 1-3 after McDaniels was tossed and headed back to New England.
Detroit Lions
So many losing seasons to choose from when it comes to Detroit. The Lions have had five seasons since 2000 where they finished above .500. One of the worst stands out more than any of them. Matt Millen and Rod Marinelli crafted an 0-16 mark in 2008.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have had 13 double-digit win seasons since 2000. They have had two double-digit loss seasons with one being the worst, when they went 4-12 in 2005. They started 0-4 and at one point dropped to 2-10 in the season that cost Mike Sherman his head coaching job.
Houston Texans
The Texans managed four victories in their expansion season of 2002. So, that won’t be the one that sinks their ship here. Rather, it was 2-14 mark in 2005 that followed a 7-9 campaign. The two-win season wound up as the last for Dom Capers.
Indianapolis Colts
Jim Caldwell’s final season as coach in 2011 stands out as the low point for a franchise that posted double-digit victories season after season. The Colts were coming off consecutive AFC South titles and a run of seven of eight. Did we mention that the quarterback situation went from Peyton Manning to Curtis Painter as Indy fell to 2-14?
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars had a run of seven straight double-digit loss seasons before they went 10-6 in 2017 and won the AFC South. Doug Marrone’s team made it as far as the conference championship before bowing out. That led to many believing the team was a Super Bowl contender. Has not worked out that way as the Jaguars went 5-11 in 2018 and disappointed many.
Kansas City Chiefs
Gonna go with the 2007 Chiefs. Kansas City was 9-7 for Herman Edwards in 2006 and fell apart the next season, going 4-12. That five-loss drop is considerably worse than the 2-14 season that followed and saw Edwards replaced by Todd Haley in 2009.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders went from “Just Win, Baby” to lose, lose and lose some more. Our focus is the 2003 team that went 4-12 for Bill Callahan and never recovered from being crushed the prior season in the Super Bowl by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers pulled a Jacksonville Jaguars season in 2019, going from expected Super Bowl contenders to also-rans. However, it doesnt top the lost causes because of one year that has been forgotten. The 2000 Chargers were 1-15. They started 0-11 before winning their lone game by a lone point, 17-16, over the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike Riley’s Bolts came as close as a team could to 0-16.
Los Angeles Rams
The 2007-08-09 run for the Rams were 3-2-1 disasters. They went 3-13, 2-12 then 1-15. No one wants to recall those lean years. The 2009 season was the first in the Steve Spagnuolo era. It didn’t work out for the current Kansas City Chiefs DC. The lone win came against the Detroit Lions, who finished the 2009 season 2-14.
Miami Dolphins
Brian Flores seemed to have Miami headed for a season that would undercut the 1-15 mark of Cam Cameron in 2007. However, Flores got the Fish in gear and they wound up 5-11 leaving Cameron’s team in infamy. The lone win in ’07 came when the 0-13 Dolphins outlasted the Colts, 22-16 in overtime, as Cleo Lemon found Greg Camarillo for a 64-yard score.
Minnesota Vikings
The 2011 Vikings were 3-13 but that team was coming off a 6-10 season. The year that sticks out as disappointing and weak in achievement is 2018. Minnesota was coming off a 13-3 mark with a team that made it to the conference championship. They had high hopes and the Vikings came to earth with an 8-7-1 mark. It wasn’t the worst record in this span but it certainly left the Purple legion upset.
New England Patriots
There is one season — and only one — that can fit this description. The 2000 Patriots went 5-11 under first-year coach Bill Belichick. They were 0-4 at one point and 2-8 after 10 games. Have to wonder if that coach has the stuff to last.
New Orleans Saints
Gonna pick the 7-9 mark of a Saints team in 2012. that was coming off a three-year run of 37 wins. There is a major asterisk and excuse to these Saints as Sean Payton was sitting out his Bountygate ban for the season. Strong consideration also went to the 3-13 mark in 2005 that ended Jim Haslett’s time as head coach of the Saints.
New York Giants
Steve Spagnulo makes another appearance, granted he was simply finishing the season after Ben McAdoo got the boot in 2017. The Giants went from 11-5 and a Wild-Card team to last place in the NFC East.
New York Jets
The Jets have had many sad seasons. Two stick out and they are similar. In 2004, the Jets were a playoff team with a 10-6 mark for Herman Edwards. They followed up by going 4-12. Eric Mangini came on board in 2006 and went 10-6. And history repeated itself as the 2007 Jets went 4-12. Will choose the 2005 team since the year before the Jets went a round deeper in the playoffs.
Philadelphia Eagles
Andy Reid led the 2004 Eagles to the Super Bowl, where they lost. However, the Birds were 13-3 and finishing a five-year run that saw them win 59 games The 2005 season saw the bottom fall out as Reid’s charges fell to 6-10 and last in the NFC East.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers don’t have many down seasons. They are similar to the Patriots, a franchise that knows how to win and doesnt like to lose. Bill Cowher’s 2003 team went 6-10, which was a rarity. Remember, the two years before and the year after saw the Steelers win 38 games.
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are coming off a great season, gaining the Super Bowl. Will they find the glory years of the past? There were records that were worst than the 4-12 in 2018. However, this team sticks out because two of its losses came to the Arizona Cardinals, who were awful.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle won 51 games between 2003 and ’07. Mike Holmgren was a great coach until the 2008 year, which proved to be his last in Seattle. The Seahawks fell to 4-12, which led to one year under Jim Mora before they decided to try Pete Carroll. How is that working out?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Take your pick of two Jon Gruden teams. The 2003 season was a mess after the Super Bowl championships, going 7-9. Then there was the 2005 team that went 11-5 only to fall to 4-12 and last place in the NFC South. Will take the 2003 season because that team was defending Super Bowl champs.
Tennessee Titans
We can hit 2003 and 2004 with the Titans, who wound up in the quagmire of Jeff Fisher and mediocrity. The first season saw a 12-4 mark and it flipped to 5-11 that feature a five-game losing streak. There were worse seasons under Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey but the expectations were not as grandiose as they were under Fisher.
Washington Redskins
Dan Snyder has managed to a losing regime in Washington. The 2013 team, which was the last under Mike Shanahan saw Washington lose eight in a row to close the campaign. That team was coming off a 10-6 mark and NFC East crown. The 2019 team, which saw Jay Gruden dispatched, went 3-13 but had quarterback issues and was below .500 in the previous two seasons.
