Sports fans enjoy celebrating winning football seasons, like the remarkable 1972 season of the Miami Dolphins. However, not all NFL seasons are as glorious as that one. In fact, some have been quite the opposite and even outright embarrassing. There are years when teams struggled to secure even a few wins, and their performances were difficult to watch. Today, we are going to look at some of the most humiliating seasons in NFL history.
24/7 Tempo evaluated several criteria to compile this list. We considered teams with the lowest winning percentages during a season, those that had high expectations but underperformed, and others that never lived up to their potential. Our research drew from several sources such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Total Pro Sports. (For more sports-related blunders, check out the most embarrassing records in sports history.)
Here are the most embarrassing NFL seasons:
Dallas Cowboys 1989 Season
- Coach: Jimmy Johnson
- Record That Year: 1-15
The Dallas Cowboys are usually a solid football team. However, their lowest point was in 1989 when they managed to win just one game. This came right after Jerry Jones purchased the team and brought in the legendary NFL coach Jimmy Johnson.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976 Season
- Coach: John McKay
- Record That Year: 0-14
It was in 1976 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers debuted as part of the National Football League, and it was a disaster. They simply could not get their team and staff to work as one, and they went down in history for it. They were shut out five times, they lost eight games by at least 20 points, and they only played three games that were decided by seven points or less. Even worse, they never scored more than 20 points in a game during that season.
Detroit Lions 2008 Season
- Coach: Rod Marinelli
- Record That Year: 0-16
That season marked one the Lions’ worst performances in NFL history, making them the first team to endure a winless season since the league expanded to 16 regular-season games. It was particularly shocking given their 7-9 record the previous year and their perfect 4-0 pre-season that year.
Carolina Panthers 2001 Season
- Coach: George Seifert
- Record That Year: 1-15
This was one of the worst seasons in the history of the Carolina Panthers, who are often an up-and-down team that have great seasons in between some that aren’t so great. The team won only a single game that year, and it was the season’s very first game. The season was so bad that fans stopped showing up to games, and the audience was pitiful during their final loss of the season to the New England Patriots.
Cleveland Browns 2017 Season
- Coach: Hue Jackson
- Record That Year: 0-16
The Cleveland Browns made history as the most recent team to lose every game in a season, becoming only the second team to do so in the 16-game regular season era. The 2017 season was a continuation of a dismal streak, following a 2016 season where they managed just one win.
Indianapolis Colts 1991 Season
- Coach: Ron Meyer
- Record That Year: 1-15
The 1991 season was the worst that the team has had since they arrived in Indianapolis in 1984, and it continues to be their worst season since that year. Their only win was a narrow victory against the New York Jets, and it ended as a nailbiter at 28-27.
Miami Dolphins 2007 Season
- Coach: Cam Cameron
- Record That Year: 1-15
This was the Dolphins worst season ever at 1-15. They only managed to avoid a winless season by squeaking out a win during overtime on week 15.
The Buffalo Bills 1971 Season
- Coach: Harvey Johnson
- Record That Year: 1-13
The Bills only won one of 13 games that year. They also only scored 21 touchdowns, which was the third-fewest at that time.
New York Jets 1996 Season
- Coach: Rich Kotite
- Record That Year: 1-15
They won only one of 15 games that year. Even worse was the fact that they had one of the highest payrolls in the league at that time.
Cincinnati Bengals 2002 Season
- Coach: Dick LeBeau
- Record That Year: 1-15
This team managed to win two games, but most of the others were embarrassing. They had the worst defense in the league, allowing 28.5 points per game.
Houston Texans 2002 Season
- Coach: Dom Capers
- Record That Year: 4-12
While they did win some games and end up with a record of 4-12, it wasn’t easy. The quarterback, David Carr, was sacked a record 76 times that year, and the season was tough to watch.
Kansas City Chiefs 2012 Season
- Coach: Romeo Crennel
- Record That Year: 2-14
As a football fan today, it’s hard to believe that the KC Chiefs were ever less than stellar. However, in 2012, their record was 2-14. They didn’t have the lead in any contest until the ninth game of the season.
Green Bay Packers 1986 Season
- Coach: Forrest Gregg
- Record That Year: 4-12
The Packers have been pretty good for a long time now. But in 1986, they only had a record of 4-12. That was with quarterback Randy Wright, who threw 23 interceptions.
New Orleans Saints 1980 Season
- Coach: Dick Nolan, Dick Stanfel
- Record That Year: 1-15
The Saints only won one game that year. In addition to poor play, there was also a drug problem in the locker room. It was so bad that it required the team to trade away essential players. The only good thing about that season was Archie Manning’s performance. He threw for 3,716 yards, 23 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.