1-4 NFL teams to make playoffs include the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1993 Houston Oilers, the 2002 New York Jets, and the 2002 Tennessee Titans.
The recent one is of the Steelers who won the Week 1 game against the Bengals but went out to lose the rest four consecutively. They eventually captured a 20-18 win against the Bucs in Week 6 to end the losing streak.
They eventually qualified for the Wild Card via a 9-8 record but lost the round to KC Chiefs with a 42-21 score.
The 2004 Green Bay Packers and the 2015 Kansas City Chiefs won their opening fixture and went on a four-match losing streak before bouncing back to secure a postseason berth.
NFL has seen various upsets in its one hundred and three years of history.
The 1992 Chargers pulled a once-in-a-lifetime scenario where they faced four consecutive losses in their first four fixtures. They won the Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks to make the win-loss record 1-4.
After the Week 5 bye, the team switched into a different gear and went on a glorious run, winning ten of the eleven ties. They finished the season 11-5 and booked their place in the Wildcard round.
Worst NFL Teams To Make Playoffs
The 2010 Seattle Seahawks, the 2020 Washington Football Team, and the 2014 Carolina Panthers are the worst NFL teams to appear in the playoffs.
The 2010 Seattle and the 2020 Washington were 7-9 in the regular campaign, while the 2014 Carolina was 7-8-1.
Other teams with abysmal win-loss stats to play in the postseason are:
| Teams | Regular Season Record |
| 1982 Cleveland Browns | 4-5 |
| 1982 Detroit Lions | 4-5 |
| 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-9 |
| 1985 Cleveland Browns | 8-8 |
| 1990 New Orleans Saints | 8-8 |
| 1991 New York Jets | 8-8 |
| 1999 Dallas Cowboys | 8-8 |
| 1999 Detroit Lions | 8-8 |
| 2004 St. Louis Rams | 8-8 |
| 2004 Minnesota Vikings | 8-8 |
| 2006 New York Giants | 8-8 |
| 2008 San Diego Chargers | 8-8 |
| 2011 Denver Broncos | 8-8 |
| 2020 Chicago Bears | 8-8 |
Worst Regular Season Record To Win Super Bowl
The 2011 New York Giants won the Super Bowl XLVI with a 9-7 regular season record, the worst among all the SB winners.
At the beginning of the regular campaign, they put on a decent display with six wins in eight contests. A hard turn was seen in the remaining eight matches, where they won three and lost five.
On the way to their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy, they defeated the Falcons (24-2), the Packers (37-20), and the 49ers (20-17). The SB XLVI win against the Patriots (21-17) is considered one of the greatest upsets of the NFL.
Likewise, other worst regular-season records to lift the championship are as follows:
- 1998 San Francisco 49ers (10-6)
- 2007 New York Giants (10-6)
- 2010 Green Bay Packers (10-6)
- 2012 Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
- 1967 Green Bay Packers (9-4-1)
0-5 NFL Teams To Make Playoffs
There has been no NFL team that has started 0-5 and bagged a playoff spot. The 0-4 team to claim it was the 1992 San Diego Chargers.
However, various franchise has faced significant setbacks because of the 0-5 start to their season. One thing for sure is that it hurts their chance of making it to the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers are 0-5 in 2023 with losses to the Falcons (24-10), the Saints (20-17), the Seahawks (37-27), the Vikings (21-13), and the Lions (42-24). The project with the 2023’s #1 draft pick, Bryce Young, is yet to show its true potential.
With no team after 0-5 qualifying for the postseason, can the Panthers pull out a rabbit from the hit and amaze everyone?
Technically, the possibility of them making the playoffs is still alive. Teams with less than 50% win percentage have headed to the postseason.
The 2014 Carolina Panthers, with a 7-8-1 record, played the postseason as the #4 seed in the NFC. So, hope is not lost for them yet.
They have 12 games in hand to rewrite the history. They get a week’s rest after the October 15 game vs. the Miami Dolphins at the Hard Rock Stadium.
It might be the best possible thing for them at the moment. they can gather themselves, and the coaching staff can rework strategies to turn around their seasons and battle for the playoff spot.
However, the history book states that no team with 0-5 ever qualified for the postseason. Some of them were:
- 1922 Columbus Panhandles
- 1925 Cincinnati Reds
- 1942 Detroit Lions
- 1943 Chicago Cardinals
- 1944 Card-Pitt
- 1944 Brooklyn Tigers
- 1960 Dallas Cowboys
- 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1982 Baltimore Colts
- 2002 St. Louis Rams
- 2008 Detroit Lions
- 2017 Cleveland Browns
NFL Teams To Start 5-0 And Miss Playoffs
NFL teams that missed the postseason after a 5-0 record are the 1993 Saints, the 2003 and 2016 Vikings, the 2009 Giants, and Broncos, and the 2015 Falcons.
The 1993 New Orleans Saints started fiercely with wins over the Huston Oilers (33-21), Atlanta Falcons (34-31), Detroit Lions (14-3), San Francisco 49ers (16-13), and Los Angeles Rams (37-6).
The Week 6 bye turned around their year in a way they didn’t hope in a million years. They lost two consecutive games before getting a win against the Phoenix Cardinals.
Another Week 10 bye took away their momentum. They lost two games in a row.
They won only two in the season’s last six games and finished the year with an 8-8 record.
Likewise, the 2009 NFL season saw the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos share a similar fate.
The Broncos’ 2009 journey was identical to the 1993 Saints year as the bye week shifted their momentum to a negative side.
Denver was 6-0 heading to the Week 7 bye. After the break, they bagged only two victories in ten games. The 8-8 record was not enough to clinch them a playoff berth.
Best NFL Regular Season Records
The 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 2007 New England Patriots, and the 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears had the best regular season records in the NFL.
All these teams played the championship games after beating every opposition in the regular campaign.
The 1934 Bears were the first group to win all the regular season fixtures. The 13-0 record helped them top the NFL Western standings.
The fairy tale run ended when they lost the 1934 NFL Championship to the NFL Eastern Division winners, the New York Giants, by 30-13.
Similarly, another regular perfect season came for the Bears under head coach George Halas in 1942. They were 11-0 in the regular campaign and finished the year where they made 376 points and conceived 84 points.
The NFL Western Division winners once again fell short and lost the 1942 NFL Championship contest to the Washington Redskins (6-14).
Likewise, the 2007 New England Patriots are considered one of the greatest teams. They were 16-0 in the regular season, the most regular season wins in a year.
They are also the last team without a regular season loss.
The Patriots topped the AFC East table and won the Divisional Playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars by 31-20.
They beat the Los Angeles Chargers 21-12 for the AFC Championship.
The fourth SB appearance for Tom Brady fell short as the New York Giants, who barely made the postseason, upset the Patriots and won SB XLII.
The Patriots 2007 season ended with a 19-1 record.
The Ultimate Perfect Season
The 1972 Miami Dolphins pulled the ultimate perfect season, winning all regular and postseason games. The 14-0 became 17-0 after the SB VII win.
This Dolphins squad achieved greatness on January 14, 1973, when they beat the Washington Redskins for the SB VII. Don Shula coached the group.
The franchise started with a win over the Chiefs at the Arrowhead Stadium on September 17, 1972, and slowly and steadily piled up their win record. They completed the regular perfect season by crushing the Baltimore Colts 16-0.
They became the third group in the NFL to remain undefeated in the regular campaign. It was the opportunity for them to pull off the greatest feat by a team and become the ultimate team by winning the Vince Lombardi title.
The Dolphins beat the Browns 20-14 and the Steelers 21-17 before defeating the Redksins 14-7 for their first Super Bowl.
Nine players made it to the Pro Bowl.
Jake Scott, who was the Pro Bowler for the second time, was the 1973 Super Bowl MVP. He won another SB in 1973 and continued his Pro Bowler journey till 1975.
Near-perfect seasons
Other teams who deserve credit for having only one regular season loss while claiming the Super Bowl or NFL Championship are:
- 1962 Green Bay Packers
- 1976 Oakland Raiders
- 1982 Washington Redskins
- 1984 San Francisco 49ers
- 1985 Chicago Bears
2023 NFL Playoff Bracket Predictions
NFL playoff bracket 2023 anticipates the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers qualifying for the postseason as No. 1 seeds from the AFC and NFC.
As things stand now, the AFC is led by the Chiefs. The 5-1 record is speculated to stretch to 12-5 by the end of the campaign.
Patrick Mahomes and company are on the second spot for the 2024 Super Bowl odds with +550 in DraftKings, bet365, Fan Duel, BetMGM, and Caesars.
Likewise, the 49ers are looking strong with a 5-0 record and are the only team besides the Philadelphia Eagles to remain undefeated in the National Football League.
After the week 5 win against the Dallas Cowboys (42-10), Brock Purdy and the group have become the favorites in every significant betting site to lift the Super Bowl LVIII at the Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024.
San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl winning odds are +350 in DraftKimgs, +375 in BetMGM, +380 in Ceasars, +400 in bet365, and +450 in FanDuel.
We will list out every team, per their seed, that we think will make it to the postseason:
American Football Conference
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Buffalo Bills
- Miami Dolphins
- Baltimore Ravens
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Indianapolis Colts
National Football Conference
- San Francisco 49ers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Seattle Seahawks
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers