5 biggest season collapses in NFL history
Teams across the NFL strive for consistency. If players deliver consistent, high-level performances, the team wins games. If they deliver this throughout the season, they will win a lot of games and make the playoffs. Down the years we’ve seen plenty of great teams, those franchises that just keep on winning. These are the teams you see winning divisions and regularly featuring in the postseason.
Sometimes we see teams start poorly before getting it together mid-season. They find form at a great time and their momentum can be potent in the playoffs. But then there's the flipside. Sometimes a team starts red-hot before collapsing in dramatic fashion.
Here are the five biggest season collapses in NFL history:
#5 – Las Vegas Raiders, 2020 season
It was their first year in Las Vegas. Expectations were high for the Las Vegas Raiders going into the 2020 season. Jon Gruden led his team to an excellent 6-3 start with a tough early schedule. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Chargers, all away from home. But then their season came crashing down.
The Raiders would only win two of their final seven games, finishing 8-8. Following a crushing last-second 25-26 defeat against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, the Raiders were eliminated from playoff contention.
Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins come back to win vs. the Raiders, 26-25 ✨ https://t.co/CENlQW4fA2
#4 – Washington Redskins, 1978 season
The 1978 Washington Redskins had one of the biggest regular season collapses in league history. After starting the season 6-0, they lost three of their next five, falling to a respectable 8-3.
However, after beating the New York Giants in Week 11, they wouldn’t win again, losing five on the spin to finish 8-8. Inexplicably, after such a good start, they only won two of their last eight games, missing the postseason altogether.