5 NFL teams who have recorded winless seasons
The Detroit Lions are 0-10-1 this season. Naturally, people have started looking up winless seasons other teams have had in the past. It provides a reference point for comparison because winless seasons are rare.
The NFL is fundamentally designed to be an equitable league. That is why the lowest ranked teams go highest in the draft. That is why there is a salary cap, so that franchises with the richest owners cannot just hoover up all the talent. Hence, the league remains competitive, and while winning and losing seasons happen all the time, it is tough for any team to win all the games or to have a winless season.
But despite the nature of the league, five teams since World War II have had winless seasons. We look at the teams and the seasons that they had.
#1 - Dallas Cowboys, 1960
The Dallas Cowboys commenced operations in 1960 and as a newly established team found it extremely tough in their maiden season in the NFL. They went 0-11-1 during the season, their only tie coming against the New York Giants in the penultimate game of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys played their first season in 1960. They went 0-11-1, but “proved to be tough competitors and look like a team on the move. They have spirit and play thrilling football.” https://t.co/hnOtu2O9iw
As an expansion team placed in the Western Conference of the NFL, they got most of their players through the expansion draft. Needless to say, they finished bottom of the conference that season without a single win. In fact, since the tied games were not counted until 1972 towards the standings, the Dallas Cowboys only had losses counted from their winless season.
#2 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1976
Another debutant also had a winless season much like the Dallas Cowboys, and they were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. In the expansion draft, they mostly got aging veterans, so the chances of success were very low going into their maiden season.
They became the first team in the modern era not to win or even tie a game during a season. As part of their winless season, they also scored the fewest points, rushing touchdowns and passing touchdowns. Their winless season was also part of the longest losing run in NFL history, which ended after 26 games in the subsequent season.
After going 0-14 in their debut season of 1976, the #Buccaneers lost their 1st 12 games of the 1977 season. An NFL Record 26 straight losses
As the NFL changed to a 16-game regular-season format, and most recently to a 17-game regular-season format, the 0-14 record will remain unique.