Has a NFL Team Ever Gone Undefeated?
Contents
The answer to this question is a bit complicated. There have been a few teams that have come close to going undefeated, but ultimately fell short. The most recent team to come close was the 2015 Carolina Panthers, who went 15-1 in the regular season.
Introduction
While several NFL teams have come close, no team has ever gone an entire season without losing a single game.
The closest any team has come to an undefeated season was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who finished the regular season with a 14-0 record. They then went on to win all three of their playoff games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish the season 17-0.
Since the NFL expanded to a 16-game regular season in 1978, only three teams have finished with just one loss: the 1984 San Francisco 49ers (15-1), the 1985 Chicago Bears (15-1) and the 1998 Denver Broncos (14-2). Of those three, only the 49ers were able to win the Super Bowl.
There have been several other teams with just two losses in a season, including the 2007 New England Patriots (16-0), who lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins
The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the perfect season. The team went 14–0 in the regular season and then won all three post-season games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish 17–0. The only team to finish a season undefeated and untied from the wire-to-wire, they are remembered as one of the best teams in NFL history.
The 2007 New England Patriots
The 2007 New England Patriots became the first team to go undefeated in a 16-game regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins, and just the fourth team in NFL history to do so. The team finished the regular season with a record of 16-0, becoming only the second team in NFL history to achieve an undefeated, untied regular season. They then went on to win their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history, defeating the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.
The 2015 Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were a team to be reckoned with in the 2015 NFL season. Stacked with explosive talent on both sides of the ball, the Panthers ran through the regular season with a perfect 14-0 record. However, they ultimately fell short in the playoffs, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos.
Conclusion
No team has ever gone undefeated in an NFL season. In fact, no team has even come close. The closest any team has come was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went 14-0 in the regular season and then won all three of their playoff games, including Super Bowl VII.
