How Many NFL Teams Have Gone 0-16?
Contents
How many NFL teams have gone 0-16 in a season? Surprisingly, quite a few! Here’s a list of all the teams that have achieved this dubious distinction.
Introduction
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world.
Since it was founded in 1920, there have been a total of 43 NFL teams that have gone 0-16 in a season. Of those 43 teams, only 3 have been expansion teams (the Houston Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Detroit Lions).
The teams that have gone 0-16
The teams that have gone 0-16 are the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans.
The teams that have come close to going 0-16
There have been three teams that have come close to going 0-16 in NFL history, but all three were able to squeak out a victory to avoid the ignominious mark. The most recent team to come close was the 2017 Cleveland Browns, who went 0-16 after losing their final game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The other two teams were the 2008 Detroit Lions and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The teams that have the best chance of going 0-16
There are a number of NFL teams that have never gone 0-16, but there are a few that seem to be on that path.
The Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans all come to mind as teams that could potentially go winless this season.
The Browns have been the worst team in the NFL over the past two seasons, and they don’t seem to be any better this year. The Lions have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for much of the past decade, and they currently have the worst record in the league. The Texans have struggled mightily since losing star quarterback Deshaun Watson to a torn ACL, and they look like a shell of their former selves.
If any team is going to go 0-16 this season, it’s likely one of these three squads.
Conclusion
In conclusion, four NFL teams have gone 0-16 in a season. The Cleveland Browns were the most recent team to do so, in 2017. The other three teams to achieve this dubious distinction are the Detroit Lions (2008), the Miami Dolphins (2007), and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976).
