Worst Playoff Teams in NFL History

By Jacob Kornhauser

The playoffs, in every sport, are meant to be for the elite and borderline elite teams from the league that year. However, in the NFL, like all sports, sometimes average or below average teams manage to sneak into the postseason. That’s happened plenty of times in the NFL, but nobody was worse than these teams, who somehow found a way to make the playoffs.

Worst Playoff Teams in NFL History

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1996 Indianapolis Colts (9-7) — Despite finishing in third place in their own division, the Colts snuck into the playoffs with a record barely above .500. It wasn't just that they finished with a 9-7 record, but they didn't look like a very competitive team all season long. Despite winning their first four games, they found themselves at 6-6 with a quarter of the season left to go. By winning three of their last four, they managed to get into the postseason where they lost in the wild-card round.

2002 Cleveland Browns (9-7) — The poor Browns haven't made the playoffs since this season and they really didn't even deserve to be playing past the regular season in that year. Their quarterback play was inconsistent as always, but they kept finding ways to stay in the playoff picture. With their 9-7 record, they got into the playoffs, but were bounced in the wild-card round with a crushing defeat at the hands of the Steelers (36-33).

1994 Chicago Bears (9-7) — The 1990s were not a good decade for the Bears, but the 1994 season provided a bit of a bright spot. They finished with a winning record, which was rare for the decade to begin with, and of course, they also reached the postseason. Unlike the first two teams on this list, they actually defeated their wild-card round opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, en route to the divisional round. However, they were clearly overmatched by the 49ers in that round and were defeated 44-15.

2004 Minnesota Vikings (8-8) — Despite having Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper, the Vikings weren't that great of a team in 2004. Sure, they could put points on the board, but they couldn't prevent anyone from scoring on them. They were the definition of average because their poor defense normally cancelled out their solid offense. The playoffs aren't meant for teams that are average.

1991 New York Jets (8-8) — At 7-5 through 12 weeks, it seemed very possible the Jets could reach the playoffs. However, if you had told anyone they'd lose three of their last four games and still reach the postseason, they likely would've thought you were nuts. That's exactly what happened, though. Despite being one of the coldest teams in the league down the stretch, they reached the playoffs, where they lost to the Oilers in the wild-card round, 17-10.

1990 New Orleans Saints (8-8) — In the first year of playoff expansion, the Saints didn't exactly show fans that a third wild card (when there were just three divisions per conference) was such a great idea. With a measly 8-8 record, they managed to get into the playoffs where they were predictably bounced in the wild-card round.

1978 Minnesota Vikings (8-7-1) — Somehow, despite barely finishing with a winning record and winning just one of their final five games, the Vikings still managed to win the NFC Central division, by virtue of a tiebreaker over the Packers. As one could have guessed, though, they were promptly disposed of in the divisional round and were left as one of the worst playoff teams ever.

1969 Houston Oilers (6-6-2) — They were still in the AFL at the time, so the playoff rules were a bit different, but the Oilers managed to qualify for the playoffs with just six wins. Of course, only 14 games were played back then, but that's still ridiculous to think about. The team didn't make any noise in the playoffs and entered the NFL soon after.

2011 Denver Broncos (8-8) — Tim Tebow may have been a miracle worker in Denver to even get them into the playoffs in 2011, but the team still only won as many games as they lost. Of course, the team went on to shock the Steelers in the wild-card round on the arm of an overtime touchdown pass from Tebow, but this team still never deserved to be in the playoffs in the first place.

2008 San Diego Chargers (8-8) — It seems like the AFC West tended to be mediocre in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The Chargers were just one of the examples of a mediocre team getting into the playoffs because their division was so bad. This team, led by LaDainian Tomlinson, was very average, but managed to win their final four games and erased a three-game division deficit. You couldn't say they weren't exciting, but this team made the playoffs after being 4-8 at one point in the season.

1999 Detroit Lions (8-8) — The Lions and "playoffs" aren't normally uttered in the same sentence, but in 1999 they were used together briefly. This very average squad, which lost its last four games, won just as many games as it lost, but got into the playoffs as a wild card team. Of course, they were no match for the Redskins, who rolled over them 27-13 in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

2014 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) — Last season, the Panthers looked doomed at 3-8-1 until they rattled off four straight victories and managed to win a very weak NFC South. Upon reaching the playoffs, they actually defeated an injury-depleted Cardinals team before being disposed of by the eventual NFC champion Seahawks. Since they sat at 3-8-1 last season, they haven't lost a regular season game, as they currently sit at 13-0 in 2015.

2010 Seattle Seahawks (7-9) — It's not too often you get the chance at 6-9 to control your playoff fate in the final week of the season, but that's exactly where the Seahawks found themselves in 2010. All they had to do was beat the Rams and they would win the NFC West with a losing record. They did exactly that and managed to knock off the Saints, a game that Marshawn Lynch went into "Beast Mode," but lost to the Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs.

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