The 5 Worst NFL Teams of All Time: 2023 Edition
Which teams are the worst NFL teams of all time? Find out below as we take a look at the five worst seasons on our way to determining the worst NFL team of all time.
Upon the list of the worst NFL teams ever we found a team that got outscored by LaDanian Tomlinson in a season. Another team had a quarterback who didn't know where the end zone finished. Let's take a look at the five worst teams in NFL history.
5. 2007 Miami Dolphins (1-15)
The Miami Dolphins had the opportunity in the 2007 draft to strengthen key areas in the team. This is a draft that produced many instant starters including one of the best wide receivers ever Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, and Adrian Peterson.It was a shock for many when Miami drafted wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. at pick number nine as a chorus of boos rained down at New York City's Radio City Music Hall by engaged Dolphins fans.
Miami was also quarterback needy and drafted John Beck in the second round. He ended up being a bust.
Beck and fellow quarterbacks Cleo Lemon and Trent Green combined for only 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for the season. Not a single receiver scored multiple touchdowns.
Superstar running back and weed enthusiast Ricky Williams returned for his first game in almost two years following a suspension for breaching the NFL drug policy, Miami with a record of 0-10 at this point. After only six rush attempts he tore his pectoral muscle and was out for the rest of the season.
Saving the 2007 Dolphins from being the worst team in NFL history is a Week 15 win against the Ravens. It meant that they avoided being the first team to go 0-16 in a season, but it wasn't enough to sack head coach Cam Cameron who was fire at seasons end.
4. 2016 Cleveland Browns (1-15)
Cleveland followed up a 3-13 season with the fourth worst season in NFL history. The 2016 Browns finished with just a single win and left it late with a Week 16 win over the Chargers.The 2016 Cleveland Browns were bad but weren't the worst NFL team ever.
They were rather unlucky losing five games by a single score, with two of those being in overtime. The Browns rotated through five quarterbacks during the season.
Cody Kessler was one of them with the rookie taken in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft ahead of Dak Prescott who was drafted to the Cowboys. Mind you, Cleveland also gave up the second pick of the draft which Philadelphia converted into Carson Wentz. Wentz and Nick Foles helped guide the Eagles to Super Bowl LII.
3. 2017 Cleveland Browns (0-16)
The 2017 Cleveland Browns won all four preseason games. It mattered little as they became only the second team to finish the regular season 0-16 to become one of the worst NFL teams of all time. Following on from their 1-15 season the season before, the Browns managed the worst two-year period by any team by going 1-31.Cleveland were unlucky at times. Four of their losses were by a single field goal and two games went into overtime.
They had a solid running back combo between Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson. On defense rookie pass rusher Myles Garrett was explosive recording 7 sacks and a fumble recovery in only 11 games.
Unfortunately it was Cleveland's quarterback situation which led them to disaster. DeShone Kizer started in 15 games. He threw 11 touchdowns and a league-worst 22 interceptions. Second-string quarterback Kevin Hogan was handed the reigns in Week 6 and he played so poorly, he was relegated to third-string quarterback the week after.
The Browns closed the season with Corey Coleman dropping a routine catch just after the two-minute warning in their final game of the season. A reception would've given Cleveland the ball 11 yards out from a game-winning drive to avoid the second winless season in history. It sums up the season for our third worst NFL team ever, with the Browns investigated by the league for tanking.
2. 2009 St. Louis Rams (1-15)
St Louis had a bad run heading into the 2009 season. They went 3-13 in 2007 and 2-14 in 2008. The 2009 Rams somehow managed to be even worse, finish 1-15 and are second on our list of the worst NFL teams of all time.
The Rams hadn't had a winning season since 2003, the season after winning Super Bowl XXXVI in one of the biggest NFL playoff upsets in history. They wouldn't ever have a winning season again in St. Louis as the franchise relocated to Los Angeles for the start of the 2016 season.
St. Louis scored a lowly 175 points during the entire 2009 season. LaDanian Tomlinson scored 186 points in 2006 for the Chargers, more than the Rams did for the entire year.
Quarterbacks Marc Bulger, Kyle Boller, and Keith Null combined for 11 touchdown passes for the season. Null was the worst out of the trio as he threw three touchdowns and nine picks.
Remarkably running back Steven Jackson made the Pro Bowl with 1,416 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, and 322 receiving yards from 51 receptions.
The second pick of the 2009 draft, offensive tackle Jason Smith, was a bust. They could've done with Pro Bowl defensive tackle B. J. Raji or four-time Pro Bowler Brian Orakpo instead who were both the 9th and 13th picks respectively. St Louis ultimately gave up 436 points on their way to becoming the second worst team in NFL history.
1. 2008 Detroit Lions (0-16)
Before a Week 12 loss in 2008, Detroit Lion’s Head Coach Rod Marinelli said to a reporter “I’m not 0-10! You’re 0-10”. That sums up the worst team in NFL history. The Detroit Lions finished the previous season 7-9. They also went undefeated during preseason.There weren't any obvious signs the 2008 Detroit Lions were about to become the worst NFL team of all time. By season's end it became clear why they are the worst NFL team in history.
The 2008 Lions finished the season last in defense. They conceded 517 points in total, 32.3 on average, and the second most in NFL history just behind the 1981 Baltimore Colts. The Lions defense forced only four interceptions for the entire season. Superstar Calvin "Megatron" Johnson was the only receiver with multiple touchdowns.
Five quarterbacks were used during the season and none of them finished with a positive TD/INT ratio, or a passer rating above 73.0. The Lions were so bad they threw more interceptions than touchdowns.
Dan Orlovsky's Week 6 play perfectly sums up the Lions' season. Orlovsky scrambled out of the end zone, unaware that he had ran out for a safety. It was a safety that ended up being the difference in the game.
Only a third of the team would remain playing in the NFL beyond 2009. Fortunately for the Lions they were "rewarded" with the first pick of the 2009 NFL Draft and they picked Matthew Stafford. Stafford became the fastest quarterback in history to reach 40,000 passing yards and holds virtually every Lions' passing record.
To top it off for the worst team in NFL history, Stafford went on to win Super Bowl LVI with the LA Rams after a trade in 2021. The Detroit Lions still remain one of four teams that have never reached a Super Bowl alongside the Browns, Jaguars and Texans.
