Preseason results don’t count for anything in the end, but I’m sure any NFL head coach would be concerned if his team went winless during the preseason. Listed below are all instances of a team going winless in league preseason play.
Winless in NFL, AFL, or AAFC Preseason Games (Season by Season)
Note: A team must have played a total of three preseason games vs. league opponents to have their winless preseason counted. If a team defeated a non-league opponent, but was winless in league preseason play I listed them. The records only include league preseason games; AFL vs. NFL preseason games were counted as league games.
Columns can be sorted by clicking on the titles in the header. You can search for a specific team or season using the search box to the right.
| Team | Season | Pre W-L | Reg W-L | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals (Phoenix) | 1990 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2007 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2009 | 0-4 | 10-6 | Lost in the Divisional Round |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1979 | 0-4 | 6-10 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2003 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2011 | 0-4 | 10-6 | Lost in the Wild Card Round |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1997 | 0-4 | 6-9-1 | |
| Buffalo Bills (AFL) | 1961 | 0-3 | 6-8 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1973 | 0-6 | 9-5 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1978 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1979 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1985 | 0-3-1 | 2-14 | |
| Buffalo Bills | 1990 | 0-4 | 13-3 | Lost the Super Bowl |
| Buffalo Bills | 2002 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Carolina Panthers | 1997 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Carolina Panthers | 2000 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Carolina Panthers | 2009 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Chicago Bears | 1962 | 0-5 | 9-5 | |
| Chicago Bears | 1978 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Chicago Bears | 1998 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Chicago Bears | 2010 | 0-4 | 11-5 | Lost in the NFC Championship |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1983 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1999 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 1967 | 0-5 | 9-5 | Lost in NFL Conference Round |
| Cleveland Browns | 1972 | 0-6 | 10-4 | Lost in the Divisional Round |
| Cleveland Browns | 2008 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1962 | 0-5 | 5-8-1 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1986 | 0-5 | 7-9 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1998 | 0-5 | 10-6 | Lost in the Wild Card Round |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2000 | 0-5 | 5-11 | |
| Denver Broncos (AFL) | 1960 | 0-5 | 4-9-1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 1947 | 0-3 | 3-9 | |
| Detroit Lions | 1966 | 0-4-1 | 4-9-1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 1988 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Detroit Lions | 1989 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 1946 | 0-3 | 6-5 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 1980 | 0-4-1 | 5-10-1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 1987 | 0-4 | 5-9-1 | |
| Houston Texans | 2003 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| Indianapolis Colts (Baltimore) | 1981 | 0-4 | 2-14 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1990 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2005 | 0-5 | 14-2 | Lost in the Divisional Round |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2010 | 0-4 | 10-6 | Lost in the Wild Card Round |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2000 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2005 | 0-4 | 10-6 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2007 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2009 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2011 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 1989 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Miami Dolphins (AFL) | 1966 | 0-4 | 3-11 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1961 | 0-5 | 3-11 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1979 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| New England Patriots (Boston / AFL) | 1963 | 0-5 | 7-6-1 | Lost in the AFL Championship |
| New England Patriots (Boston / AFL) | 1964 | 0-5 | 10-3-1 | |
| New England Patriots (Boston / AFL) | 1965 | 0-5 | 4-8-2 | |
| New England Patriots (Boston) | 1970 | 0-4 | 2-12 | |
| New England Patriots | 1983 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| New England Patriots | 1990 | 0-4 | 1-15 | |
| New England Patriots | 2008 | 0-4 | 11-5 | |
| New Orleans Saints | 1971 | 0-6 | 4-8-2 | |
| zNew York Bulldogs (Defunct) | 1949 | 0-5 | 1-10-1 | |
| New York Giants | 1944 | 0-3 ¹ | 8-1-1 | Lost in the NFL Championship |
| New York Giants | 1945 | 0-3 ² | 3-6-1 | |
| New York Giants | 1949 | 0-4 | 6-6 | |
| New York Giants | 1969 | 0-5 | 6-8 | |
| New York Giants | 1971 | 0-6 | 4-10 | |
| New York Giants | 2000 | 0-4 | 12-4 | Lost in the Super Bowl |
| New York Jets (Titans / AFL) | 1962 | 0-4 | 5-9 | |
| New York Jets | 1993 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| zNew York Yanks (Defunct) | 1951 | 0-5 | 1-9-2 | |
| Oakland Raiders (Los Angeles) | 1989 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 2011 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1957 | 0-6 | 4-8 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1970 | 0-5 | 3-10-1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1976 | 0-6 | 4-10 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1948 | 0-4 | 4-8 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1954 | 0-7 | 5-7 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1965 | 0-5 | 2-12 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1987 | 0-4 | 8-7 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2006 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| San Diego Chargers | 1999 | 0-5 | 8-8 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1963 | 0-5 | 2-12 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1966 | 0-5 | 6-6-2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1969 | 0-6 | 4-8-2 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1974 | 0-6 | 6-8 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2004 | 0-4 | 2-14 | |
| St. Louis Rams (Los Angeles) | 1993 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| St. Louis Rams (Los Angeles) | 1994 | 0-4 | 4-12 | |
| St. Louis Rams | 2002 | 0-4 | 7-9 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1986 | 0-4 | 2-14 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1988 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers / AFL) | 1967 | 0-4 | 9-4-1 | Lost in the AFL Championship |
| Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) | 1976 | 0-6 | 5-9 | |
| Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) | 1983 | 0-4 | 2-14 | |
| Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) | 1995 | 0-3 | 7-9 | |
| Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers) | 1997 | 0-4 | 8-8 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1952 | 0-5 | 4-8 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1954 | 0-6 ³ | 3-9 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1960 | 0-6 | 1-9-2 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1961 | 0-5 | 1-12-1 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1963 | 0-4 | 3-11 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1982 | 0-4 | 8-1 | League Champion / Won the Super Bowl |
| Washington Redskins | 2006 | 0-4 | 5-11 | |
| zBaltimore Colts I (Defunct) | 1950 | 0-7 | 1-11 | |
| zBrooklyn Dodgers (AAFC / Defunct) | 1946 | 0-2-1 | 3-10-1 |
¹ Defeated the non-league Sampson Naval Training Station in 1944.
² Defeated non-league Camp Lee in 1945.
³ Defeated the non-league 11th Naval District in 1954.
The Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Washington Redskins have all finished winless in league preseason play seven times; the most times by any team.
Winless in NFL, AFL, or AAFC Preseason Games (Cumulative)
| Franchise | Winless Preseasons | Losing Seasons After | Last Winless Preseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 1 | 2009 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 2 | 2011 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 1 | 1997 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 4 | 2002 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 2 | 2009 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 2 | 2010 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2 | 2 | 1999 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | 1 | 2008 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 3 | 2000 |
| Denver Broncos | 1 | 1 | 1960 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 4 | 1989 |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | 2 | 1987 |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 1 | 2003 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 2 | 2010 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0 | - | - |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 4 | 2011 |
| Miami Dolphins | 2 | 1 | 1989 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | 2 | 1979 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 3 | 2008 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1 | 1 | 1971 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 3 | 2000 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 1 | 1993 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2 | 0 | 2011 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 3 | 1976 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 3 | 2006 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1 | 0 | 1999 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 4 | 2004 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0 | - | - |
| St. Louis Rams | 3 | 3 | 2002 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 2 | 1988 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 3 | 1997 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 6 | 2006 |
Does a winless preseason lead to a losing regular season?
A few stats to consider…
Historically 68% of the teams that finished the league preseason schedule winless, have gone on to have a losing regular season.
Since the NFL went to the traditional four-game preseason schedule in 1978, 62% of the teams that finished the preseason winless, have gone on to have a losing regular season. Since 2002, 43% of the teams that finished the preseason winless, have finished the regular season with a losing record.
Additional Info
- The 1982 Washington Redskins, are the only team to ever win a Super Bowl after going winless in the preseason.
- The following teams went winless in the preseason but subsequently posted more losses during the preseason than the regular season.
| Team | Year | Pre Rec | Reg Rec | Playoffs |
| Boston Patriots (AFL) | 1964 | 0-5 | 10-3-1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 1972 | 0-6 | 10-4-0 | Lost in the Divisional Round |
| Buffalo Bills | 1973 | 0-6 | 9-5-0 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1982 | 0-4 | 8-1-0 | League Champion / Won the Super Bowl |
| Buffalo Bills | 1990 | 0-4 | 13-3-0 | Lost the Super Bowl |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2005 | 0-5 | 14-2-0 | Lost in the Divisional Round |
- The New England Patriots (Boston) had three winless preseasons in a row from 1963-1965.
Preseason and regular season records were retrieved from various team media guides, The Pro Football Archives, and Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Very interesting list…for some reason, I thought the 2006 Colts were the winless squad, as there would’ve been some irony behind their SB win that year. However, they were 1-3, and I was thinking of the ’05 squad…
I can still point to the 2008 Lions and their 4-0 preason for the ultimate irony though…
The Lions 4-0 preseason in 2008, definitely makes their 0-16 regular season ironic and even more interesting.
Now we just need to see a team go 0-4 in the preseason, and undefeated through the regular season and playoffs. I’m not holding my breathe that it will happen anytime soon though.
[...] Chicago and Indianapolis in 2010 had 11 wins), many winless teams struggle. In fact, according to Football Geography, only one winless preseason team has ever won the Super Bowl (the 1982 Washington Redskins in the [...]