The Worst 10 Teams To Ever Make The NFL Playoffs

Ah, the NFL playoffs. Where the best play the best in order to determine the greatest singular team of that calendar year. The NFL playoffs are where legends are made, and that has proven time and again throughout the years. David Tyree famously was a special teams player who helped end the New England Patriots' perfect season in 2007.

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It's partially because nothing matters before the playoffs are that a lot of fans tend to forget what happens in the regular season. While fans like to think that only the best teams make the postseason, that's not true. In fact, there have been some pretty terrible teams to make the playoffs.

10 1999 Miami Dolphins

The 1999 Miami Dolphins are mostly remembered for their postseason collapse, where they lost 62-7 in the divisional round to the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, what is forgotten is that they weren't a great team to begin with.

The Dolphins made the postseason after starting 8-2 and somehow ending at 9-7. They proceeded to only win one of their last six games and finished with a negative 11-point differential. While everyone remembers Dan Marino's terrible postseason, he was also awful in the regular season, as he posted 12 touchdowns to 22 turnovers.

9 2004 St. Louis Rams

The 2004 St. Louis Rams were essentially the last year of the 'Greatest Show on Turf' era. While they still had Mike Martz coaching, and Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk playing, they were also much older. Their age showed as they finished the year 8-8.

The point differential for the team was a dismal negative 73. They did score an upset win to start the playoffs but were brutalized in the divisional round, losing 47-17 to the Atlanta Falcons to end their year.

8 2016 Detroit Lions

At one point, the 2016 Detroit Lions seemed like possible contenders. Sitting at 9-4, the squad began to have a meltdown and lost their final three games in an embarrassing fashion. The team still made the postseason at 9-7, and with a negative 12-point differential.

The team clearly lacked fire and identity, while Matthew Stafford tried his best, even he looked worn out near the end of the season. Their sole postseason game saw them destroyed by the Seattle Seahawks, losing 26-6.

7 2006 New York Giants

One year before Eli Manning and the New York Giants hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, the team showed they had the potential to compete for a championship. Well, for about half a year. They started off the year 6-2, but ended it 8-8 and backed into the playoffs with a minus-7 point differential.

The team's postseason was brief, as they lost in the opening round to the Philadelphia Eagles. The season led to Tiki Barber's retirement, as he believed there was no future for the Giants. Little did he know just how wrong he was.

6 2020 Chicago Bears

The 2020 Chicago Bears started off 5-1, and some believed that the Matt Nagy-Mitchell Trubisky-led team might be hitting its peak. Instead, they quickly showed their flaws. They proceeded to finish out the year at 8-8 and backed into the playoffs after getting thrashed by the rival Green Bay Packers in their final game.

Their playoff run was just one game, as they got beaten soundly by the New Orleans Saints in the opening round, losing 21-9 (their lone touchdown came in garbage time). The defeat wound up being the final game for Trubisky in a Bears uniform, as he was released following the season.

5 2011 Denver Broncos

Tim Tebow hitting Demaryius Thomas in overtime to defeat the Pittsburg Steelers in the opening round of the playoffs will forever be one of the greatest moments in NFL postseason history. What the play also did, was single handedly re-write the history of the team.

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While Tebow did have a lot of initial success as a starter, the team also backed into the playoffs at 8-8 after losing their final three games. They also finished the season with an incredible negative 81-point differential. Also, what does everyone forget about their miracle postseason run? They lost by 35 points to the New England Patriots to end their year.

4 2016 Houston Texans

Brock Osweiler was signed to the Houston Texans in 2016, to hopefully elevate the team to being a Super Bowl contender. He had previously assisted as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos the year prior, as they won a ring. Instead of elevating the team, he went down as arguably the worst free-agent signing ever.

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The team fought their way into the playoffs at a 9-7 record, being division champion thanks to a terrible AFC South. Despite their negative 49-point differential, they defeated the heavily injured Oakland Raiders in the opening round. However, their season ended with a lopsided loss to the New England Patriots the following week.

3 2020 Washington Football Team

The 2020 Washington Football Team had an incredible story. Led by Alex Smith returning from a broken leg, and Ron Rivera battling a cancer diagnosis, the team rebounded from a 2-7 start to make the playoffs. Led by a strong defense, the team won the horrible NFC East at 7-9.

The team eventually lost Smith again in the playoffs, forcing the squad to turn to Taylor Heinicke. While the backup quarterback still played well, the squad was defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opening round.

2 2014 Carolina Panthers

Ron Rivera wasn't shocked when he led the Washington Football Team to the playoffs in 2020 despite a losing record, mainly because he'd done it before. Six years prior, he led the Carolina Panthers to the playoffs despite holding a 7-8-1 record. Luckily, the NFC South was terrible, so they won the division.

To their credit, they ended the year hot and won their final four games. After defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the opening round, they lost to the defending champion Seattle Seahawks afterward.

1 2010 Seattle Seahawks

The 2010 Seattle Seahawks were the first ever team to make the playoffs despite holding a losing record. Sitting at a negative 97-point differential, they backed into the postseason thanks to a terrible NFC West. However, Matt Hasselbeck and Marshawn Lynch made the most of their playoff run.

They faced the defending champion New Orleans Saints in the opening round, and pulled off a massive upset, winning 41-35. The game is mostly known for the 'BeastQuake', Seattle fans cheering during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown led to a minor earthquake. They eventually lost the following week in Chicago to end their season.

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