The Detroit Lions' hideous 47-10 loss to Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day dropped them to 0-12 on the season. They are trying to avoid becoming the first team since 1976 to go through a full season without a victory. In fact, the Lions have lost 18 of their past 19 games.
Still because the Lions still have four games left, it's too early to put them among the worst teams ever. Here's a look at our 10 worst NFL teams of all time in the Super Bowl era, in no particular order:
-- 1990 New England Patriots (1-15): These Pats had the worst offense in the NFL, and their defense was next-to-last. They gave up 265 more points than they scored. They scored more than 20 points in a game only once all season but gave up more than 20 on 11 occasions.
-- 1972 Houston Oilers (1-13) 1973 Houston Oilers (1-13): Who was worse, the 1972 Oilers or the 1973 Oilers? Both went 1-13. Flip a coin, but we'll go with 1972. That season, the Oilers finished next-to-last in both offense and defense. They turned the ball over in every game but one and 33 times for the season -- an average of more than two a game. Over those two seasons, quarterback Dan Pastorini was sacked 67 times. It got so bad that near the end of his career he was believed to be the first quarterback to wear a flak jacket.
-- 1982 Baltimore Colts (0-8-1): The strike that season might have prevented the Colts from being considered the worst team ever. They scored only 113 points all season and still managed to give up 123 more than they scored. They turned the ball over 10 times in the final two games alone. There's more: They were shut out twice, gave up at least 30 points three times and, in one game, mustered only 88 yards of total offense.
-- 1971 Buffalo Bills (1-13): They were last in offense and defense. Their quarterbacks threw 32 interceptions. They allowed 210 more points than they scored. They were shut out four times and never allowed fewer than 19 points in a game. Not even O.J. Simpson could save them. The Juice rushed for only 742 yards that season. When you dig into the stats, the Bills are serious contenders as the worst NFL team ever.
-- 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs (0-14): What did their coach, John McKay, think of the team's execution? He was in favor of it. The expansion Bucs went through their first season without a victory. They were shut out five times and never scored more than 20 points in a game. The average margin of defeat was 20.5 points, and they finished with a real bang, losing their final six games by a combined score of 228-50.
-- 1991 Indianapolis Colts (1-15): Despite having QB Jeff George and RB Eric Dickerson, the Colts scored only 143 points -- the fewest over a 16-game season. They were held to 10 points or fewer in 12 of the 16 games. Over a five-game midseason stretch, the Colts did not score a touchdown. They had only 14 touchdowns all season. Oh yeah, they had the third-worst defense in the league, too.
--1981 Baltimore Colts (2-14) The Colts beat the Patriots in the season opener, lost 14 in a row then beat the Patriots again in the season finale. (The Pats went 2-14 that season.) Overall, Baltimore gave up 533 points. Only one other team gave up more than 400. The Colts lost one game by three points and another by six. Other than that, they never came closer than 11 and lost by at least 20 points eight times.
-- 1980 New Orleans Saints (1-15): How can we forget the infamous "Aints'' -- a team so bad fans showed up with bags over their heads. They started the season 0-14 before beating the Jets, who went 4-12 that season, by a mere point. The Saints gave up at least 20 points in every single game and only twice held their opponents to fewer than 333 yards.
-- 2001 Carolina Panthers (1-15) Behind former Heisman winner Chris Weinke, the Panthers won their opener then proceeded to lose 15 in a row. They finished 30th in yards gained and 31st in yards allowed. This was a bad team, but at least the Panthers did lose eight games by six points or fewer.
-- 1989 Dallas Cowboys (1-15): This was Troy Aikman's first year. He threw nine touchdowns and 18 interceptions as the Cowboys finished 28th in offense. In 10 of the 16 games, the Cowboys offense scored either one or no touchdowns. They turned the ball over in 15 of 16 games.
Honorable Mention: 1992 Seattle Seahawks (2-14), 1996 New York Jets and 2000 San Diego Chargers (1-15).
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
columnMust credit St. Petersburg Times.
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