Ranking the Worst Late-Season NFL Collapses Since 2000

If given a choice between a challenging start and an immensely positive one, NFL teams will always take the latter.

Sure, there are lessons to be learned in failure. Winning lots of games is also, you know, the object of the sport. Win games, clinch a playoff berth and attempt to make a Super Bowl run.

But as a game isn't decided until the final whistle, a postseason trip isn't official until a team has enough wins. During the last two decades, however, many hot-starting teams have offered a clear and painful reminder of that lesson.

Every team ranked in these late-season collapses held a 5-2 record or better to start the season but missed the playoffs.

10. 2001 and 2002 San Diego Chargers

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Since 2000, the San Diego Chargers have the inglorious honor of being the only team to start 5-2 or better and lose every remaining contest. They dropped the last nine games in 2001.

In typical Chargers fashion, that streak included a devastating dose of one-possession losses. Six of those nine letdowns were by seven points or less, sending the Chargers to a 5-11 finish.

And it didn't really get better in 2002.

San Diego hired Marty Schottenheimer, and Drew Brees replaced Doug Flutie. The Chargers surged to a 6-1 start, then folded with a 2-7 end to the campaign and missed the playoffs.

T-9. 2003 Minnesota Vikings and 2009 Denver Broncos

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Both the 2003 Minnesota Vikings and 2009 Denver Broncos began 6-0, but neither team reached the postseason. And while Denver finished one game worse, the Vikings' season ended in scream-inducing fashion for their fans.

One devastating result is hardly "better" than the other.

Minnesota lost on the final snap of the 2003 regular season. Thanks to the since-eliminated "force-out" rule, Arizona Cardinals wideout Nate Poole caught a 28-yard touchdown as time expired. Minnesota would've edged the rival Green Bay Packers on tiebreakers, but Green Bay closed at 10-6 to the Vikings' 9-7.

And then in 2009, Denver slipped from 6-0—and even 8-4—and lost four straight games to close the season. The Broncos had several clinching scenarios in Week 17, but a 44-24 dismantling by the Kansas City Chiefs sealed Denver's once-unlikely fate.

8. 2006 Denver Broncos

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After earning three straight playoff appearances from 2003-05, the Broncos enjoyed a 7-2 start to the 2006 campaign. However, a dip to 7-4 led to the most popular guy on the team—the backup quarterback—getting a chance to replace Jake Plummer.

Jay Cutler, then a rookie, didn't capitalize on his chance.

Denver lost his first two starts and closed out the season on a 2-5 slide overall. The Broncos could've made the playoffs with a Week 17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but they fell in overtime and lost a wild-card tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since 2000, Denver is one of four teams to hold a 7-2 record but ultimately miss the postseason.

7. 2002 New Orleans Saints

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Four years before Denver's collapse from 7-2, the 2002 New Orleans Saints endured the same. This was even more painful.

New Orleans dropped to 7-4 but seemingly recovered, winning twice and moving to 9-4. None of the Saints' final opponents—the Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers—had a winning record.

Minnesota and Cincinnati—a team that finished 2-14—both clipped New Orleans in the final minute of regulation. And during the fourth quarter at Carolina, the Saints had three possessions reach the 40-yard line yet never scored in a 10-6 loss.

New Orleans (9-7) missed the second wild-card berth by a half-game to the rival Atlanta Falcons (9-6-1).

6. 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers

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The 2018 season was a roller coaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Following a 1-2-1 start, the Steelers ripped off six consecutive wins. Pittsburgh, at 7-2-1, held a comfortable 2.5-game advantage over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

But that feeling changed in a hurry with three straight losses. The Steelers fell to 7-5-1 as the Ravens—who benched Joe Flacco for rookie Lamar Jackson after a 4-5 start—turned around their season. Baltimore won six of its last seven, ending 10-6.

Throw in a Week 16 loss, and Pittsburgh stumbled to a 2-4 record over the final six weeks. The Steelers went 9-6-1 and missed both the AFC North crown and a wild-card berth by a half-game.

5. 2014 Philadelphia Eagles

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Chip Kelly garnered praise for his 10-6 debut in 2013, a season in which Philadelphia celebrated an NFC East title. But in 2014, an identical record wasn't enough for the playoffs.

Worst of all, the Eagles held a 9-3 record when the calendar flipped to December. From then on, though, Philly lost to the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Washington. The three-game skid officially eliminated the Eagles even before Week 17.

To some degree, Philly had incredibly bad luck. Five NFC teams posted 11-plus wins, and the NFC South-winning Panthers mustered only a 7-8-1 record yet stole an automatic berth.

Nevertheless, since 2000, only the 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers—more on them shortly—and 2014 Eagles opened 9-3 and ended without a trip to the postseason.

4. 2008 New York Jets

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Brett Favre retired after the 2007 season, so the Packers made the switch to then-unproven Aaron Rodgers. And when Favre changed his mind, Green Bay stuck with Rodgers. Favre wanted to keep playing but needed a new football home.

The Packers dealt Favre to the New York Jets, who wanted to quickly put a 12-loss season in the past. New York started 3-3 but surged to five straight wins, entering the final five weeks at 8-3 and tied for the second-best record in the AFC.

Favre faltered badly, however, throwing two touchdowns and nine interceptions. Four losses in five games caused the Jets to tumble out of the playoff picture and finish 9-7.

3. 2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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During the 2002 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started 9-3 and eventually won the Super Bowl. Six years later, the Jon Gruden-led Bucs managed the exact opposite result.

Four straight losses, and no postseason berth.

Perhaps fittingly, the Oakland Raiders provided the dagger to the Bucs' season and Gruden's tenure. Tampa had acquired Gruden from Oakland in a trade and defeated the Raiders in that Super Bowl victory. But in Week 17 of 2008, the Raiders earned a 31-24 win. Tampa fired Gruden following the loss.

Had the Bucs managed a single win down the stretch, they would've edged Philadelphia for the last wild-card spot.

2. 2018 Carolina Panthers

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At the halfway point of the 2018 campaign, the 7-1 Saints held a slim advantage on the 6-2 Panthers. New Orleans looked like the NFC South favorite, but Carolina was bound for a wild-card berth.

You understand what's coming, though.

Not only did the Panthers struggle, they imploded. Carolina lost seven consecutive games, including five straight by a touchdown or less. The Panthers—with banged-up quarterback Cam Newton trying to brace the team—tumbled to 7-9.

Since 2000, only the 2007 Detroit Lions have also plummeted from 6-2 to 7-9 like the Panthers.

1. 2012 Chicago Bears

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From 2000-19, a total of 46 teams began a season 8-0 or 7-1. Only one—the 2012 Chicago Bears—missed the playoffs.

This is, with no equal, the biggest meltdown of the millennium.

While building a 7-1 record, Chicago leaned on a defense that forced 28 turnovers in eight games to atone for an inconsistent offense.

During the latter half of the season, though, that inefficient scoring attack failed to take advantage of a great defense. The Bears dropped four of the next five, falling to 8-5. They managed two late victories but lost a wild-card tiebreaker to the Vikings, missing the playoffs and firing Lovie Smith.