NFL History: The 20 Most Pathetic Single-Season Performances

There have been plenty of bad performances over the course of sports history, and the NFL is no exception.

This list will look at some of the worst of the worst that covered an entire season, and you will see that some of the biggest offenders have been teams and quarterbacks.

One team seems to be more prevalent than the rest when it comes to individual NFL futility, but plenty of different teams are represented.

Here are the 20 most pathetic single-season performances in NFL history.

1. 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs' inaugural season was a train wreck as the team finished its first campaign with an 0-14 record.

Tampa Bay was shut out five times that season and its average margin of defeat was 20 points per game.

Starting quarterback Steve Spurrier couldn't have enjoyed that season, especially considering it was his last as a player, but he has found plenty of success in the coaching ranks since.

2. 1990 New England Patriots

The 1990 New England Patriots were a far cry from the current Pats.

The 1990 version finished with the league's worst offense and second-worst defense while finishing the season with just one win.

That win came by just two points, and the explosive Patriots offensive that we have become accustomed to was anything but over two decades ago, as their highest scoring effort was just 24 points.

3. 2009 JaMarcus Russell

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 03: JaMarcus Russell #2 of the Oakland Raiders looks on against the Baltimore Ravens during an NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on January 3, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Since JaMarcus hasn't been getting enough love already in numerous draft bust articles, I figured I would give him some here.

Russell's 2009 season was a sight to behold, unless you are a Raider fan, as he completed just 48.8 percent of his passes while throwing 11 interceptions.

Russell finished the season with a 2-7 record and a 50 QB rating.

Those are numbers that not even an Omaha Nighthawks could love.

4. 2001 Carolina Panthers

The Panthers won the first game of their 2001 season and then things went south, way south.

Carolina didn't win another game all season and finished the year with a 15-game losing streak.

Not even 29-year-old rookie quarterback Chris Weinke, who was fresh off his Heisman winning senior season, could lead the Panthers to more than one win in 2001.

5. 1971 Buffalo Bills

The 1971 Buffalo Bills were the definition of dreadful. They finished the season with the league's worst offense and worst defense, but they were able to win one game.

With a 1-13 record and an inability to do anything of note on either side of the ball, it is no wonder that the '71 Bills found their way onto this list.

O.J. Simpson was a third-year player at the time. Too bad he didn't play defense because the Bills allowed every opponent to score at least 19 points that season.

6. 2010 Houston Texans Secondary

Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Texans' awful secondary is fresh in my mind since their atrocious play took place just last season, but they deserve to be on this list because they were historically bad.

They allowed 268.5 passing yards per game, while opposing quarterbacks completed 64.7 percent of their passes.

But it only gets worse. The Texans allowed an average quarterback rating of 100.5 as opponents threw 33 touchdowns but just 13 interceptions.

7. 2009 Larry Johnson

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 11: Running back Larry Johnson #27 of the Kansas City Chiefs walks off the field during the game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 11, 2009 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Larry Johnson went from the penthouse to the outhouse at Arrowhead in a hurry.

His 2009 effort was nothing short of pathetic, if you can call it an effort at all. He carried the ball 132 times for just 377 yards, which is also known as an average of just 2.9 yards per carry.

I'm sure it was the offensive line's fault. Oh what's that you say? Jamaal Charles ran for 5.9 yards per carry behind that very same offensive line?

Yes, LJ you were that bad in 2009.

8. 2000 Akili Smith

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CINCINNATI - OCTOBER 13: Akili Smith #11 of the Cincinnati Bengals before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium on October 13, 2002 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Steelers beat the Bengals 34-7. (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)

Akili Smith's rookie year in 1999 wasn't great, but his second year was even worse.

Smith completed just 44.2 percent of his passes during the 2000 season while throwing six interceptions.

Smith played just four seasons in the NFL after being selected with the third pick in the 1999 NFL draft.

9. 2010 Seattle Seahawks

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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 16: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts while taking on the Chicago Bears in the 2011 NFC divisional playoff game at Soldier Field on January 16, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Image

Just kidding Seahawks fans.

10. 1998 San Diego Chargers Quarterbacks

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

24 Dec 2000: Quarterback Ryan Leaf #16 of the San Diego Chargers is sacked by Joey Porter #55 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during their game at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. DIGITAL IMAGE Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn/ALLSPORT

The Chargers had the two worst quarterbacks in the league during the 1998 season with Ryan Leaf and Craig Whelihan.

The two combined to throw a mind-boggling 34 interceptions and just 10 touchdowns while completing 46 percent of their passes.

Leaf was obviously the more infamous of the two, but neither of them belonged on an NFL field in 1998 or any other season for that matter.

11. 1988 Rusty Hilger

Hilger didn't get much of an opportunity during his three seasons with the Raiders, but he became the starter in Detroit in 1988.

In just 11 games Hilger managed to throw 12 interceptions while completing only 41.2 percent of his passes.

Hilger would play just one more season in the NFL while never starting another game again.

12. 1987 Mark Malone

Despite being a first-round choice in the 1980 NFL draft, Mark Malone had a pretty poor NFL career.

Malone's worst season came in 1987 as quarterback of the Steelers when he had a brutal year, throwing 19 interceptions in just 12 games and completing only 46.4 percent of his passes.

Luckily for Malone, his broadcasting career has been much better than his time spent as a player in the NFL.

13. 1981 Vince Evans

I promise I'm not doing this on purpose, but what do you know?

Another former Raider quarterback makes the cut.

Evans spent the vast majority of his time with the Raiders as a backup, but his 1981 season with the Bears is what found him on this list.

Evans completed just 44.7 percent of his passes while throwing 20 interceptions that year.

14. 1978 Steve Deberg

DeBerg's rookie season was rough to say the least, as he was picked off 22 times while completing just 45.4 percent of his passes.

That was good enough for a whopping passer rating of 40.

DeBerg went 1-10 in his rookie season, but he went on to play 206 career games as a NFL quarterback, so he clearly rebounded from his shaky start.

15. 1979 Wilbert Montgomery

Wilbert Montgomery had a very strong season in 1979 in most statistical categories as he rushed for over 1,500 yards.

He carried the ball early and often for the Eagles, 338 times to be exact, but he also fumbled the ball 14 times.

Fourteen times!

I don't care how many yards he gained, that's too much.

Hold onto that football Petey.

16. 1983 Marcus Allen

George Rose/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 11: Marcus Allen #32 of the Los Angeles Raiders runs with the ball during a game against the Houston Oilers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 11, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. The Raiders won 20-6 (Photo b

Marcus Allen is one of the greatest running backs of all time, so you are probably surprised to see the Hall of Famer on this list.

But Allen had an unremarkable season in 1983, when he ran for just 3.8 yards per carry and fumbled the ball 14 times.

Allen straightened things out after that, as he went to the Pro Bowl the next four seasons.

17. 1980 Joe Cribbs

Cribbs went to the Pro Bowl in 1980, so why did he make this list?

He fumbled the ball 16 times. That's one fumble per game for you non-math wizards out there.

He also averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, so it's safe to assume that he would not be a Pro Bowler in this day and age.

18. 2009 Darrius Heyward-Bey

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 19: Bradley Fletcher #32 of the St. Louis Rams breaks up a pass intended for Darrius Heyward-Bey #85 of the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 19, 2010 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/

Well look at that, another Raider cracks our list.

Heyward-Bey was atrocious as a rookie for the Raiders in 2009, as he caught just nine passes for 124 yards in 11 games.

Not exactly the production you expect from the seventh pick in the draft.

Al Davis really outdid himself on this selection.

19. 1991 Indianapolis Colts

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15 Sep 1991: Running back Eric Dickerson of the Indianapolis Colts moves the ball during a game against the Los Angeles Raiders at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Raiders won the game, 16-0. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport

The 1991 Indianapolis Colts sure could have used Peyton Manning, even if he was only 15 years old at the time.

The Colts went 1-15 and their offense was beyond terrible, as they scored just 14 touchdowns in 16 games. That seems pretty hard to do, and apparently it was because they set a NFL record in the process.

That must have been terrible to watch, kind of like watching a Seattle Mariners baseball game nowadays.

20. 2008 Detroit Lions

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GREEN BAY, WI - DECEMBER 28: Dan Orlovsky #6 of the Detroit Lions leaves the filed following a loss against the Green Bay Packers on December 28, 2008 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Lions 31-21. (Photo by Jonathan Danie

The 1976 Tampa Bay Bucs couldn't have been happy when the 2008 Lions decided to give them some company.

The Lions finished the 2008 campaign without a single win on their resume thanks in large part to a defense that could stop no one.

Detroit's defense allowed at least 25 points in 14 of the team's 16 games. On the bright side, the team did win all four of its preseason games.