Which Teams with Losing Records Have the Best Chance of Making the Playoffs?

While a team making the playoffs with a record under .500 isn't impossible—the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West last year with a 7-9 record and even notched a win over the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round—it's a highly unlikely and rather disconcerting event.

And though there are a number of teams with losing records that have practically no chance of seeing the postseason as of Week 11, there are three squads that could turn their seasons around enough to find themselves still playing football in January.

Miami Dolphins (3-7)

A 3-7 record is a considerable hole to dig oneself out of, but with the Miami Dolphins' convincing 35-8 trouncing of divisional rival Buffalo Bills in Week 11, making that three wins in a row, the team has actually entered the playoff discussion.

Those Bills, once surging, now have a 5-5 record and have lost their last three games. Add into that the also 5-5 New York Jets, who have a two-game losing streak, and the Dolphins appear to have momentum on their side, giving them a very real chance of entering the postseason as a wild card entrant.

But it's going to be a hard road to get there, with their remaining schedule one of the more difficult in the league. They have one contest apiece ahead of them with their three fellow teams in the AFC North, all coming in Weeks 15-17.

Before those division-deciding contests, they face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, the Oakland Raiders in Week 13 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.

While the little mistakes that hamstrung the early part of the Dolphins season appear to be behind them, and the Jets and Bill struggling down the stretch, it's Miami's performance in those upcoming non-divisional games that will determine their ultimate fate.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 4-6, won't likely catch the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints (7-3), they still have a chance to enter the postseason as a wild card entrant, depending upon their own performance for the rest of the year as well as that of the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons.

The Buccaneers proved today that if they can make improvements on all the little mistakes that have hindered their season, they can manage to impress.

They gave the undefeated Green Bay Packers a run for their money in Week 11, and though they ultimately fell, 35-26, there were a lot of positives they can take back to Tampa with them.

Tampa Bay has three remaining divisional contests ahead—two against the 2-8 Carolina Panthers and one against the Atlanta Falcons to close the season in Week 17.

Aside from those games, they don't have a particularly easy (nor particularly difficult) schedule, with the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Dallas Cowboys in their future.

The Falcons also have three divisional games remaining, but one of them is against the Saints. They also see the Houston Texans in Week 13.

It's quite possible that a wild card berth for either the Falcons or the Buccaneers will be decided by who wins their Week 17 tilt, and while the Bucs are under .500 right now, they may not be once the season wraps.

San Diego Chargers (4-6)

The San Diego Chargers have melted down, to be sure, but they're not a puddle sliding its way into the gutter just yet. At 4-6, having lost their last five games, they're still not that far off from turning their season around enough to enter the playoffs as a wild card team or even perhaps winning their AFC West division.

With a win in Week 11, the Oakland Raiders lead the division at 6-4, while the Denver Broncos currently sit at 5-5 with an unsustainable but thus-successful offensive model that has led them to three wins in a row.

The Broncos run-first, never-pass approach to their offense won't likely hold fast considering the slate of powerful defenses ahead of them, with the Minnesota Vikings leading that off in Week 13 and the Chicago Bears following that up in Week 14.

Week 15 has the team facing the New England Patriots, and while Denver has a surprisingly strong defense, they shouldn't be much of a match for the Tom Brady-led Patriots offensive assault.

But the first step for the Chargers to reach the postseason starts in Week 12, when they meet the Broncos for the second time on the year. If San Diego can manage this all-important win, then they're already on more solid footing.

San Diego finishes out their year with contests against the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and the Raiders; with the AFC wild card race firmly stuck in the AFC North, the Chargers have a tall order ahead of them if they hope to see January football, but it's not impossible.