Who will be the NFL’s last winless team in 2024? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Through three weeks, 29 NFL teams have found the win column.
The Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, are still searching.
All three of those teams fell to 0-3 with some brutal defeats in Week 3. The Titans fell to former draft pick Malik Willis and the Green Bay Packers, the Jags got steamrolled by the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football and the Bengals couldn’t stop Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in another Monday matchup.
While being the last undefeated team in the NFL hasn’t led to Super Bowl success in nearly 20 years, the last winless team has routinely finished as one of the worst teams in the league.
In the last 10 years, only once has the final winless team gone on to win more than three games. There is a silver lining, though, as the team with that distinction has also ended up with a top-two draft pick each year dating back to the 2016 season.
|
Year |
Team |
Started |
Finished |
|
2023 |
Carolina Panthers |
0-6 |
2-15 |
|
2022 |
Houston Texans |
0-3-1 |
3-13-1 |
|
2021 |
Detroit Lions |
0-10-1 |
3-13-1 |
|
2020 |
New York Jets |
0-13 |
2-14 |
|
2019 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
0-11 |
2-14 |
|
2018 |
Arizona Cardinals |
0-4 |
3-13 |
|
2017 |
Cleveland Browns |
0-16 |
0-16 |
|
2016 |
Cleveland Browns |
0-14 |
1-15 |
|
2015 |
Detroit Lions |
0-5 |
7-9 |
|
2014 |
Oakland Raiders |
0-10 |
3-13 |
Which team will earn the dishonorable title in 2024? Let’s examine the outlook for the Titans, Jaguars and Bengals:
Tennessee Titans’ upcoming schedule
The Titans will get a break in their schedule in Week 4. They are hitting the road for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Miami Dolphins, who will likely be down to their third quarterback following injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson.
-
Week 4: at Miami Dolphins (Monday Night Football)
-
Week 5: Bye
-
Week 6: vs. Indianapolis Colts
-
Week 7: at Buffalo Bills
-
Week 8: at Detroit Lions
-
Week 9: vs. New England Patriots
Jacksonville Jaguars’ upcoming schedule
The Jaguars will need to pull off an upset on a short week to get into the win column, as they will head to Houston to face the AFC South-leading Texans in Week 4.
While the Jaguars and Titans face off twice annually, neither of their matchups are likely to factor into this discussion since they are so late in the season. The division rivals will play in Tennessee in Week 14 and face off in Jacksonville in Week 17.
Cincinnati Bengals’ upcoming schedule
What once looked like an easy win has turned into a much tougher Week 4 matchup for the Bengals. They will travel to Carolina to face Andy Dalton and the Panthers after the former Bengals QB lit up the Las Vegas Raiders.
-
Week 4: at Carolina Panthers
-
Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens
-
Week 6: at New York Giants (Sunday Night Football)
-
Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
-
Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
-
Week 9: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
