There have been 32 teams, or franchises, in the history of the NFL, and, as with all competitive competitions, results have been mixed and some sides more successful than others.
While some of the new outfits boast excellent win records, those who have been around longer and played more matches, the stats don’t seem so impressive.
Here we take a look at those who have struggled over the years and highlight the five sides with the worst records.
Arizona Cardinals – P1,412 L790 W581 T41
Fresh off the back of a miserable 2022 season in which they lost 13 of their 17 NFC West matches, Arizona possesses the unwanted record of having the worst loss statistics in the NFL.
The Cardinals have played the third-highest number of matches in the competition and have lost the most fixtures across that time with a whopping 790 defeats.
Another unwanted statistic is the fact that their miserable 2022 season saw them lose 13 games in a row to match the franchise record set in 2000 and 2018.
Only the Chicago Bears had a poorer record in the NFC last season.
Detroit Lions – P1,315 L702 W579 T34
Detroit Lions had a much better time of things in 2022 but their overall record is pretty miserable all the same.
The Lions made a poor start last season but finished strongly, winning eight of their last ten games, but it wasn’t enough to see them qualify for the playoffs, and it did little to improve their standing in the all-time table.
The Lions have lost 702 of their 1,315 matches in the NFL but if they can start the 2023 campaign like they finished the last, the future could be a lot brighter for a side who have failed to reach the postseason for six consecutive years.
New York Giants – P1,387 L638 W715 T34
It is something of a surprise to see the Giants in this list but it is as much down to the amount of matches they have played in comparison to others.
The Giants are the first side in the list to have won more games than they have lost and that will offer them some comfort.
Their 2022 season started brightly with six wins from their opening eight matches, but things fell away alarmingly in the second half of the campaign, when they lost five of their final eight fixtures.
That didn’t stop them reaching the playoffs where they beat the Minnesota Vikings in the wildcard match.
However, another loss was added to their all-time record as they were hammered by eventual NFC Champions, Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.
Philadelphia Eagles – P1,270 L630 W613 T27
Despite an agonising 38-35 defeat to Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Eagles had a season to remember in 2022 but it did little to improve their ranking as one of the most losing NFL sides of all time.
The Eagles beat their franchise-best record of 14 wins in a season but it was their Super Bowl loss in Arizona that hurt the most and increased their record to 630 defeats in 1,270 matches.
Washington Commanders – P1,284 L630 W625 T29
Formerly known as the Washington Redskins, the Commanders have been around a long time and thus possess a hefty losing record.
That wasn’t helped by a miserable 2022 season in which they lost eight times under their new branding.
A poor start to the year was accompanied by a weak finish, meaning the Commanders finished bottom of the NFC East, missing out on a postseason appearance for a second successive campaign.
