4 Forgettable Seasons For Four NFL Teams During Four Decades

Although the Patriots recently almost earned a perfect season, they have also earned a 1-15 record. These four teams' records prove that a team can only improve after it hits rock- bottom.

Is it worse to lose almost everything, or to win nearly everything? If you are a New England Patriots fan, it is extraordinarily likely that you know about the Pats' 2007 season. You probably know that they came within one game of playing a perfect season. Here is some news to cheer you up: the Patriots' worst regular season record ever, was 1-15. Some of the worst records ever in the history of the NFL include:

1. 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14)

The good news for the Bucs was that the NFL played a regular season of 14 games, instead of the current 16-game format. Granted, this was the Buccaneers' first season in the league. However, they got more than their feelings hurt on the field. The Bucs scored an average of fewer than nine points per game, and scored a goose egg in five games during the season. Steve Spurrier, starting QB for the Bucs, tossed an average of .5 touchdowns per game. Meanwhile, the defense of Tampa Bay would "outdo" the offense, losing each game by an average of 20 points.

2. 1980 New Orleans Saints (1-15)

Saints fans referred to the team as "Ants," and covered their heads with paper bags, at the games. Those are definitely not positive signs. How bad was the season? Their best rusher, Jimmy Rogers, averaged fewer than 23 yards PER GAME! Meanwhile, the Saints' QB, Archie Manning, tried to overcompensate with passes-509 attempts, to be exact. The sole win of the season was a victory over the New York Jets-by a whopping ONE point (21-20).

3. 1990 New England Patriots (1-15)

You could say that the Pats' record added up-considering that they had the NFL's second-worst defense, and the worst offense. Here are some of the "highlights" (or low-lights) of the season:

• In five games, the Pats scored a touchdown or fewer points
• 24 was the most points they scored in a game (ironically, in a 27-24 loss)
• They won their only game, by a mere two points (16-14 against the Colts)
• They fell behind the Redskins 9-0 before the Skins' ran one offense play

4. 2001 Carolina Panthers (1-15)

Their season-opening win over the Vikings (24-13) would be the season's highlight. Afterwards, they dropped 15 straight games. In five games, the offense racked up one touchdown or fewer, points. Meanwhile, opposing offenses scored 10 or more points during each game. In defense of the Panthers, they lost six of their games by a margin of three or fewer, points. However, that feat is certainly not worth bragging about. The Panthers actually lost two of those games in overtime. Furthermore, their losses broke an NFL record: the most back-to-back losses (15), in a single NFL season.

The aforementioned four NFL teams representing four decades prove that a team typically gets worse-before it gets better. So if your favorite NFL team is having a rough season, keep cheering with NFL merchandise and remember that next year is another season!