The 16 Longest Losing Streaks In NFL History

Losing streaks in the NFL are nothing to be proud of. Not for a fan base or an NFL franchise. But NFL losing streaks are certainly talking points amongst fans.

These are the 16 longest losing streaks in NFL history. Each franchise below lost 15 or more straight games. Only one of them, the first one below, managed to do it in one season. Others spread their history NFL losing streaks out over multiple seasons.

As we inch closer to the 2025-26 NFL season, a few franchises are on notice for limping into the off-season with losing streaks.

The Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are currently tied with the longest active losing streaks in the NFL at 6 games each. But they have a long way to go before they make history among the 16 longest losing streaks the NFL has ever seen.

Carolina Panthers: 15 Games

First up is the Carolina Panthers with a 15-game losing streak. They have the dubious distinction of being the only franchise among the 15 longest losing streaks in NFL history to do so in one season.

Ultimately, that’s probably for the best. Right? I know I’d rather see my team get their losing out in one year. They went 1-15 in 2001 after winning their first game of the season and losing the next 15 in a row. Brutal.

Buffalo Bills: 15 Games

Tied with the 2001 Carolina Panthers are the 1970-71 Buffalo Bills with a 15-game losing streak of their own.

They spread it out over two seasons with 10 losses in the 1970 season (3-10-1) and an additional 5 straight losses to start 1971. Buffalo’s season didn’t turn around in 1971 after they broke the streak as the Bills went 1-13 that year.

Oakland Raiders: 16 Games

The 2013-14 Oakland Raiders, just a handful of years before the franchise moved to Las Vegas, made history with a 16-game losing streak.

Oakland went 4-12 in 2013 with a 6-game losing streak to finish the season. Starting right where they left off, the Raiders came back for 2014 and lost 10 games in a row and went 3-13 in the season overall.

Miami Dolphins: 16 Games

As a born-and-raised Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, somehow the Miami Dolphins’ and Jacksonville Jaguars’ losing streaks are more seared into my memory than my own team’s… Probably for the best!

The 2006-07 Miami Dolphins lost 16 games in a row. Their streak started with 3 straight losses to finish out the 2006 season and they came back to lose 13 in a row in 2007, a season where the Phins only won one game and went 1-15 on the year.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 16 Games

The Pittsburgh Steelers are among the most successful NFL franchises in history, tied with New England for the most Super Bowl titles at 6 (in 8 appearances). But they were struggling mightily and ran off a 16-game losing streak over 1969 and 1970.

The Steelers’ 16-game losing streak began in 1969 when the team went 1-13 including 13 straight losses. It stretched into the next season when Pittsburgh went 5-9 in 1970 including 3 straight losses to start the season.

Cleveland Browns: 17 Games

The Cleveland Browns have the unfortunate distinction of being on this list back-to-back times because they managed to have two historic losing streaks stretched over 3 seasons, something no other NFL franchise has come close to matching.

Their 17 game losing streak in 2016-17 began with 1 loss to finish the 2016 season followed by a winless 0-16 season in 2017 to push the streak to 17 games… All of this after they had just snapped a 17-game losing streak in 2016.

Cleveland Browns: 17 Games

The first 17-game losing streak to put the Cleveland Browns on this list took place over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. It started with 3 straight losses to finish out the 2015 season, a year where the Brownies only won 3 games.

Coming back in 2016, Cleveland had a 1-15 season including 14 straight losses to push the franchise’s losing streak to 17 games. They’d then win a game and do it all over again!

St. Louis Rams: 17 Games

Less than a decade before the Rams moved to Los Angeles, the St. Louis Rams were down bad. They made history with a 17-game losing streak over the 2008 and 2009 seasons, with 10 losses in 2008 after the team went 2-14 that season.

The Rams followed it up with 7 straight losses in a 1-15 2009 season to push their historic losing streak to 17 games.

Houston Oilers: 17 Games

The 1982-83 Houston Oilers made history of their own with a 17-game losing streak (7+10), going 1-8 in the 1982 season including 7 straight losses.

That was followed up with a 2-14 1983 season which unfortunately included 10-straight losses to start that season. They finally broke the streak though!

Washington Redskins: 17 Games

The Washington Redskins (now the Commanders), had a 17-game losing streak of their own spanning the 1960 and 1961 seasons. It was an 8+9 streak with 8 straight losses to finish their 1-9-2 season in 1960.

Coming back in 1961 hoping for better results, they were sorely disappointed. Washington lost 9 straight games to start 1961 to stretch their losing streak to 17 games and they’d finish the ’61 season 1-12-1 overall… It was a tough time to be a Washington fan.

Houston Oilers: 18 Games

Back on the list again are the Houston Oilers. This time it’s the 1972-73 squad.

Their 18-game losing streak over those two seasons puts them in rarefied company. It included 11-straight losses during Houston’s 1-13 season in 1972. That losing streak stretched into 1973 where they lost 7 games in a row, again finishing 1-13 on the season. Is it any wonder they moved to Tennessee?

Detroit Lions: 19 Games

The Detroit Lions are in ELITE company with their 19-game losing streak that stretched over three NFL season: 2007, 2008, and 2009. For a minute, it was all anyone in the NFL world could talk about.

Detroit’s 3-season, 19-game losing streak began with a loss in the Lions’ final game of 2007, then a winless 0-16 season in 2008, capped off with another 2 losses to start the 2009 season. Detroit would only win 2 games that season to end their total losing streak at 19 games, but it was their only 2 wins in 32 games. Yikes.

READ NEXT: The 14 Longest Regular Season Winning Streaks In NFL History

Oakland Raiders: 19 Games

The 1961 and 1962 Oakland Raiders are tied with the Detroit Lions at 19-losses in a historic losing streak of their own.

It started with 6-straight losses to finish the 1961 season (2-12) followed by 13-straight losses in the 1962 season where Oakland’s only win that year came in their final game of the season to break the streak.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 20 Games

With the third longest losing streak in NFL history we have the 2020-21 Jacksonville Jaguars. They were down BAD in North Florida for those two seasons…

Jacksonville’s historic losing streak began in 2020 with a 15-game losing streak. The Jags won their first game of the season that year and hopes were high but then they lost 15 straight games in a row and fans began to question reality.

Coming back in 2021, the Jaguars lost 5 games in a row, going 3-14 overall on the season, to stretch the third-longest NFL losing streak ever to 20 games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 26 Games

With the second-longest losing streak in NFL history we have the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who lost more games in two seasons than Tom Brady lost in some decades.

Tampa Bay began their historic losing streak with 14 straight losses in 1976, going winless that season. They came back in 1977 still licking their wounds and lost another 12 straight games before finally snapping the streak at 26 games, going 2-12 in the 1977 season… It was tough times in Tampa in the early days of the franchise.

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Chicago Cardinals: 29 Games

Many would argue the longest losing streak in NFL history should have an asterisk attached to it and I would be inclined to agree.

The 1942/43/44/45 Chicago Cardinals lost 29 straight games, a losing streak that included back-to-back winless seasons, but that stretch was interrupted by World War II and the team losing players who went overseas to fight for their country. In fact, the rosters of the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers were combined at the time to create a Card-Pitt team.

The 29-game losing streak, spread out over 4 years, looks like this: 6 + 10 + 10 + 3. Those back-to-back 10-game losing seasons over 1943 and 1944 were tough pills to swallow for a proud Chicago fan base but the country’s interest was focused on defeating the Germans and not on football.

READ NEXT: The 14 Longest Regular Season Winning Streaks In NFL History