The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' crucial victory over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday has solidified a highly unflattering piece of NFL history: the NFC South will once again be represented in the playoffs by a team with a losing record.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's final divisional matchup, the division champion will finish the season at a disappointing 8-9. This distinction, which marks the second time a division champion has finished under.500 in the last three years (after the 2022 Bucs also finished 8-9), underscores the brutal and bizarre mediocrity that has plagued the division all season, giving the winner the dubious honor of hosting a playoff game against a far superior NFC Wild Card team.
The two teams still battling for the title — the Buccaneers (8-9) and the Panthers (8-9) — have endured a season defined by inconsistency and stretches of woeful football. The Buccaneers needed a desperate win just to stay alive after a four-game losing streak, while the Panthers’ path to the playoffs now relies on a tiebreaker scenario that requires them to lose today and have the Atlanta Falcons win tomorrow.
In a league that prides itself on parity, the NFC South has become an anomaly, a testament to division champion rules that prioritize winning a weak subdivision over overall performance. While other playoff contenders finished their seasons with 11 or 12 wins, the NFC South champion will host a Wild Card game with the lowest win total of any divisional winner.
For both Tampa Bay and Carolina, the achievement of clinching a playoff berth at 8-9 will be met with a mixture of celebration for making the dance and a pointed embarrassment over the record that got them there.
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Has an NFL team with a losing record ever made the playoffs?
Yes, an NFL team with a losing record has made the playoffs several times in league history, though it is a rare occurrence that only happens when a team wins its division.
The 2010 Seattle Seahawks (7-9) hold the record for the worst winning percentage for a division champion in a non-strike-shortened season. Notably, they also became the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game, defeating the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round (the famous "Beast Quake" game).
Since the NFL adopted the 17-game schedule in 2021, a division winner finishing at 8-9 is the new equivalent of a losing record, which the Buccaneers achieved in the 2022 season and will do again this year, regardless of the Sunday outcome.
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Teams to make NFL playoffs with a losing record
| Season | Team | Record | Context |
| 1982 | Cleveland Browns | 4-5 | Strike-shortened nine-game season; a special 16-team playoff format was used. |
| 1982 | Detroit Lions | 4-5 | Strike-shortened season; qualified under the special playoff format. |
| 2010 | Seattle Seahawks | 7-9 | First division winner with a losing record in a full 16-game season (NFC West). |
| 2014 | Carolina Panthers | 7-8-1 | Won the NFC South. |
| 2020 | Washington Football Team | 7-9 | Won the NFC East. |
| 2022 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-9 | Won the NFC South in the first year of the 17-game schedule. |
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1982 Cleveland Browns
The 1982 NFL season was derailed by a 57-day player strike that reduced the league's normal 16-game schedule to nine games. The NFL also decided to adopt an expanded postseason because of the shortened season, so a league-record 16 teams made the playoffs that season. The Browns were one of them. They made the postseason as the AFC's No. 8 seed after posting a 4-5 record. Brian Sipe and Paul McDonald quarterbacked Sam Rutigliano's team during the season while rookie linebacker and No. 3 overall pick Chip Banks recorded 6.5 sacks during the nine-game season.
Cleveland was unable to parlay its postseason admission into any success. The Browns faced Tom Flores, Jim Plunkett, Marcus Allen, and the Raiders in the first round of the playoffs; the Raiders — then located in Los Angeles — held the Browns scoreless in the second half and won the game 27-10.
1982 Detroit Lions
The Lions were the other team to benefit from the 1982 strike, as they also made the playoffs with a 4-5 record. Monte Clark's squad was led by Billy Sims, who led the team in rushing yards (639) and receiving yards (342) during the season. Detroit's defense also posted solid stats. Al Baker and Dave Pureifory each ranked in the top 10 in sacks, with 8.5 and seven respectively, while defensive tackle Doug English was named an All-Pro.
Like the Browns, the Lions failed to find success in the postseason. They played the No. 1-seed Washington Redskins in the opening round of the playoffs, and Washington beat them 31-7 after scoring the first 24 points of the contest. Washington would go on to win the Super Bowl, while the Lions rebuilt for the 1983 season.
2010 Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks became the first team with a losing record to make the playoffs in a non-strike-shortened season in 2010. They earned that historic label after beating the Rams in Week 17 to tie them with a 7-9 record. Had the Seahawks lost that game, the Rams would have gone to the postseason with an 8-8 record. So, their Week 17 win under the leadership of backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was especially important. Seattle's 2010 team was a run-heavy one under Pete Carroll's leadership. Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett each rumbled for more than 500 yards while quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 3,001 yards, 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Few gave the Seahawks — just a few years ahead of their dominant "Legion of Boom" defense days — a fighting chance in the playoffs. Seattle shocked the world. It kept pace with Drew Brees and New Orleans' high-flying offense, outscoring them 41-36 in an explosive offensive battle. That win produced the enduring Marshawn Lynch "Beast Mode" run, which is regarded as one of the greatest individual scoring efforts in NFL history. The Seahawks' magic was short-lived, as they lost the following week to the Bears, 35-24. But they proved that the NFL's "Any Given Sunday" mantra is more than just a cliché.
2014 Carolina Panthers
The Panthers just narrowly avoided being a.500 team when they made the playoffs in 2014. They posted a record of 7-8-1 in Ron Rivera's fourth season, and that was good enough to win the NFC South. Rivera's squad was, per usual, led by a strong defense. All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, as well as stalwart linebacker Thomas Davis, edge rusher Charles Johnson and the ascending Josh Norman, formed a strong front core that helped Carolina go on a four-game winning streak to close the season.
The Panthers' first playoff game turned out to be a relatively easy win, too. The Cardinals were forced to start third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley amid injuries to Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton. The Panthers defense allowed Lindley to complete just 16 of 28 passes for 82 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions during the game, a 27-16 Carolina win. The Panthers didn't get as lucky in the divisional round, however. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense proved a lot stronger than the Cardinals while the "Legion of Boom" gave Cam Newton and the Panthers trouble in a 31-17 loss.
2020 Washington Football Team
Strangely enough, Rivera's teams have twice made the playoffs with sub-.500 records. He did it during his second year in Washington after leading the Football Team to a 7-9 record. Washington's 2020 season was eerily similar to that of the Panthers. The team relied on its strong defense to carry it, and it got on a late-season hot streak, going 5-2 in its last seven games to win the NFC East. Terry McLaurin and then-rookie Antonio Gibson carried the Washington offense. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line, which consisted of four first-round picks — Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat — provided a massive advantage in the trenches.
Washington put up a fight against Tom Brady's Buccaneers. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke kept the game close with a gritty scrambling effort and had a third-quarter touchdown run that many fans will fondly remember for years to come. Even still, the Football Team couldn't get the win. The Buccaneers emerged with a 31-23 victory en route to Brady's seventh Super Bowl title.
2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers were the first team since the NFL instituted a 17-game schedule in 2021 to make the playoffs with a losing record. Tampa Bay's offense wasn't very good during the season. Tom Brady carried the team with a few game-winning drives. His late heroics are a big reason why the Bucs won the NFC South with an 8-9 record.
The Buccaneers took their 8-9 record into the playoffs as the NFC's No. 4 seed and hosted the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys proved too much for the Brady-led offense, ending the Buccaneers' season with a decisive 31-14 loss.
2025 Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Either the Panthers or Buccaneers will make the playoffs as the 8-9 NFC South champion, a fate that will be determined by the result of one single game on Sunday. The Buccaneers' win over the Panthers on Saturday ensured both teams finish with an 8-9 record and eliminated the third-place Atlanta Falcons (7-9) and New Orleans Saints (6-10) from the division race. However, the Falcons' game against the Saints on Sunday still holds the key to the NFC South title due to a complex three-way tiebreaker scenario.
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