Unluckiest single-season teams

[7DnBrnc53]

1991 Chargers

8 losses by a touchdown or less

Lost only twice by more than 10 points: 49ers/Jets, and they led the SF game at halftime so really they only got their doors blown off once for a 4-12 team

Yes, exactly. Me and someone else were talking about the 1989-91 Chargers. Could have been more if McMahon worked out, or if they got another QB sooner.

[CSKreager]

1991 Chargers

8 losses by a touchdown or less

Lost only twice by more than 10 points: 49ers/Jets, and they led the SF game at halftime so really they only got their doors blown off once for a 4-12 team

Yes, exactly. Me and someone else were talking about the 1989-91 Chargers. Could have been more if McMahon worked out, or if they got another QB sooner.

That 91 Charger team made their wins count:

LA Raiders (cost them a home playoff game)
Seattle (finished a game behind the #6 seed Jets and had H2H tiebreaker)
New Orleans (cost them a 1st round bye)
Miami (who was playing for a playoff spot)

[conace21]

Losing a close game is occasionally a matter of luck. But, generally speaking, losing a whole bunch of close games is the sign of a team that's not very good.

So is winning a bunch of close games a sign of being good or lucky?

I can think of several teams that finished with very poor records, but early in the year, they had a number of close losses. I don't think these losses were all purely luck, but they did have some misfortune.

1997 Oakland Raiders, 1999 New Orleans Saints,, 2001 Carolina Panthers. But by mid-season, with the prospect of respectable year slipping away, the teams disintegrated and finished the second half of the year with more lopsided losses. I think if some or most of the close losses bad gone the other way (especially with the Raiders and Saints), it's very possible that their lack of leadership and character wouldn't have been exposed, and they could have made a playoff push.

The same is true in reverse. The 1990 Buffalo Bills finished the season strong, and blew through the AFC playoffs. But would they have gotten to that level if they hadn't experienced a certain amount of luck (and special teams prowess) in back-to-back early season wins against the Broncos and Raiders? The Bills were badly outgained and outplayed for most of each game, but exploded in the 4th quarter.

Vs Denver
Up 21-9, Denver attempted a game-clinching FG. Nate Odomes blocked Cornelius Bennett returned it 80 yards for a TD.
On Denver's next possession, Jeff Wright jumped and deflected a John Elway pass. Leonard Smith caught it and weaved 39 yards to give Buffalo the lead.
Buffalo's special teams buried the Broncos at the 5 yard line after a penalty on the ensuing kickoff. The Bills fans were cheering so loudly, Elway had to ask the referee for assistance in quieting the crowd. When the noise slightly subsided, Elway was so shaken, he literally dropped the snap on first down. Bennett recovered at the 2, and Buffalo scored on the next play. Final score 29-28.

The next week, LA was ahead 24-14. Jim Kelly hit James Lofton with a 42 yard touchdown pass to bring them within 3.
The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession. Steve Tasker blocked it, and J.D. Williams returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.
On the next drive, Bennett got a sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. Buffalo kicked a field goal to go up 7.
On the next Raiders possession, Willie Gault caught a pass near the sideline. Odomes yanked the ball out of Gault's hands and took off down the sidelines for a 49 yard touchdown to clinch the game. Final score 38-24.

[LeonardRachiele]

1967 Baltimore Colts 11-1-2 no playoff
1991 Philadelphia Eagles 10-6