Notable/Interesting 7-9 teams in NFL history

[ShinobiMusashi]

Something about going 7-9 to me I find interesting. Yeah you finished with a losing record(and had no business being in the playoffs), but winning 7 games in an NFL season is tough too. Most likely there were some good wins in there and the team had to have some good players or something positive going for them at some point during that trek. What were some noteworthy 7-9 teams that you remember or liked?

[slats7]

1990 Cowboys? You could definitely see them turning the corner.

[CSKreager]

1984 Chargers: 0-8 vs the AFC West, 7-1 vs everybody else

[74_75_78_79_]

The 1979 Kansas City Chiefs!

That AFC West may be the strongest division in a season ever. No playoff berths in the Levy era, unfortunately, but playoff flirtations/respectability to soon come and that 4-2 start in '79 serving as a signal. They swept both the 9-7 Raiders and the 9-7 Seahawks thus finishing with a better division record (4-4) than both (3-5 each).

They couldn't win either game against SD or Denver and got clubbed at home vs Pittsburgh (no disgrace, obviously) but were respectable. Of course there's that infamous finale at Tampa Bay. IMO, I think the Bucs win anyway, but I think KC would have given them just as close a game, just not in that 3-0 rain-soaked variety that it was.

[SeahawkFever]

1994 Eagles; started 7-2 and ended 7-9.

They lost some players after 94 (I’ve seen people note that they didn’t have Herschel Walker and Eric Allen, and benched Randall Cunningham; though they gained Ricky Watters in free agency), and replaced Rich Kotite with Ray Rhodes and proceeded to make the playoffs in 1995 and 1996 with 10-6 records.

[Crazy Packers Fan]

1978 New Orleans Saints - believe it or not, the best season in franchise history! Up to that point, that is. I was just researching this team today and its head coach Dick Nolan. He led the Saints to 7-9 in 1978 and 8-8 in 1979, but it all fell apart in 1980 with a 1-15 record and Nolan didn't make it through the season.

[Brian wolf]

Rats ... you beat me to it ... CPF

Had the Saints not lost heart-breaking games to the Falcons--one on a Big Ben TD pass--the other another TD pass in overtime--the Saints would have had a winning record.

[CSKreager]

Rats ... you beat me to it ... CPF

Had the Saints not lost heart-breaking games to the Falcons--one on a Big Ben TD pass--the other another TD pass in overtime--the Saints would have had a winning record.

If they won both ATL games, New Orleans would have made the playoffs

[7DnBrnc53]

1981 Falcons

Were supposed to make a SB run that year. Started 3-0 before losing OLB Joel Williams in Week 4 against Cleveland for the season.

Their defense missed his production from the previous year (16 sacks), as they went from 46 sacks in 1980 to 29 in 1981.

[Gary Najman]

1986 Dallas Cowboys - even with Danny White's injury it appeared back then that they would finish with a winning record, but finished with 5 straight losses. They finished 10th in total defense and 3rd in passing defense.