Weakest above-500 teams that DIDN'T make playoffs

[74_75_78_79_]

More teams than not throughout history that finish with a winning record but don't get in usually get the "oh it's a shame they didn't make it" treatment. But then there are those like the '78 Packers (only quality wins vs two 9-7 non-playoff teams; -10 point differential) and '83 Cards (late win at Raiders but -54 pt diff) that warrant little if any sympathy. Any other such "didn't deserve it anyway" candidates?

[Hail Casares]

The 2008 Bears (9-7) were pretty unremarkable.

[74_75_78_79_]

The 2008 Bears (9-7) were pretty unremarkable.

Not one of Lovie's best but three wins vs playoff teams - including big opener at Indy - nothing to sneeze at. The same reason why I won't place '80 or '00 Steelers in this; enough quality wins each season. The former fresh off the Dynasty, the latter 9-4 after that Graham-assisted bad start with 13-3 top-seed coming up the following year.

[7DnBrnc53]

The 1971 Falcons (7-6-1) and 1973 Falcons (9-5) are pretty good candidates for this honor. The talent wasn't that great. They had average QB's in Bob Berry, Richard Shiner, and the General Lee, and they didn't produce that many Pro Bowlers (two in 1971, four in 1973 [one was K Nick Mike-Mayer]). They would go on to have three straight losing seasons from 1974-76 until the arrival of Eddie LeBaron and Leeman Bennett in 1977.

[BD Sullivan]

With three weeks to go in the 1973 season, the Browns were 7-3-1 and just a half-game behind the Steelers and a half-game ahead of the Steelers. The next week, the Browns tied the Chiefs, the Benglas routed the Vikes and the Steelers lost to the Dolphins on Monday night (nearly making a miraculous comeback). That made it a three-way tie for first with two weeks left. The Browns were originally scheduled to host Cincy, but because the Reds were in the NLCS, they switched the games and the Week 13 contest was in Cincy. The Browns lost that and their finale to finish 7-5-2.

For most of the season, the Browns were using mirrors to win, since Mike Phipps was terrible at QB. They beat the Giants 12-10 on four field goals; they tied the 1-5 Chargers at home (in a mudfest); they bored the Raiders to death in a 7-3 win and then came back the next week to defeat the Steelers with a late TD. They were getting dominated by KC before salvaging a tie and then charged back against Cincy to make it a 20-17 game--before the Bengals scored two TD's to put the game away.

Probably the most telling stat is that despite their winning record, they gave up 21 more points (234-255) than they scored. They would have gotten drilled by Miami and Oakland would have gotten their revenge had the Browns made the playoffs. After that season, the team became an up-and-down team until 1980.

[Citizen]

The 1978 Packers finished 8-7-1 and only lost the weak NFC Central on a tiebreaker, but they weren't very good. They raced to a 7-2 start by fattening up on mediocre teams, but went to pieces when their schedule got tough in the season's second half. The fact that they were 4-10 and 5-11 in the seasons before and after this one shows that it would have been pretty fluky had they made the playoffs.

[74_75_78_79_]

The 1978 Packers finished 8-7-1 and only lost the weak NFC Central on a tiebreaker, but they weren't very good. They raced to a 7-2 start by fattening up on mediocre teams, but went to pieces when their schedule got tough in the season's second half. The fact that they were 4-10 and 5-11 in the seasons before and after this one shows that it would have been pretty fluky had they made the playoffs.

Hate when period pieces get it wrong. Perhaps this 'That '70s Show' episode should have aired when the show was set in 1978 instead of, in this case, 1979...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Prxh7fS_8MI

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg8ykLuS-Ug

Fast-forward to '89...I guess they beating Niners at Candlestick and then Vikings the following week ought to disqualify this 'Majik' squad from discussion; or perhaps not? Very soft schedule otherwise (lucky wins vs some of those very opponents) and, like '78, also sandwiched by losing seasons.

[CSKreager]

The 1992 Colts and their unimpressive 9-7 record with a 5th place schedule screams WEAK.... but they did beat the BIlls and Dolphins, which should count for something

[Citizen]

Fast-forward to '89...I guess they beating Niners at Candlestick and then Vikings the following week ought to disqualify this 'Majik' squad from discussion; or perhaps not? Very soft schedule otherwise (lucky wins vs some of those very opponents) and, like '78, also sandwiched by losing seasons.

I think those two games do remove the '89 Packers from this discussion. They were extremely lucky a few times, but they looked like a very good team down the stretch, especially in the games you cite. If nothing else, maybe they would have given the 49ers a bit more of a game in the division round than the Vikings did.

[74_75_78_79_]

The 1971 Falcons (7-6-1) and 1973 Falcons (9-5) are pretty good candidates for this honor. The talent wasn't that great. They had average QB's in Bob Berry, Richard Shiner, and the General Lee, and they didn't produce that many Pro Bowlers (two in 1971, four in 1973 [one was K Nick Mike-Mayer]). They would go on to have three straight losing seasons from 1974-76 until the arrival of Eddie LeBaron and Leeman Bennett in 1977.

In '71 they beat Niners, Browns on road, and Raiders. Two years later, in addition to putting up four 40+burgers (one of them 62-7 at Saints opening day), they split with Rams and beat Vikings. This makes me hold my fire on these two. I'm probably wrong to do so though. You're not the only one on the site to critique these squads.

Falcons went into '72 finale 7-6 against the also 7-6 Chiefs. Had they won, Packers (at Milwaukee, Week #6) would be their only quality win of the season. As for the very team they didn't beat in that finale, KC themselves had just one win over a winner - Raiders in Week #8. And how about 8-6 Giants from that very year? Not counting finale at already-in Dallas, Niners at SF their only quality win.