If a team goes undefeated in the preseason, does that mean it's more likely to do well in the real games? Should we pencil in Seattle and Washington (who both went 4-0) for playoff spots? Ian Allan explores.
Turns out there is some circumstantial benefit. Not that winning preseason games in itself results in a better regular season. But as you look at the last 20 years, the tendency is that teams playing well in the preseason are more likely to wind up in the playoffs.
We looked at winless preseason teams yesterday and saw that only 5 of the last 24 went on to make the playoffs.
Here are the undefeated preseason teams of the last 20 years. Of the 31 teams in this group, just over half (16) made the playoffs. Two won the Super Bowl and two lost the Super Bowl.
Some notable flops on this list, however. The 2008 Lions, most famously, ran the table in August, then didn't win another game all year. The 2000 Chargers almost did the same, going 1-15 (setting them up to select LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees in their next draft).
In each of the last two years, it's been 50-50. In 2011, Lions stormed to the playoffs, while Rams were a 2-14 disaster. Last year, Seattle went to the playoffs, while Philadelphia crashed and burned.
Seahawks, by the way, aren't the first team to go undefeated in back-to-back preseasons. Carolina did the same in the 2003-04 seasons (with the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots and a 7-9 record the next year).
| TEAMS GOING UNDEFEATED IN THE PRESEASON | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | W | L | T | result |
| 1995 | Philadelphia | 10 | 6 | 0 | wild card |
| 1997 | Green Bay | 13 | 3 | 0 | lost in Super Bowl |
| 1997 | Pittsburgh | 11 | 5 | 0 | won division |
| 1998 | Minnesota | 15 | 1 | 0 | won division |
| 1998 | Tampa Bay | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | Tampa Bay | 11 | 5 | 0 | won division |
| 1999 | Green Bay | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2000 | Baltimore | 12 | 4 | 0 | won Super Bowl |
| 2000 | Denver | 11 | 5 | 0 | wild card |
| 2000 | San Diego | 1 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2001 | Minnesota | 5 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Atlanta | 9 | 6 | 1 | wild card |
| 2002 | NY Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | won division |
| 2003 | New England | 14 | 2 | 0 | won Super Bowl |
| 2003 | Tennessee | 12 | 4 | 0 | wild card |
| 2003 | Carolina | 11 | 5 | 0 | lost in Super Bowl |
| 2003 | Arizona | 4 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Carolina | 7 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Denver | 13 | 3 | 0 | won division |
| 2006 | Carolina | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Cincinnati | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2006 | NY Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Detroit | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Baltimore | 9 | 7 | 0 | wild card |
| 2009 | Miami | 7 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Seattle | 5 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2010 | San Francisco | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2011 | Detroit | 10 | 6 | 0 | wild card |
| 2011 | St. Louis | 2 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Seattle | 11 | 5 | 0 | wild card |
| 2012 | Philadelphia | 4 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2013 | Seattle | ||||
| 2013 | Washington | ||||
--Ian Allan