The AFC dominated in the preseason. All seven teams that won all of their preseason games came from that conference, while all seven teams that lost all of their practice games came from the NFC. But will that matter at all when the real games start?
Since 2000, 42 teams have gone unbeaten and untied in the preseason. But fewer than half of those teams finished with winning records in the real games.
The numbers are below, and they show undefeated preseason teams faring only slightly better than average once the games actually start counting.
Of those 42 teams, only 11 finished in the top 10 in scoring.
Only 14 (that’s 1 in 3) finished with double-digit wins.
As a group, they finished only slightly above .500 (20 of the teams finished with winning records, 17 finished with losing records, and five went 8-8).
In the chart below, if a team finished in the top 10 in scoring, it gets a black dot. If it finished with 10-plus wins, it gets a black dots. Only eight of these 42 undefeated preseason teams went on to get a pair of black dots (ranking in the top 10 in scoring and winning at least 10 games).
The Ravens have been the kings of the preseason recently, and their undefeated teams in recent seasons have tended to fair pretty well. (Though the decision to play J.K. Dobbins last week, however, now looking like a potential AFC North altering mistake.)
The six other teams winning all of their preseason games: Bills, Patriots, Browns, Colts, Broncos and Kansas City. Almost half of the teams from the NFC lost all of their preseason games: Rams, Falcons, Packers, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys and Giants.
UNDEFEATED PRESEASON TEAMS: HOW THEY FARED | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | W | L | T | Pct | PPG | Rnk |
2000 | San Diego | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 16.8 | 26 |
2000 | •• Denver | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 30.3 | 2 |
2000 | • Baltimore | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 20.8 | 14 |
2001 | Minnesota | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 18.1 | 24 |
2002 | NY Jets | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 22.4 | 15 |
2002 | • Atlanta | 9 | 6 | 1 | .578 | 25.1 | 5 |
2003 | Arizona | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 14.1 | 32 |
2003 | •• Tennessee | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 27.2 | 5 |
2003 | • New England | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 21.8 | 12 |
2003 | • Carolina | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 20.3 | 15 |
2004 | Carolina | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 22.2 | 13 |
2005 | •• Denver | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 24.7 | 7 |
2006 | NY Giants | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 22.2 | 11 |
2006 | Carolina | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 16.9 | 27 |
2006 | • Cincinnati | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 23.3 | 8 |
2008 | Detroit | 0 | 16 | 0 | .000 | 16.8 | 27 |
2009 | Seattle | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 17.5 | 25 |
2009 | Miami | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 22.5 | 15 |
2009 | • Baltimore | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 24.4 | 9 |
2010 | San Francisco | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 19.1 | 24 |
2011 | St. Louis | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 12.1 | 32 |
2011 | •• Detroit | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 29.6 | 4 |
2012 | Philadelphia | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 17.5 | 29 |
2012 | •• Seattle | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 25.8 | 9 |
2013 | Washington | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 20.9 | 23 |
2013 | • Seattle | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 26.1 | 8T |
2014 | NY Giants | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 23.8 | 13 |
2014 | Minnesota | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 20.3 | 20 |
2014 | •• Baltimore | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 25.6 | 8 |
2015 | •• Kansas City | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 25.3 | 9 |
2016 | Philadelphia | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 22.9 | 16 |
2016 | Minnesota | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 20.4 | 23 |
2016 | Houston | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 17.4 | 29 |
2016 | Baltimore | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 21.4 | 21 |
2017 | Seattle | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 22.9 | 11 |
2017 | Denver | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 18.1 | 27 |
2017 | Cleveland | 0 | 16 | 0 | .000 | 14.6 | 32 |
2017 | • Baltimore | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 24.7 | 9 |
2018 | • Baltimore | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 24.3 | 13 |
2019 | NY Giants | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 21.3 | 19 |
2019 | •• Baltimore | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 33.2 | 1 |
2019 | • Buffalo | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 19.6 | 23 |
—Ian Allan