The Bears and Patriots last year had the two worst offenses in the last – last and next-to-last in yards gained. Now they’re hosting divisional playoff games? What?
It serves as a reminder that teams can get better in a hurry. In these two cases, both franchises added coveted new coaches – Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson – and both had promising young quarterbacks heading into their second seasons (Drake Maye, Caleb Williams).
Additionally, both teams spent big in free agency. And both teams also added coordinators with head-coaching experience – Dennis Allen and Josh McDaniels.
For the teams that are now looking for new coaches, the Bears and Patriots can be held up as examples that turnarounds are possible, and they can happen sooner rather than later.
Of the last 50 teams that have finished either last or next-to-last in yards gained, 17 (just over a third) finished at least .500 the next year. All but two of those teams had winning records, and 13 (just over a quarter) made the playoffs. Those teams are tagged with black dots in the chart below.
| LAST OR NEXT-TO-LAST IN OFFENSE (the next year) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Record | Result |
| 2001 | Cleveland | 7-9-0 | |
| 2001 | Atlanta | 7-9-0 | |
| 2002 | • Cleveland | 9-7-0 | lost WC |
| 2002 | Carolina | 7-9-0 | |
| 2003 | • Carolina | 11-5-0 | lost S Bowl |
| 2003 | Houston | 5-11-0 | |
| 2004 | Houston | 7-9-0 | |
| 2004 | Detroit | 6-10-0 | |
| 2005 | • Chicago | 11-5-0 | lost Div |
| 2005 | Baltimore | 6-10-0 | |
| 2006 | • NY Jets | 10-6-0 | lost WC |
| 2006 | San Francisco | 7-9-0 | |
| 2007 | Cleveland | 10-6-0 | |
| 2007 | Oakland | 4-12-0 | |
| 2008 | San Francisco | 7-9-0 | |
| 2008 | Kansas City | 2-14-0 | |
| 2009 | • Cincinnati | 10-6-0 | lost WC |
| 2009 | Cleveland | 5-11-0 | |
| 2010 | Oakland | 8-8-0 | |
| 2010 | Cleveland | 5-11-0 | |
| 2011 | Arizona | 8-8-0 | |
| 2011 | Carolina | 6-10-0 | |
| 2012 | St. Louis | 7-8-1 | |
| 2012 | Jacksonville | 2-14-0 | |
| 2013 | Arizona | 10-6-0 | |
| 2013 | • San Diego | 9-7-0 | lost Div |
| 2014 | Jacksonville | 3-13-0 | |
| 2014 | Tampa Bay | 2-14-0 | |
| 2015 | Oakland | 7-9-0 | |
| 2015 | Jacksonville | 5-11-0 | |
| 2016 | LA Rams | 4-12-0 | |
| 2016 | San Francisco | 2-14-0 | |
| 2017 | • LA Rams | 11-5-0 | lost WC |
| 2017 | San Francisco | 6-10-0 | |
| 2018 | • Indianapolis | 10-6-0 | lost Div |
| 2018 | Cincinnati | 6-10-0 | |
| 2019 | Arizona | 5-10-1 | |
| 2019 | Miami | 5-11-0 | |
| 2020 | Washington | 7-9-0 | |
| 2020 | NY Jets | 2-14-0 | |
| 2021 | NY Jets | 4-13-0 | |
| 2021 | NY Giants | 4-13-0 | |
| 2022 | • NY Giants | 9-7-1 | lost Div |
| 2022 | Houston | 3-13-1 | |
| 2023 | • LA Rams | 10-7-0 | lost WC |
| 2023 | • Houston | 10-7-0 | lost Div |
| 2024 | Carolina | 5-12-0 | |
| 2024 | NY Jets | 5-12-0 | |
| 2025 | New England | 14-3-0 | ? |
| 2025 | Chicago | 11-6-0 | ? |
—Ian Allan