Fantasy Index

Factoid

Flipping the script

Pats, Bears show that turnarounds can happen in a hurry

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)
YearTeamRecordResult
2001Cleveland7-9-0
2001Atlanta7-9-0
2002• Cleveland9-7-0lost WC
2002Carolina7-9-0
2003• Carolina11-5-0lost S Bowl
2003Houston5-11-0
2004Houston7-9-0
2004Detroit6-10-0
2005• Chicago11-5-0lost Div
2005Baltimore6-10-0
2006• NY Jets10-6-0lost WC
2006San Francisco7-9-0
2007Cleveland10-6-0
2007Oakland4-12-0
2008San Francisco7-9-0
2008Kansas City2-14-0
2009• Cincinnati10-6-0lost WC
2009Cleveland5-11-0
2010Oakland8-8-0
2010Cleveland5-11-0
2011Arizona8-8-0
2011Carolina6-10-0
2012St. Louis7-8-1
2012Jacksonville2-14-0
2013Arizona10-6-0
2013• San Diego9-7-0lost Div
2014Jacksonville3-13-0
2014Tampa Bay2-14-0
2015Oakland7-9-0
2015Jacksonville5-11-0
2016LA Rams4-12-0
2016San Francisco2-14-0
2017• LA Rams11-5-0lost WC
2017San Francisco6-10-0
2018• Indianapolis10-6-0lost Div
2018Cincinnati6-10-0
2019Arizona5-10-1
2019Miami5-11-0
2020Washington7-9-0
2020NY Jets2-14-0
2021NY Jets4-13-0
2021NY Giants4-13-0
2022• NY Giants9-7-1lost Div
2022Houston3-13-1
2023• LA Rams10-7-0lost WC
2023• Houston10-7-0lost Div
2024Carolina5-12-0
2024NY Jets5-12-0
2025New England14-3-0?
2025Chicago11-6-0?

—Ian Allan

Older
Newer

Fantasy Index