The 1980s were a decade of change for the NFL, with the league growing in popularity and teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears dominating. However, not every franchise shared in the glory. Here’s a look at the 10 worst NFL franchises of the ’80s.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began the 1980s with high hopes after making the NFC Championship Game in 1979. Unfortunately, the rest of the decade was a disaster and they had 12 straight losing seasons from 1983 onward.
New England Patriots
Though the New England Patriots did make a surprise Super Bowl appearance in 1985, the rest of the decade was pretty unforgettable. In fact, following their Super Bowl loss to the Chicago Bears, they missed the playoffs six times in the next eight seasons.
Atlanta Falcons
Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons were consistently bad throughout the 1980s. In fact, they only had one playoff appearance the entire decade!
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts spent the early 1980s in Baltimore before moving to Indianapolis in 1984, but the location change didn’t bring much success. They had zero playoff appearances during the decade.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions struggled throughout the ’80s because they simply did not have a consistent quarterback. Their lone playoff appearance came in 1983, which they ended up losing to the San Francisco 49ers.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers only had two winning seasons throughout the entire 1980s. Sadly, the franchise struggled to attract top talent and they never had a great quarterback.
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers started the ’80s with a pair of playoff appearances, but their success quickly faded away. In fact, they had five straight losing seasons from 1981 to 1985.
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Buffalo Bills
The Bills were the definition of mediocre for much of the 1980s. They finished with a losing record in seven of the decade’s ten seasons.
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St. Louis Cardinals
Before eventually relocating to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals spent the bulk of the 1980s as an afterthought in the NFC. St. Louis made only one playoff appearance in the decade, a Wild Card loss in 1982.
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Cleveland Browns
While the Cleveland Browns had moments of promise in the late ’80s, the team struggled early in the decade. In fact, the team endured heartbreaking playoff losses in both 1986 and 1987.
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