The Indianapolis Colts are heading into their bye week, and there’s been a lot of discussion about the possibility of this Colts team being the worst team in NFL history. Let’s just simmer down for a few minutes and take a look at the cold hard statistics. First off, I have to tell you that the Colts are not the worst team in NFL history. That distinction goes to the 1976 Buccaneers. That Bucs team went 0-14 in spectacular fashion, getting shut out of 5 of their 14 games. I understand that the Colts are terrible, but let’s let the numbers do the talking here.
* = NFL only had 14 regular season games.
** = Projections based on first 10 games.
So there you have it. The Indianapolis Colts should not be considered the worst team in NFL history, at least not yet. As it stands, they are netting 0.9 more points per game than the ’76 Bucs, the worst team of all time. That doesn’t get them off the hook, however. Both the ’76 Bucs and the ’08 Lions lost ground in terms of average net points per game in their final weeks. We also have to consider that the Colts still have to play the Texans (although now it appears the Texans will be without Matt Schaub) and the New England Patriots.
So for all you Colts fans out there, take heart! It seems almost certain that your team will be drafting Andrew Luck next season, and the Colts appear to be the 2nd worst team in NFL history!
I do feel obligated to point out that the Colts still have three “winnable” games left on their schedule. They play the Panthers, Titans, and the Jaguars in their final 6 games. While I personally don’t see them winning any of those games, those particular matchups represent the best chances of staking a claim on that elusive victory they’ve been seeking all season.
