Report: The greatest NFL comeback teams

Michael B. Sauter and Michael C. Frohlich | 24/7 Wall St.

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were the worst team in the NFL, winning just two games and scoring an average of 13 points per game. This year, after hiring long-time Eagles coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs are one of only two undefeated teams and appear on their way to at least a long playoff run, if not the Super Bowl.

Most teams with bad years tend to require a number of years to improve (if they improve at all, that is). If the Chiefs continue their improbable success, they could become one of those rare franchises that bounces back straight to the top — appearing in the Super Bowl. Looking through the history of the modern Super Bowl era, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the eight teams that managed to come back from a losing season to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

Sometimes, a disappointing season can actually improve a team's chances of making the Super Bowl. A terrible year, or years, can often lead management to clean house, firing coaches and making trades. In 2002, the Carolina Panthers fired George Seifert after an abysmal 1-15 season. His replacement, John Fox, ended up leading the team on a Super Bowl run two seasons later.

A bad year can also boost a team's chances in the form of new star players. Fans know this because the worst teams are allowed to pick earlier in the draft after a season concludes. So, the 15-loss Panthers were allowed to select second overall. They used this pick to draft future star defensive end Julius Peppers, who became a major part of the following year's Super Bowl team.

For some of these comeback teams, the Super Bowl run was just the first sign of years of success. Going into the 1999 season, the St. Louis Rams had not had a winning season in nearly a decade. That team, which became known as the "greatest show on turf" for its high-powered offense, won the Super Bowl that year, played in another two years later, and made the playoffs in four of the next five seasons.

On the other hand, there are comeback teams on this list that ended up being flashes in the pan. The 1998 Atlanta Falcons came back from two losing seasons to go 14-2 and lose Super Bowl XXXIII. Instead of riding on that success, the team then missed the playoffs in each of the next three years.

8. 1998 Atlanta Falcons

>Year made Super Bowl: 1999

>Previous year record: 7-9

>Super Bowl season record: 14-2

>Won Super Bowl?: no

After the Falcons' remarkably bad 1996 season in which they lost 13 out of 16 games, the team fired head coach June Jones, and veteran Dan Reeves took over the role. The next year, the team started the season by winning only one of its first eight games, but ended the season strong. The 1998 Falcons are the only team in Atlanta's nearly five decade history to make the Super Bowl. That year, they were undefeated at home, scored more points than in any previous season, won more games than in any other season in the franchise's history, and won their first division. Behind running back Jamal Anderson's 1,846 rushing yard season, the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl, where they eventually lost to John Elway's Broncos 34-19.

7. 2003 Carolina Panthers

>Year made Super Bowl: 2004

>Previous year record: 7-9

>Super Bowl season record: 11-5

>Won Super Bowl?: no

The Panthers' 2001 season was the worst in team history up to that point, with the Panthers winning just one game all year. This proved to be the last season of head coach George Seifert's career. That awful season, however, eventually paid dividends for the team, allowing it to select star defensive end Julius Peppers second overall in the 2002 draft. The following year, the team, under coach John Fox, showed some promise despite going on an 8-game losing streak in the middle of the season. In 2003, only two years removed from one of the worst records in NFL history, quarterback Jake Delhomme and the team went on to win 8 of the first 10 games. The Panthers finished the season with an 11-5 record, but lost Super Bowl XXXVIII to the Patriots in an exciting 32-29 close game.

6. 1981 Cincinnati Bengals

>Year made Super Bowl: 1982

>Previous year record: 6-10

>Super Bowl season record: 12-4

>Won Super Bowl?: no

After three losing seasons, during which the Bengals won a total of only 14 games, the team was headed by three different coaches. But the team started the 1981 season fresh, with brand new uniforms that included the Bengals' distinctive and still in use tiger-striped helmets. Wide receiver Cris Collinsworth, who was drafted in the offseason, proved to be a good target for veteran quarterback Ken Anderson. Together, they had eight touchdown passes and over 1,000 receiving yards during the regular season. Cincinnati finished the season 12-4, the best record in the AFC. The Bengals lost Super Bowl XVI to the San Francisco 49ers, another team making an impressive comeback from the previous year.

5. 1996 New England Patriots

>Year made Super Bowl: 1997

>Previous year record: 6-10

>Super Bowl season record: 11-5

>Won Super Bowl?: no

In the 10 years Prior to the Patriots' 1997 Super Bowl appearance, the team only made the playoffs twice. The Patriots went into the 1996 season after a 6-10 record in 1995, but showed some promise in the form of running back and Offensive Rookie of the Year Curtis Martin. In spite of growing tensions between head coach Bill Parcells, who resigned at the end of the season, and owner Robert Kraft, the Patriots had the second best record in the AFC. The then-underdog team continued to play in the Super Bowl where it was defeated by the Green Bay Packers.

4.1981 San Francisco 49ers

>Year made Super Bowl: 1982

>Previous year record: 6-10

>Super Bowl season record: 13-3

>Won Super Bowl?: yes

In 1978 and 1979, the 49ers had the worst record in the league, winning only two games in both seasons. After the '78 season, the team drafted future Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana 82nd overall. In 1980, the 49ers finished the regular season second to last in the NFC West. Draft picks Eric Wright, Carlton Williamson, and 2000 Hall of Fame inductee, Ronnie Lott helped improve the 49ers' defense and turn around the losing team's record for the 1981 season. These players were among the defensive line that performed perhaps the most famous goal-line stand in NFL history to win Super Bowl XVI against Cincinnati. San Francisco's 1981 season was also quarterback Joe Montana's first full season as starter. He went on to lead the 49ers to four Super Bowl wins, and is tied with Terry Bradshaw for the most titles of any NFL quarterback.

3. 2000 New York Giants

>Year made Super Bowl: 2001

>Previous year record: 7-9

>Super Bowl season record: 12-4

>Won Super Bowl?: no

The years leading up to the Giants' comeback season were riddled with inconsistency. This was particularly true in the quarterback position, for which the team had multiple replacements in just a few years. The Giants had only one winning season in the five years before 2000. Even at the beginning of the 2000 season, the team was expected to finish last. Quarterback Kerry Collins, who was picked up by the Giants in 1999, took over from Kent Graham that year and started the next season. Collins, however, could not handle the Ravens' defense in Super Bowl XXXV, which New York lost 34-7.

2. 2001 New England Patriots

>Year made Super Bowl: 2002

>Previous year record: 5-11

>Super Bowl season record: 11-5

>Won Super Bowl?: yes

The 2000 Patriots — led for the first time by new hire, head coach Bill Belichick — finished dead last in the AFC East after the regular season. The 2001 season was not looking to turn much better when quarterback Drew Bledsoe was hospitalized with serious internal injuries early in the season. This was a blessing in disguise, however, for it opened the position for the future hall-of-famer Tom Brady. After winning a controversial victory over the Vikings in the Divisional Playoffs, Brady led the Patriots through one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets in NFL history over the "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams.

1. 1999 St. Louis Rams

>Year made Super Bowl: 2000

>Previous year record: 4-12

>Super Bowl season record: 13-3

>Won Super Bowl?: yes

Prior to 1999, the Rams had endured nine losing seasons under four different head coaches. Over this period of time, the Rams underwent numerous transitions, including a home-town change from Los Angeles to St. Louis. The Rams made a number of strong acquisitions for the 1999 season, including new a Marshall Faulk and Trent Green. Faulk would go on to be essential to the Ram's high powered offense that year. Green, however, sustained a crippling knee injury in the preseason and had to be replaced by an unknown and inexperienced Kurt Warner. Warner would excel, however, and During the regular season, the Rams scored nearly 20 points more than their opponents, on average. The team would come to be regarded as one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history. The Rams finished the season with the best record in the NFC, and went on to win the Super Bowl.

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