2026 CFL Odds: Are the Ottawa RedBlacks the worst team in CFL history?
It’s safe to say the 2026 season isn’t going the way the Ottawa RedBlacks hoped.
Ottawa was blown out by 30 points against Montreal last week, dropping to 0-10 on the year. It was the RedBlacks’ fourth straight double-digit loss and sixth double-digit loss overall in 2026.
Unfortunately, the losing goes back even further than this season. Dating to last year, Ottawa has lost 16 straight games, setting a new record for the longest losing streak in modern CFL history.
So, are the 2026 RedBlacks the worst team in CFL history? Let’s get into it.
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Longest losing streaks in CFL history
*Active streak
| Team/Seasons | Losing Streak |
|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators/Rough Riders (1928-32) | 25 |
| Ottawa RedBlacks (2025-26)* | 16* |
| Hamilton Wildcats (1948-49) | 16 |
| Shreveport Pirates (1994) | 14 |
| BC Lions (1957-58) | 13 |
Ottawa has eight games left on their schedule, which means even if they go winless all year, they won’t break the record for the longest losing streak ever. However, that record still belong to the city, with the defunct Ottawa Senators/Rough Riders franchise losing 25 straight games from 1928 to 1932.
Worst individual seasons in CFL history
| Team/Season | Record |
|---|---|
| Hamilton Wildcats (1949) | 0-12 |
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2003) | 1-17 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders (1959) | 1-15 |
| BC Lions (1954) | 1-15 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1964) | 1-14-1 |
| Ottawa RedBlacks/Rough Riders (1988, 2014) | 2-16 |
Only one team in CFL history has gone winless and that was back in 1949 when the schedule was only 12 games. Four teams have finished a season with just one win, while the 2014 RedBlacks managed only two wins in their first season back in the CFL.
Worst defences in CFL history
*Active streak
| Team/Season | Points Allowed |
|---|---|
| Saskatchewan Roughriders (1991) | 710 |
| Ottawa Roughriders (1995) | 685 |
| BC Lions (1992) | 667 |
| Shreveport Pirates (1994) | 662 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1995) | 653 |
| Ottawa RedBlacks (2026)* | 368* |
Ottawa ranks dead last in the CFL this season in both points per game (22.3) and points allowed per game (36.8). That puts the RedBlacks on pace to allow 662 points in 2026, which would be a tie with the 1994 Shreveport Pirates for the fourth-most points allowed in a single CFL season.
Next up
Ottawa is back in action on Sunday against the suddenly surging B.C. Lions. The RedBlacks are 6.5-point underdogs against a Lions team that has won four straight games to jump back in the playoff picture in the West Division.