2024 NFL Odds: Will any team go 0-17 in the regular season?

There are plenty of expectations leading into the start of every NFL season and not all of them are positive. While teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are expected to compete for the Super Bowl, there are several teams that are expected to struggle.

As impressive as a perfect season is, it’s almost more impressive to go the full year without a win. Since 1960, five teams have managed winless seasons: the 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0-11-1), the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14), the 1982 Baltimore Colts (0-8-1), the 2008 Detroit Lions (0-16) and most recently, the 2017 Cleveland Browns (0-16).

Let’s take a look at some contenders to go 0-17 in the regular season.

New England Patriots

Based on the Super Bowl odds and expected season win total, the Pats are the consensus worst team in the NFL ahead of Week 1. That sounds like a harsh statement, but you won’t find many football fans outside of New England feeling bad for this franchise after 20 years of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick walking all over the rest of the NFL.

New England will be led by a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, who has named journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett the Week 1 starter. Drake Maye, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, will likely be eased into the starting role as the season goes on, but the team is still flawed with a poor offensive line and limited offensive weapons. They also have the second-hardest strength of schedule, so times could be very tough in New England this season.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers haven’t made the playoffs since 2017 and that won’t change this year. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young showed growth in his rookie season, particularly near the end of the year, but Carolina still finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-15.

Young has a new target in Diontae Johnson, but the team took a hit with the loss of edge-rusher Brian Burns and there’s not much else to be excited about. Even in the terrible NFC South division, the Panthers will struggle.

Denver Broncos

Bo Nix will be the first rookie quarterback to start for Denver since John Elway. Nix earned the job, but let’s face it, he wasn’t exactly facing stiff competition against Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. None of those quarterbacks stands a chance against division-rival Kansas City.

It’s been a disaster for Sean Payton since he took over as Broncos head coach. If he couldn’t get anything out of Russell Wilson, what can he expect from a quarterback room that includes a rookie, a career-backup and a draft bust?