3 NFL Teams that won a division title with a losing record since 2000

As a general rule, the NFL is good at providing a playoff system where the best teams in the league make the postseason.

However, as with any creation, there can be oddities and faults, whereby a team that really shouldn’t reach the playoffs is able to.

On three occasions, there have been NFL teams since 2000 who have progressed into the playoffs with a losing record in the regular season.

While an incredibly rare occurrence, these three teams stand as a reminder that even the most fairly thought-out plans can still carry downsides.

The battle for division titles in the 2022 NFL season is going to be tightly fought, especially with almost every division housing, at least, one team of championship quality.

The AFC West of 2022 could be one of the best divisions of all-time, existing as the polar opposite of the 2020 NFC East, which was one of the worst.

Which 3 NFL teams have won a division title with a losing record since the millennium?

#3 – 2014 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)

Detroit Lions v Carolina Panthers

By 2014, the Carolina Panthers team that would reach the Super Bowl in the 2015 season hadn’t fully gelled together.

Ron Rivera was still in charge, and Cam Newton was the team’s quarterback, but there was just something missing.

The previous campaign had seen the team finish 12-4, which made the 2014 return all the more alarming.

It was only by a strong finish to the season, where the Panthers won four successive games, that the team was able to clinch a postseason berth.

The decision to rebuild their receiving corps in the offseason prior to the 2014 debacle contributed to their losing record. Steve Smith departed, and none of the players were directly replaced.

Newton couldn’t prepare for the season properly due to ankle surgery, and he would, then, break his ribs, which limited his mobility and performances.

It was only courtesy of how weak the NFC South was in 2014 that Carolina was able to retain their divisional crown, but the season would go down as a failure.

#2 – 2010 Seattle Seahawks (7-9)

San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll’s time with the Seattle Seahawks will be remembered fondly for reaching two Super Bowls and winning one championship.

The work Carroll and his front office did to construct the infamous Legion of Boom and develop Russell Wilson into an MVP candidate was remarkable.

Yet, few remember the difficult early years of the project, including Carroll’s first season at the helm back in 2010, where the team ended the regular season with a 7-9 record.

Alas, this record was, somehow, enough for them to win the NFC West, as the San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals all failed abjectly.

Marshawn Lynch had to try and carry an offense that was led by Matt Hasselbeck still, but the team didn’t have enough quality.

Having been viewed as the worst team to ever make the NFL playoffs, Carroll’s Seahawks were clearly building for the future.

Ironically, like the 2014 Panthers, this team would also win their Wildcard game once the NFL playoffs had begun.

In the first draft of the Carroll era, notable selections included Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, all of whom would play in 2010, with it proving to be a vital year of learning and development.

#1 – 2020 Washington Commanders (7-9)

Washington Football Team v Green Bay Packers

In a development that Ron Rivera is certainly looking to forget, his name appears on this list for the second time.

Having made the playoffs with the 7-8-1 Panthers, 2020 saw him win another divisional title with a losing record.

The fact that this has only been done three times since 2000, and Rivera has been the coach for two of them, is quite astonishing.

Having finished 3-13 in 2019, the 2020 season was an improvement for the Washington franchise.

However, it was mostly down to the lack of quality in the NFC East that allowed them to win their division.

At the time, many considered this division to be the worst to ever play in a single NFL season.

Chase Young’s emergence after being drafted by the team was tremendous. His pass-rushing ability was notable from the first snap of his NFL career, and he reached the pro-bowl in his rookie year.

Rivera, though, should be given credit for his achievements, given the fact he spent much of the season battling against cancer.

He was undergoing chemotherapy and was, sometimes, even treated on the sideline during NFL games.

Unsurprisingly, the Washington team wouldn’t last long in the postseason, losing their Wild Card matchup to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23.

Alex Smith’s return from injury was a high point, although the team lacked a quarterback they could rely on, and this is still the case in 2022, although hopes are high for Carson Wentz.

Rivera’s roster was improving all the time in 2020, and while the fact they won their division somewhat pokes fun at their record, they were indeed on the correct path.