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The Dallas Cowboys have evidently been one of the most unlucky teams in the NFL. Despite that, they're 8-3 and in prime position to make the playoffs.
It is impossible to deny that luck does factor into winning and losing a football game pretty often. Mistakes on the opponent's part are lucky for a winning team. Coin flips, especially in overtime, are luck-based and often translate directly into wins.
The NFL set out to discover which teams had benefitted the most from these types of plays. They determined that a dropped interception, dropped pass, missed kicks and fumble recoveries (all by an opponent) are the luckiest things that can happen to a team.
As a result, certain teams have been more fortunate than others. Based on all the events of the season, this is how the league stacks up in terms of luck (from luckiest to unluckiest):
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New York Giants
- Washington Commanders
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Atlanta Falcons
- Houston Texans
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Jets
- Miami Dolphins
- Arizona Cardinals
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Baltimore Ravens
- Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Rams
- San Francisco 49ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Seattle Seahawks
- Denver Broncos
- New Orleans Saints
- Detroit Lions
- Tennessee Titans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Cowboys
- New England Patriots
- Cleveland Browns
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Carolina Panthers
The Steelers have been the luckiest team in football and the Panthers have been the unluckiest, based on the formula here.
Surprisingly lucky or unlucky teams like the Dallas Cowboys
Surprisingly, two playoff contenders have been very unlucky. The Bengals have been the second unluckiest team in football, yet they're 7-4 and tied atop the AFC North.
The Bills are 8-3 and tied for the AFC East lead, but they've been the third unluckiest team in the NFL.
The Cowboys have marched to a 8-3 record, too, and they've been pretty unlucky. Despite their poor luck, the Cowboys are in prime position to make a deep playoff run and perhaps steal the division from the 10-1 Eagles.
It's important to note that this isn't an exact science. While there's no way to fully realize the impact of luck on a game, this is still a very good metric to determine it.
