The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league, which as of the end of its 2023 season, consists of 32 teams. These teams are divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC), and both conferences contain four divisions with four teams each. Since its formation in 1920, as the American Professional Football Association (APFA), NFL game results have been recorded. Games in the NFL can either end with a winner and a loser, or the two teams can tie. The NFL officially counts ties in its standings; ties are registered as a half-win and a half-loss when calculating the win–loss percentage. However, this method of assessing ties in the win–loss percentage has only been in place since the 1972 season,[1] meaning all ties prior do not affect a team's win percentage.
One of only two charter members of the NFL still in existence,[2] the Chicago Bears have played the most games (1,469) and recorded the most ties (42) in NFL regular season history.[3] Their NFC North divisional rivals, the Green Bay Packers have recorded the most wins (799) in NFL history. The league's other still-active charter member, the Arizona Cardinals, have recorded the most regular season losses (803), through the end of the 2023 season.[4] The Dallas Cowboys hold the highest regular season win–loss percentage (.576), with a 562–413–6 record through the end of the 2023 season.[5] The Tampa Bay Buccaneers maintain the lowest regular season win–loss percentage (.406), holding a 308–450–1 record through 2023.[6] Being the most-recently founded franchise in the NFL, the Houston Texans have recorded the fewest games played (338) and wins (142).[7] The Baltimore Ravens have recorded the fewest losses (190).[8] Through the end of the 2023 regular season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team that has not yet recorded a tie.[9]
Following the regular season, teams that won their respective divisions, in addition to three wild card teams determined by a conference's next best three teams—regardless of division—qualify for the league's postseason, called the playoffs.[a] Ties cannot occur in the playoffs. The Cowboys have played in the most playoff games (67), through the end of 2023–24 NFL Conference Championship games. The Patriots have the highest playoff win–loss percentage (.627), with a 37–22 record, as of the end of the same round. The San Francisco 49ers have the most post-season victories (38) in NFL playoff history, while the Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings are tied for the most playoff losses (31). The Cleveland Browns have the lowest playoff win–loss percentage (.353), holding a 12–22 record. The Houston Texans have the fewest games played (12), wins (5), and losses (7) in NFL playoff history.
The NFL officially counts and includes the statistical records logged by teams that played in the American Football League (AFL) as part of NFL history. Therefore, these teams' pre-merger win–loss records are accounted for. However, the NFL does not officially count All-America Football Conference statistics, despite the 1950 NFL–AAFC merger.[10][b]
Regular season
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The following is a listing of all 32 current National Football League (NFL) teams ranked by their regular season win–loss record percentage, accurate as of the end of week 18 of the 2023 NFL season.
| Best win–loss record in division |
| Rank | Team | GP | Won | Lost | Tied[c] | Pct. | First NFL season | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | 981 | 562 | 413 | 6 (0) | .576 | 1960 | NFC East |
| 2 | Green Bay Packers | 1,435 | 799 | 598 | 38 (8) | .572 | 1921 | NFC North |
| 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 451 | 256 | 194 | 1 | .569 | 1996 | AFC North |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | 1,469 | 793 | 634 | 42 (1) | .556 | 1920 | NFC North |
| 5 | New England Patriots | 983 | 541 | 433 | 9 (0) | .555 | 1960 | AFC East |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | 899 | 496 | 399 | 4 (1) | .554 | 1966 | AFC East |
| 7 | Kansas City Chiefs | 983 | 532 | 439 | 12 (4) | .548 | 1960 | AFC West |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings | 969 | 523 | 435 | 11 (4) | .546 | 1961 | NFC North |
| 9 | San Francisco 49ers[b] | 1,101 | 586 | 501 | 14 (3) | .539 | 1950 | NFC West |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1,271 | 671 | 578 | 22 (4) | .537 | 1933 | AFC Northf |
| 11 | New York Giants | 1,404 | 721 | 649 | 34 (4) | .526 | 1925 | NFC East |
| 12 | Indianapolis Colts[d] | 1,065 | 556 | 501 | 8 (2) | .526 | 1953 | AFC South |
| 13 | Denver Broncos | 983 | 508 | 465 | 10 (4) | .522 | 1960 | AFC West |
| 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | 983 | 505 | 467 | 11 (2) | .520 | 1960 | AFC West |
| 15 | Seattle Seahawks | 759 | 392 | 366 | 1 | .517 | 1976 | NFC West |
| 16 | Los Angeles Rams | 1,234 | 614 | 599 | 21 (3) | .506 | 1937 | NFC West |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | 983 | 483 | 489 | 11 (2) | .497 | 1960 | AFC West |
| 18 | Philadelphia Eagles | 1,287 | 624 | 636 | 27 (7) | .495 | 1933 | NFC East |
| 19 | Washington Commanders | 1,301 | 629 | 643 | 29 (3) | .495 | 1932 | NFC East |
| 20 | Cleveland Browns[b][e] | 1,053 | 512 | 530 | 11 (4) | .491 | 1950 | AFC North |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | 983 | 476 | 501 | 6 (0) | .487 | 1960 | AFC South |
| 22 | Buffalo Bills | 982 | 473 | 501 | 8 (1) | .486 | 1960 | AFC East |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints | 870 | 412 | 468 | 5 (1) | .468 | 1967 | NFC South |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | 467 | 214 | 252 | 1 | .459 | 1995 | NFC South |
| 25 | Cincinnati Bengals | 869 | 394 | 471 | 5 (4) | .456 | 1968 | AFC North |
| 26 | Detroit Lions | 1,332 | 591 | 707 | 34 (5) | .455 | 1930 | NFC North |
| 27 | New York Jets | 983 | 428 | 547 | 8 (2) | .439 | 1960 | AFC East |
| 28 | Atlanta Falcons | 899 | 390 | 503 | 6 (2) | .437 | 1966 | NFC South |
| 29 | Houston Texans | 355 | 152 | 202 | 1 | .430 | 2002 | AFC South |
| 30 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 467 | 198 | 269 | 0 | .424 | 1995 | AFC South |
| 31 | Arizona Cardinals | 1,429 | 585 | 803 | 41 (6) | .422 | 1920 | NFC West |
| 32 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 759 | 308 | 450 | 1 | .406 | 1976 | NFC South |
| Source:[11] | ||||||||
Playoffs
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The following is a listing of all 32 current National Football League (NFL) teams ranked by their playoff win–loss percentage, accurate as of the end of the Conference Championship Round of the 2023–24 playoffs.
| Best win–loss record in division | Team active in playoffs |
Notes
edit- ^ These parameters to qualify for the NFL playoffs have been in place since the 2020 NFL season.
- ^ a b c The exclusion of AAFC win–loss records affects the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers. Therefore, the Browns' regular season win–loss record does not include a 47–4–3 record compiled in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949, nor does their playoff record include the 5–0 record compiled during the same period. Likewise, the 49ers' AAFC regular season win–loss record of 38–14–2, nor their 1–1 AAFC playoff record are officially counted.
- ^ Ties prior to the 1972 season are not included in winning percentages, as the NFL did not officially incorporate them when calculating a team's winning percentage until the 1972 season.[1] For teams that began play prior to 1972, their ties that occurred after 1971 are listed in parentheses and are incorporated into a team's winning percentage.
- ^ The Indianapolis Colts' win–loss records include their time as the Baltimore Colts, but the original Baltimore Colts of the AAFC are considered as a separate franchise.
- ^ The NFL considers the current Browns franchise as having been established in 1946, joining the NFL in 1950, suspending operations from 1996 through 1998, and then resuming play as an expansion team in 1999. The Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore and were rebranded as the Ravens in 1996; however, the Baltimore Ravens are officially considered a 1996 expansion franchise in terms of team history and records.
References
edit- ^ a b "Tie Games to Count In N.F.L. Standing". The New York Times. May 25, 1972. p. 62. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ "Chicago Bears Team History". profootballhof.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Bears Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Dallas Cowboys Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Houston Texans Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Baltimore Ravens Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Daniel; Emmons, Mark (November 8, 2011). "49ers great Joe Perry and the stats that don't count". San Jose Mercury Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^ "List of all the Pro Football Franchises". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2023.