The worst NFL teams from the 1980s

The NFL was a different game in the 1980s, but still had plenty of truly awful teams. These 20 teams stand out below the rest.

1. 1980 New Orleans Saints (1 of 20)

Quarterback Archie Manning never had great players around him, and the 1980 Saints are one of the prime examples. The team limped to a 1-15 season despite Manning's big numbers, with over 3,700 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. The defense allowed a league worst 30.4 points per game and didn't get their first and only win until Week 15.

2. 1981 Baltimore Colts (2 of 20)

There are bad defenses, and then there are the 1981 Colts. The team allowed a whopping 33 points per game to go 2-14, and never allowed fewer than 21 points in a game during the season. Baltimore's 533 total points allowed was 125 more than any other team in the league, while the offense outscored only two teams with 259 points.

3. 1989 Dallas Cowboys (3 of 20)

Jimmy Johnson's first season as Cowboys head coach couldn't have gone much worse at 1-15, but there was a method to the madness. The controversial trade of Herschel Walker early in the 1989 season helped launch a dynasty in Dallas in the early '90s, though the Cowboys finished last in the league with 12.8 points per game as first overall pick Troy Aikman went 0-11 in his rookie season.

4. 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4 of 20)

The Bucs were synonymous with losing in their early days, and the 1986 squad was among the worst. Third-year quarterback Steve Young was in over his head, throwing 13 picks in 14 games to go 2-12 as the starter, while the defense was last in the league with 29.6 points allowed. Tampa Bay finished the season 2-14 despite competing in the NFC Central with the 5-11 Lions and 4-12 Packers.

5. 1984 Buffalo Bills (5 of 20)

While there would be better days ahead, the 1984 Bills took their lumps in a 2-14 season. Buffalo finished near the bottom of the league in points scored (15.6 per game) and points allowed (28.4 per game). The team's quarterbacks threw 30 picks, and the season was capped off with a 52-21 thrashing in Week 16 vs. Cincinnati.

6. 1987 Atlanta Falcons (6 of 20)

The 1980s were rough for Atlanta, and the 1987 squad was the team's worst at 3-12, albeit with an asterisk due to the NFLPA strike and replacement players for part of the year. The Falcons saw five different players start under center in an injury-plagued season and finished last in the league in points scored (13.7 per game) and points allowed (29.1 per game).

7. 1984 Minnesota Vikings (7 of 20)

Minnesota allowed 42 points to the Chargers in Week 1, and the defensive performance went downhill from there. The Vikings allowed a league-worst 30.3 points per game for the season en route to a 3-13 final record.

8. 1984 Houston Oilers (8 of 20)

Hugh Campbell's 3-13 Oilers began the season 0-10 before winning three of their last six games to "salvage" their season. Despite posting big numbers for the time with 3,338 yards passing, first-year NFL quarterback Warren Moon struggled with a limited supporting cast as the team only scored 15 points per game.

9. 1985 Buffalo Bills (9 of 20)

The 1985 Bills were tough to watch, finishing 2-14 and last in points with only 12.5 per game as quarterbacks Vince Ferragamo and Bruce Mathison combined for 31 interceptions. Buffalo's only highlight was running back Greg Bell, who finished with 1,459 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns.

10. 1983 Houston Oilers (10 of 20)

The Oilers had trouble stopping anyone with 28.8 points allowed per game. They went 2-14, including three overtime losses and a 0-10 start to the season that cost head coach Ed Biles his job. The offense did have several notable players on the roster, including running back Earl Campbell and famous quarterback fathers Oliver Luck (Andrew Luck) and Archie Manning (Peyton and Eli Manning).

11. 1980 New York Giants (11 of 20)

The Giants' four wins was better than expected given the team's negative-176 point differential. The offense showed flashes with rookie Phil Simms, including a 41-point outburst in Week 1, but still averaged only 15.6 points per game, while the defense allowed the second-most points in football (26.6 per game).

12. 1984 Indianapolis Colts (12 of 20)

The Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis before the 1984 season, but that didn't help them on the field. An inept offense that averaged 14.9 points per game (last in the league) resulted in a 4-12 season and Frank Kush's firing late in the 1984 season. Of course, the defense wasn't much better, fourth-worst in the league with 25.9 points allowed per game.

13. 1986 Indianapolis Colts (13 of 20)

The Colts' losing ways continued in 1986 before finally turning around their fortunes the following season. Indy went 3-13, with an offense that was the second-worst (14.3 points per game) and defense that was the fourth-worst (25.0 points per game) in the league. After a 0-13 start, head coach Rod Dowhower was fired, ushering in Ron Meyer's 3-0 finish and subsequent success.

14. 1981 New Orleans Saints (14 of 20)

New Orleans' 4-12 season in 1981 represented a significant improvement over 1980's one-win campaign, but it was still a rough go for the Saints. Archie Manning continue to struggle over 11 starts, with 5/11 TD/INT, resulting in the worst offense in the league. New head coach Bum Phillips would start to see improvement in 1982, but never led the Saints to the playoffs in his five seasons.

15. 1985 Atlanta Falcons (15 of 20)

The Falcons struggled to stop opposing teams in 1985, allowing a league-worst 28.3 points per game en route to a 4-12 record. The offense was also turnover prone with 20 interceptions, but running back Gerald Riggs did rush for 1,719 yards and 10 touchdowns.

16. 1986 Green Bay Packers (16 of 20)

Before the Packers' franchise consistency of the 1990s, they took their lumps. The 1986 performance marked the first year of a brutal three-year stretch, with an offense and defense that were both near the bottom of the league and resulted in a negative-164 point differential. Quarterback Randy Wright started every game, throwing 23 interceptions.

17. 1989 Atlanta Falcons (17 of 20)

Rookie Deion Sanders made the highlight reels in 1989, but that did little to brighten a 3-13 season for the Falcons. The team's defense was the worst in the league, allowing 27.3 points per game, and lost their last seven games. Young quarterback Chris Miller did start to show some promise, and would make the Pro Bowl two years later.

18. 1989 New York Jets (18 of 20)

The 1989 season wasn't former first-round pick Ken O'Brien's best, throwing 18 picks in 15 games. New York was forced to start four different quarterbacks under center for the season, which didn't help. The offense was third-worst in the league with 15.8 points per game and would finish the season 4-12.

19. 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19 of 20)

Remarkably, the Bucs had three 2-14 season in four years from 1983-1986, but the 1985 squad wasn't nearly as bad in terms of point differential (-154) compared to 1986 (-234). The team still did plenty of losing between primary starter Steve DeBerg and rookie replacement Steve Young, while the defense was second-worst in the league with 28.0 points allowed per game.

20. 1982 Baltimore Colts (20 of 20)

Only nine games were played during the 1982 regular season due to a players' strike, but the Colts were the only team of the decade that failed to win a game at 0-8-1. The team's anemic offense averaged a league-worst 12.6 points per game, with quarterback Mike Pagel barely completing 50% of his passes.