Success in the NFL often depends on the connection between a quarterback and his head coach. However, history is filled with partnerships that failed to deliver results, including some that produced poor records over an entire season.
Whether they went winless or managed only a few wins, these quarterback-coach combinations struggled to get their teams on track. This list takes a look at the worst single-season performances in NFL history, featuring only duos who worked together for at least 14 games during the season.
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#10 – Matt Rhule and Teddy Bridgewater (2020 Carolina Panthers) – 4 wins
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The Panthers entered the 2020 season with a new head coach and quarterback, but the partnership between Matt Rhule and Teddy Bridgewater did not produce the results the team wanted. Rhule was hired on a seven-year, $62 million deal, making him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches at the time. Bridgewater joined the Panthers two months after Rhule’s appointment.
Bridgewater put up respectable passing numbers — 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 starts. However, he managed only four wins as the team’s starting quarterback, especially struggling in close games.
The quarterback went 0-8 in games where the Panthers could have won or tied on their final possession. Following the season, Carolina traded him to the Denver Broncos.
Rhule remained in charge for another two seasons but could not turn things around. The Panthers fired him after a 1-4 start in 2022, ending his time in Carolina with an 11-27 record.
#9 – Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson (2022 Denver Broncos) – 4 wins
The Denver Broncos’ decision to bring in Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2022 season raised fans’ expectations. The team was coming off a 7-10 campaign and hoped the veteran quarterback, alongside new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, could help get the franchise back on track.
However, the partnership lasted just one season. Although the Broncos’ defense performed well, their offense was poor, finishing last in the NFL in points scored. The Broncos went 4-11 in their first 15 games, prompting the team to fire Hackett after a 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas Day. Wilson had started all 15 games up to that point. Denver finished 5-12 overall.
That season, Wilson completed 292 of 483 passes for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
#8 – Jim Schwartz and Matthew Stafford (2012 Detroit Lions) – 4 wins
Jim Schwartz and Matthew Stafford had a difficult 2012 season with the Lions. After going 4-4 in their first eight matchups, the team lost every remaining game, ending the year with a disappointing 4-12 record. Stafford was the starting quarterback throughout the season.
Despite the poor record, Stafford made NFL history, throwing a league-record (at the time) 727 passes, an average of over 45 attempts per game.
Schwartz coached Detroit for another season in 2013 but was dismissed after the Lions recorded another losing year. His five seasons with the franchise ended with a 29-51 record.
#7 – Hugh Campbell and Warren Moon (1984 Houston Oilers) – 3 wins
Warren Moon’s first season got off to a brutal start. As a rookie NFL quarterback in 1984, Moon and head coach Hugh Campbell watched the Houston Oilers lose their first 10 games before finally securing a win in their 11th matchup. The team managed just two more wins, finishing 3-13.
The team’s defense struggled throughout the season, surrendering 457 points. However, Moon showed promise, setting a franchise record with 3,338 passing yards in his first season after making the move from the CFL.
The 1984 season was only the beginning of a Hall of Fame career. Moon spent 17 seasons in the NFL with four teams, totaling 49,325 passing yards and 291 touchdowns. He ranked third all-time in passing yards when he retired and, in 2006, became the first undrafted quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
#6 – Matt Eberflus and Justin Fields (2022 Chicago Bears) – 3 wins
Matt Eberflus’ first season in charge of the Chicago Bears ended with a 3-14 record. The team started 2-1 but won only one of its next 14 games, including a franchise-record 10 straight losses to finish the season.
The Bears also struggled against their divisional rivals, going winless in NFC North games throughout the season.
However, Justin Fields showed promise. The quarterback rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns, including a historic 178-yard performance against the Miami Dolphins. That remains a single-game regular-season rushing record for a quarterback.
#5 – Lovie Smith and Davis Mills (2022 Houston Texans) – 3 wins
Lovie Smith’s first season in charge of the Houston Texans also turned out to be his last. The team posted a 3-13-1 record in 2022, with Houston parting ways with Smith immediately after the final game.
Davis Mills, meanwhile, was handed the starting quarterback job after the Texans traded Deshaun Watson. His performances were inconsistent enough that Houston benched him for Kyle Allen in both Week 12 and Week 13.
The second-year quarterback finished with 3,118 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, but his 15 interceptions co-led the league. He started 15 games, with Houston going 3-12 in his starts. Mills has since taken on a backup role behind C.J. Stroud in Houston.
#4 – Dom Capers and David Carr (2005 Houston Texans) – 2 wins
Dom Capers’ fourth season in charge of the Texans was also his last. The team finished 2005 with a 2-14 record, then the worst mark in franchise history. The record would later be matched by the 2013 Texans.
David Carr was the starting quarterback for every game that season, but he faced constant pressure behind a struggling offensive line. He took 68 sacks, the most of any quarterback in the league that year.
#3 – Bill Walsh and Steve DeBerg (1979 San Francisco 49ers) – 2 wins
The 1979 season was Bill Walsh’s first year in charge of the 49ers, and it ended with San Francisco posting a 2-14 record. Steve DeBerg started all season at quarterback, leading the league with 347 completions and 578 pass attempts while throwing for 3,652 yards.
However, his time as Walsh’s starter was relatively short-lived. DeBerg was replaced by Joe Montana midway through the 1980 season, setting the stage for a legendary partnership. Walsh and Montana went on to win three Super Bowls, three NFC championships and seven NFC West titles.
#2 – Hue Jackson and DeShone Kizer (2017 Cleveland Browns) – 0 wins
Hue Jackson’s second season as head coach of the Cleveland Browns was even more difficult than his first. The Browns finished 2017 with a 0-16 record, becoming the second team to go winless in a 16-game NFL season after the 2008 Lions. Across Jackson’s first two years, the Browns went just 1-31.
Jackson eventually finished his Cleveland tenure with a 3-36-1 record, the worst record for an NFL coach with at least 40 games in charge. Rookie DeShone Kizer was the team’s primary quarterback in 2017, appearing in 15 games and leading the NFL in turnovers.
The Browns responded to the collapse with changes in the front office, setting the stage for the franchise to select Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 pick in 2018.
#1 – John McKay and Steve Spurrier (1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – 0 wins
Tampa Bay made its NFL debut in 1976 with John McKay as the team’s head coach, but the expansion team had a historically difficult first season. The Bucs finished 0-14 while suffering 11 double-digit losses and five shutouts.
They failed to score more than 20 points in any matchup and averaged 8.9 points per game. Steve Spurrier started 12 of the team’s 14 games at quarterback, throwing seven touchdowns against 12 interceptions and absorbing 32 sacks.
Edited by R. Elahi
