5 NFL teams under .500 that are better than their record

By John Buhler | Dec 30, 2015

December 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and free safety Charles Woodson (24) celebrate after the game against the San Diego Chargers at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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Entering Week 17 of the 2015 NFL season, there are 18 teams under .500, but five of them are not as bad as their record indicates.

While the NFL only has a few bad teams in 2015, most of which are in the AFC, the league has 18 teams that have seven or fewer wins through the season’s first 16 weeks.

Should the Atlanta Falcons, the Houston Texans, and the Washington Redskins all lose on Sunday, the NFL could have 21 teams finish at or below .500. Washington already clinched the NFC East with a Week 16 win over Philadelphia. Houston or the rival Indianapolis Colts could win the AFC South at .500.

While an at or sub-.500 record is nothing to write home about, there are a few teams that can finish no better than .500 this season that are actually not halfway bad football teams. Sure, there are some mediocre teams composing roughly two-thirds of the NFL, but there are a handful of teams that will do no better than eight wins in 2015 that are likely a draft class away from getting back into the playoffs.

There are five teams that standout as being on the cusp of relevance in 2016. Some of these teams have franchise quarterbacks. Others have strong pieces on the defensive side of the ball. Some have questionable head coaches. Others have strong coordinators. As the 2015 NFL draws to a close, here are the best of the worst: the five best teams that are actually better than being no better than an eight-win/.500 team.

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