With so many fans focused on who'll contend to win Super Bowl 59, why not take a look at the NFL's bottom-barrel teams, based on odds for them to finish with the league's worst regular-season record.
We've already examined the Super Bowl odds of teams like the Chiefs, 49ers and Ravens. These teams have enjoyed their fair share of success in recent years and are predicted to do so again this season.
Let's flip the script from success to futility, and examine odds on the Patriots, Broncos and Panthers to have the worst regular-season record when the calendar turns to 2025.
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Odds to finish as NFL's worst team in 2024-25 regular season
Here are odds from BetMGM Sportsbook for NFL teams to finish with the worst regular-season record:
- New England Patriots +400
- Carolina Panthers +600
- Denver Broncos +700
- Tennessee Titans +900
- Washington Commanders +1000
- New York Giants +1000
- Minnesota Vikings +1000
- Las Vegas Raiders +1500
The Patriots are the betting favorites to finish last in the league in the team's first season without head coach Bill Belichik in 20+ years. Don't discount Denver or fail to consider Carolina, which reigns as the NFL's worst team after going 2-15 last season.
What NFL teams have the best chance of being the worst this season?
New England Patriots
What a time to be a Patriot hater after New England enjoyed all that success under Belichick. One objective observer almost felt sorry for him last year when the Pats looked lost on a near-weekly basis and finished with a 4-13 record.
The Jerod Mayo era begins now, and the emphasis is on defense. But the former New England linebacker needs a massive amount of help on offense. Unless rookie QB Drake Maye turns out to be the second coming of C.J. Stroud, the Patriots did nothing to upgrade their weapons on offense. If he turns out to be Drake Maybe as a pro, New England's future looks bleak.
Journeyman Jacoby Brissett is also in the mix at QB. It's hard to envision either quarterback quick-throttling an offense that finished tied with Carolina for the fewest points scored (13.9 ppg) last season. The Patriots also finished 30th in the NFL with just 276.2 yards of total offense per game.
Bottom line: The Patriots have earned their status as the betting favorite in this market.
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Denver Broncos
Head coach Sean Payton was expected to turn the franchise's fortunes around in short order with the arrival of QB Russell Wilson from Seattle. Last season could not have gone worse for both protagonists.
Wilson, who looked like a shell of his former self, stumbled and bumbled his way to the sideline and ended up as the most expensive backup QB in NFL history. Jarrett Stidham ultimately replaced Wilson as Denver's starter late in the year, and the Broncos finished 8-9.
The Broncos released Wilson from his contract, and they'll take a $39 million hit on him this season. With Wilson off to Pittsburgh, Payton announced that first-round draft pick Bo Nix (Oregon) will start for Denver in Week 1. Taken at No. 12, Payton got what he wanted, but many league observers considered that a big reach for Nix.
Nix has looked promising in the preseason, but he's got a dearth of talent at the WR position aside from Courtland Sutton. Sutton's happy now that he inked a new deal worth $15.2 million along with incentives this season. But factor in the relative lack of success for starting rookie QBs over the years -- Troy Aikman, Ryan Leaf or Bryce Young, anyone? -- and it could be a long year in Denver.
Carolina Panthers
Speaking of Bryce Young, here's hoping his sophomore pro season goes much smoother than his freshman campaign. Carolina did nothing to help or protect its biggest investment after Young was sacked 62 times last year. Only Sam Howell in Washington went to the ground more (65).
Carolina's been mired in mediocrity throughout the first six seasons of David Tepper's ownership. The Panthers haven't appeared in the playoffs and sport an overall record of 31-68 during that span. Nobody was worse during last year's regular season, and Carolina could be a repeat offender this time around.
There is preseason optimism -- when isn't there, really? -- with the arrival of new head coach and alleged QB whisperer Dave Canales. There's no doubting Baker Mayfield enjoyed the finest season of his career at Tampa under the tutelage of Canales last season.
General manager Dan Morgan was one of the most productive and popular defensive players in Carolina franchise history. Does playing success translate to front-office success in his case? Hopefully, he outperforms at least both Tepper and Michael Jordan and their abysmal ownership records in Charlotte.
For all the talk about who exactly was behind drafting Young at No. 1, who cares? He's your starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Put the right pieces around him and give Young the best chance to win.
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