On Monday and Tuesday, I looked at the teams that had the longest streaks as either a favorite or an underdog. In the comments, James asked if I could put together a list of teams that were favored to win or lose every game in a single season.
Six teams — the ’98 Broncos, ’95 Cowboys, ’94 49ers, ’91 Redskins, ’84 49ers, and ’79 Steelers — were favorites in every game and won the Super Bowl. The ’97 49ers have the distinction of being the only team to be favored in every game during the regular season and be an underdog in the playoffs: that happened in the NFC Championship Game against the Packers.
In the table below, I’ve listed every team that was favored to win every regular season game since 1978, along with the average points spread, the team’s actual record, and their ranks in points and points allowed.
| Tm | Year | Avg. Spread | W | L | PF Rk | PA Rk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWE | 2007 | -13.5 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| CHI | 1986 | -10.6 | 14 | 2 | 13 | 1 |
| DAL | 1995 | -10.5 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| STL | 2001 | -9.6 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| DEN | 1998 | -9.6 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| SFO | 1994 | -9.5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| JAX | 1999 | -9.1 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| SFO | 1992 | -8.9 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| STL | 2000 | -8.6 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 31 |
| SFO | 1985 | -8.3 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| SFO | 1997 | -8 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| SFO | 1990 | -7.8 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| WAS | 1991 | -7.7 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| PIT | 1979 | -7.5 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| SFO | 1984 | -7.4 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| DAL | 1982 | -6.2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
What about the teams to be underdogs in every game since 1978?
| Tm | Year | Avg. Spread | W | L | PF Rk | PA Rk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 1999 | 10.7 | 2 | 14 | 31 | 29 |
| BAL | 1982 | 10.1 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 26 |
| CLE | 2000 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 31 | 27 |
| STL | 2009 | 9.9 | 1 | 15 | 32 | 31 |
| IND | 1986 | 9.7 | 3 | 13 | 27 | 25 |
| SFO | 2005 | 9.1 | 4 | 12 | 30 | 30 |
| CIN | 1993 | 8.5 | 3 | 13 | 28 | 20 |
| TAM | 2009 | 8.2 | 3 | 13 | 30 | 27 |
| STL | 2008 | 8.2 | 2 | 14 | 30 | 31 |
| DAL | 1989 | 8.1 | 1 | 15 | 28 | 24 |
| JAX | 1995 | 7.8 | 4 | 12 | 27 | 28 |
| ARI | 2003 | 7.2 | 4 | 12 | 32 | 32 |
| PHI | 1999 | 7.1 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 22 |
| NYG | 1980 | 7.1 | 4 | 12 | 26 | 27 |
| BUF | 1985 | 6.8 | 2 | 14 | 28 | 20 |
| SFO | 1979 | 6.8 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 27 |
| NOR | 1981 | 6.6 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 24 |
| CAR | 1995 | 6.6 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 8 |
| HOU | 1983 | 6.4 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 27 |
I’ll leave the comments to you guys today.