Consecutive Playoff Losses For a Franchise

by Chase Stuart on April 25, 2016

From 1993 to 2015, the New York Islanders lost eight consecutive playoff series, beginning with a loss in the conference finals to Montreal in 1993, and culminating in a heartbreaking, 7-game series loss last year to Washington. Last night, the Isles came from behind and defeated Florida, to win the series, four games to two.

So the streak stopped at eight for the Islanders; as it turns out, the longest streaks for consecutive playoff losses in NFL history is also at eight, with two of those streaks being active.

The Detroit Lions became the last time to beat the ’90s Cowboys before Dallas became a dynasty; that remains the last playoff win in franchise history for Detroit, as the Lions have dropped eight consecutive playoff games since, to seven different teams:


Rk	Tm	Year	Date	Time	LTime		Opp	Week	G#	Day	Result	OT
1	DET	2014	2015-01-04	4:41	3:41	@	DAL	18	17	Sun	L 20-24
2	DET	2011	2012-01-07	8:09	7:09	@	NOR	18	17	Sat	L 28-45
3	DET	1999	2000-01-08	4:05	4:05	@	WAS	18	17	Sat	L 13-27
4	DET	1997	1997-12-28	4:00	4:00	@	TAM	18	17	Sun	L 10-20
5	DET	1995	1995-12-30	4:00	4:00	@	PHI	18	17	Sat	L 37-58
6	DET	1994	1994-12-31	12:30	11:30	@	GNB	18	17	Sat	L 12-16
7	DET	1993	1994-01-08	4:00	4:00		GNB	19	17	Sat	L 24-28
8	DET	1991	1992-01-12	4:00	4:00	@	WAS	20	18	Sun	L 10-41
9	DET	1991	1992-01-05	4:00	4:00		DAL	19	17	Sun	W 38-6

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/25/2016.

Perhaps more famously, the Bengals have had a similar streak of playoff frustration. Cincinnati beat Oakland in the game that ultimately ended Bo Jackson’s career; Cincinnati didn’t even make the playoffs for another 15 years after that game. The Bengals made the playoffs and lost at home in ’05 and ’09, before turning into one of the better teams in the NFL during the last five seasons… until January:


Tm	Year	Date	Time	LTime		Opp	Week	G#	Day	Result	OT
1	CIN	2015	2016-01-09	8:15	8:15		PIT	18	17	Sat	L 16-18
2	CIN	2014	2015-01-04	1:05	1:05	@	IND	18	17	Sun	L 10-26
3	CIN	2013	2014-01-05	1:06	1:06		SDG	18	17	Sun	L 10-27
4	CIN	2012	2013-01-05	4:35	3:35	@	HOU	18	17	Sat	L 13-19
5	CIN	2011	2012-01-07	4:35	3:35	@	HOU	18	17	Sat	L 10-31
6	CIN	2009	2010-01-09	4:36	4:36		NYJ	17	17	Sat	L 14-24
7	CIN	2005	2006-01-08	4:36	4:36		PIT	18	17	Sun	L 17-31
8	CIN	1990	1991-01-13	4:00	1:00	@	RAI	19	18	Sun	L 10-20
9	CIN	1990	1991-01-06	12:30	12:30		HOU	18	17	Sun	W 41-14

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/25/2016.

The Bengals and Lions enter 2016 on 8-game playoff losing streaks; that’s where the Chiefs were a few months ago, too. In Kansas City’s case, the antidote was Brian Hoyer:


Tm	Year	Date	Time	LTime		Opp	Week	G#	Day	Result	OT
1	KAN	2015	2016-01-16	4:35	4:35	@	NWE	19	18	Sat	L 20-27
2	KAN	2015	2016-01-09	4:35	3:35	@	HOU	18	17	Sat	W 30-0
3	KAN	2013	2014-01-04	4:35	4:35	@	IND	18	17	Sat	L 44-45
4	KAN	2010	2011-01-09	1:06	12:06		BAL	18	17	Sun	L 7-30
5	KAN	2006	2007-01-06	4:35	4:35	@	IND	18	17	Sat	L 8-23
6	KAN	2003	2004-01-11	1:00	12:00		IND	19	17	Sun	L 31-38
7	KAN	1997	1998-01-04	4:00	3:00		DEN	19	17	Sun	L 10-14
8	KAN	1995	1996-01-07	4:00	3:00		IND	19	17	Sun	L 7-10
9	KAN	1994	1994-12-31	4:00	4:00	@	MIA	18	17	Sat	L 17-27
10	KAN	1993	1994-01-23	12:30	12:30	@	BUF	21	19	Sun	L 13-30
11	KAN	1993	1994-01-16	4:00	3:00	@	HOU	20	18	Sun	W 28-20

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/25/2016.

Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Detroit all failed to win a single playoff game between 1994 and 2014, while every other NFL team won at least one playoff game. No other NFL franchise has lost even seven straight playoff games, although five other franchises lost six straight: Cleveland (thru 1985), Dallas (through 2007), Minnesota (through 1996), the Giants (through 1950), and the Seahawks (through 2004).

Tagged as: Playoffs

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