Competitive balance in the NFL is so strong that a team going from "worst-to-first" in its division is becoming an annual tradition. For the seventh consecutive season – an NFL record – at least one team has finished in first place in their division the season after finishing in last place. In fact, out of the 32 teams in NFL annals to go from "worst-to-first," 15 of them have done so in the past 10 years (2000-09), including an NFL-record three such teams in 2006.
One of the teams to make the remarkable turnaround in 2006 did so again in 2009…all the way to a Super Bowl victory. The New Orleans Saints, whose 8-8 record saw them finish last in the NFC South in 2008, improved by five wins en route to a 13-3 record and a division title for the second time in four seasons. The Saints also became just the third to go from "worst-to-first" and cap the season with a win in the Super Bowl, following the 1999 St. Louis Rams and 2001 New England Patriots.
"One of your early goals is to win your division and generally that's the first way to get in the playoffs," says New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. "So we were pleased with that."
The teams to go from "worst-to-first" in their division since 2000:
SEASON TEAM RECORD PRIOR SEASON RECORD
2000 New Orleans 10-6 3-13
2001 Chicago 13-3 5-11
2001 New England** 11-5 5-11
2003 Carolina 11-5 7-9
2003 Kansas City 13-3 8-8*
2004 Atlanta 11-5 5-11
2004 San Diego 12-4 4-12*
2005 Chicago 11-5 5-11
2005 Tampa Bay 11-5 5-11
2006 Baltimore 13-3 6-10*
2006 New Orleans 10-6 3-13
2006 Philadelphia 10-6 6-10
2007 Tampa Bay 9-7 4-12
2008 Miami 11-5 1-15
2009 New Orleans** 13-3 8-8
- Tied for last place ** Won Super Bowl
