Which 2008 football team, along with the 1976 Tampa Buccaneers and 1982 Baltimore Colts, had a winless season?
2008 Detroit Lions season The 2008 Detroit Lions season was the 79th season for the franchise in the National Football League. The Lions entered their third season under head coach Rod Marinelli and were looking to improve on the 7–9 record they put together in 2007. Instead, the Lions had one of the worst seasons in pro sports history. The team lost all sixteen of their games in 2008, becoming the first team since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to end an NFL season with no wins and no tied games as well as the first and only team to do it since the schedule was expanded to sixteen games. The Lions were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs by Week 11, when they stood 0–10. The team's victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 of 2007 stood as their last until Week 3 of the 2009 season. From the time the Lions recorded a win over the Denver Broncos in 2007 to reach 6–2, the team went 5–47 over their following 52 games (including all of 2008 and 2009) before winning four games in a row at the end of the 2010 season. As of 2017, this is the only team in NFL history to finish a season with a 0–16 record. The 2016 Cleveland Browns and the 2009 St. Louis Rams came close to 0–16, both going 1–15.
1988 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1988 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the team's first full, non-strike season under head coach Ray Perkins. Perkins had by now rebuilt the Buccaneers as the NFL's youngest team, having replaced so many veterans that leadership became an issue. A strong draft produced several starters, including standout offensive tackle Paul Gruber and eventual 1,000-yard running back Lars Tate. The team was largely competitive and showed an ability to outplay opponents in the second half of games, but continued their tendency toward mental errors, and finished with a disappointing 5–11 record. Second-year quarterback Vinny Testaverde was inconsistent: an effective leader at times, as in their late-season upset of the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills, mistake-prone at others. His 35 interceptions are still (as of 2011) a team record. His frequent costly errors caused the coaching staff to lose confidence in him, and at one point to replace him with backup Joe Ferguson. The team finished the season on a strong note with wins in two of their final three games, including respectable performances against two playoff contenders.