The 0-4 Miracle: How the 1992 Chargers Made NFL History

Published on November 1st, 2025 5:20 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It's rare for an NFL team to look lost in September and still be playing in January. But history shows it's possible - and a few teams have done it in dramatic fashion.

The most losses ever posted to start a season by a team that still reached the playoffs? That record belongs to the 1992 San Diego Chargers, who opened 0-4 before flipping the switch and finishing 11-5. They became the first team in NFL history to start 0-4 and still make the postseason.

That year, the Chargers looked dead in the water early. They scored just 29 total points in their first four games and turned the ball over 14 times. But Bobby Ross' team regrouped behind quarterback Stan Humphries and a defense led by Junior Seau. The turnaround started with a Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks - then came a run of eight straight victories. By the end of the season, they were AFC West champions.

Their playoff run didn't last long - they were shut out 31-0 by the Dolphins in the Wild Card round - but the recovery remains one of the wildest in league history.

Since then, only a handful of teams have come close. The 2018 Houston Texans started 0-3 and still made the playoffs, finishing 11-5. The 1998 Buffalo Bills and 2017 Los Angeles Chargers both started 0-3 as well, but only the Bills reached the postseason.

Every year, a slow-starting team looks at the standings and points to those 1992 Chargers. In a league built for parity, an 0-2 or even 0-3 hole isn't always fatal. But 0-4? That's near the edge of the cliff. Only one team has ever climbed back.

Teams that started 0-4 or worse and made the playoffs:

1992 San Diego Chargers (0-4 start, 11-5 finish)

Teams that started 0-3 and made the playoffs:

-2018 Houston Texans (11-5)
-1998 Buffalo Bills (10-6)
-1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4, strike-shortened season)
-1981 New York Jets (10-5-1)

Those cases are the outliers. The league's playoff structure rewards momentum - and early losing streaks usually bury a team. The 1992 Chargers remain the blueprint for impossible turnarounds.