The Washington Redskins are a bad football team.
They are 3-10 under first-year coach Jay Gruden, have been outscored 346-244 and have teammates fighting each other. They also benched the quarterback they mortgaged the future for in favor of a backup who, prior to this season, last started a game in 2011. If the futility continues, it will go down as one of the top 10 worst seasons in franchise history.
According to Pro-Football Reference’s Simple Rating System, a rating that takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule, the Redskins are 8.8 points per game below the league average. That would rank sixth among the franchise’s worst seasons since data has been available to compile this metric (1950).
Here is the full list of the 10 worst seasons in franchise history.
10. 1963 Washington Redskins (3-11-0), 7.8 points per game below average
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After winning two of their first three games, Coach Bill McPeak saw his team endure a seven-game losing streak in the middle of the year and a three-game skid at the end of the season. Bobby Mitchell was one of the lone bright spots, leading the league in receiving yards (1,436) and recording a 99-yard catch from scrimmage.
9. 1960 Washington Redskins (1-9-2), 8.0 points per game below average
The Redskins’ only win of the season was a 26-14 victory over an expansion team that went 0-11-1 that year: the Dallas Cowboys.
8. 1968 Washington Redskins (5-9-0), 8.3 points per game below average
Washington ranked in the bottom three in rushing offense and defense, producing just 3.2 yards per carry but allowing 4.4 to the opposition. They were also dead last in fumbles lost.
7. 1962 Washington Redskins (5-7-2), 8.4 points per game below average
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The Redskins won three of their first five games but then managed just two wins over their remaining schedule, with five straight losses to close the season.
6. 2014 Washington Redskins (3-10-0), 8.8 points per game below average
The current season isn’t over yet but the Redskins are in the middle of a five-game losing streak. They had a four-game losing streak earlier in the year. They are also struggling on both offense and defense, according to the Simple Rating System.
5. 1965 Washington Redskins (6-8-0), 9 points per game below average
Once again, McPeak struggled to get his team above .500. Quarterback Sonny Jurgensen posted a 69.6 passer rating and would miss the Pro Bowl for the only time between 1964 and 1967.
4. 2013 Washington Redskins (3-13-0), 9.3 points per game below average
The Redskins posted their worst record since 1994 and benched shut down future franchise quarterback Robert Griffin III. It was also the end of the Mike Shanahan era in Washington.
3. 1959 Washington Redskins (3-9-0), 12.9 points per game below average
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Rookie coach Mike Nixon didn’t impress in his debut, losing the last five games of the season and allowing the most points against to the opposition (350) while scoring the fewest (185).
2. 1961 Washington Redskins (1-12-1), 15.7 points per game below average
McPeak disappointed yet again, compiling the worst winning percentage in franchise history . He did, however, make sure their lone victory came against the Cowboys in front of the home crowd to (mercifully) end the season.
1. 1954 Washington Redskins (3-9-0), 19.7 points per game below average
Even more than the one-win season of 1961, this squad was the worst in franchise history. They had a minus-225 point differential and the absolute worst defense in the league, which was 16.1 points per game below average in a league that had just 12 teams scoring an average of 21.9 points per game.
Correction: An earlier version had Bobby Mitchell’s yards listed as rushing yards when they were receiving yards. This has been corrected.
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