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Christopher Boan writes for BetTennessee.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
What Are The Most Underachieving NFL Teams?
Now that the 2024-25 NFL season is in the past, it’s worth reflecting on which teams fell well short of preseason expectations across Tennessee sports betting, with the Titans being a prime example. The AFC South club posted their worst year-end record (3-14) since going 3-13 in 2015.
While no one expected first-time head coach Brian Callahan to turn the franchise around overnight when he took over for Mike Vrabel in 2024, oddsmakers from some of Tennessee’s leading sportsbooks did expect the Titans to be competitive on the field.
With the NFL season wrapped up, BetTennessee.com wanted to see which NFL teams were the most underachieving based on preseason over/under compared to final record. We got the preseason O/U and records from Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Bookmark our Titans playoff chances page now ahead of next season while you're here.
Worst Performance vs. Preseason Win Totals
Team | Preseason O/U | Record | +/- |
San Francisco 49ers | 11.5 | 6-11 | -5.5 |
Cleveland Browns | 8.5 | 3-14 | -5.5 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 8.5 | 4-13 | -4.5 |
New York Jets | 9.5 | 5-12 | -4.5 |
Chicago Bears | 8.5 | 5-12 | -3.5 |
New York Giants | 6.5 | 3-14 | -3.5 |
Tennessee Titans | 6.5 | 3-14 | -3.5 |
Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 7-10 | -3 |
Las Vegas Raiders | 6.5 | 4-13 | -2.5 |
New Orleans Saints | 7.5 | 5-12 | -2.5 |
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Where Titans Rank Among NFL Underachievers
Of the 32 teams in the NFL, only four franchises fell faller than Tennessee when it came to missing their preseason win total, with the Titans finishing 3.5 wins shy of their preseason number of 6.5 victories, ranking in a tie with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants for the fifth largest miss, win total wise.
Leaguewide, only the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers (-5.5 wins each) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5 wins) did worse when it came to their respective win totals last season, with the Niners going from a preseason total of 11.5 to a 6-11 season, while the Browns went 3-14 after entering the year with a win total over/under of 8.5 and the Jaguars went 4-13 with a win total of 8.5.
The Bears (8.5 win total over/under, 5-12 record) and Giants (6.5 win total over/under/3-14 record) managed to put up the same kind of on-field futility as Tennessee last season, while other NFL underachievers included the Dallas Cowboys (-3 win total/7-10 record), Las Vegas Raiders (-2.5 win total/4-13 record) and New Orleans Saints (-2.5 win total/5-12 record).
Of the teams on the NFL underachievers list, the Niners had the highest preseason win total over/under, at 11 wins, followed by the Cowboys (10 wins), while the Giants and Raiders had the lowest figure to hit at 6.5 wins apiece, illustrating how hard it can be to hit that preseason number, even if you’re coaching a cellar dweller in the league.
For Callahan and company, the good news is that Tennessee holds the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which should help the Titans as the club looks to snap the three-year postseason drought that’s currently plaguing the Volunteer State franchise.
Note: Who Will Titans Select In 1st Round of 2025 NFL Draft?
For Titans fans, at least there’s some semblance of a silver lining in the fact that the Titans, for all their on-field disarray last season, were not the biggest underachiever in the NFL during the 2024-25 league year.
USA Today photo by Andrew Nelles.
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Must be 21+ to participate & present in TN. Gambling Problem? Call or Text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms & Conditions. US promotional offers not available in NY, NV, or Puerto Rico.
