The biggest NFL comebacks and collapses, 1970 to 2025
The deepest hole an NFL winner has climbed out of is 4 games: the Jacksonville Jaguars sat that far behind in the 2022 AFC South in Week 11, and won it by 2 games. The biggest lead lost: the Minnesota Vikings led the 2003 NFC North by 3.5 games as late as Week 7, and finished behind the Green Bay Packers. Every charted race since 1970 is ranked below; how the numbers are read is spelled out under the lists.
The Jacksonville Jaguars trailed the 2022 AFC South race by 4 games in Week 11, and won it by 2 games.
The Green Bay Packers trailed the 2003 NFC North race by 3.5 games in Week 7, and won it by 1 game.
The San Diego Chargers trailed the 2009 AFC West race by 3.5 games in Week 6, and won it by 5 games.
The Carolina Panthers trailed the 2013 NFC South race by 3.5 games in Week 5, and won it by 1 game.
The Cincinnati Bengals trailed the 1970 AFC Central race by 3 games in Week 6, and won it by 1 game.
The Detroit Lions trailed the 1983 NFC Central race by 3 games in Week 8, and won it by 1 game.
The San Diego Chargers trailed the 1992 AFC West race by 3 games in Week 4, and won it by 1 game.
The Washington Redskins trailed the 2012 NFC East race by 3 games in Week 8, and won it by 1 game.
The Seattle Seahawks trailed the 2014 NFC West race by 3 games in Week 11, and won it by 1 game.
The Oakland Raiders trailed the 1970 AFC West race by 2.5 games in Week 3, and won it by 1 game.
Biggest collapses
The Minnesota Vikings led the 2003 NFC North race by 3.5 games as late as Week 7, and finished behind the Green Bay Packers.
The Denver Broncos led the 2009 AFC West race by 3.5 games as late as Week 6, and finished behind the San Diego Chargers.
The New Orleans Saints led the 2013 NFC South race by 3.5 games as late as Week 5, and finished behind the Carolina Panthers.
The Arizona Cardinals led the 2014 NFC West race by 3 games as late as Week 11, and finished behind the Seattle Seahawks.
The Tennessee Titans led the 2022 AFC South race by 3 games as late as Week 13, and finished behind the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The New York Giants led the 2012 NFC East race by 2.5 games as late as Week 9, and finished behind the Washington Redskins.
The Green Bay Packers led the 2015 NFC North race by 2.5 games as late as Week 6, and finished behind the Minnesota Vikings.
The Pittsburgh Steelers led the 2018 AFC North race by 2.5 games as late as Week 11, and finished behind the Baltimore Ravens.
The Jacksonville Jaguars led the 2023 AFC South race by 2.5 games as late as Week 8, and finished behind the Houston Texans.
The Philadelphia Eagles led the 2023 NFC East race by 2.5 games as late as Week 9, and finished behind the Dallas Cowboys.
Latest deciding week
With no charted weeks left to play, the Green Bay Packers took first place in the 2003 NFC North race for good in Week 17, having led on 3 of the race's 17 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Detroit Lions took first place in the 1983 NFC Central race for good in Week 16, having led on 6 of the race's 16 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Seattle Seahawks took first place in the 2014 NFC West race for good in Week 17, having led on 4 of the race's 17 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Minnesota Vikings took first place in the 2015 NFC North race for good in Week 17, having led on 7 of the race's 17 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Houston Texans took first place in the 2023 AFC South race for good in Week 18, having led on 5 of the race's 18 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Dallas Cowboys took first place in the 2023 NFC East race for good in Week 18, having led on 6 of the race's 18 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Dallas Cowboys took first place in the 1970 NFC East race for good in Week 14, having led on 8 of the race's 14 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took first place in the 1981 NFC Central race for good in Week 16, having led on 11 of the race's 16 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the New England Patriots took first place in the 1986 AFC East race for good in Week 16, having led on 7 of the race's 16 charted weeks.
With no charted weeks left to play, the Indianapolis Colts took first place in the 1987 AFC East race for good in Week 16, having led on 11 of the race's 15 charted weeks.
How these lists are ranked
Everything on this page comes from the same season files the charts draw, with standings read as each week ended. All 384 charted NFL races from 56 finished seasons enter: every division race from 1970 to 2025. Wild card races are not ranked; their story is the playoff cutoff, not first place. The 2026 season joins these lists when it ends. A team's comeback or collapse is counted once per season, at its deepest, whichever of its charted races it came in.
Biggest comebacks: the deepest deficit the eventual winner faced at the end of a charted week, in games behind that week's leader, dated to the first week it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest lead over second place held at the end of a charted week by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last week the team still held that full lead. A comeback and a collapse read the same race from opposite ends, so they can disagree about one summer.
Latest deciding week ranks winners by how few charted weeks remained when they took first place for good, which is the week after the last one the winner ended behind or level with another club: a week it only shared the top is not a week it held first place for good, so a late tie pushes the date later. Races whose top two the standings cannot separate appear on none of these lists: the data cannot name a winner. Only finished seasons are ranked; every irregularity in the record is listed in the data notes.