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 tables.
Companion page: Closest NFL races.
| Rank | Race | Winner | Deficit (games) | Deepest on | Won by (games) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022 AFC South | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 | Week 11 | 2 |
| 2 | 2003 NFC North | Green Bay Packers | 3.5 | Week 7 | 1 |
| 3 | 2009 AFC West | San Diego Chargers | 3.5 | Week 6 | 5 |
| 4 | 2013 NFC South | Carolina Panthers | 3.5 | Week 5 | 1 |
| 5 | 1970 AFC Central | Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | Week 6 | 1 |
| 6 | 1983 NFC Central | Detroit Lions | 3 | Week 8 | 1 |
| 7 | 1992 AFC West | San Diego Chargers | 3 | Week 4 | 1 |
| 8 | 2012 NFC East | Washington Redskins | 3 | Week 8 | 1 |
| 9 | 2014 NFC West | Seattle Seahawks | 3 | Week 11 | 1 |
| 10 | 1970 AFC West | Oakland Raiders | 2.5 | Week 3 | 1 |
| Rank | Race | Team that led | Lead (games) | Held as late as | Eventual winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 NFC North | Minnesota Vikings | 3.5 | Week 7 | Green Bay Packers |
| 2 | 2009 AFC West | Denver Broncos | 3.5 | Week 6 | San Diego Chargers |
| 3 | 2013 NFC South | New Orleans Saints | 3.5 | Week 5 | Carolina Panthers |
| 4 | 2014 NFC West | Arizona Cardinals | 3 | Week 11 | Seattle Seahawks |
| 5 | 2022 AFC South | Tennessee Titans | 3 | Week 13 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 6 | 2012 NFC East | New York Giants | 2.5 | Week 9 | Washington Redskins |
| 7 | 2015 NFC North | Green Bay Packers | 2.5 | Week 6 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 8 | 2018 AFC North | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2.5 | Week 11 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 9 | 2023 AFC South | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2.5 | Week 8 | Houston Texans |
| 10 | 2023 NFC East | Philadelphia Eagles | 2.5 | Week 9 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Rank | Race | Winner | First place for good | Charted days left | Days in first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013 NFC North | Green Bay Packers | Week 17 | 0 | 4 of 17 |
| 2 | 1986 NFC West | San Francisco 49ers | Week 16 | 0 | 3 of 16 |
| 3 | 1989 AFC Central | Cleveland Browns | Week 16 | 0 | 11 of 16 |
| 4 | 2014 AFC North | Pittsburgh Steelers | Week 17 | 0 | 2 of 17 |
| 5 | 1971 AFC East | Miami Dolphins | Week 14 | 0 | 9 of 14 |
| 6 | 2014 NFC West | Seattle Seahawks | Week 16 | 1 | 4 of 17 |
| 7 | 2015 NFC North | Minnesota Vikings | Week 16 | 1 | 7 of 17 |
| 8 | 2018 AFC North | Baltimore Ravens | Week 16 | 1 | 6 of 17 |
| 9 | 2023 NFC East | Dallas Cowboys | Week 17 | 1 | 6 of 18 |
| 10 | 1970 NFC East | Dallas Cowboys | Week 13 | 1 | 8 of 14 |
Everything on this page comes from the same day-by-day season files the charts draw, with standings read as each day 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. 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 end-of-day deficit the eventual winner faced, in games behind that day's leader, dated to the first day it reached that depth. These are the same numbers the turning points on each race page state.
Biggest collapses: the largest end-of-day lead over second place held by a team that did not finish first, dated to the last day 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 day ranks winners by how few charted days remained when they took first place for good; a day spent tied on top stays with the team already leading. 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.