The Buffao Bills were one of the worst NFL teams over the last decade and a half. Now, they’re playing playoff football.
On Sunday, January 7th, the Buffalo Bills played their first playoff game in 18 years, ending the longest active post-season drought out of North America’s four major professional sporting leagues.
Pretty crazy that the Bills, Rams, Jaguars and Titans ended their streaks this season, eh?
Well, now that the Bills have put the infamous streak in their rearview mirror, let’s take a look who now holds that distinctive honour, and other teams that are percolating for all the wrong reasons.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) 14 seasons – 2003-04
If there’s any team that’s capable of quickly escaping this list, it’s the Minnesota Timberwolves, who haven’t made the post-season since they lost in the Western Conference Finals back in 2004 under the tutelage of Flip Saunders (RIP), and Kevin Garnett leading the charge. With the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota sits fourth in the West with a 25-16 record. Not only are the Timberwolves on pace to make the post-season, they’re looking at their first winning season since the 2004-05 campaign.
3. Miami Marlins (MLB) 14 seasons – 2003
Remember the Marlins magical run in 2003 spearheaded by the likes of Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis? If you’re a Marlins fan, we hope you’re clinging on to that dearly, because that was the last time Miami made the playoffs. With Giancarlo Stanton now in New York and all the turmoil surrounding the team, the Marlins are bottoming out with Derek Jeter and new ownership at the helm. Don't expect them to be playing playoff baseball anytime soon. At least they have a cool stadium, right?
2. Cleveland Browns (NFL) 15 seasons – 2002
Well, Browns fans, you’re at least close to the top of a leaderboard in something. The Browns are coming off their first winless season in franchise history, and have a combined 1-31 record over their last two seasons. While the Browns have stockpiled draft picks and some top end talent recently, the team is still miles away from being a contender, so if there’s one team on this list that is capable of consistently failing to qualify for the post-season, it’s the Cleveland Browns.
1. Seattle Mariners (MLB): 16 seasons – 2001
Dating back to Ichiro Suzuki’s rookie season, the Seattle Mariners last played fall ball way back in the 2001 season where they finished the regular seaosn with an astonishing 116-46 record, where they tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs with that feat. They also set a American League record for the most wins in a single season, leapfrogging the 1927 New York Yankees that won the World Series with the “Murderer’s Row nickname. Fast forward to 2017, and the Mariners are coming off a 78-84 record where they finished third in the American League West.
