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The Greatest In-Season NFL Turnaround For All 32 Teams

By Erik Lambert

HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: Whitney Mercilus #59 of the Houston Texans congratulates J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans after a tackle in the third quarter at NRG Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: Whitney Mercilus #59 of the Houston Texans congratulates J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans after a tackle in the third quarter at NRG Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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6 Dec 1999: Robert Smith #26 of the Minnesota Vikings moves with the ball as Damien Robinson #24 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dives at his legs during the game at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Vikings 24-17.
6 Dec 1999: Robert Smith #26 of the Minnesota Vikings moves with the ball as Damien Robinson #24 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dives at his legs during the game at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers defeated the Vikings 24-17. /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1999

If people are looking for a time that sparked the Buccaneers’ rise to their first Super Bowl championship, they can point to what happened in 1999. Up to that point, the Bucs were still a franchise considered beneath the cream of the NFC elite. Not much seemed different to start the year as they finished October at 3-4. One thing was becoming apparent though.

Tampa Bay had a dominant defense. Led by the star-studded trio of Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and John Lynch they suffocated opponents down the stretch. From November through December, the Buccaneers won seven of eight games and never gave up more than 17 points during that entire stretch. The team finished 11-5 to win the division, unseating the beloved Green Bay Packers.

They offered a rude awakening to the rest of the NFL when they bullied the Washington Redskins in a 14-13 playoff victory and narrowly lost in the NFC championship 11-6 to the eventual champion St. Louis Rams. A team that had scored over 500 points that season.

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