Updated November 5, 2026
Yes, once. The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team to finish a full season without a loss or a tie, going 17-0 and winning Super Bowl VII. Several teams have come close since, most famously the 2007 New England Patriots, who won their first 18 games and lost the 19th, the Super Bowl. This explainer covers the one perfect season, the closest calls, why a perfect run is harder in the 17-game era, and where 2026 stands after the league's last unbeaten team lost in Week 8.
The 1972 Dolphins: The Only Perfect Season
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Dolphins team history calls 1972 "the only National Football League team ever to record a perfect season." Miami won the AFC East and the AFC championship, then beat Washington 14-7 in Super Bowl VII to finish 17-0-0.
The run was not a string of blowouts. The Hall of Fame's list of the longest NFL winning streaks shows three regular-season wins by four points or fewer: 16-14 at Minnesota, 24-23 over Buffalo and 28-24 over the New York Jets. In the playoffs, Miami beat Cleveland 20-14 and Pittsburgh 21-17 before the Super Bowl. The 14-0 regular season plus three playoff wins is where the 17-0 comes from.
The 2007 Patriots: 18-0 Before the Super Bowl
New England went 16-0 in the 2007 regular season, a total the Hall of Fame lists as the record for most games won in a season, and won two playoff games, 31-20 over Jacksonville and 21-12 over San Diego, according to the nflverse game-results dataset. The New York Giants then beat the Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. The Hall of Fame's 1972 Dolphins page notes that New England "went through the regular season unscathed only to have their perfect season upended" in that game. The Patriots finished 18-1.
Before the Super Bowl Era: Two Bears Teams and the AAFC Browns
Unbeaten regular seasons happened earlier, too, but none ended with a title.
- 1934 Chicago Bears: won all 13 regular-season games, then lost the NFL Championship Game 30-13 at the New York Giants, per the Hall of Fame's winning-streaks list.
- 1942 Chicago Bears: won all 11 regular-season games, then lost the NFL Championship Game 14-6 at Washington.
The 1948 Cleveland Browns also went unbeaten and won their league title, but they did it in the All-America Football Conference, before the Browns joined the NFL, so it is not an NFL perfect season.
Other Long Unbeaten Starts
The Hall of Fame notes that only four teams have started a season 14-0: the 1972 Dolphins, the 2007 Patriots, the 2009 Indianapolis Colts and the 2015 Carolina Panthers. The last two did not finish the job:
- 2009 Colts: lost for the first time in Week 16, finished 14-2, and lost Super Bowl XLIV 31-17 to New Orleans.
- 2015 Panthers: lost for the first time in Week 16, finished 15-1, and lost Super Bowl 50 24-10 to Denver.
Three more teams reached 13-0 in the nflverse data, which covers 1999 onward. The 2009 Saints started 13-0, finished 13-3 and won Super Bowl XLIV. The 2011 Packers started 13-0, went 15-1 and lost their first playoff game to the Giants 37-20. The 2005 Colts started 13-0, went 14-2 and lost their first playoff game to Pittsburgh 21-18. NFL.com's gallery of undefeated runs covers several of these teams and how they ended.
Why a Perfect Season Is Harder With 17 Games
The 1972 Dolphins played a 14-game regular season. The league moved to 16 games in 1978 and to 17 games starting in 2021, according to NFL.com's report on the 17-game schedule approval. A perfect season now means 17 regular-season wins plus every playoff game a team plays, which is more games to win than Miami needed in 1972 or New England needed in 2007. No team has started 17-0 in a regular season.
More games is only part of it. Every extra week is another chance for an injury to a starter, a short week, or a one-score game that goes the other way. The 2009 Colts and 2015 Panthers both took their first loss in Week 16, a reminder of how long the stretch is even for teams that get within a few games.
Where 2026's Last Unbeaten Team Stands
For 2026, the question is settled. Minnesota started 6-0 and was the league's last unbeaten team, which we covered when the Vikings were the last team without a loss. Detroit beat the Vikings 19-15 in Week 8, leaving no unbeaten teams, as our Week 8 takeaways explained.
Three teams sit at 6-1 in the NFL.com standings: Buffalo, Minnesota and San Francisco. Two of them, the Bills and Vikings, meet on Monday Night Football in Week 9; our Week 9 schedule has the time and channel. The 1972 mark is safe for at least one more year.
Undefeated NFL Seasons: Frequently Asked Questions
Has any NFL team ever gone undefeated?
Yes. The 1972 Miami Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs, including a 14-7 win over Washington in Super Bowl VII, for a 17-0 season. It is the only perfect season in NFL history.
Did the 2007 Patriots go undefeated?
Not for the full season. New England went 16-0 in the regular season and won two playoff games, then lost Super Bowl XLII 17-14 to the New York Giants and finished 18-1.
Is any NFL team undefeated in 2026?
No. The Minnesota Vikings were the last unbeaten team at 6-0 until Detroit beat them 19-15 in Week 8. Buffalo, Minnesota and San Francisco are 6-1.
Sources: Pro Football Hall of Fame (Dolphins team history, 1972 Dolphins, longest winning streaks); NFL.com (17-game schedule report, undefeated teams gallery, standings); nflverse game-results dataset. Checked November 5, 2026.
