NFL odds: Will a team go winless in 2020?

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It's very rare that a team goes winless in the NFL. Just five clubs since 1944 have finished the regular season with zero victories, and only two teams in NFL history have gone 0-16: the Detroit Lions (2008) and Cleveland Browns (2017).

According to oddsmakers, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins are the two teams with a shot - albeit an outside one - of accomplishing the rare, unfortunate feat.

Jaguars +3000

On paper, the Jaguars are the worst team in the NFL. They have the lowest projected win total at five and are the favorite to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in next year's draft.

The Jaguars have some talented starters on both sides of the ball but the issue is their lack of depth. Jacksonville is the one team that could stumble to an 0-16 finish if it goes winless during the first month of the season and suffers a few key injuries. The team is particularly weak at the quarterback position, as Gardner Minshew is entering his second campaign under center and backup Mike Glennon is just 6-16 as a starter.

Jacksonville's once-feared defense is coming off a year in which it allowed 24.8 points per game. This year's schedule features nine games versus teams that are favored to make the playoffs, which means it's going to be a long season for the Jaguars, even if they manage to steal a few wins.

Redskins +5500

On the other hand, Washington is actually undervalued heading into the 2020 season. The Redskins hired new head coach Ron Rivera and came away from the NFL draft with a solid class headlined by stud defensive end Chase Young. That makes a winless season in Washington very unlikely.

The Redskins were a mess last year. Head coach Jay Gruden was fired after an 0-5 start and the team finished 3-8 under Bill Callahan. Three different quarterbacks started for Washington before the team eventually settled on its top draft pick, Dwayne Haskins.

The Redskins will be much-improved under Rivera's guidance. The addition of Young to go along with Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Da'Ron Payne, and Montez Sweat gives Washington one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL. The Redskins are more likely to double last year's three wins than they are to finish 0-16.

Verdict

A team went winless as recently as 2017, so it's not out of the realm of possibility. However, don't look for it to happen this season. The Jaguars are the most likely to do so, as coach Doug Marrone could lose the team if it starts out slowly, just as he did in 2018 when Jacksonville finished 5-11. Still, there is enough front-line talent for the Jaguars to avoid the dreaded 0-16 in 2020.

Thomas Casale is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. He's been following the sports betting industry for almost 30 years. A devoted fan of the wishbone offense, Thomas bets on all sports but specializes in college football, NFL, and college basketball. Find him on Twitter @TheTomCasale.