2 - New Orleans Saints
Of the three historically bad teams highlighted here, the New Orleans Saints were the worst. From their inaugural year in 1967 to their first playoff appearance in 1987, the Saints never finished a season better than 0.500, and it wasn’t until 1991 did they finally win the division in the old NFC West - as in, before the Arizona Cardinals were finally moved there starting in 2002.
Their first playoff win didn’t come until 2000, and the Saints never even reached a Conference Championship Game until 2006 when some guy named Sean Payton arrived and brought much-needed stability. Oh, and that was the same year that a virtual afterthought named Drew Brees was spurned by the Miami Dolphins because of a bad shoulder and took the reins at quarterback.
The Saints went on to win Super Bowl XLIV, with that win ironically coming against Peyton Manning and the Colts. While New Orleans never returned to the Super Bowl, they were still one of the league’s most relevant franchises until Brees announced his retirement.