Every NFL team’s record after being on ‘Hard Knocks’

The series began with the Baltimore Ravens, who were coming off their first Super Bowl victory. They didn’t reach the same heights in 2001, but still managed to make the postseason and win a playoff game.

The Cowboys struggled in Emmitt Smith’s final season in Dallas, which led to major changes the following offseason.

After a five-year hiatus, “Hard Knocks” returned in Kansas City. The Chiefs were coming off a solid season in which they made the playoffs, but bottomed out the next year after undergoing major roster changes.

Hopes were high for the Cowboys after they went 13-3 the year prior. So high, in fact, that they became the first repeat team for Hard Knocks. They couldn’t live up to expectations, however.

The 2009 Bengals were the first team to win their division after being featured on the reality series.

The 2010 Jets produced arguably the most viral clip in “Hard Knocks” history when head coach Rex Ryan delivered a speech before ending with “let’s go eat a [expletive] snack.” They also produced their best season in years with a return trip to the AFC Championship game.

The Dolphins had plenty of storylines with new coach Joe Philbin and rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but stumbled to a last-place finish in their division.

This Bengals team looked very different from the last time they were on “Hard Knocks,” but they delivered the same result. Cincinnati won their division for the second time in five seasons.

The Falcons weren’t the most exciting team to be featured and that was reflected in their regular season.

“Hard Knocks” focused on JJ Watt’s elaborate workout routine and the Texans found a way to make the postseason in 2015 despite having a limited roster.

Let’s hope Caleb Williams has a better “Hard Knocks” debut than Jared Goff, who didn’t know exactly which way the sun came up. What’s worse is he and the Rams had a dreadful year his rookie season.

A kicker competition and wild quotes from Jameis Winston highlighted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appearance. If only their season was half as entertaining.

The Raiders kicked off their final season in Oakland with the Antonio Brown fiasco that was all captured on the series. Their regular season that followed wasn’t any better as they had another disappointing record under .500.

• Chargers record: 7-9
• Rams record: 10-6

The COVID-19 pandemic severely limited access to NFL teams during training camp, but we still got a watered-down version of “Hard Knocks,” this time with two teams. The Rams were able to return to the postseason, while the Chargers struggled for much of the year.

The Cowboys became the first team to ever appear on the training camp version of “Hard Knocks” three times. And this time, they followed it up with a solid season. Dallas captured the NFC East division title, but lost in the wild card round of the playoffs.

The world was formally introduced to Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who was as every bit of a character as people expected. This was the introduction to the new Lions, who turned over a new leaf that same season and haven’t looked back.

Last year’s series fixated on Aaron Rodgers and the new-look Jets. Who could have known the entire season would come crashing down just days after the final episode aired?

Out of the 19 teams who participated in the series:

• 9 had winning records the following season, with all but two making the playoffs.
• 10 had losing records, with half of those teams losing double-digit games.
• 3 had winning records after having a record below .500 the year prior.
• 2 had losing records after having a winning record the year prior.

So, does “Hard Knocks” have any bearing on a team’s performance in the regular season? It sure doesn’t seem like it. There were plenty of teams who had good seasons and made the playoffs, despite the series potentially being a distraction to players and coaches.

If a team is well coached, has the right personnel in place, and has talent on the roster, they’re going to be in a good position to perform well in the upcoming season. A six-week reality series following them throughout training camp won’t determine that. The Bears have the pieces in place to have a winning season for the first time since 2018. The only thing “Hard Knocks” will do is show the world why it will or won’t happen.