# 2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), running from September 2008 through [Super Bowl XLIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xliii), in which the [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers) won the championship after a 12-4 regular season.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) The season is remembered for the Detroit Lions' winless 0-16 record, a tight race in which the Tennessee Titans posted the league's best record at 13-3, and a playoff field that included division winners with losing or barely winning records.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl champion | Pittsburgh Steelers, 12-4 in the regular season, with a league-best 223 points allowed[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) |
| Best regular-season record | Tennessee Titans, 13-3, clinching their division and home-field advantage[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) |
| Winless team | Detroit Lions, 0-16, outscored 268 to 517[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) |
| AP MVP | Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) |
| Statistical leaders | Passing: Drew Brees, 5,069 yards; rushing: Adrian Peterson, 1,760 yards; receiving: Andre Johnson, 1,575 yards[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) |
| Notable playoff qualifiers | Arizona Cardinals at 9-7, San Diego Chargers at 8-8, Philadelphia Eagles at 9-6-1[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) |
| Awards sweep | Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year: Matt Ryan and Jerod Mayo; Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees and James Harrison[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) |
## Regular season standings
The Titans led the league at 13-3, allowing 234 points, and entered the playoffs as the AFC's top seed with home-field advantage.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) Four teams finished 12-4: the Steelers, the [Indianapolis Colts](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis-colts), the [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants), and the [Carolina Panthers](https://www.edgepedia.org/carolina-panthers), who were 8-0 at home.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The Giants, the defending Super Bowl champion, won the NFC East, and the Steelers won the AFC North with a 6-0 division record.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
**The AFC East produced the season's sharpest edge case.** The Miami Dolphins and [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots) both finished 11-5 with identical .688 winning percentages, but Miami took the division on the tiebreaker while New England, with a far larger point differential of +101 against Miami's +28, missed the playoffs entirely.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The Patriots nevertheless ended the season on a four-game winning streak.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
At the other end of the table, the Lions went 0-16, losing their final sixteen consecutive games and finishing with a net point margin of -249. The [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs) and the [St. Louis Rams](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-louis-rams) each went 2-14.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
## Playoff field and division winners
The 2008 playoff field included teams that would rarely qualify under stricter standards. The [Arizona Cardinals](https://www.edgepedia.org/arizona-cardinals) won the [NFC West](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-west) at 9-7 with a point differential of just +1, though they went a perfect 6-0 in division play.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The San Diego Chargers won the [AFC West](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-west) at 8-8, edging the Denver Broncos, who also finished 8-8 but lost the tiebreaker.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The Philadelphia Eagles took the NFC's wild card at 9-6-1, the season's only tie, and finished with a +127 point differential, the largest in the NFC.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The Baltimore Ravens, also 11-5, qualified as a wild card behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North.[2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
**A rookie coach made an immediate mark.** Baltimore's first-year head coach [John Harbaugh](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-harbaugh) tied the NFL record, in effect since 1978, for turnarounds by a coach taking over a sub-.500 team, and became the fifth rookie head coach to win his first two playoff games.[3](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579546116/patriots/exdoezu7omfjcdto5toa.pdf)
## Statistical leaders and awards
[Drew Brees](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-brees) of the [New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) led the league with 5,069 passing yards and was named AP Offensive Player of the Year, even though the Saints finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings led rushing with 1,760 yards, and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans led receiving with 1,575 yards.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm)
Peyton Manning won the AP Most Valuable Player award with the Colts, who closed the season on a nine-game winning streak.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg) The rookie awards went to quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, who reached the playoffs at 11-5 a year after the team's turmoil, and linebacker Jerod Mayo of the Patriots.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) James Harrison of the Steelers, whose team allowed a league-low 223 points, was AP Defensive Player of the Year.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
## Off-field notes
The Patriots entered the season without their first-round draft pick, which the league had stripped as part of the Spygate punishment for filming the New York Jets' signals during a 2007 game; the team was also fined and head coach Bill Belichick was personally fined $500,000 under that penalty.[4](https://time.com/6553694/michigan-championship-cheating-football/) On the field, New England carried a 19-game regular-season winning streak dating to 2006, at the time the longest in NFL history, into the season.[5](https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sportsarchive-documents/prod/681975f4e2692/2008CompletePDF.pdf)
## References
1. [2008 NFL Standings & Team Stats, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/index.htm)
2. [2008 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2008/reg)
3. [Baltimore Ravens 2008-09 Final Season Release, NFL.com](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579546116/patriots/exdoezu7omfjcdto5toa.pdf)
4. [Sorry, Michigan's Championship Is Not Tarnished, Time](https://time.com/6553694/michigan-championship-cheating-football/)
5. [2008 Complete NFL Release, Sports Archive](https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/sportsarchive-documents/prod/681975f4e2692/2008CompletePDF.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license