For the first time in franchise history, the Buffalo Bills will be the primary team featured on HBO’s hit series “Hard Knocks.”
The show, which enters its 25th season this year, will premiere on Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, airing each Tuesday until Sept. 2. HBO has aired seasons every year since 2007, with its first two seasons coming in 2001 and 2002. Since 2021, multiple teams have been covered over the course of the calendar year through their in-season coverage.
The NFL recently expanded eligibility criteria for which teams can appear on “Hard Knocks.” Teams were previously exempt from appearing if they made the playoffs in either of the last two seasons, but that particular rule was eliminated.
How do the teams that appear in the training camp edition of “Hard Knocks” do after being spotlighted, though? Has there ever been a team to win the Super Bowl after appearing on the show? Let’s look at each team that has appeared on the “Hard Knocks” training camp series and how they each fared that season.
2024: Chicago Bears
Record: 5-12
Though the Chicago Bears kicked off their 2024 season with Caleb Williams at quarterback, leading them to a 4-2 start, they would soon collapse due to a 10-game losing streak. Head coach Matt Eberflus ended up getting fired in November, making him the first head coach in the team’s 105 years of existence to be fired midseason. The Bears did end the year with a last-second upset over the Green Bay Packers on the road, however.
2023: New York Jets
Record: 7-10
The big storyline going into the New York Jets’ 2023 season was the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. Expectations were high going into the year, but Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon four snaps into the Jets’ first game of the season. Instability at the quarterback position plagued them for the remainder of the campaign. They proceeded to end the year at 7-10.
2022: Detroit Lions
Record: 9-8
In Dan Campbell’s second year as their head coach, the Detroit Lions got off to a miserable 1-6 start to the 2022 season. They ended the year on an incredible hot streak, though, winning eight of their final ten games. While they missed the playoffs, they finished above .500 for the first time since 2017. The Lions would go on to win the NFC North in each of the next two seasons.
2021: Dallas Cowboys
Record: 12-5
The Dallas Cowboys headed into 2021 with Mike McCarthy in his second year as their head coach, having gone just 6-10 the year before. The NFL expanded to 17 regular-season games, and the Cowboys took advantage to win their most amount of games since 2016. They clinched the NFC East for the first time since 2018, as well. However, they ended up losing in the Wild Card round to the San Francisco 49ers.
2020: Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams
Record: 7-9 and 10-6
After temporary stadium placement following their respective moves from San Diego and St. Louis, the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers both appeared on “Hard Knocks” in their first season playing home games at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams made the playoffs as a Wild Card team, upsetting the Seattle Seahawks on the road before losing to the Packers in the Divisional round. The Chargers were not as lucky, as they finished at 7-9 and ended up firing their head coach, Anthony Lynn. Justin Herbert excelled in his rookie year as their quarterback, however.
2019: Oakland Raiders
Record: 7-9
In what ended up being the Raiders’ final season in Oakland before relocating to Las Vegas, then-head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock had plenty of eyes on them when they appeared on “Hard Knocks.” They ended up improving from their subpar 4-12 season in 2018, even after their controversial trade for Antonio Brown, who didn’t end up playing for the team. That said, the Raiders still missed the playoffs.
2018: Cleveland Browns
Record: 7-8-1
After winning just one game in their previous two seasons, expectations were low for the Cleveland Browns in 2018. They fired head coach Hue Jackson eight games into the season, but with Baker Mayfield at quarterback in his rookie year, they closed the year 5-3. They ultimately fell short of the playoffs, but a 7-8-1 record marked their best record since 2007.
2017: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 5-11
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered “Hard Knocks” with high hopes after going 9-7 the previous year. However, after a 2-1 start to the 2017 season, two separate five-game losing streaks saw them take a step back from the previous season. They ended up finishing in last place in the NFC South, marking the seventh time they had done so in their previous nine seasons.
2016: Los Angeles Rams
Record: 4-12
The buzz was high surrounding the Los Angeles Rams in 2016, as it marked their first season back in California after spending 21 seasons in St. Louis. Unfortunately for them, the first season of football back in Los Angeles was a disappointing one. The Rams started the year at 3-1, but a 1-11 finish to the year doomed them. Jeff Fisher was fired as head coach with three games to go in the season.
2015: Houston Texans
Record: 9-7
Here’s a fun fact for you: In the 2015 season, seven different players attempted passes for the Houston Texans. Four different quarterbacks ended up starting games for them that season. In spite of that, the Texans managed to win the AFC South, going 6-2 after their bye week. They got shut out 30-0 by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, but making the playoffs makes them one of the better “Hard Knocks” participants.
2014: Atlanta Falcons
Record: 5-12
The Atlanta Falcons struggled to make much of an impact coming out of their 2014 “Hard Knocks” appearance. An explosive passing attack couldn’t make up for a lackluster defense and struggling running game, and head coach Mike Smith ended up fired after seven seasons with the team as a result. They also got fined $350,000 and lost a 2016 draft pick for installing fake crowd noise into the Georgia Dome this season.
2013: Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 11-5
In 2013, the Cincinnati Bengals had one of the strongest rosters of any team to participate in the “Hard Knocks” training camp series. They won the AFC North with an 11-5 record, marking their third consecutive playoff appearance. As was the case in the previous two seasons, however, they lost in the Wild Card round, which would prove to be the hurdle Marvin Lewis couldn’t clear in his 16 seasons as their head coach.
2012: Miami Dolphins
Record: 7-9
The 2012 season started off as a season of hope for the Miami Dolphins, having drafted Ryan Tannehill in the first round and hired Joe Philbin as their new head coach. They ended up missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row, marking a disappointing result to the year, but Tannehill broke Dan Marino’s single-game rookie passing record with 431 yards.
2011: N/A
Due to the 2011 NFL lockout, NFL Films decided not to produce “Hard Knocks.” Instead, they created a retrospective series involving clips and commentary from previous years.
2010: New York Jets
Record: 11-5
The 2010 Jets ended up being the most accomplished “Hard Knocks” team in the series’ history to date, having been the only team to appear in a conference championship in the same year they appeared on the show. Though they fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance that year, the Jets ended up having one of their best seasons in franchise history.
2009: Cincinnati Bengals
Record: 10-6
In their first “Hard Knocks” appearance, the Bengals ended up seeing results eerily similar to their 2013 appearance. While they fell short in the Wild Card round again, their regular-season success was impressive, as a 10-win season and a divisional crown make them one of the most successful teams in the show’s history.
2008: Dallas Cowboys
Record: 9-7
While the Dallas Cowboys remained above the .500 mark in 2008 – their fourth winning season in a row at that point – they fell just short of the playoffs. DeMarcus Ware led the league with 20 sacks in this season, and it also marked the final season the Cowboys played at Texas Stadium, as they moved to what is now AT&T Stadium the following year.
2007: Kansas City Chiefs
Record: 4-12
“Hard Knocks” returned in 2007 after a four-year hiatus, and it starred a Chiefs team in a state of disarray. Though they made the playoffs the year before, the departures of future Hall of Fame guard Will Shields and Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green played a role in their decline. 2007 ended up being the final year of former star running back Priest Holmes’ NFL career, as well.
2002: Dallas Cowboys
Record: 5-11
The 2002 season was a lackluster one for the Cowboys, and it ended in head coach Dave Campo getting fired as, to this date, the only head coach in franchise history with a losing record during his tenure with the team. On a positive note, Emmitt Smith would break the NFL’s all-time rushing record in a 2002 season that would end up being his final year in Dallas.
One of the best Hard Knocks ever was the 2002 Dallas Cowboys featuring kicker Billy Cundiff’s battle to make the team. Enjoy some early 2000’s vibes 👇 pic.twitter.com/numIcAxXNw
— Brendan Cahill (@brendancahill_)
2001: Baltimore Ravens
Record: 10-6
“Hard Knocks” kicked off with a bang in 2001, booking the defending champion Baltimore Ravens as its spotlight team. Despite losing star running back Jamal Lewis to a season-ending injury in training camp and ultimately coming up short of their goal of repeating as champions, they were still able to make the playoffs and win in the Wild Card round.