Let’s be real: sports are dominated by the same handful of teams that spend millions, maybe billions, to ensure their fans can brag at parties. But every now and then, something strange happens. A team no one gave a shot, with odds stacked against them, actually pulls off a championship. It’s the sports equivalent of a Hollywood reboot that doesn’t totally suck. Buckle up, because we’re about to dig into some of the most mind-boggling underdog stories across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. Spoiler alert: this is proof that sometimes, losers do win.

NFL

2005 Pittsburgh Steelers (6th seed): Big Ben, How the Hell Did You Do That?

Bill Cowher’s bunch looked like trash after going 15-1 in 2004. Pittsburgh bumbled to a 7-5 record and put their postseason hopes in jeopardy. But then they started winning and never stopped, taking the final four games of the regular season and then four more playoff games for the ring.

AFC Wild Card Round: The Steelers beat the Bengals, which in hindsight wasn’t such a big deal since those paper tigers lost four straight playoff games under the sketchy leadership of coach Marv Lewis and QB Andy Dalton.

AFC Divisional Round: This featured the tackle heard ’round the world–or at least the NFL world. With a little more than a minute remaining in the game and the Steelers leading 21-18, Jerome Bettis fumbled near the goal line and Colts DB Nick Harper scooped it up and headed toward the end zone 95 yards away. However, he zigged when he should have zagged and Roethlisberger reached back and took down Harper with an arm tackle. The Colts later missed what would have been the game-tying field goal.

AFC Championship Game: This game was a farce after 30 minutes.

In the Super Bowl, Big Ben didn’t look great but did throw the game-sealing TD pass to Hines Ward. The Seahawks whined about the officiating, which actually was pretty shaky, but they also didn’t help themselves with seven penalties for 70 yards and also giving up a 75-yard touchdown run to Willie Parker.

2010 Green Bay Packers (6th seed): The ‘Oh Wait, Aaron Rodgers is Good?’ Year

The 2010 Packers entered the playoffs as the sixth seed—translation: no one thought they were going anywhere. Aaron Rodgers, still in his ‘pre-Hollywood, less annoying’ phase, decided to go full beast mode. These guys had to win three road games just to get to the Super Bowl, which, if you follow football, is basically asking for a miracle.

• Wild Card Round: Beat the Eagles 21-16. Cool, but whatever.
• Divisional Round: Embarrassed the Falcons 48-21. This one had people paying attention.
• NFC Championship: Survived the Bears 21-14. Who cares? The Bears are always a mess.

In Super Bowl XLV, the Packers went toe-to-toe with the Steelers and—surprise!—won 31-25. Rodgers grabbed the MVP trophy, and everyone pretended they saw this coming.

2007 New York Giants (5th seed): ‘Hey, Remember When the Patriots Choked?

The Giants entered the playoffs as the fifth seed, which in NFL language means, “Congratulations on making it, now go home.” But nah, they had other plans. Eli Manning did his whole “accidentally good” thing, and the Giants bulldozed their way through:

• Wild Card Round: Defeated the Buccaneers 24-14. Big deal, it’s Tampa Bay.
• Divisional Round: Stunned the Cowboys 21-17. Not bad, considering the Cowboys never win in January.
• NFC Championship: Beat the Packers 23-20 in OT. A rare moment where Eli was better than Aaron Rodgers.

Then came the Super Bowl, where they faced the undefeated New England Patriots. The Giants won 17-14, ending Tom Brady’s perfect season. Somewhere, Belichick still wakes up in a cold sweat.

NBA

1994-95 Houston Rockets (6th seed): Hakeem Olajuwon Ruins Everyone’s Playoff Hopes

The 1994-95 Rockets somehow entered the playoffs as the sixth seed—because coasting through the regular season is a thing, apparently. Led by Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon, the Rockets did the unthinkable and went on a rampage.

• First Round: Beat the Utah Jazz in five games. Yeah, Utah wasn’t really going anywhere.
• Second Round: Fought off the Phoenix Suns in a seven-game brawl.
• Western Conference Finals: Took down the Spurs in six.

In the Finals, they swept the Orlando Magic, leaving Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway wondering what the heck just happened. Hakeem got his MVP and the Rockets proved that “defense wins championships” is a polite way of saying, “Everyone else choked.”

1998-99 New York Knicks (8th Seed): Who Cares?

The 1998-99 Knicks and Patrick Ewing entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, because Knicks fans can never just have nice things. But for some reason, they actually made a run.

• First Round: Took out the Miami Heat in five games. Big deal, it’s Miami—sunburns are their biggest opponent.
• Second Round: Crushed the Atlanta Hawks in a sweep. Yep, the Hawks were useless even back then.
• Eastern Conference Finals: Edged past the Pacers in six games.

They reached the Finals only to lose to the Spurs, but hey, getting that far was a miracle for Knicks fans. This was the last time they had anything to celebrate before their two-decade nap.

MLB

2023 Texas Rangers (5th Seed): ‘It Only Took You 63 Years?

The Rangers had six All-Stars and led the AL West for most of the season but still finished second to the Houston Astros because of a tiebreaker. Stupid tiebreakers! But it didn’t matter. Texas went a record-breaking 11-0 on the road in the playoffs to take the title and became the lowest seed ever (No. 5) to win it.

• ALWC: Swept away Tampa Bay Rays in two games.
• ALDS: Keep that broom out! Orioles gone in three games.
• ALCS: Revenge is sweet: Texas outlasts Houston in seven.

The Arizona Diamondbacks really had no business being in the World Series, and the Rangers demonstrated that by taking the Fall Classic four games to one.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals (4th Seed): The Wild Card Wonders

Ah, the 2011 Cardinals. A team that scraped into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth as the fourth (out of four) seed. They finished one game ahead of the Braves, which is like winning by default because the Braves forgot how to baseball.

• NLDS: Knocked off the Phillies, who had the best record in baseball, in five games. Guess regular season records mean nothing.
• NLCS: Beat the Brewers in six games. Milwaukee, famous for its beer, not its baseball.

The World Series against the Rangers was where things got wild. Down 3-2 in the series, the Cardinals made a ridiculous comeback in Game 6, then won Game 7. David Freese was the hero, and the Rangers were left wondering if they could ever win anything.

2004 Boston Red Sox (4th Seed): The Curse-Breakers

The Red Sox entered the playoffs as a wild card team, the AL’s fourth seed, and somehow, finally ended the “Curse of the Bambino.” It took 86 years, but they pulled it off.

• ALDS: Swept the Angels in three games. Yawn.
• ALCS: Oh, just came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees to win in seven games. NBD.
• World Series: Swept the Cardinals. Easy peasy.
• Boston fans will never stop talking about this, ever. It’s in their DNA now.

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NHL

2011-12 Los Angeles Kings (8th Seed): Let’s Shock the World, or Whatever

The Kings snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, which should’ve meant a swift exit. Instead, they went on a tear.

• First Round: Beat the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks in five games.
• Second Round: Swept the St. Louis Blues.
• Western Conference Finals: Knocked off the Phoenix Coyotes in five.

In the Finals, they faced the Devils, who didn’t have a prayer. The Kings won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and Jonathan Quick got the MVP because no one could score on him if their life depended on it.

2003-04 Calgary Flames (6th Seed): The Flames Almost Made It

The 2003-04 Calgary Flames somehow clawed their way into the playoffs as a sixth seed, because apparently, being mediocre in the regular season is totally fine if you turn it on when it counts. And boy, did they turn it on.

• First Round: They took down the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, probably because Vancouver was too busy figuring out how to collapse under pressure.
• Second Round: They defeated the Detroit Red Wings in six games. Detroit was stacked, but the Flames were on some kind of “let’s mess with everyone” run.
• Western Conference Finals: They beat the San Jose Sharks in six, because the Sharks always find a way to blow it.

In the Finals, they faced the Tampa Bay Lightning, and despite a heroic effort, they lost in seven games. Sure, they didn’t get the cup, but they came close enough to make fans think about what could have been—and if there’s anything more Flames-like than that, I haven’t seen it.

1995 New Jersey Devils (5th Seed): Defense Wins Championships (And Bores Everyone to Death)

The 1994-95 New Jersey Devils basically made hockey boring, but in a good way—if that’s even possible. They entered the playoffs as a fifth seed, which might as well have been a neon sign saying, “We’re not supposed to win this.”

• First Round: Swept the Boston Bruins in five games. When you play defense like the Devils, offense is just an afterthought.
• Second Round: Took down the Pittsburgh Penguins in five, probably making Mario Lemieux question every life choice.
• Eastern Conference Finals: Beat the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, making Philly fans angrier than usual, which is saying something.

Then, in the Stanley Cup Finals, they faced the Detroit Red Wings, who were supposed to win. The Devils had other plans, sweeping the series in four and winning their first-ever Stanley Cup. Goaltender Martin Brodeur was an absolute wall, and the Devils’ “trap” defense was so frustrating to watch, they basically redefined how to make winning look painfully dull.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Sometimes, the sports gods smile down on the underdogs and give them their 15 minutes of fame. It’s rare, but when it happens, it makes for some of the most talked-about moments in sports history. And if you’re a fan of one of these teams, congrats—you get to milk this forever. The rest of us will keep rooting for our teams to stop choking.