An extreme example of this occurred in the NFL in 2010 in regards to the Seattle Seahawks, who achieved a playoff position despite having a losing record (the only time this has happened in a non-strike season).
Seattle | 2010 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | 2010 Haiti earthquake | 2010 Winter Olympics | the season | Seattle Seahawks | Seattle Mariners | United Kingdom general election, 2010 | 2005 NFL season | 2010 Commonwealth Games | 2010 ATP World Tour | 2010 NFL Draft | 1995 AFL season | United States House of Representatives elections, 2010 | Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2010 | season | 2005 World Touring Car Championship season | 1994 NFL season | 2010 WTA Tour | 2010 FIBA World Championship | 2013–14 figure skating season | 2010 Canterbury earthquake | United States elections, 2010 | The Seattle Times | 2010 United States Census | 2010 IIHF World Championship | West Seattle | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
It would be 28 years before another team with a losing record would make the post-season.