The NFL has had its fair share of great teams, but which one is the best? I have taken five teams that have had the best seasons. I took into account their record, the number of blowouts they had, and individual and team stats. After careful evaluation, here are the 5 teams I chose.
This Bears team was as dominant as they come, but most of that dominance came from the defensive side. The Bears ran a defense called the 46 defense, which included 8 players in the box. Making it hard to run against and to pass. The defense was loaded with Hall of Famers, including defensive linemen Steve McMichael, Dan Hampton, Richard Dent, and linebacker Mike Singletary. The offense was good too, led by Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Jimbo Covert. The Bears’ defense only allowed 12.4 points per game, as well as having 64 sacks. Short of the 72 sacks the year before that smashed the sack record. Thanks to the stifling defense, the Bears only lost one game all year. The defense only allowed 10 points throughout the playoffs. All of which came in the Super Bowl. Before the Super Bowl, they released a music video called the Super Bowl Shuffle, showing the confidence they had. When the Super Bowl came around, the New England Patriots didn’t stand a chance. The score was 44-3 at the end of three quarters. The final score was 46-10. Blowouts in Super Bowls are rare, and the Patriots were not a bad team by anymeans. The Bears solidified themselves as one of the best teams the league has ever seen.
This team was loaded with talent. With multiple stars and Hall of Famers on both sides of the ball. With Joe Montana at QB, Roger Craig at RB, and Jerry Rice, John Taylor, and WR. Linebacker Charles Haley and safety Ronnie Lott led the defense. Though the 49ers were the best team in the NFL during the regular season, it was the playoffs that solidified the team as one of the best in NFL history. Their first playoff game was against the Minnesota Vikings, who had the number 1-ranked defense and recorded 71 sacks in the regular season. The 49ers were not phased at all. Rolling to a 41-13 win. The NFC championship wasn’t much different. The Los Angeles Rams had the second-ranked offense. Once again, the Niners did not care. With the help of Lott and the rest of the defense, they rolled to a 30-3 win. San Francisco carried their domination into the Super Bowl. Putting up 55 points against a good Broncos defense. The final score was 55-10. The 49ers had one of the most dominating playoff runs in NFL history, outscoring their opponents 126-26. The 49ers were the dynasty of the 80s, winning 4 Super Bowls within the decade, but 1989 stands out as the best.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are widely considered the best team in NFL history for one reason. They are the only undefeated team in the Super Bowl Era. With a 17-0 record. The only thing that would bring this team down is the fact that they played only 14 regular-season games back in 1972. But it does not take away from the accomplishments that this team made. The team itself was made up of a star-studded offense and a “no-name defense.” Not a bunch of big names, but they were good. Allowing only 12.2 points over the regular season. The offense, however, included multiple stars. With QB Bob Griese, FB Larry Csonka, WR Paul Warfield, guard Larry Little, and center Jim Langer. All of which would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Other than a 52-0 win against the New England Patriots, the Dolphins did not have many blowout games. The difference is, they found a way to win. In the Super Bowl, Miami had a 14-0 lead late in the game. This would have been the first and only shutout in Super Bowl History. But when Miami lined up to kick a field goal towards the end of the game, there was a bad snap. Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian picked the football up and tried to throw it, but it slipped out of his hand. It was picked up by Washington and returned for a touchdown. The final score was 14-7. But the Dolphins still ended the season undefeated, something that has never been done since.
This is a debatable one, and you will find out why. The Patriots’ offense was basically unstoppable. Led by legendary quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss, the offense scored 36.8 points per game. Brady set the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season, with 50. Moss also set the record for receiving touchdowns with 23, A record that still stands today. The Patriots dominated the regular season, only scoring under 30 points in four games. The Patriots finished the regular season undefeated, the first time since the 1972 Dolphins. The playoffs, however, were not as dominating as they were in the regular season, as the first two playoff games were close games, but they still won the games. Everybody thought that the Patriots were going to destroy the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, as the Giants were deemed way less superior. However, at halftime, the score was 7-3. Fans were worried, and with the help of a great catch by Giants receiver David Tyree, the Giants pulled off the win 17-14, marking the greatest upset in NFL history, and spoiled that perfect season. Despite this loss, the Patriots were a great football team and do not take away the feats and accomplishments that they achieved during the regular season. Not one team since then has ever come close to the 2007 Patriots, and no one will probably ever will.
The Raiders teams of the 1970s were known for their bad-boy, aggressive attitude. Their secondary was known as the “soul patrol.” When they hit, they hit hard. The secondary was made up of Jack Tatum, who was nicknamed the assassin. George Atkinson, nicknamed the hitman. Willie Brown, the only Hall of Famer in the group, and Skip Thomas, nicknamed Dr. Death. Those nicknames show how feared this group was. The Raiders had other talent as well. On both sides of the ball. Along with the Soul Patrol, the defense included future Hall of Fame linebacker Ted Hendricks. The offense was star-studded as well, with Hall of Famers Ken Stabler, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch, Dave Casper, Art Shell, and Gene Upshaw. Other than a blowout loss to the New England Patriots in week 4, the Raiders dominated every other game. In the playoffs, the Raiders faced the Patriots again and beat them 24-21. The rest of the playoffs were a breeze, beating the Steelers 24-7 in the AFC championship and dominating the Vikings 31-14 in the Super Bowl. Parallel to the other Raiders teams of the 70s, the Raiders dominated by their hard-hitting, aggressive style of play. In 2012, this Raiders team was ranked the greatest of all time by NFL.com.
My Final Rankings
5. 2007 New England Patriots
Despite their accomplishments, they made during the season. The one killer for this team was the fact that they lost the Super Bowl, and this is the only team on this list that didn’t win it. With that, this team gets last place by default.
4. 1976 Oakland Raiders
The number 4 spot was tough to decide on, but ultimately it came down to the playoffs. The Raiders did well in the playoffs, but they did not truly blow out any of the teams, unlike the other teams. Also, there were no eye-popping stats, in contrast to the other teams. The Raiders had good stats and were in the top 10 in most, but just not good enough to be any higher on this list
3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers
After my research, there was a clear top 2; it was just ranking the three other teams that was the challenge, and the 49ers ended up as the top team between the three. What set this team aside from the others was how they performed in the playoffs. They dominated all three teams, including a 55-10 win in the Super Bowl, which is still the largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history. Their playoff performance is the sole reason why the 49ers are number 3 on this list.
2. 1985 Chicago Bears
As stated before, the top two teams were a lock right away, but who is where? The Bears’ defense was one of, if not the best, defenses in NFL history. Their defense is what carried them to this point, and the playoffs were just as good as San Francisco’s. With a big blowout of their own in the Super Bowl, but with only one loss in the regular season and the defense being what it was, the Bears are solidified as the second-best team in NFL history.
1. 1972 Miami Dolphins
Some people might get mad at this one, but I have my reasons. Even though only 14 regular-season games were played, Miami still went 17-0. For comparison, the 2007 Patriots went 18-0 before they lost, only a two-game difference. It doesn’t matter the number of games; they still went undefeated, something that has never been done since. Only one other team has come close, showing how hard this accomplishment was, and why the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the best team in NFL history.
