As you know the NFL enters its 100th season this year, and although there haven’t been 100 Super Bowls, there have been 100 champions. Relax; we aren’t going to go through the merits of all 100 champions. Although, if you want to discuss the qualifications of the 1920 Akron Pros or any of the other Pre-Super Bowl era champions, drop a line in the comments below.
Instead, we’re going to give you the list of the top 25 teams in NFL history. In this list we’ll be talking about Lombardi era Packers, Montana era ‘49ers, and maybe even some teams that didn’t win a championship. Flip through this list and see how your own list stacks up with ours.
25. 1968 Colts (lost Super Bowl III)
If this team hadn’t run into Joe Namath and the Jets in Super Bowl III, we could be talking about the greatest team of all time. Even as such, the NFL champions went 13-1 in the regular season and won their games by an average of 20.6 points per game.
In the playoffs, league MVP Earl Morrall led the Colts past the Browns and Vikings by a combined score of 58-14. Talk about domination. Then they came up against “Broadway Joe” who famously guaranteed the win, and backed it up. What a shame.
24. 1950 Browns (Won NFL title)
When the four-time defending All-American Football Conference Champions rolled into the NFL, some wondered if they’d be able to cut it. After all, the inferior league had folded and forced the Browns to look for a new place to play.
The NFL had no idea what hit them at the Otto Graham led Browns rolled to a 10-2 record and won their fifth consecutive title, this time the NFL title. This Browns team ended up with multiple Hall of Famers including Graham, Lou Groza and Len Ford. This was a truly dominant Browns team.
23. 1992 Cowboys (Won Super Bowl XXVII)
This was just the beginning for the 90’s dominance of the Dallas Cowboys. In this season Dallas led the league in total defense, and was led on offense by a trio of Hall of Famers: Troy Aikman, Michael Irving, and rushing leader Emmitt Smith.
The league didn’t stand a chance. After coasting through the regular season, the Cowboys ran through the playoffs and capped their season with a crushing 52-17 Super Bowl win over the Buffalo Bills. The league would soon get sick of watching Dallas lift the Lombardi trophy.
22. 1969 Chiefs (Won Super Bowl IV)
The 1969 Chiefs were led by a defense that allowed the fewest points, rushing yards, passing yards, total yards, and turnovers. So yeah, they were great and it’s no wonder six of them went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Despite this, they didn’t win their division.
Led by Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram and a backup quarterback, the chiefs knocked off Namath and the Jets in the AFL playoffs on their way to a 23-7 Super Bowl win over the Vikings.
21. 1971 Cowboys (Won Super Bowl VI)
Before they were known as “America’s Team”, the Cowboys were looking to make their mark with coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach. And boy did they make it.
The year before the Dolphins capped their undefeated season, the Cowboys held Miami to a record low three points. Add the leagues best scoring offense and you’ve got a dominating Cowboys team. This was the first, and best, of Landry’s two Super Bowl winning teams.
20. 1958 Colts (Won NFL title)
How does a Hall of Fame passing connection of Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry sound to you? Sounds pretty good to us too. This team was very good, however what’s interesting about this team is their championship victory over the Giants.
In what has since been dubbed “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, the NFL Championship played in Yankee Stadium to a massive TV audience is credited with jump-starting professional football’s meteoric rise in American sports.
19. 2016 Patriots (won Super Bowl LI)
Get used to it, they’re going to be on here often as we go through the list. Just a reminder, this team played without Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, lost super weapon Rob Gronkowski to a season ending injury, and were down 28-3 to the Falcons in the third quarter of the Super Bowl AND CAME BACK TO WIN.
This team makes our Top 25 because despite all the adversity they still managed a 14-2 regular season record, set team and NFL records for offensive production, and sent guys you’ve never heard of to the Pro Bowl. What an effort in 2016 by the Patriots.
18. 1949 Eagles (won NFL title)
Strap yourselves into the way-back machine as we regale you with tales of the NFL champions of ’49. The Eagles made it back-to-back championships after Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren churned out 196 yards in the championship game.
We know what you’re thinking, and yes, the forward pass had been invented before this. The Rams just couldn’t slow Van Buren down, and a defense led by Chuck Bednarik did the rest. The Eagles lost just once that year, and with production like that, it’s no wonder why.
17. 2007 Patriots (lost Super Bowl XLII)
The 2007 Pats are our highest rated losers. But guys, they went undefeated in the regular season and finished 18-1! New England outscored opposing teams by an average of 19.7 points! Tom Brady threw 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss, giving it one last go, caught 23 of them.
This team was ridiculous, but finally had their one bad game against Eli and the Giants. It only takes one. Little did the Pats know, it would happen again a few years later.
16. 1968 Jets (won Super Bowl III)
Nobody gave the Jets much of a chance against the vaunted Baltimore Colts in 1968. Well, no one except for Joe Namath, who guaranteed a Jets win ahead of the game.
The league should have seen it coming though, as Namath was throwing to a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in George Sauer and Don Maynard. They also had a defense that shut down the favorite Colts and held them to just seven points.
15. 1966 Packers (won Super Bowl I)
You’ve all seen the classic pictures of Super Bowl I. The single bar facemasks, men wearing suits and ties in the stands, and two legendary head coaches prowling the sidelines. What a trip into the history books.
Including both coaches and an owner, this game included 19 future Hall of Famers. In reality though, it wasn’t much of a contest as the Packers won by two touchdowns. This Packers team was great, and won their first of two Super Bowls under Lombardi.
14. 1998 Broncos (won Super Bowl XXXIII)
Looking back, it was really easy for the Denver Broncos in 1998. They began the season winning their first 13 games, Terrell Davis became only the 4th running back to break 2,000 yards, and they had one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time taking a victory lap.
In the end even the Super Bowl win was fairly routine. After his heroic helicopter spin in the previous Super Bowl to help beat the Packers, Elway picked up the game MVP trophy while leading the Broncos to a two-touchdown victory over the “Dirty Bird” Falcons.
13. 1978 Steelers (won Super Bowl XIII)
Combine the incredible “Steel Curtain” defense with an MVP season from quarterback Terry Bradshaw and what do you get? A team that couldn’t be stopped, that’s what.
The Steelers offense had Bradshaw and Franco Harris in the backfield, with John Stallworth and Lynn Swann catching passes. This team surprised many, as the Steelers had previously just been known for their defenses. They beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl to become the first franchise to win 3 Super Bowls.
12. 2013 Seahawks (won Super Bowl XLVIII)
Although just six seasons ago, it’s easy to forget just how dominant the “Legion of Boom” was that season. The Seahawks defense gave up just 172 yards passing a game in a day and age where quarterbacks are king.
With that kind of support, all Russell Wilson and the offense had to do was score every once in a while and it would be good enough to win. Yet, they exploded in the Super Bowl crushing the Broncos 43-8. They should have made it back-to-back titles the year after, but they failed to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch when it mattered most.
11. 1973 Dolphins (won Super Bowl VIII)
This team is largely overshadowed by their undefeated season the year previous, but many observers claim the ’73 version was better. The undefeated team faced just two teams that finished with winning records, while the ’73 team faced 3 teams that made the playoffs.
Larry Csonka rushed for 1,000 yards while Mercury Morris missed the mark by just 46 yards, continuing Miami’s reliance on running the football. Combine their running dominance with Bob Griese throwing for the second most yards in the conference and you had a really exceptional offense.
10. 1996 Packers (won Super Bowl XXXI)
It’s hard to believe Brett Favre only won one Super Bowl in his career with the Packers, but it sure was a heck of a team. Favre was in the middle of winning three straight MVP trophies and Reggie White was at top of his career as the best defensive lineman of all time.
With two incredibly solid pillars to build a team around, the Packers went 13-3 in the regular season and had both the highest scoring offense and the defense that gave up the fewest points. That was a feat only the undefeated 1972 Dolphins had achieved to that point.
9. 1999 Rams (won Super Bowl XXXIV)
In case you forgot, the season before leading the offense dubbed, “The Greatest Show on Turf”, Kurt Warner was playing in NFL Europe. After an injury to Trent Green, Warner took over and led the Rams on one of the most improbable seasons in history.
That improbable season was just the beginning for the core group of offensive stars that set passing records, and culminated in one of the most dramatic Super Bowl finishes in history, with the Titans being denied a touchdown at the 1-yardline.
8. 1975 Steelers (won Super Bowl X)
This was a true “Steel Curtain” Steelers team. Sure, it featured future Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann, but they hadn’t really got it going on offense yet. This was a team lead by their defensive unit.
This “Steel Curtain” defense lead by “Mean” Joe Green and Jack Lambert, is considered one of the best defenses in history. Consider they went up against a Cowboys team thought of to be similar in quality and came out victorious, and you’ve got yourself a top ten team in NFL history.
7. 1994 49ers (won Super Bowl XXIX)
On the offensive side of the ball you had future Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice, while on defense you had Hall of Famer and ’94 Defensive Player of the Year Deon Sanders.
Steve Young had his best season as a professional, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and a team record 35 touchdowns. He went on to win the league MVP award, his second. In the Super Bowl against the Chargers, he threw a game record six touchdowns. The 49ers blew out the Chargers in the game 49-26.
6. 1991 Redskins (won Super Bowl XXVI)
The Redskins were so dominant in their 14-2 campaign that they lost their two games by a combined 5 points. Led by coach Joe Gibbs, the Redskins offense starred quarterback Mark Rypien and two 1,000-yard receivers, Gary Clark and Art Monk.
They outscored their opponents in the regular season by 261 points. Once they made it into the playoffs they defeated their opponents by an average of greater than 20 points. The Bills had no chance, as they were defeated 37-24.
5. 1972 Dolphins (won Super Bowl VII)
You could argue the perfect Dolphins deserve to be higher than this on our list, but we don’t think so. Firstly, the Dolphins had a cupcake schedule, playing only 2 teams with winning records. Secondly, the ‘Fins won their three playoff games by a combined 17 points. Not exactly dominating.
We will give credit where credit is due however; they did something no one else has ever done. This is a truly spectacular team, with a truly spectacular achievement.
4. 1989 49ers (won Super Bowl XXIV)
Take Joe Montana and offensive genius Bill Walsh, and give them one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time, Jerry Rice, and what do you get? You get one of the greatest teams of all time.
It’s tough to say the team under-performed in a regular season in which they went 14-2. However, once the made it to the playoffs they shifted gears and blew out their opponents 126-26. This includes a 55-10 win over the Broncos, which is one of the most lopsided scores in Super Bowl history.
3. 1962 Packers (won NFL title)
Our highest rated non-Super Bowl era squad, these Lombardi-led Packers went 13-1. Their average margin of victory was over three touchdowns. Their defense, which featured five future Hall of Famers, gave up just over 10 points a game.
Offensively they are considered to be one of the greatest rushing attacks of all time, really exemplifying Vince Lombardi’s “3 yard and a cloud of dust” philosophy. They capped their season with a 16-7 win over the Giants in a game so cold the television crews had to start bonfires to keep their cameras from freezing.
2. 1984 49ers (won Super Bowl XIX)
Often overlooked by the only team ahead of them on this list, the ‘84 ‘49ers were the first team to win 15 regular season games. Their average margin of victory was just less than 17 points a game.
In the playoffs, Joe Montana and Co. cruised past opponents by a combined score of 82-26. This included a 22-point win over Dan Marino and the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. This was definitely the best of the great 80’s Montana 49ers teams.
1. 1985 Chicago Bears (won Super Bowl XX)
This Bears team is dominant and historic that there’s almost too much to say about them. The Bears were on offense by Jim McMahon and the legendary Walter Payton, who were both excellent in this season. However, the Bears defense was so superlative that they often get overlooked on this team.
Coached by two legends of the game Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan, the Bears defense had strength and speed, but also the intangibles of swagger and meanness. They knew they were going to crush you, and you knew they were going to crush you. Never was this felt more than in the postseason where the Bears outscored their opponents 91-10. Dominant. The 1985 Bears the best team in NFL history.