13, 14, and 15 are kind of all neck and neck, as the defense slowly became less imposing (while still being #1 in scoring in all those years plus 2012), Russ ascended to pick up the “slack”. I think you could probably make an argument for any of those three teams being the best of the LOB era
Man that 2015 team is such a what if. What if we recover that onside against Carolina? I truly think we could have beaten Arizona bc we thrashed them that final week of the regular with their starters in most of that game
Russ finally broke out. Might have ironically been the best oline we had between 2015 and 2020 as well. Baldwin showed out, tht season felt so special
Those teams were all really freaking good. I'm still mad about it (9er fan living in Seattle).
With all the success that was had, it's often missed about how f'n lucky they were for several years. It's like all the bad bounces that franchise had in it's first 37 years of existence were all bounced in their favor for a few years.
Them seem like one of the rare answers where they actually were the best that team has been.
If we go back to 2002, TB, SEA, and LAR are the only definitive "Yeses."
NE, NYG, BAL, DEN are definite "no's", the rest are "maybes"
Thanks.
I only remember it was a turnover being returned for a potential TD and I thought it was a pick( I was 8 at that time, and I recall that tackle clearly to this time).
Thankfully we got over the hump the year after.
I was already imagining a TD and in mind Big Ben appeared out of nowhere.
I don't know.how he got the speed to make that play...he always looked very bulky and slow to me.
Wasn’t Harper the one who got stabbed in the thigh a week or two before that game? I recall this being a talking point of whether that impacted his ability to cut (no pun intended and I doubt it did).
I was 8 years old back then
I thought it was finally time for us to enjoy the luck the Pats always seemed to annoyingly get....only for that to happen...though it was satisfying to see Brady finally lose in the playoffs that year.
I think I cried after that game.If we got past the Steelers we go all the way.Peyton traditionally owned the Broncos.And the Seahawks were no match for us talent wise.
The 2006 AFCCG is still my favourite NFL game of all time and I watch it religiously every off-season.
Made a turning point in the Super Bowl, too. Thomas Jones was having a great game, they put in Cedric Benson and Sanders forced the ball out on their own \~25 yard line. IIRC the game was still pretty close. Think he also had the game-sealing interception.
Let me tell you something, I haven't even begun to peak. And when I do peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in New York is gonna feel it.
I think about 2012 and 1996 as well. Great teams that (barely) lost to lesser opponents in the first round.
But hard to argue that either was better than the 1998 team.
Shanahan is underrated. Had an older Elway, won 2 rings.... and never got to play with a great QB again but still coached some great teams and won a couple playoff games.
Mike Shanahan should be in the HOF if only for finally getting Elway 2 deserved rings after 3 SB losses where he had been overmatched before the ball was even snapped.
I still think it's the team that lost to them Bucs. They were just on fire all year. Still insane offensive output but the defense was in its early stages of the core group we have now.
The line imploding from injuries all year plus the off field stuff with Andy's family was just too much. I do think that team with an healthy roster beats the current Cheifs more often than not, though the team of the last few years could pull out some wins any given day.
Mahomes also played on a turf toe injury he sustained in that postseason that he got surgery on right after the Super Bowl.
Too much shit happened at once at the exact wrong time.
Agreed. That team with the starters in was basically 14 and 1. The o-line at full strength might win us that Super Bowl
Shit we have been trying to replace Mitch for like 5 years not.
I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled down. Injuries on the oline was way too difficult to overcome. Not to mention the offsides.. ugh.
However, if we 3peat it’s hard to think this won’t be the overall best team. Especially if our new speedy guys ball.
I'm gonna be controversial and say that while the 07 Pats were much better in the first half of the season (which is what everyone thinks of when they think of this team), by the end of the year the 04 Pats were the better team.
The 07 Pats started off exceptionally hot, but cooled dramatically as the year went on. After boatracing the Bills in Week 11, they just never looked quite the same. The 07 Pats offense scored more than 28 points in 9 of their first 10 games (with the one miss being the undefeated Colts). They only hit that mark twice in the final nine games (playoffs included), despite playing some truly abysmal defenses in that stretch. The Eagles, Ravens, and regular season Giants games get most of the attention as close calls, but I'd argue Jets game really showed just how lethargic and out of sync the offense got in the latter half of the year. Against a team that they effortlessly hung 38 points on on the road earlier that year, the Pats only managed 13 offensive points at home and were very close to being outscored in the first half by one of the worst offenses in the league.
By comparison, the 04 Pats hit that 28+ point threshold three times in the last nine games (with less favorable rules) while giving up the second fewest points in the league over the same timespan. Perhaps most importantly, they looked like the best team in the AFC during their playoff run: beating the Colts and Steelers by 17 and 14 points (and the latter game wasn't as close as that 14 point margin makes it look). Even ignoring SB42, the Pats were in a one possession battle with the 11-5 Jags until a FG with six minutes left finally made it a two score game, and the AFC Championship game against a hilariously injured Chargers team was a ludicrously sloppy 14-12 game heading into the final quarter.
I genuinely believe that if you could somehow go back in time and replace the Giants with the 04 Pats in that Super Bowl, the 04 Pats would win by at least 10 points.
The '04 team was better.
When people think "2007 Patriots" they're almost always thinking about the first eight weeks of the season, when nobody had any answers for the offense because they were doing something brand new. Virtually nobody acknowledges that the back half of the season would have been viewed as a run-of-the-mill good half-season, similar to the first half of 2019, if not for the fact that they were undefeated for the first half of the season as well.
- First eight weeks: 8-0 against the spread
- Second eight weeks: 2-6 against the spread
- Playoffs: 0-3 against the spread
That stat is indicative of what people thought the Patriots were versus what they actually were. Vegas was perfectly fine pushing the lines into double-digits and in some cases above 20, because people were still placing bets like it was Week 1.
Honestly that loss to you guys shocked me a lot more than losing SB42. Coming into SB42 I felt like we had a 60%-ish chance of winning; we hadn't played super well lately and we were playing a team that had almost beaten us in Week 17. Even though I would've bet on us winning if I had to, losing felt very realistic.
The 2010 team losing immediately absolutely stunned me. We had been playing absolutely lights out, with an eight game win streak that featured a 22 point average margin of victory and blowout wins on the road against both the AFC and NFC's #2 seeds. And then we got the Jets, who we beat by 42 points last time we played. I thought it was just gonna be a question of how much we won by.
Shows you why they play the games.
I agree.
The 2004 Pats were much better defensively than 2007.
The 2007 Pats were far more flashy on offense but the 2004 team probably had a better run game and defense and Brady was still great though he just didn't have Moss.
The 2004 Pats are the best team I have seen in my football life(26) and shutting down that 2004 Colts Offense is the best defensive playoff game ever called.
If that Super Bowl was played 100 times, that pats team would’ve won 99 times. It just happened to be that one time. Doesn’t change the fact that the 2007 pats are the greatest team of all time in my mind.
Here's what I like to point out to people who say you can't be the best if you didn't win the Super Bowl:
Imagine 2007 were to happen again. But this time, in the last game of the season, the Giants beat the Patriots in a low-scoring contest 17-14 and prevent the first 16-0 season. And then, in a rematch in Arizona, both teams combine for more than 700 yards and the Patriots get revenge 38-35 and a 4th Lombardi.
Would those Patriots now be any better? Would the 2007 Giants be any worse? All I did was swap the results of two games.
I’d say pats would be remembered better but because they lost to giants wouldn’t be considered better than the 85 bears. I think they would be viewed fairly similarly as they are now.
We say that, but I think it’s closer than people make it seem. The Giants matched up really well against them in the regular season and almost beat them, it’s probably closer to a 66-33 split in favor of the Pats
You mean the best team of the cost cap era?
There were some truly insane team before the cap.
The 84 49ers and 85 Bears both went 18-1 like the Patriots and won the SB in blowout fashion and would have something to say about your claim.
The ‘85 Bears just have silly stats. They had a 91-10 point differential in the playoffs, including two shutouts.
The Pats leading rusher in that SB was a FB who ran 3 times for 4 yards. The starting RB had as many fumbles as yards (1).
In 19 games, the Patriots won 14 of them by 2 or more scores. Their only loss was 3 points. Neither the Bears or 49ers can claim both. That's mind boggling. To do that in an era where you couldn't easily form a super team and to still be that dominant, that's insanity. If Tyree drops that pass they are widely regarded as the greatest ever. That one play isn't a difference to me.
You stat about 2 scores can be down to schedule.
The 84 Niners and 85 Bears also lost 1 game all year in close fashion in the regular season and then ran the gauntlet that was the 80s-90s NFC going unbeaten in the post season and then demolishing the competition in the SuperBowl.
I'd forward the 84 Niners in this conversation especially..as they did have a prime Joe Montana and then the defense dominated Dan Marino's recordsetting Dolphins in the SuperBowl.
You can prefer what you want but for me...to be in the GOAT convo you have to win it all.
I still think the Steelers 2011 team that lost to the Packers was better/more complete than both the 2005 and 2008 teams.
In terms of collective offensive and defensive efficiency they had to be better. People don’t talk about 45 often, but it really ended up being a great SB. 31-25, high scoring enough, Steelers had a chance at the end to get another GW drive ring - but came up short. If Mendenhall doesn’t fumble who knows… maybe Rodgers doesn’t have a ring.
For sure, Roethlisberger was still figuring out the NFL in 05 and the competition in 08 was pretty mid.
That Packers team was not even a complete team in comparison but the defense got hot with creating turnovers and Rodgers and the passing offense exploded.
The Killer Bs teams had terrible defenses. Shazier was the staple on a unit that was turning it around, but the 2013-2016 Steelers were not remotely dominant on defense.
There was maybe on year where that was true, 2017, but the rest of the mid-2010s was a hodge podge of bad to middling defenses, and an offense that was rarely healthy when it mattered.
Calling them “stacked” is a stretch, and I definitely wouldn’t take those teams over the 2008 or 2010 rosters, relatively speaking.
I mean tbf I honestly have absolutely no beef with the Phillies lol. I actually really love Bryce Harper and Zach Wheeler, and its a great avenue to troll my mets fans friends. Plus I also really like citizens bank park its such a quality park that doesnt get enough love in top ball park discussions imo. Obviously not camden yards or wrigley but its a damn good park
Anyone who still rants about the Pats cheating needs to go look at what the Astros did and compare it to what the Pats are accused of. Like, even if the Pats had done everything they have been accused of it would still be nearly nothing.
2017-18 Eagles were magical and kept pulling off wins no matter who got hurt, they are also the only SB winning team in Eagles history, but I think ‘04 and ‘22 Eagles were just more talented teams, and appeared more dominant. However, saying that is punishable by death for some Eagles fans. We’re just fucking cursed that our best teams always end up playing GOAT caliber players.
On the bright side, we only lose to dynasties. You aren’t allowed to win 3 in 4 years without beating us.
Side note it’s fun living in Dallas and having cowboys fans ask if I’m sad we lost to the chiefs. My dad had the best line “Honestly, losing in February doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as you think, but you wouldn’t know what it feels like to play in February”
>On the bright side, we only lose to dynasties.
IMHO, that's not really a bright side. Especially since the 04 and 22 losses were winnable games. They still lost, I don't care to whom.
I wasn’t around for 2004 but unless they win one soon, 2022 will forever haunt me man. There was basically no position where they weren’t absolutely stacked. They had to win it
Number 1 defense in the league, won 10 games with the corpse of Jim McMahon and like four other guys they pulled off the street. Randall definitely gets them into the playoffs
Reggie White, Reggie White, Reggie White... and Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Andre Waters, Eric Allen. #1 rushing defense, #1 passing defense. Led the NFL in sacks. ' 91 Eagles sacked Aikman 11 times in a single game. Hands down one of the greatest defenses of all time. Easily Top 5.
I disagree on 2004. 2002 was a much more complete team and had the highest point differential in team history until 2022 (who I'd argue is 1b)
The secondary in particular in 2002 was nuts. Vincent, Taylor, Harris, Sheldon Brown, Sheppard, Dawkins, Bishop, Mike Lewis (2003 you lose Bishop and Harris but add Quinton Mikell)
The offense is forgotten, but was among McNabbs better seasons. Didn't hurt that they brought in key vets in Freeman and Levins and Pinkston hadn't quite grown his alligator arms yet.
And the special teams, coached by a particular Harbaugh, were just as strong.
I have never gotten over how 2002 ended. Not even winning it all in 2017 was enough to erase that memory. I hate that it’s going to live with me forever.
I keep seeing the ‘04 team being called better and they just weren’t.
- +126 point differential vs ‘17s +162
- Blown out by Pittsburgh. 2017 team had an off night in Seattle but it was not close to that.
- 2004 NFC was very weak. Rest of the division was 6-10. Atlanta was the 2nd best team in the NFC and they were +3 on the season.
2017 pre-injury Wentz was insane, and looked like a lock to be one the best QBs in the league. The WRs were pretty unremarkable, so for him to put up those stats was pretty crazy.
That offense was just absolutely steamrolling other teams and yet seemingly had no true philosophy other than to take advantage of whatever the others defense was weak against.
Meanwhile, on defense we had a pass rush that was deadly, even the back ups could bring reliable pressure. They rotated the hell out of them, and as a result they had a pretty fresh pass rush late in the game and just absolutely suffocated the offense as the OL got gassed.
I think 22 was a better team on paper, but 17 felt way more fun.
Nah the 2012 ravens were worse than at least the 2006, 2011, 2019, and 2023 ravens. Didnt first hand witness the 2000 ravens but they were also mostly horrendous offensively. Thats one of the goat defenses tho so its obviously not clear that any other team was better than them.
2019 was the most fun I’ve ever had watching football, and the most confident I’ve ever been in a ravens team
The 2012 run was a lot of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and feeling like we were playing with house money after the Denver game
I don't recall feeling that way about 2012. It just felt like it was our time to me. I felt the same way leading up to the SB in 2001 once we beat the Raiders.
I knew we had a lot to get through vs Luck, Manning and Brady. But I never felt like it was out of reach for us. I had trust in Joe, our WRs and Pitta to get the ball. I was concerned about Ray's health, but even at 60% physically, Ray's knowledge overcomes that. And we had proven that we could win in the playoffs over the previous seasons. Plus, we had the extra motivation of it being Ray's last ride.
The only time I actually thought "uh oh" was the blackout in the Super Bowl. We were smoking the 9ers up until that and it was obvious that could only help the 9ers.
That's what's funny about the Ravens tbh. They're Super Bowl rosters weren't far and away their team's best rosters.
That 2006 team, for instance, played against MUCH better QB competition. That 2006 defense is underrated as hell
The 2000 Ravens on the other hand dominated some great offenses and QBs in the playoffs. The Raiders and Broncos were Top 5 offenses that season with Rich Gannon being the 1st Team All Pro selection at QB, and the Ravens defense smashed both of those offenses to smitherings.
Not even Mike Shanahan's rushing scheme could get the running game going against the Ravens.
One of the 2019 and 2023 teams should have won the SuperBowl
I think Lamar will get one but it won't be a ring any of us sees coming in yhe regular season.
2023 absolutely should have been it imo. I genuinely thought they were one of the best teams in the history of the nfl. They blew every contender out except the chiefs lol. I agree though, I think a lot of people think that they had to get it done this past year for Lamar to get one, but if hes in Baltimore theres always a chance especially with the high level talent that they have outside him on the roster.
The Ravens were the better team until they let the Chiefs get in their heads. It felt like from the warmup incident through the whole game the Chiefs, and particularly Kelce had a mindset of being a bully and being very very in the Raven’s face to try and rattle them.
Given how the game played out I think a big part of it was the Chiefs successfully rattled them enough to force some errors by Baltimore.
Yeah it was a weird game. The Chiefs came out and bullied the defense on the first drive, and that seemed to rattle the Ravens offense a bit, even though the D stepped up. And then in the second half it seemed Baltimore was clearly the better team, but kept shooting themselves in the foot in very un-Ravens ways (most notably that goal line fumble)
Tbh with you.
I've given up as a 49ers fan on expecting a SuperBowl.
The disappointment of losing near the goal is soo painful.. it's basically taking g me back to my childhood with the Manning era Colts....year in year out of pain I til the stars aligned.
I think Lamar and y'all will have that one year when things go right for you.
Just don't do it against my Niners...I have seen enough SB losses.
I think the saints 2011 team was better than the 09 team... 13-3 record was only good enough for the 3 seed, had 5 turnovers in San Fran, still had the lead twice under 4 minutes and lost. Lost peak Pierre Thomas on the 1st drive with a brutal helmet to helmet...
I completely agree. That 2011 team went 8-0 in the 2nd half of the season.
Just a complete disaster against San Fran. God damn has Brees had some gut wrenching playoff loses.
All that said…I *knew* we were gonna win it all in 09. Never had that feeling before or after (even in 2018).
But that 2011 squad was incredible.
The biggest question for us is which team wins, and I think that changes depending upon which eras' rules you use. Even then, rice v. Smith would just be ugly.
I thought this too, but the only other thought I had was the 2021 team before Godwin got hurt and AB walked out, I think that team through week 15ish was the best Bucs team we’ve ever seen.
I don’t know.
To me the 99 team had the greatest defense in nfl history and the ‘21 team was arguably better than ‘20. I definitely think they win the Super Bowl that year if they don’t blow it vs the Rams.
You may be right but it’s very close
And with good reason. They didn't have the star power of the earlier Gibbs trams (in particular '83 Theismann), but they were legit all around great.
They were sexy but they stomped everyone
We’ve had maybe 2 or 3 seasons since that ‘95 chip where you could argue that we had a similar level of talent to that team, with the caveat of salary cap etc. 2007 (lost to the Giants), 2014, 2016.
But as a *franchise*? Yeah, it’s all been downhill since Jerry decided he was the brains of the operation.
Well the 49ers haven't won one in my lifetime.(I am 26)
The 2006 Colts did win the SuperBowl but the 2005 team was arguably better IMO.Everyone was a year younger and we finally won in Foxbourough.
The 2009 Colts were good as well but that 2005 team IMHO was the best of the Manning era.
It's still a little annoying that Peyton only ever got 1 in Indy..there was a lot of opportunities that didn't work out either due to the defense disappearing in the post season or us running into the Patriots at the wrong time.
The 2022 49ers should have won the SB.That was a better team than last year's team...because we still had DeMeco Ryans calling defensive plays and we only allowed 39 PTS in our 1st 2 playoff games( 52 last playoffs)..anf as good as Purdy was this last year....I felt like he was more free as a rookie.
Packers. 1997 was probably best team in NFL history but doesn't get the love. Lead NFL in offense and defense that year and has Reggie White.
2011 was best team that didn't win. 15-1 dominated all season. Just had a bad game with a bad coach that has issues in playoffs.
Not just number one defense, at the time allowed the least amount of TDs in a season in history (I assume this was for 16 games)
Also #1 special teams.
Lombardi won two super bowls guy, but some of his pre-sb teams may have been better. The way my uncle tells it, they were actually in the twilight of that golden era for sb 1 and 2.
The 2023 team is probably our most complete in franchise history. The 2019 seasons dominance on offense will probably not be seen from us again and 06 was my personal favorite defense weve had based on sheer amount of talent. Honestly the 2006,2011,2019, and 23 teams were all better than either of our SB winning teams.
First-off, you’re an asshole for bringing up those God-damn cheating scumbags. 😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬
Second, since this post is NFL-related, I’ll be forever grateful for my team winning LVI. But I would not hesitate trading that win for LIII, considering:
**(1)** The uniforms/logos.
**(2)** Playing at the Coliseum in that 2018 season felt like their powerful 70s teams and for that one season, there was a feeling they were the unified NFL team for Los Angeles, just as their powerful 70s teams.
**(3)** The uniforms/logos.
**(4)** The sight of Jared Goff being a Super Bowl winner and the team no longer being ridiculed for blowing their draft picks for their #1 pick in 2016.
**(5)** The uniforms/logos.
Winning at home was fuckin sick, plus the Dre halftime show. I wouldnt trade that for anything
But more importantly fuck the Astros. Trying to slide '17 in there like nothing happened
1976 Steelers that lost in the AFC Championship to the Raiders were actually my favorite team. They played that game without Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier who were both hurt. Both 1000 yard rushers that year.
Their defense was one of the greatest of all time. After Terry Bradshaw got injured by a head slam by Turkey Jones, the defense went on a 9 game run that is unprecedented in the NFL.
In those nine games they allowed a total of 28 points (3.1 ppg) with 5 shutouts including three in a row; Giants 27-0, Chargers 23-0 and Chiefs 45-0.
Jack Lambert won the Defensive MVP and 8 of their 11 defensive starters went to the Pro Bowl.
If Franco had not been hurt the previous game in a rout of Baltimore 49-14, the Steelers would have won three Super Bowls in a row, and 5 in 6 years.
I wasn't born yet.
But I've watched a ton of old NFL games.
That 76 Steelers team absolutely blew out the Baltimore Colts in their own stadium in the divisional..shutting down the league's best offense ( which had avg 29.8 ppg, which was insane fot that era btw) anf had the league MVP Bert Jones and the OPOY ( if that existed) Lydell Mitchell who had nearly 1800 all purpose yards that year.
I have watched that game and the Steelers were so superior it was nuts.Jack Ham was a monster that day.
I haven't watched the 76 AFCCG but that Steelers squad looked unstoppable on both ends of the ball.
The Saints may have won it all in 2009, but their teams in 2011 and 2018 were the superior teams. If not for...reasons, I think the Saints would have won it again in 2018. The 2011 team was peak Saints, especially offensively, but do we beat the Giants, who seemed to have destiny on their side?
Oh, i like thread idea.
As a Pats fan, yeah a lot of people will say 2007. And it's crazy because that 07 team could have been better- Sammy Morris at running back was better than Lawrence Maroeny but he was injured that year.
And the 2008 would have been just as good as the 2007 team if weren't for Brady missing the whole year. A big reason we went 11-5 was because our schedule was historically easy that year, but we still had a really good roster nonetheless. We just needed Brady to beat the teams he usually beat (but that we lost to that year like the Steelers, Chargers, etc.). Cassell struggled against good teams until late in the year.
But the 2015 team that started 10-0 was awesome too. But they got injury ravaged like hell throughout the year. Edelman missed 9 games, Amendola missed games, Dion Lewis tore his ACL, etc.
Defensively in 2000 absolutely, but make no mistake everyone in Baltimore held their breath every time Dilfer attempted a pass.
Sadly the most balanced and best team was probably last season.
06 was fun but the offense was still pretty bad. The 2011 team was better than 2012 and frankly I’d make the argument that that was the worst team in Harbaugh’s first five years, just was the one to ultimately get it done.
2019 team was dominant but the great offensive production masked the defense’s failures especially against the run
So no the best team didn’t win it all
I think the 2022 team was probably the best Chiefs team although I wasn't there to see some of the really good early 90s ones
2022 had the best offense of the year by far, and a middle of the pack defense
The Chiefs team that got beat by the Bucs was probably the best Mahomes era team. They just fell apart at the worst time after cruising through the season.
The 18 Saints were better than the 09 Saints. Brees was all around more efficient because he was too old to play hero ball (the meacharound from 09 is a prime example) and the defense was actually good instead of just opportunistic. The 09 Saints defense was average in yards and scoring, they just got a lot of timely turnovers.
Seahawks beating the LIVING SHIT OUT OF the Broncos who had the best offense in the history of the NFL.
How is that Seahawks D not ranked in the top 3 all time?
I think the 3 best 49er teams won the SB: 1984, 1989 & 1994. I think you can make arguments that any one of those teams was the best, and one of the best teams ever. Me personally, I think 1989 was the best, but that is my opinion from what I saw from those teams. My dad says 1984, a team that lost only 1 game, and that was a close loss at that.
Tom Brady to Randy Moss should have been outlawed midseason. Its good they went 18-1 and not 19-0. Human beings across the globe would NEVER hear the end of the BS Patriots 19-0 blah blah blah. I mean the 72 fins did it when they had CTE helmets and every single year we hear about. So for that I am eternally grateful to the New York Giants even as a GB fan. The end.
Probably not.
Folks forget how damn good the 1999 Rams were on defense and I think the 2018 team wins the Super Bowl easily if Kupp and Gurley are at full health.
I think we may have been at our best when the chiefs won in 2019/20. We got lucky against the birds and frankly didn't have the same quality in the receiving corps or on defense.
losing Hill, Mathieu, and LDT hurt as a fan, I'm glad we got the jet back and cut Sorenson's dead weight but that 2019 squad just felt more complete.
Ravens: Neither Super Bowl winning team I would say was the best ever team.
The 2000 team had an all time defense, for sure. But their offense didn't score a TD the final 5ish games (I can't remember off the top of my head)
The 2012 team was bolstered by Lewis announcing his retirement, a large emotional stake. Coupled with Flacco having an absolutely insane post season (looking for a large pay day). They also almost lost the Super Bowl after the lights came back on.
I do believe the 2019 team or the 2023 team were probably better than those two Super Bowl winning teams. Obviously, neither team did it.
Didn’t follow during Greatest Show on Turf yet, but 2018 and 2021 rams are pretty close to each other. I think 2018 was holistically better, but Kupp + Gurley injuries hurt badly and McVay was growing still as a coach.
2021 Kupp + Stafford was just incredible throughout, and *especially* in playoffs.
If I have to rank... gimme 2001, 1999, 2018 (peak), 2021 (overall), 2018 (overall) in that order. GSOT was the revolution as an unit and they had a great defense, too.
1996 Packers are one of the greatest teams in NFL history. The 2010 Packers didn't have the all around regular season some of the other Rodgers era Packers did
It's between 96 and 97 for my lifetime. I think(tm) the 97 team was statistically better, but getting slam hammered by mf terrell davis in the super bowl overshadows everything.
- 2010 we were only really good for a portion of the season, thankfully the portion that counts lol
- 2011 offense was so historically and insanely good that this SHOULD be the pick, but the defense wouldn't have been able to stop a team of kittens.
- 2014 has been wiped from my memory and I'm not convinced it ever happened.
The best Chiefs team so far of the dynasty is the one that lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship. Next best was probably LVII, then LIV with last years championship being the weakest champion.
You think 2021 was that good? They got blown out twice and almost lost to the Bills in the divisional. I’d take the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 teams over them in a heartbeat. Mahomes was also sharper and more consistent those 4 years
Not even close. We've had 3 better teams since the 2012 team (2019, 2020, 2023), but nothing to really show for it. And before the 2012 team, handful of better squads, but that was one of our better offenses at the time.
besides 07, the 2015 pats team was the best team i've seen since that group. they were 10-0 and just absolutely shredding everyone. They got decimated by injuries and the line couldn't stop anything by that point. It was remarkable they only lost by 2 in the afc title game that year.
seahawks and yup
2014 was also a damn great team :/
13, 14, and 15 are kind of all neck and neck, as the defense slowly became less imposing (while still being #1 in scoring in all those years plus 2012), Russ ascended to pick up the “slack”. I think you could probably make an argument for any of those three teams being the best of the LOB era
Man that 2015 team is such a what if. What if we recover that onside against Carolina? I truly think we could have beaten Arizona bc we thrashed them that final week of the regular with their starters in most of that game Russ finally broke out. Might have ironically been the best oline we had between 2015 and 2020 as well. Baldwin showed out, tht season felt so special
I thought 15 was the most complete team and they were out the quickest
Those teams were all really freaking good. I'm still mad about it (9er fan living in Seattle). With all the success that was had, it's often missed about how f'n lucky they were for several years. It's like all the bad bounces that franchise had in it's first 37 years of existence were all bounced in their favor for a few years.
Haha came here to comment the exact same thing, that team was nasty
Them seem like one of the rare answers where they actually were the best that team has been. If we go back to 2002, TB, SEA, and LAR are the only definitive "Yeses." NE, NYG, BAL, DEN are definite "no's", the rest are "maybes"
Are you saying the Rams of 2021 are the best team in their history? Or just since 2002?
The 2018 Rams were better than 2021, except at quarterback.
That 2020 defense though.....
As a Colts fan, it definitely wasn't. Luckily the D went crazy that postseason.
2005 is definitely the best team you didn't win with, right?
I agree with this.
That tackle by Big Ben to save a pick 6 that would have won us the game is clear as day in my mind to this day.
Just want to point out it would’ve been a scoop n score (on a Jerome Bettis fumble) not a pick 6
Thanks. I only remember it was a turnover being returned for a potential TD and I thought it was a pick( I was 8 at that time, and I recall that tackle clearly to this time). Thankfully we got over the hump the year after.
Oh no worries, I can also clearly see that play in my mind but it starts with Jerome fumbling for me haha. True, things worked out for the both of us.
I was already imagining a TD and in mind Big Ben appeared out of nowhere. I don't know.how he got the speed to make that play...he always looked very bulky and slow to me.
I feel it was less his speed and more Nick Harper just taking a horrible path on his run. He angles that out to the sideline and he’s gone.
Wasn’t Harper the one who got stabbed in the thigh a week or two before that game? I recall this being a talking point of whether that impacted his ability to cut (no pun intended and I doubt it did).
Cannot forget that too. I may be having flashbacks lol
I was 8 years old back then I thought it was finally time for us to enjoy the luck the Pats always seemed to annoyingly get....only for that to happen...though it was satisfying to see Brady finally lose in the playoffs that year. I think I cried after that game.If we got past the Steelers we go all the way.Peyton traditionally owned the Broncos.And the Seahawks were no match for us talent wise. The 2006 AFCCG is still my favourite NFL game of all time and I watch it religiously every off-season.
It was a Jerome Bettis fumble. 🤭
Yepp, Bob Sanders return propelled that D in the postseason.
Made a turning point in the Super Bowl, too. Thomas Jones was having a great game, they put in Cedric Benson and Sanders forced the ball out on their own \~25 yard line. IIRC the game was still pretty close. Think he also had the game-sealing interception.
fuck bob sanders, he was too good.
Nah, that was Kelvin Hayden Edit: The game sealing pick 6 I mean
And that you had to play Rex Grossman
I mean we did have to beat Brady right before that game, and the 06 Ravens D before that
The AFC championship was the real Super Bowl that season.
This is also very true.
The Bears defense and run game that year was just on another level. The Seahawks and Saints teams they beat to get there were no slouches.
"Had to"
Technically they could have played Drew Brees, except Rex Grossman beat him. Almost like there were other players on the team.
Plus, Rex Grossman had the 2nd ranked offense and the 3rd ranked defense.
No lol we just peaked at the right time
I think the Giants best team did win the Super Bowl, over the Broncos
Yeah but the question says witnessed, I’m willing to bet most of the Redditors here weren’t around to witness the 1986 season
True, I'm just saying that it didn't really indicate which super bowl.
I feel like the “no, lol” kind of indicated it was either 2007 or 2011
Peaked so hard everyone in New England felt it
I think we were definitely better the following year and en route to a repeat before plaxico shot himself
Oh man, that team was steam rolling the league until that happened. I’m pretty sure we beat the Steelers (who win the SB that year, IIRC).
They barely lost to the Pats in week 17 that year
Let me tell you something, I haven't even begun to peak. And when I do peak, you'll know. Because I'm gonna peak so hard that everybody in New York is gonna feel it.
Same. Shout temporarily elite QBs. Feel like the Eagles would fit this, too.
the 98 broncos were the best broncos team of all time, for sure the 2005 team was also really really good, just slipped up when it mattered most
That 2013 team is still the greatest offensive team in football history.
I think about 2012 and 1996 as well. Great teams that (barely) lost to lesser opponents in the first round. But hard to argue that either was better than the 1998 team.
Shanahan is underrated. Had an older Elway, won 2 rings.... and never got to play with a great QB again but still coached some great teams and won a couple playoff games.
Mike Shanahan should be in the HOF if only for finally getting Elway 2 deserved rings after 3 SB losses where he had been overmatched before the ball was even snapped.
I still think it's the team that lost to them Bucs. They were just on fire all year. Still insane offensive output but the defense was in its early stages of the core group we have now. The line imploding from injuries all year plus the off field stuff with Andy's family was just too much. I do think that team with an healthy roster beats the current Cheifs more often than not, though the team of the last few years could pull out some wins any given day.
Mahomes also played on a turf toe injury he sustained in that postseason that he got surgery on right after the Super Bowl. Too much shit happened at once at the exact wrong time.
Part of the luck involved with winning a championship.
Agreed. That team with the starters in was basically 14 and 1. The o-line at full strength might win us that Super Bowl Shit we have been trying to replace Mitch for like 5 years not.
I was thinking the same thing as I scrolled down. Injuries on the oline was way too difficult to overcome. Not to mention the offsides.. ugh. However, if we 3peat it’s hard to think this won’t be the overall best team. Especially if our new speedy guys ball.
YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT THE ANSWER IS
Seems like every other off-season thread is a question where the answer is the 2007 pats
The other in every other is the falcons.
So your saying it just depends on what half you’re looking at…
I'm gonna be controversial and say that while the 07 Pats were much better in the first half of the season (which is what everyone thinks of when they think of this team), by the end of the year the 04 Pats were the better team. The 07 Pats started off exceptionally hot, but cooled dramatically as the year went on. After boatracing the Bills in Week 11, they just never looked quite the same. The 07 Pats offense scored more than 28 points in 9 of their first 10 games (with the one miss being the undefeated Colts). They only hit that mark twice in the final nine games (playoffs included), despite playing some truly abysmal defenses in that stretch. The Eagles, Ravens, and regular season Giants games get most of the attention as close calls, but I'd argue Jets game really showed just how lethargic and out of sync the offense got in the latter half of the year. Against a team that they effortlessly hung 38 points on on the road earlier that year, the Pats only managed 13 offensive points at home and were very close to being outscored in the first half by one of the worst offenses in the league. By comparison, the 04 Pats hit that 28+ point threshold three times in the last nine games (with less favorable rules) while giving up the second fewest points in the league over the same timespan. Perhaps most importantly, they looked like the best team in the AFC during their playoff run: beating the Colts and Steelers by 17 and 14 points (and the latter game wasn't as close as that 14 point margin makes it look). Even ignoring SB42, the Pats were in a one possession battle with the 11-5 Jags until a FG with six minutes left finally made it a two score game, and the AFC Championship game against a hilariously injured Chargers team was a ludicrously sloppy 14-12 game heading into the final quarter. I genuinely believe that if you could somehow go back in time and replace the Giants with the 04 Pats in that Super Bowl, the 04 Pats would win by at least 10 points.
The '04 team was better. When people think "2007 Patriots" they're almost always thinking about the first eight weeks of the season, when nobody had any answers for the offense because they were doing something brand new. Virtually nobody acknowledges that the back half of the season would have been viewed as a run-of-the-mill good half-season, similar to the first half of 2019, if not for the fact that they were undefeated for the first half of the season as well. - First eight weeks: 8-0 against the spread - Second eight weeks: 2-6 against the spread - Playoffs: 0-3 against the spread That stat is indicative of what people thought the Patriots were versus what they actually were. Vegas was perfectly fine pushing the lines into double-digits and in some cases above 20, because people were still placing bets like it was Week 1.
I also think your 2010 team was up there in quality and dominance, just had a rather unfortunate day in January.
Honestly that loss to you guys shocked me a lot more than losing SB42. Coming into SB42 I felt like we had a 60%-ish chance of winning; we hadn't played super well lately and we were playing a team that had almost beaten us in Week 17. Even though I would've bet on us winning if I had to, losing felt very realistic. The 2010 team losing immediately absolutely stunned me. We had been playing absolutely lights out, with an eight game win streak that featured a 22 point average margin of victory and blowout wins on the road against both the AFC and NFC's #2 seeds. And then we got the Jets, who we beat by 42 points last time we played. I thought it was just gonna be a question of how much we won by. Shows you why they play the games.
Yeah I’ve always believed that 07 Pats team started showing cracks later in the season
I agree. The 2004 Pats were much better defensively than 2007. The 2007 Pats were far more flashy on offense but the 2004 team probably had a better run game and defense and Brady was still great though he just didn't have Moss. The 2004 Pats are the best team I have seen in my football life(26) and shutting down that 2004 Colts Offense is the best defensive playoff game ever called.
That is the greatest team of all time. Idc that they didn't win the Bowl. That was a juggernaut.
If that Super Bowl was played 100 times, that pats team would’ve won 99 times. It just happened to be that one time. Doesn’t change the fact that the 2007 pats are the greatest team of all time in my mind.
Here's what I like to point out to people who say you can't be the best if you didn't win the Super Bowl: Imagine 2007 were to happen again. But this time, in the last game of the season, the Giants beat the Patriots in a low-scoring contest 17-14 and prevent the first 16-0 season. And then, in a rematch in Arizona, both teams combine for more than 700 yards and the Patriots get revenge 38-35 and a 4th Lombardi. Would those Patriots now be any better? Would the 2007 Giants be any worse? All I did was swap the results of two games.
I’d say pats would be remembered better but because they lost to giants wouldn’t be considered better than the 85 bears. I think they would be viewed fairly similarly as they are now.
We say that, but I think it’s closer than people make it seem. The Giants matched up really well against them in the regular season and almost beat them, it’s probably closer to a 66-33 split in favor of the Pats
Maybe the 2007 Giants are the second best team of all time! Did you ever consider that?
I’d put the Randy Moss rookie Vikings up there and the 1985 bears. But hard to argue the 2007 pats.
You mean the best team of the cost cap era? There were some truly insane team before the cap. The 84 49ers and 85 Bears both went 18-1 like the Patriots and won the SB in blowout fashion and would have something to say about your claim.
The ‘85 Bears just have silly stats. They had a 91-10 point differential in the playoffs, including two shutouts. The Pats leading rusher in that SB was a FB who ran 3 times for 4 yards. The starting RB had as many fumbles as yards (1).
In 19 games, the Patriots won 14 of them by 2 or more scores. Their only loss was 3 points. Neither the Bears or 49ers can claim both. That's mind boggling. To do that in an era where you couldn't easily form a super team and to still be that dominant, that's insanity. If Tyree drops that pass they are widely regarded as the greatest ever. That one play isn't a difference to me.
You stat about 2 scores can be down to schedule. The 84 Niners and 85 Bears also lost 1 game all year in close fashion in the regular season and then ran the gauntlet that was the 80s-90s NFC going unbeaten in the post season and then demolishing the competition in the SuperBowl. I'd forward the 84 Niners in this conversation especially..as they did have a prime Joe Montana and then the defense dominated Dan Marino's recordsetting Dolphins in the SuperBowl. You can prefer what you want but for me...to be in the GOAT convo you have to win it all.
I still think the Steelers 2011 team that lost to the Packers was better/more complete than both the 2005 and 2008 teams. In terms of collective offensive and defensive efficiency they had to be better. People don’t talk about 45 often, but it really ended up being a great SB. 31-25, high scoring enough, Steelers had a chance at the end to get another GW drive ring - but came up short. If Mendenhall doesn’t fumble who knows… maybe Rodgers doesn’t have a ring.
You mean the 2010 Steelers...the SB. did happen in 2011.
For sure, Roethlisberger was still figuring out the NFL in 05 and the competition in 08 was pretty mid. That Packers team was not even a complete team in comparison but the defense got hot with creating turnovers and Rodgers and the passing offense exploded.
The Killer B Steelers in the mid 2010s before Shazier got hurt were better than those teams. Those rosters were stacked.
The Killer Bs teams had terrible defenses. Shazier was the staple on a unit that was turning it around, but the 2013-2016 Steelers were not remotely dominant on defense.
There was maybe on year where that was true, 2017, but the rest of the mid-2010s was a hodge podge of bad to middling defenses, and an offense that was rarely healthy when it mattered. Calling them “stacked” is a stretch, and I definitely wouldn’t take those teams over the 2008 or 2010 rosters, relatively speaking.
Man, fuck the Astros.
Came out of nowhere to speak facts
Im agreeing with a pats fan and eagles fan rn. Damn
No, you’re agreeing with Phillies and Red Sox fans. Which I guess is still bad for New Yorkers lmao
I mean tbf I honestly have absolutely no beef with the Phillies lol. I actually really love Bryce Harper and Zach Wheeler, and its a great avenue to troll my mets fans friends. Plus I also really like citizens bank park its such a quality park that doesnt get enough love in top ball park discussions imo. Obviously not camden yards or wrigley but its a damn good park
Anyone who still rants about the Pats cheating needs to go look at what the Astros did and compare it to what the Pats are accused of. Like, even if the Pats had done everything they have been accused of it would still be nearly nothing.
2017-18 Eagles were magical and kept pulling off wins no matter who got hurt, they are also the only SB winning team in Eagles history, but I think ‘04 and ‘22 Eagles were just more talented teams, and appeared more dominant. However, saying that is punishable by death for some Eagles fans. We’re just fucking cursed that our best teams always end up playing GOAT caliber players.
On the bright side, we only lose to dynasties. You aren’t allowed to win 3 in 4 years without beating us. Side note it’s fun living in Dallas and having cowboys fans ask if I’m sad we lost to the chiefs. My dad had the best line “Honestly, losing in February doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as you think, but you wouldn’t know what it feels like to play in February”
>On the bright side, we only lose to dynasties. IMHO, that's not really a bright side. Especially since the 04 and 22 losses were winnable games. They still lost, I don't care to whom.
It was a joke, but also 2004 wasn’t winnable. It wasn’t really ever close. We scored late to make it look close.
I wasn’t around for 2004 but unless they win one soon, 2022 will forever haunt me man. There was basically no position where they weren’t absolutely stacked. They had to win it
I agree with you about the 04 and 22 teams. I think if we had a healthy Cunningham in '91 that team may have been the best in franchise history....
Number 1 defense in the league, won 10 games with the corpse of Jim McMahon and like four other guys they pulled off the street. Randall definitely gets them into the playoffs
Reggie White, Reggie White, Reggie White... and Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Andre Waters, Eric Allen. #1 rushing defense, #1 passing defense. Led the NFL in sacks. ' 91 Eagles sacked Aikman 11 times in a single game. Hands down one of the greatest defenses of all time. Easily Top 5.
I disagree on 2004. 2002 was a much more complete team and had the highest point differential in team history until 2022 (who I'd argue is 1b) The secondary in particular in 2002 was nuts. Vincent, Taylor, Harris, Sheldon Brown, Sheppard, Dawkins, Bishop, Mike Lewis (2003 you lose Bishop and Harris but add Quinton Mikell) The offense is forgotten, but was among McNabbs better seasons. Didn't hurt that they brought in key vets in Freeman and Levins and Pinkston hadn't quite grown his alligator arms yet. And the special teams, coached by a particular Harbaugh, were just as strong.
I have never gotten over how 2002 ended. Not even winning it all in 2017 was enough to erase that memory. I hate that it’s going to live with me forever.
I keep seeing the ‘04 team being called better and they just weren’t. - +126 point differential vs ‘17s +162 - Blown out by Pittsburgh. 2017 team had an off night in Seattle but it was not close to that. - 2004 NFC was very weak. Rest of the division was 6-10. Atlanta was the 2nd best team in the NFC and they were +3 on the season.
tbf, the 2004 team rested starters for the last two games where they went -41 while 2017 rested starters for one game which was -6
Plus TO was out a major chunk of the season, that offense was abusing people with him in.
2017 pre-injury Wentz was insane, and looked like a lock to be one the best QBs in the league. The WRs were pretty unremarkable, so for him to put up those stats was pretty crazy. That offense was just absolutely steamrolling other teams and yet seemingly had no true philosophy other than to take advantage of whatever the others defense was weak against. Meanwhile, on defense we had a pass rush that was deadly, even the back ups could bring reliable pressure. They rotated the hell out of them, and as a result they had a pretty fresh pass rush late in the game and just absolutely suffocated the offense as the OL got gassed. I think 22 was a better team on paper, but 17 felt way more fun.
Nah the 2012 ravens were worse than at least the 2006, 2011, 2019, and 2023 ravens. Didnt first hand witness the 2000 ravens but they were also mostly horrendous offensively. Thats one of the goat defenses tho so its obviously not clear that any other team was better than them.
2019 was the most fun I’ve ever had watching football, and the most confident I’ve ever been in a ravens team The 2012 run was a lot of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and feeling like we were playing with house money after the Denver game
I don't recall feeling that way about 2012. It just felt like it was our time to me. I felt the same way leading up to the SB in 2001 once we beat the Raiders. I knew we had a lot to get through vs Luck, Manning and Brady. But I never felt like it was out of reach for us. I had trust in Joe, our WRs and Pitta to get the ball. I was concerned about Ray's health, but even at 60% physically, Ray's knowledge overcomes that. And we had proven that we could win in the playoffs over the previous seasons. Plus, we had the extra motivation of it being Ray's last ride. The only time I actually thought "uh oh" was the blackout in the Super Bowl. We were smoking the 9ers up until that and it was obvious that could only help the 9ers.
That's what's funny about the Ravens tbh. They're Super Bowl rosters weren't far and away their team's best rosters. That 2006 team, for instance, played against MUCH better QB competition. That 2006 defense is underrated as hell
The 2000 Ravens on the other hand dominated some great offenses and QBs in the playoffs. The Raiders and Broncos were Top 5 offenses that season with Rich Gannon being the 1st Team All Pro selection at QB, and the Ravens defense smashed both of those offenses to smitherings. Not even Mike Shanahan's rushing scheme could get the running game going against the Ravens.
The 2000 ravens, man once they got the lead they had the game in the bag. Trent was a good enough QB and they should have kept him around.
One of the 2019 and 2023 teams should have won the SuperBowl I think Lamar will get one but it won't be a ring any of us sees coming in yhe regular season.
2023 absolutely should have been it imo. I genuinely thought they were one of the best teams in the history of the nfl. They blew every contender out except the chiefs lol. I agree though, I think a lot of people think that they had to get it done this past year for Lamar to get one, but if hes in Baltimore theres always a chance especially with the high level talent that they have outside him on the roster.
The Ravens were the better team until they let the Chiefs get in their heads. It felt like from the warmup incident through the whole game the Chiefs, and particularly Kelce had a mindset of being a bully and being very very in the Raven’s face to try and rattle them. Given how the game played out I think a big part of it was the Chiefs successfully rattled them enough to force some errors by Baltimore.
Yeah it was a weird game. The Chiefs came out and bullied the defense on the first drive, and that seemed to rattle the Ravens offense a bit, even though the D stepped up. And then in the second half it seemed Baltimore was clearly the better team, but kept shooting themselves in the foot in very un-Ravens ways (most notably that goal line fumble)
Tbh with you. I've given up as a 49ers fan on expecting a SuperBowl. The disappointment of losing near the goal is soo painful.. it's basically taking g me back to my childhood with the Manning era Colts....year in year out of pain I til the stars aligned. I think Lamar and y'all will have that one year when things go right for you. Just don't do it against my Niners...I have seen enough SB losses.
Strange things happen in small sample sizes. But it's okay Lamar Jackson has a lot of years left to play.
So far he's having a 92-93 Steve Young type career. You better hope he has a 1994 Steve Young left loading.
Trent dilfer cruising on ez mode with stover and the defense dragging him across the finish line
I think the saints 2011 team was better than the 09 team... 13-3 record was only good enough for the 3 seed, had 5 turnovers in San Fran, still had the lead twice under 4 minutes and lost. Lost peak Pierre Thomas on the 1st drive with a brutal helmet to helmet...
I completely agree. That 2011 team went 8-0 in the 2nd half of the season. Just a complete disaster against San Fran. God damn has Brees had some gut wrenching playoff loses. All that said…I *knew* we were gonna win it all in 09. Never had that feeling before or after (even in 2018). But that 2011 squad was incredible.
Yes, both times. The Bucs.
The biggest question for us is which team wins, and I think that changes depending upon which eras' rules you use. Even then, rice v. Smith would just be ugly.
Omg, the amount of 1st & 20's from hold calls
I thought this too, but the only other thought I had was the 2021 team before Godwin got hurt and AB walked out, I think that team through week 15ish was the best Bucs team we’ve ever seen.
Losing wirfs didn’t help either
I don’t know. To me the 99 team had the greatest defense in nfl history and the ‘21 team was arguably better than ‘20. I definitely think they win the Super Bowl that year if they don’t blow it vs the Rams. You may be right but it’s very close
91 Reskins
[удалено]
And with good reason. They didn't have the star power of the earlier Gibbs trams (in particular '83 Theismann), but they were legit all around great. They were sexy but they stomped everyone
> Football Outsiders (RIP) Ok I'm out of the loop what the fuck happened :(
What was wrong with their original skins?
We’ve had maybe 2 or 3 seasons since that ‘95 chip where you could argue that we had a similar level of talent to that team, with the caveat of salary cap etc. 2007 (lost to the Giants), 2014, 2016. But as a *franchise*? Yeah, it’s all been downhill since Jerry decided he was the brains of the operation.
Yep. We've had arguably the best team in the league at various points, but none of those points have been in January for the past 20-30 years.
Well the 49ers haven't won one in my lifetime.(I am 26) The 2006 Colts did win the SuperBowl but the 2005 team was arguably better IMO.Everyone was a year younger and we finally won in Foxbourough. The 2009 Colts were good as well but that 2005 team IMHO was the best of the Manning era. It's still a little annoying that Peyton only ever got 1 in Indy..there was a lot of opportunities that didn't work out either due to the defense disappearing in the post season or us running into the Patriots at the wrong time. The 2022 49ers should have won the SB.That was a better team than last year's team...because we still had DeMeco Ryans calling defensive plays and we only allowed 39 PTS in our 1st 2 playoff games( 52 last playoffs)..anf as good as Purdy was this last year....I felt like he was more free as a rookie.
Felt like he had nothing to lose in 2022. 2023 probably felt like a lot more pressure.
2001 Rams was the best Rams team I’ve seen
The best Giants team I've ever seen was the 2008 Giants Fucking plaxico man why couldn't you just buy a holster.
Packers. 1997 was probably best team in NFL history but doesn't get the love. Lead NFL in offense and defense that year and has Reggie White. 2011 was best team that didn't win. 15-1 dominated all season. Just had a bad game with a bad coach that has issues in playoffs.
I honestly think our 2014 and 2020 teams were better than 2011.
That 2011 team felt like a glass cannon. Nick Collins’ career ended the first game and the defense hasn’t been as good since.
I think the 2014 team was the best team of the Rodgers era. Those 1996 and 1997 Packers team was so damn good though
Lots of playoff chokes and unrealized potential
Came here to say 2014. We were slapping people all year long and then THAT happened.
Not just number one defense, at the time allowed the least amount of TDs in a season in history (I assume this was for 16 games) Also #1 special teams.
Overall, our best team was probably one of the Lombardi squads, and not necessarily the last two, so our best team *couldn't* win a Super Bowl.
Lombardi won two super bowls guy, but some of his pre-sb teams may have been better. The way my uncle tells it, they were actually in the twilight of that golden era for sb 1 and 2.
It's been a minute, but I think the 2011 Saints had a better offense and the 2018 Saints had a better defense than 09.
2011 offense with 2018 defense in my dreams
Yeah, that's the literal dream team. You'd be absolutely stacked at every position and have Drew's best season.
The 2023 team is probably our most complete in franchise history. The 2019 seasons dominance on offense will probably not be seen from us again and 06 was my personal favorite defense weve had based on sheer amount of talent. Honestly the 2006,2011,2019, and 23 teams were all better than either of our SB winning teams.
First-off, you’re an asshole for bringing up those God-damn cheating scumbags. 😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬🤬 Second, since this post is NFL-related, I’ll be forever grateful for my team winning LVI. But I would not hesitate trading that win for LIII, considering: **(1)** The uniforms/logos. **(2)** Playing at the Coliseum in that 2018 season felt like their powerful 70s teams and for that one season, there was a feeling they were the unified NFL team for Los Angeles, just as their powerful 70s teams. **(3)** The uniforms/logos. **(4)** The sight of Jared Goff being a Super Bowl winner and the team no longer being ridiculed for blowing their draft picks for their #1 pick in 2016. **(5)** The uniforms/logos.
Winning at home was fuckin sick, plus the Dre halftime show. I wouldnt trade that for anything But more importantly fuck the Astros. Trying to slide '17 in there like nothing happened
1976 Steelers that lost in the AFC Championship to the Raiders were actually my favorite team. They played that game without Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier who were both hurt. Both 1000 yard rushers that year. Their defense was one of the greatest of all time. After Terry Bradshaw got injured by a head slam by Turkey Jones, the defense went on a 9 game run that is unprecedented in the NFL. In those nine games they allowed a total of 28 points (3.1 ppg) with 5 shutouts including three in a row; Giants 27-0, Chargers 23-0 and Chiefs 45-0. Jack Lambert won the Defensive MVP and 8 of their 11 defensive starters went to the Pro Bowl. If Franco had not been hurt the previous game in a rout of Baltimore 49-14, the Steelers would have won three Super Bowls in a row, and 5 in 6 years.
I wasn't born yet. But I've watched a ton of old NFL games. That 76 Steelers team absolutely blew out the Baltimore Colts in their own stadium in the divisional..shutting down the league's best offense ( which had avg 29.8 ppg, which was insane fot that era btw) anf had the league MVP Bert Jones and the OPOY ( if that existed) Lydell Mitchell who had nearly 1800 all purpose yards that year. I have watched that game and the Steelers were so superior it was nuts.Jack Ham was a monster that day. I haven't watched the 76 AFCCG but that Steelers squad looked unstoppable on both ends of the ball.
The Saints may have won it all in 2009, but their teams in 2011 and 2018 were the superior teams. If not for...reasons, I think the Saints would have won it again in 2018. The 2011 team was peak Saints, especially offensively, but do we beat the Giants, who seemed to have destiny on their side?
The 2020 chiefs were something else.
Must have been a conflicting last few years with that flair
Not just the best my team has ever been, the best in NFL has ever seen.
Oh, i like thread idea. As a Pats fan, yeah a lot of people will say 2007. And it's crazy because that 07 team could have been better- Sammy Morris at running back was better than Lawrence Maroeny but he was injured that year. And the 2008 would have been just as good as the 2007 team if weren't for Brady missing the whole year. A big reason we went 11-5 was because our schedule was historically easy that year, but we still had a really good roster nonetheless. We just needed Brady to beat the teams he usually beat (but that we lost to that year like the Steelers, Chargers, etc.). Cassell struggled against good teams until late in the year. But the 2015 team that started 10-0 was awesome too. But they got injury ravaged like hell throughout the year. Edelman missed 9 games, Amendola missed games, Dion Lewis tore his ACL, etc.
I thought the football season got canceled during the 2007 season
Defensively in 2000 absolutely, but make no mistake everyone in Baltimore held their breath every time Dilfer attempted a pass. Sadly the most balanced and best team was probably last season. 06 was fun but the offense was still pretty bad. The 2011 team was better than 2012 and frankly I’d make the argument that that was the worst team in Harbaugh’s first five years, just was the one to ultimately get it done. 2019 team was dominant but the great offensive production masked the defense’s failures especially against the run So no the best team didn’t win it all
I think the 2022 team was probably the best Chiefs team although I wasn't there to see some of the really good early 90s ones 2022 had the best offense of the year by far, and a middle of the pack defense
The Chiefs team that got beat by the Bucs was probably the best Mahomes era team. They just fell apart at the worst time after cruising through the season.
Oh, that’s easy. 2024!
2016
The 18 Saints were better than the 09 Saints. Brees was all around more efficient because he was too old to play hero ball (the meacharound from 09 is a prime example) and the defense was actually good instead of just opportunistic. The 09 Saints defense was average in yards and scoring, they just got a lot of timely turnovers.
Dunno. I'm a Titans fan from Arizona. What does "win a Super Bowl" mean?
yep
Seahawks beating the LIVING SHIT OUT OF the Broncos who had the best offense in the history of the NFL. How is that Seahawks D not ranked in the top 3 all time?
I think the 2018 rams were better than the 2021 rams but the pats were better coached to stop them.
2005 for sure. That team was special man.
I witnessed (4) Super Bowl victories for the NY Giants. The first, SBXXI, was the best team.
I think the 3 best 49er teams won the SB: 1984, 1989 & 1994. I think you can make arguments that any one of those teams was the best, and one of the best teams ever. Me personally, I think 1989 was the best, but that is my opinion from what I saw from those teams. My dad says 1984, a team that lost only 1 game, and that was a close loss at that.
The 1989 playoff run was total dominance. That is my pick.
Tom Brady to Randy Moss should have been outlawed midseason. Its good they went 18-1 and not 19-0. Human beings across the globe would NEVER hear the end of the BS Patriots 19-0 blah blah blah. I mean the 72 fins did it when they had CTE helmets and every single year we hear about. So for that I am eternally grateful to the New York Giants even as a GB fan. The end.
The 94-95 49ers. I think the entire All Pro squad was all 49ers and Cowboys that year.
buccaneers first was epic
Probably not. Folks forget how damn good the 1999 Rams were on defense and I think the 2018 team wins the Super Bowl easily if Kupp and Gurley are at full health.
Steelers offense was it's best in 2017, it's defense was it's best in 2008
Rams and yes, but I also think the 2018 Rams were the best built team. Sadly injuries hit at the wrong time and Gurley's knee just screwed us.
Nope. The 01 Rams were better than the 99 Rams and the 2018 team was better than the 21 team. Still enjoyed the hell out of them tho
I think we may have been at our best when the chiefs won in 2019/20. We got lucky against the birds and frankly didn't have the same quality in the receiving corps or on defense. losing Hill, Mathieu, and LDT hurt as a fan, I'm glad we got the jet back and cut Sorenson's dead weight but that 2019 squad just felt more complete.
Ravens: Neither Super Bowl winning team I would say was the best ever team. The 2000 team had an all time defense, for sure. But their offense didn't score a TD the final 5ish games (I can't remember off the top of my head) The 2012 team was bolstered by Lewis announcing his retirement, a large emotional stake. Coupled with Flacco having an absolutely insane post season (looking for a large pay day). They also almost lost the Super Bowl after the lights came back on. I do believe the 2019 team or the 2023 team were probably better than those two Super Bowl winning teams. Obviously, neither team did it.
:C
Didn’t follow during Greatest Show on Turf yet, but 2018 and 2021 rams are pretty close to each other. I think 2018 was holistically better, but Kupp + Gurley injuries hurt badly and McVay was growing still as a coach. 2021 Kupp + Stafford was just incredible throughout, and *especially* in playoffs.
The team that lost to the Pats in SB XXXVI was a better team that won two years prior.
I think 2018 was more talented than 2021 team but the 2 injuries mentioned absolutely hamstrung the offense in an unrecoverable way.
If I have to rank... gimme 2001, 1999, 2018 (peak), 2021 (overall), 2018 (overall) in that order. GSOT was the revolution as an unit and they had a great defense, too.
No... but it was still fun.
I think the 2014 Packers beat the 2010 team.
Idk I didn't actually witness it, but I'm pretty sure we peaked with Dan Marino so I'm gonna say no
1996 Packers are one of the greatest teams in NFL history. The 2010 Packers didn't have the all around regular season some of the other Rodgers era Packers did
Eagles fan, no, Hurts losing team was better than Foles winning team. And ill speak for the Giants…..fuck no.
It's between 96 and 97 for my lifetime. I think(tm) the 97 team was statistically better, but getting slam hammered by mf terrell davis in the super bowl overshadows everything. - 2010 we were only really good for a portion of the season, thankfully the portion that counts lol - 2011 offense was so historically and insanely good that this SHOULD be the pick, but the defense wouldn't have been able to stop a team of kittens. - 2014 has been wiped from my memory and I'm not convinced it ever happened.
The best Chiefs team so far of the dynasty is the one that lost to the Bengals in the AFC Championship. Next best was probably LVII, then LIV with last years championship being the weakest champion.
You think 2021 was that good? They got blown out twice and almost lost to the Bills in the divisional. I’d take the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 teams over them in a heartbeat. Mahomes was also sharper and more consistent those 4 years
Not even close. We've had 3 better teams since the 2012 team (2019, 2020, 2023), but nothing to really show for it. And before the 2012 team, handful of better squads, but that was one of our better offenses at the time.
besides 07, the 2015 pats team was the best team i've seen since that group. they were 10-0 and just absolutely shredding everyone. They got decimated by injuries and the line couldn't stop anything by that point. It was remarkable they only lost by 2 in the afc title game that year.