Coming up with a list of the top 10 NFL teams of all time was an intriguing challenge, but one I met with relish since I knew it would be a topic that would be met with passionate rebuttals from diehard NFL football fans, and as a sports fan there is nothing I get pleasure from much more than a good old fashioned knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out debate. In North America there is arguably no much more passionate or knowledgeable fan base than those that follow NFL football. Thousands of armchair quarterbacks around the continent can quote up to the minute stats from the present or prior seasons, and NFL fantasy football leagues are liberally peppered with NFL football gurus whose information could rival that of a NASA astrophysicist. Now, I don’t pretend to be a walking NFL football encyclopedia like some folks, so I’m certain my list of the best 10 NFL teams of all time will meet with some intense criticism from those who sleep, eat and breathe NFL football. Properly, bring it on! I eagerly await your bashing. Use the comments and do not forget to point out who you think has been unfairly included or excluded. Here is my list of the Best 10 greatest NFL teams of all time.
10 – 1996 Green Bay Packers – This one may be a controversial choose, but the 1996 Green Bay Packers put up the numbers to make the list (barely). Quarterback Brett Favre was in his prime in 1996, and captured the title of NFL MVP that year with an astounding pass completion percentage just a hair under 60%. The Packers not only boasted the NFL’s best offense, but were also the league’s best defensive team that year. They completed the standard season an impressive 13-3, but saved their greatest work for the playoffs exactly where they scored 100 points in 3 games, and won by an typical margin of victory of 17 points.
9 – 1971 Dallas Cowboys – The Dallas Cowboys have had a lot of stellar teams throughout their history, but in my opinion the ’71 Boys had been the very best of the bunch, and great enough for inclusion on the list of the best 10 greatest NFL teams. Roger Staubach led a effective offense that was practically impossible to defend on the ground or in the air. Even so, it was the defense that truly stole the show in the playoffs that year, limiting both the 49ers and the Dolphins to 3 points apiece as they took property glory in Super Bowl VI
8 – 1999 St. Louis Rams – An offensive juggernaut led by the one-two punch of Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk the ’99 Rams put up an incredible 526 points in a season that saw them go 13-3. Faulk was a one-man offensive wrecking crew, rushing for 1,381 yards and receiving for an additional 1,048. The Rams’ nickname “The Greatest Show On Turf” could have been applied to Faulk himself, and that season genuinely goes down as 1 of the greatest performances by an athlete in NFL history. To acquire a spot on the list of the best 10 NFL teams of all time, nevertheless, a team should boast a lot more than a excellent offense. The Rams could get it accomplished on defense as effectively, and completed the season averaging only 15 points per game allowed. They capped off their magnificent season with a 23-16 Super Bowl victory more than the Tennessee Titans.
7 – 1989 – San Francisco 49ers – Arguably the deadliest quarterback/receiver mixture in NFL history Joe Montana and Jerry Rice had been at their dominant best in 1989. Montana’s 112.4 quarterback rating that season was the highest in NFL history to that point, and Jerry Rice had 1,483 yards receiving while romping for 17 touchdowns. The 49ers weren’t just the Montana and Rice show though. They had quite a few weapons like John Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig and Ronnie Lott. Oh, and let’s not forget about Montana’s back-up that year. Some of you might have heard of Steve Young. He fired 8 touchdown passes and threw for 1,001 yards that year. The team finished the normal season 14-2, but maybe the greatest tribute to their greatest was the humiliating 55-10 stomping they gave the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.
6 – 1991 Washington Redskins – This team was a no-brainer for a spot on the list of the best 10 NFL teams of all time. The Redskins dominated their opposition all season lengthy, outscoring them on average by greater than a two to one margin as they marched to a 14-2 standard season record. Quarterback Mark Rypien may well not be the household name like Montana, Starbauch, or Favre, but in that season he was as excellent as any of those guys, throwing for three,564 yards on just 421 attempts, for an remarkable 8.five yards per attempt. The dream season continued into the playoffs as the Redskins crushed each the Falcons and the Lions, just before downing the luckless Buffalo Bills 37-24 to capture Super Bowl XXVI.
five – 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers – The Pittsburgh Steelers had been the most dominant team of the 1970s and it can be argued that any of their 4 Super Bowl Championship teams from that decade could be included in this list of the best 10 greatest NFL teams. In the interest of selection I’ve chosen what I believe to be the ideal of those great Steel Curtain teams. Terry Bradshaw was lights out that season throwing for three,724 yards and 26 touchdowns. The legendary Steelers defense was still operating at their stingy very best, throwing a blanket on opposing offenses with an efficiency arguably exceeded by the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Steelers didn’t have as dominant a normal season as other teams on the list, but nonetheless completed a respectable 12-4. They further cemented their legend by winning their 4th Super Bowl of the decade, dispatching the Rams 31-19 to capture the NFL’s greatest prize.
4 – 1962 Green Bay Packers – Not all of the greatest teams in NFL history took the field in the last 30 years. Just before the Super Bowl even existed the Green Bay Packers had been grinding their opponents into the mud. With NFL legends like Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr the 1962 version of the Packers was all but unstoppable, going 13-1 and outscoring their opposition by a mind-boggling 415-148. The Packers would put a cap on the incredible season by capturing the NFL Championship that year with a 16-7 victory over the New York Giants.
3 – 2007 New England Patriots – The New England Patriots have the dubious distinction of getting the only team on the list of the leading 10 greatest NFL teams not to have won the Super Bowl in this season in question. Even so, anybody who watched this dominant team dismantle opposing defenses week after week can hardly argue with their inclusion on this list. Tom Brady and Randy Moss combined for the greatest season ever among a quarterback and receiver. Brady launched an extraordinary 50 touchdown passes (an NFL record), even though passing for 4,806 yards (an NFL record), and finishing with a quarterback rating of 117.2 (an NFL record). Randy Moss may possibly not have been really so impressive, but the 23 touchdowns he caught that season beat Jerry Rice’s NFL record of 22 TD catches in a single NFL season. This dynamic duo helped the Patriots to only the second undefeated NFL normal season in the history of the sport of football. They reeled off 2 far more impressive post-season victories ahead of their dream season evaporated at the hands of the New York Giants. Do not deceive your self folks: this was an upset of monumental proportions. Forget the videotaping scandal, and even the Super Bowl loss. The 2007 New England Patriots are 1 of the greatest NFL teams of all time.
2 – 1972 Miami Dolphins – Speaking of excellent seasons there is only one NFL team who has gone wire to wire without having losing a single game, and that is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins went 14- in the normal season, and would not be denied in the playoffs, with narrow victories over each Cleveland and Pittsburgh, ahead of downing the Redskins 14-7 to capture Super Bowl VII. So, if the 1972 Miami Dolphins had been the only team to have a perfect season why aren’t they regarded as the greatest NFL team of all time? Really merely they had 1 of the easiest typical season schedules of all time. The combined records of the teams they played was properly below .500. In reality, in spite of their 14- regular season record Don Shula’s Dolphins had been truly considered an underdog against the Redskins in the Super Bowl. Nonetheless, their tough playoff schedule, and the reality that they overcame the odds to total the perfect season (something the superiorly talented New England Patriots failed to do) nonetheless earns them the number two spot.
1 – 1985 Chicago Bears – When I sat down to write this list of the top 10 greatest NFL teams of all time I knew, without a sliver of doubt, which team would be sitting at the pinnacle when all was stated and completed. The 1985 Chicago Bears, led by cocky quarterback Jim McMahon may possibly not have had a excellent season (they finished 15-1), but their extraordinary offense, and the most stifling defense in NFL history helped them cruise by way of the NFL playoffs with an ease that has never ever been duplicated. This legendary team, coached by the equally legendary Mike Ditka, didn’t even surrender a point in the very first two games of the playoffs, beating the Giants 21-, ahead of dispatching the Rams 24- in the NFC title game. The defense faltered ever so slightly in Super Bowl XX, giving up 10 points, but the offense, with the assist of large lineman, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, picked up the slack, and when the dust settled on Super Bowl XX the Bears had crushed the Patriots 46-10. Had the 2007 New England Patriots captured the Super Bowl there could have been some argument, but since they did not there can only be 1 clear choice for the greatest team in NFL history: The 1985 Chicago Bears.
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