The Best NFL Team of the Quarter Century Bracket: Round 1
Which football team takes the crown as the best of the past 25 years? It’s for you to decide.The Best NFL Team of the Quarter Century Bracket: Round 1
Which football team takes the crown as the best of the past 25 years? It’s for you to decide.
Editor’s note: The first-round polls have closed. Vote in Round 2 now! In the meantime, check out every team we considered for the bracket.
The past 25 years have seen the NFL go from America’s most popular sport to a cultural force that transcends all other domestic leagues and events. According to Nielsen, the most-watched broadcast of all time in the United States was Super Bowl LIX (i.e., the one played just this year), which broke the record set by Super Bowl LVII (2024), which broke the record set by Super Bowl LVII (2023). Football has been popular for decades, but this was the century when it became the entertainment product. As Roger Goodell says, the league’s competition isn’t the NBA or MLB. It’s Apple and Google.
So it’s the perfect time to look back at the best teams of the past 25 years, and to crown an ultimate champion. As you’d expect, this last quarter century has featured some of the best dynasties, moments, and storylines in the league’s history. Plus, the game has changed a lot in these 25 years. Think of it this way: We started this quarter century with Kerry Collins and Trent Dilfer going head-to-head for the Lombardi Trophy and ended it with Jalen Hurts vs. Patrick Mahomes. Yes, football in 2025 is very fun.
More on the Best NFL Team of the Quarter Century
Welcome to The Ringer’s bracket to determine the Best NFL Team of the Quarter Century. We’ve picked 32 teams for consideration, but are entrusting our readers to select an ultimate winner. If you want to learn more about our thought process, check out this article on our methodology. Voting will be open until 6 p.m. ET each day.
Here’s the full bracket:
To start the bracket, we have some juicy matchups. We pitted both Packers teams—2010 and 2011—against each other in the opening rounds, as a stress test of whether our readers will prefer regular-season success or postseason triumph.
The 2024 Eagles and 2015 Panthers also face each other. Perhaps you heard that Jalen Hurts vs. Cam Newton was a big discussion on Twitter this week. Well, now you get to decide.
We also have a Patriots-off, with the 2001 team taking on the 2007 squad. It was almost so long ago that you could be forgiven for forgetting that the Pats dynasty started with a team of plucky underdogs. Is that squad more deserving than the era-defining juggernaut whose only blemish came on the biggest stage?
We have a pair of seemingly unstoppable offenses that faltered in the postseason in a 2001 Rams vs. 2006 Chargers matchup. Plus, a defensive showdown between the 2002 Buccaneers and 2005 Steelers.
Vote for your favorites—and come back tomorrow for new matchups. —Riley McAtee
(1) 2013 Seattle Seahawks vs. (8) 2007 New York Giants
2013 Seahawks
Record: 13-3
Result: Won Super Bowl XLVIII (43-8 vs. Broncos)
There are a million things I could write about the peak era of the Seahawks Legion of Boom defense, but perhaps the easiest explanation for just how ludicrously good that unit really was is this: On the biggest stage, in Seattle’s 43-8 blowout victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, the Seahawks made league-MVP Peyton Manning and the NFL’s all-time highest-scoring offense look like a bumbling JV squad.
The much-anticipated heavyweight bout quickly turned into a lopsided rout. The Broncos, who had racked up an NFL-record 606 points (37.9 points per game) on the back of Manning’s league-record 55 touchdown throws, were left completely disoriented by the LOB's extraordinarily disciplined, hard-hitting style. The Seahawks forced a failed-snap safety on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage before picking Manning off on his team’s next two possessions—the second, a 69-yard pick-six, made it 22-0 and more or less put the game away before the first half even ended. The trio of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor held things down in the back end, bolstered up front by the likes of Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and a host of others.
That outcome came as no surprise to the uniquely brash, trash-talking Seahawks defense, which had allowed the fewest points (14.4 per game) and fewest yards (273.6 per game) of any team in the NFL that season while generating a league-best 39 takeaways. That unit ranked first in defensive DVOA that year, obviously, and ranks eighth best on the all-time DVOA list. The team’s offense, led by plucky then-second-year quarterback Russell Wilson, carried its own weight, of course, finishing the year tied for eighth in points per game and seventh in DVOA. Wilson paired up with Marshawn Lynch to help reanimate the read option in pro football, and Lynch gave the offense an identity of toughness that rivaled that of their defensive counterparts. Add in the team’s highly efficient special teams group (which ranked fifth in DVOA that year), and it’s clear that the team general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll built that year will go down as one of the most complete, most fun, and most dominant we’ll ever see. —Danny Kelly
2007 Giants
Record: 10-6
Result: Won Super Bowl XLII (17-14 vs. Patriots)
The 2007 Giants are best known for being the team that beat the team. And for good reason. Their résumé wasn’t very impressive outside of their 17-14 upset of the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, and they wouldn’t warrant inclusion in a discussion of the best teams of the century without that accomplishment.
These Giants went 10-6 during the regular season and finished with the worst point differential in their division. And just two months before beating perhaps the greatest team of all time on the sport’s biggest stage, they were getting picked apart by Tarvaris Jackson and an incredibly mid Vikings team. Nobody in New York believed in Eli Manning, who had an up-and-down season (with more downs than ups); Tom Coughlin had to coach his way off the hot seat after an 0-2 start; and while the defense raised its game in the playoffs, it finished a mediocre 17th in points allowed during the regular season.
Overall, the 2007 Giants were a slightly above-average football team. During their postseason run, however, they looked and played like one of the best teams of the century, knocking off two 13-win teams to make the Super Bowl before putting the clamps on the historic Patriots offense to hoist the Lombardi. Manning went on a heater, and a deep defensive line, led by Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, dominated in the trenches. Throw in a strong run game, and you had a team that was built to win in January and February. —Steven Ruiz
(4) 2010 Green Bay Packers vs. (5) 2011 Green Bay Packers
2010 Packers
Record: 10-6
Result: Won Super Bowl XLV (31-25 vs. Steelers)
The 2010 Packers are tied with the 2012 Ravens and the 2007 Giants for the worst record in this bracket, at 10-6. They were a 6-seed (which was the lowest seed at the time, back before the dreaded 7-seed entered our national consciousness) heading into that year’s playoffs, and they had little in the way of national belief. So why are they ranked as high as a 4-seed here when there are plenty of worthy teams behind them?
First: The record is deceptive. That year’s Packers team never lost a game by more than four points. They also never trailed in a game by more than seven, the first team to do that since the 1962 Lions. They weren’t just a group that managed to sneak into the postseason by the skin of their teeth and then got hot: They were always better than their record indicated. Second: This team absolutely ripped. Aaron Rodgers was tops in the NFL in QBR across the back half of the season, Clay Matthews was on a career-level tear, and he and Charles Woodson led one of the few legitimately good defenses the Packers have had this century. And last: They won a championship, the first and—likely—only of Rodgers’s career, beating out the Ben Roethlisberger–led Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The 2011 Packers may have reached higher regular-season heights, but everything started with this season—and a ring is the ultimate trump card. —Megan Schuster
2011 Packers
Record: 15-1
Result: Lost in divisional round (37-20 vs. Giants)
The 2011 Packers were offensive poetry, ultimately stopped in mid-motion. Head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers put together a brilliant season in which Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Rodgers’s performance put him in the running for one of the best seasons for a quarterback ever and earned him a place among the new generation of supercomputer quarterbacks who thrived on pinpoint accuracy and reading defenses. The relationships he showcased on the field with receivers Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Greg Jennings were nothing short of spectacular.
This Packers campaign came in the first season after a slew of rules changes; many of those changes favored offenses, and, coupled with the growing influence of the college game, they ultimately paved the way for a passing explosion through the 2010s. The Packers offense stands as one of the first great examples of that era.
Come to think of it, the defense was an outlier, too—just not in any way the team would have preferred. The Packers went 15-1 through the regular season even though they gave up the most passing yards of all time, at a clip of 411.6 per game.
The defense wasn’t all bad. Green Bay had an opportunistic and league-leading 31 interceptions that season. Cornerback Charles Woodson and linebacker Clay Matthews gave the unit some teeth. And for most of the year, the Pack was getting away with being unable to generate consistent stops.
Their lone loss of the regular season, in December at Kansas City, was telling. The Chiefs ran for 139 yards, stressing Green Bay’s defense and, more importantly, keeping the offense off the field. And even though the Packers finished the regular season as the NFC’s top seed, it was a similar formula from the Giants' defense and balanced attack that spelled their early end in the divisional round. Although they were too imbalanced to win it all, the sheer beauty of the Packers offense and its groundbreaking nature at a pivotal time in the development of the sport make the 2011 team iconic all the same. —Nora Princiotti
(3) 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. (6) 2014 New England Patriots
2008 Steelers
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl XLIII (27-23 vs. Cardinals)
The 2008 Steelers brought back memories of the 1970s Steel Curtain teams in Pittsburgh. Their first-ranked defense is one of the most stifling units of this century, having allowed opponents just 13.9 points per game over the course of the regular season and just 61 total points through three playoff games, on the way to a Super Bowl win over the Cardinals in Mike Tomlin’s second season as head coach.
That dominance came from the middle of the defense. Linebacker James Harrison collected 16 sacks on the way to a Defensive Player of the Year win. Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu made several critical interceptions, including one from Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to seal a win in the AFC championship game. And linebackers James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons added to Pittsburgh’s lethal combination of pass-coverage versatility and heavy-blitzing aggression throughout the season.
That defense offset the offense's middling results. Neither Hines Ward nor Santonio Holmes was a true no. 1 receiver for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who struggled with decision-making and threw 15 interceptions throughout the season. But as the season wore on, Roethlisberger increasingly used his running ability to create plays out of structure, boost Pittsburgh’s ground game, and complicate the plans of opposing defenses. Roethlisberger’s 6-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left to win the Super Bowl—which was Pittsburgh’s only offensive touchdown in the game but wasn’t nearly as exciting as Harrison’s 100-yard interception return score just before halftime—encapsulated this team, which did just enough on the offensive side to let its all-time defense carry it to a championship. —Princiotti
2014 Patriots
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl XLIX (28-24 vs. Seahawks)
The 2014 Patriots were the team that extended the dynasty. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick had won three championships together in quick succession in the early 2000s. But it had been a decade since their last Super Bowl win, against the Eagles at the end of the 2004 season, and the wear and tear of long playoff runs, roster attrition, and that pesky Eli Manning had kept the Lombardi out of Patriot hands. It was the rather unlikely 2014 team that changed all that and kick-started the next run of dominance in New England over the following half decade.
Not that any team with Brady can be considered plucky underdogs. Brady had a stellar season in 2014, with 33 touchdowns and more than 4,000 passing yards. It was his skill that kept the offense on track through the first half of the season, when the run game and pass protection were relatively inconsistent and the defense struggled to defend against big plays.
But over time, 2014 revealed itself as a quintessential Patriots season. Cornerbacks Brandon Browner and especially Darrelle Revis, who’d signed to New England that offseason, hit their stride in Belichick’s defense. Homegrown players like Rob Gronkowski and Chandler Jones blossomed into stars. No-name running back Jonas Gray steadied the ground game later in the year.
Everyone remembers how this season ended, with undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler’s interception in the Super Bowl against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, set up by Belichick’s apparent mind reading of Pete Carroll on the opposite sideline. That play symbolized an entire season in which New England had won with strategy and preparation and found value in unexpected places. —Princiotti
(2) 2009 New Orleans Saints vs. (7) 2012 Baltimore Ravens
2009 Saints
Record: 13-3
Result: Won Super Bowl XLIV (31-17 vs. Colts)
If you weren’t rooting for the Saints to win the Super Bowl in 2009, you were a Colts fan, a Vikings fan, or morally bankrupt. Five years after Hurricane Katrina had led residents to seek refuge in the Superdome, and three years after Steve Gleason’s blocked punt in the Superdome on Monday Night Football, the New Orleans Saints were the most incredible story in sports.
The Saints were the first NFC team to start 12-0 or better since the ’85 Bears. They clinched the no. 1 seed in the conference for the first time in team history. Drew Brees completed 70 percent of his passes (which is now quaint but at the time had never been done before). The Saints bested Brett Favre in the NFC championship and then faced what was, to that point, potentially the best Peyton Manning Colts team we’d ever seen in the Super Bowl. Sean Payton made perhaps the ballsiest decision in football history, trying a surprise onside kick out of halftime—and it worked. Tracy Porter pick-sixed Manning—possibly because Indy’s Reggie Wayne slowed down on a route that he didn’t think he was getting the ball on—and the play led to so much traffic on Twitter that the site crashed (which is now a pretty routine occurrence).
Brees, a guy who'd left the Chargers with a crooked elbow and then failed his physical in Miami, was captured in an iconic pose holding the Lombardi Trophy with his son in hand and confetti raining down. He was an underdog story for an underdog city. It’s still the only pro sports championship New Orleans has ever won. Frankly, the 2009 Saints probably meant more to their city than any other team on this list. —Danny Heifetz
2012 Ravens
Record: 10-6
Result: Won Super Bowl XLVII (34-31 vs. 49ers)
It was strange then, and it’s perhaps even stranger now, but Joe Flacco’s 2012 playoff run may be the best postseason performance for a quarterback ever. He notched an 11-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio—11 passing touchdowns ties the record, and the only other quarterback to throw that many touchdowns in a postseason without an interception is Joe Montana. His 1,140 passing yards rank fourth all time. And among quarterbacks who played in four playoff games in a single postseason, Flacco’s 2012 performance ranks first in passer rating (117.2), adjusted net yards per attempt (10.0), and expected points added per dropback (0.37). He also had an iconic pseudo Hail Mary and won Super Bowl MVP. Oh yeah, and he won two of his playoff games against Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Elite stuff.
Then there is the rest of the team. By Ravens standards, the defense wasn’t that great in 2012, ranking just 12th in points allowed. But Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs missed big chunks of the regular season, and the defense was in full force by the playoffs. It held Andrew Luck’s Colts to three field goals, Manning’s Broncos to 21 points in a double-overtime game (Denver got two touchdowns on special teams), and Brady’s Patriots to 13 points—including a shutout in the second half.
They say it’s better to be lucky than good, but getting red hot at the right time is the most fun of all. One could argue that the 2012 Ravens were actually one of the lesser teams of the Flacco-Lewis era (all the squads from 2008 to 2011 were much better in point differential, for example). But it was the 2012 team—and Flacco in particular—that lit the league on fire in January and February. And that’s what counts the most. —McAtee
(1) 2024 Philadelphia Eagles vs. (8) 2015 Carolina Panthers
2024 Eagles
Record: 14-3
Result: Won Super Bowl LIX (40-22 vs. Chiefs)
It took a little while, but by the time the 2024 Eagles got to New Orleans to take on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, it was clear that they were one of the best teams of this century. The Eagles had gotten off to a 2-2 start but then won 16 of their next 17 games, en route to a convincing championship. Vic Fangio’s defense was built from back to front, with suffocating coverage that allowed the pass rush time to get home. And the Eagles held up against top-tier quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Matthew Stafford, and Jayden Daniels. This defense was tested often, and it came out on top over and over and over again.
Offensively, the goal was to be a pick-your-poison unit. Pound the ball with Saquon Barkley and a dominant offensive line until defenses prove that they can stop you. If that happened, Philly could lean on Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the passing game. In the Super Bowl, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo effectively loaded the box to limit Barkley’s production. But it didn’t matter because Hurts lit Kansas City up through the air as the Eagles rolled to a dominant 40-22 victory. (Reminder: It was 40-6 before two Chiefs garbage-time touchdowns.)
Overall, the Eagles outscored their opponents by 68 points in the playoffs—the third-best differential of any Super Bowl team this century. From a roster talent standpoint, there aren’t too many teams on this list that stack up to the 2024 Eagles. Howie Roseman built a juggernaut, and when things clicked, it seemed like this team was unbeatable. —Sheil Kapadia
2015 Panthers
Record: 15-1
Result: Lost Super Bowl 50 (24-10 vs. Broncos)
This team’s reputation is a lot stronger now than it was back in 2015. Even though the Panthers swept through the first three-fourths of their schedule without a loss, they had their fair share of doubters. In late November 2015, FiveThirtyEight called Carolina “the worst team to ever start 11-0.” The Panthers eventually became the “worst team” to ever start 14-0 before finally taking an L against the Falcons in Week 16.
The skepticism, which came mostly from the analytics crowd, wasn’t totally off base, but it was mostly fueled by the team’s sluggish start to the season. Carolina started 3-0, but the team’s performances weren’t impressive and the Panthers needed an acrobatic interception from Josh Norman to hold off a Saints team that was quarterbacked by Luke McCown. The strong Panthers defense, captained by the league’s best linebacker pair in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, carried the team through its early struggles, but the offense went on a tear starting in October.
Cam Newton hit his apex as an NFL quarterback and shook off a shaky start to the season en route to winning league MVP in convincing fashion. He was everything for that offense. The run game was built around him, he called the offense from the line of scrimmage, and he elevated a wide receiver corps made up of Ted Ginn Jr., Philly Brown, and a thoroughly washed Jerricho Cotchery. Having Greg Olsen at tight end helped the cause, but the Panthers needed Cam to be Superman every Sunday. He was able to answer the call … until he ran into an all-time great Broncos defense in the Super Bowl, when his lack of support was exposed and Newton wasn’t good enough to overcome it. —Ruiz
(4) 2013 Denver Broncos vs. (5) 2023 San Francisco 49ers
2013 Broncos
Record: 13-3
Result: Lost Super Bowl XLVIII (43-8 vs. Seahawks)
We don’t need to talk about how it all ended, OK? The snap that whizzed past Peyton Manning’s head on the first play of the Super Bowl or how Seattle’s Legion of Boom throttled Denver’s offense? Nope, nope, nope. Until that day in February, Manning’s 2013 Broncos were unstoppable, and the quarterback was at the peak of his powers in his second year in Denver. The Broncos scored 49 points in a Week 1 win over the Ravens, the defending Super Bowl champs who had upset Denver in the playoffs at the end of the 2012 season; 52 against Chip Kelly’s Eagles in Week 3; and 51 a week later in an epic shoot-out with Tony Romo’s Cowboys (I will never tire of watching Manning fool the entire Dallas defense on the slowest rushing touchdown you’ve ever seen.) By the time the regular season was over, Manning was the MVP after throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, and the Broncos offense owned new single-season records for points and passing yards.
They did all this amid a very weird season. Head coach John Fox had to take medical leave in the middle of the season after undergoing surgery to replace a heart valve. Star pass rusher Von Miller was suspended six games for a violation of the substance abuse policy. They lost star left tackle Ryan Clady to a season-ending foot injury in Week 2, big free agent addition Wes Welker dealt with concussions late in the year, and the defense lost starters Chris Harris Jr., Derek Wolfe, Rahim Moore, Kevin Vickerson, and Miller to season-ending injuries by the playoffs. The team that showed up to play the Seahawks in the Meadowlands was far from complete. But holy hell, was that regular-season offense unlike anything we had ever seen or may see again. —Lindsay Jones
2023 49ers
Record: 12-5
Result: Lost Super Bowl LVIII (25-22 OT vs. Chiefs)
The offense that launched a thousand debates over what it means to be a game manager. That was the wrong label for Brock Purdy, who, though he was certainly elevated by a supporting cast referred to as the Monstars and Kyle Shanahan’s play calling, also provided a bit of playmaking flair that Jimmy Garoppolo never could when it mattered the most. Purdy was more of a system quarterback. That’s not necessarily an insult. Most quarterbacks would take a back seat to the star talent the Niners had on the offensive depth chart.
Christian McCaffrey put together an MVP-worthy campaign and one of the most dynamic seasons we’ve ever seen out of a running back. George Kittle was arguably the best tight end in the league and inarguably its best blocking tight end. Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk at fullback gave Shanahan two pieces he could move all over the formation to create the blocking angles and matchups he needed to execute his creative schemes. Brandon Aiyuk was impossible to cover that season, Deebo Samuel was impossible to tackle, and Jauan Jennings was seemingly impossible to stop on third down. It was a dream offense coached by the perfect play caller. And it very nearly delivered San Francisco its first Super Bowl since 1995.
Before midseason injuries to Samuel and Trent Williams, who may have been the unit’s best player, derailed the offense, the 49ers looked unbeatable. They never quite regained their early-season form, and labored through the playoffs, succumbing to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a Super Bowl that went to overtime.
Still, this was undoubtedly one of the best offenses we’ve ever seen. And with a defense that was at its best against opponents chasing a lead—thanks to Nick Bosa’s unrelenting pressure and Fred Warner’s omnipresence in coverage—this is easily one of the best non-champions of the century. —Ruiz
(3) 2016 New England Patriots vs. (6) 2021 Los Angeles Rams
2016 Patriots
Record: 14-2
Result: Won Super Bowl LI (34-28 OT vs. Falcons)
A season that ended with Tom Brady’s crowning achievement began with one of his lowest moments: serving a four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal. But his absence almost didn’t matter to this team. The Pats went 3-1 to start the season, losing only the Week 4 matchup because third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett was forced to play with a torn thumb ligament. Such is the case when you have a stacked roster and a coaching staff operating at the peak of its powers.
The Patriots would lose just one more game that season, with Brady posting an absurd 28-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio (still the best ever) following his return. This team had seven All-Pros—just two shy of the 2007 Pats’ tally—and boasted so much talent that it was able to survive a season-ending injury to Rob Gronkowski (a luxury of having Martellus Bennett as your no. 2 tight end) and the continued employment of Matt Patricia. (We joke, but his unit did take “bend don’t break” to its extreme that year—the Pats defense finished 16th in DVOA but first in points allowed.)
The regular season was just prologue to a masterpiece, however: the 28-3 Super Bowl comeback versus the Falcons. It was Brady’s fifth Super Bowl and his finest moment—the one that put to rest any other GOAT arguments. And it was made all the sweeter by him standing on the podium, celebrating another Lombardi Trophy within earshot of the man who had suspended him just months earlier. Football immortality and the ultimate vindication. —Justin Sayles
2021 Rams
Record: 12-5
Result: Won Super Bowl LVI (23-20 vs. Bengals)
One of the six post-2020 teams to make our bracket, the 21 Rams aren’t just Super Bowl champions; they’re forever the darlings of hardcore football nerds, and they’re kings of the “All-22” viewing experience.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford seemed like he was built in a lab to operate in head coach Sean McVay’s offense, and he almost instantly undid the years of mental labor that league defensive coordinators had spent on stopping McVay’s schemes. Stafford was impossible to blitz that year, and the Rams led the NFL in passer rating when teams rushed more than four defenders. The Rams were also first in passer rating against man coverage … and in the fourth quarter … they were in the top 10 in the red zone… and on third downs, too. By effectively any metric, in any situation, the most reliable passing game in the NFL that season was Los Angeles’s. Stafford finished the season with 41 touchdowns and more than 4,800 passing yards, and he probably should’ve been in stronger consideration for MVP.
The “fuck them picks” Rams provided compelling narratives through the run-up to the Super Bowl, too. When the passing game hit a lull in November, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was brought in to make sure that Stafford had a target on the perimeter he could trust. When the defense needed more help on the edge, the franchise traded for future Hall of Famer Von Miller. When you include defensive tackle Aaron Donald, this roster seemed like a who’s who of the 2010s, each player adding what they needed to be considered among the all-time greats at their respective positions—and the playoffs seemed like a cathartic exercise for each of these guys. Stafford outdueled Tom Brady on the road in the divisional round, McVay did just enough as a play caller to beat close friend and competitor Kyle Shanahan in the conference championship, and with the season on the line, Donald sealed the Super Bowl win with a pressure on fourth down to force the ball out of quarterback Joe Burrow’s hands.
This team was built to lean on its stars, and they delivered one of the best journeys to a title we’ve seen this century. —Diante Lee
(2) 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (7) 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
2002 Buccaneers
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl XXXVII (48-21 vs. Raiders)
The 2002 Buccaneers aren’t just one of the best teams of the last 25 years, and they didn’t just have one of the best defenses we’ve ever seen. They were the apex (in my opinion) for the most transformative and influential defense of the century, they planted the early seeds of offensive construction that ultimately became the Sean McVay–Kyle Shanahan renaissance we’ve seen over the past decade, and they delivered arguably the most dominant string of playoff wins we may ever see in pro football.
The move that made the Buccaneers’ championship run possible was a huge trade in February 2002 for now disgraced head coach Jon Gruden—sending a haul of two first-rounders and two second-rounders to the Raiders in exchange for the young offensive guru. Gruden remade the offense to feature a more north-south rushing attack, added receiver Keenan McCardell to play opposite Keyshawn Johnson, and implemented the kinds of condensed formations and comprehensive dropback passing concepts that typify today’s approach to offense. Quarterback Brad Johnson put up the most efficient season of his career and made the Pro Bowl as a result.
Gruden also kept former head coach Tony Dungy’s defensive staff on board, and that unit dominated the league, allowing more than 14 points in just eight games all year (including the playoffs). En route to winning Super Bowl XXXVII, the Bucs forced 12 turnovers and allowed an opponent passer rating of just 45.9 in their three playoff games, capping the season off with three pick-sixes against the Raiders. Their foundational players (Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, and Ronde Barber) each came to represent the platonic ideals of their respective positions, and you could drop that unit into today’s NFL and watch them brilliantly execute the “Tampa 2” against any offense you lined them up against.
We’ve been fortunate to witness several teams that have totally changed how we see the sport over the past few decades, but not one of them would want to match up against the ’02 Bucs. —Lee
2005 Steelers
Record: 11-5
Result: Won Super Bowl XL (21-10 vs. Seahawks)
Don’t let the relatively unremarkable regular-season record fool you. The Steelers were worthy champions in 2005 and could play with any team in this bracket.
Pittsburgh lost five games that season, but two were started by Tommy Maddox in place of an injured Ben Roethlisberger. With Roethlisberger out there, the Steelers went 13-3, including a hellacious postseason gauntlet. In the playoffs, they beat the 11-win Bengals, 14-win Colts, 13-win Broncos, and 13-win Seahawks by an average of 11.3 points, all on the road. Indianapolis, Seattle, and Cincinnati had the top three offenses in the league. The Steelers defense, starring Casey Hampton, Troy Polamalu, and Joey Porter, snuffed them all out, allowing just 15.5 points per game during the championship run.
Roethlisberger was still years away from his prime, but a rock-solid infrastructure, led by a dominant offensive line, set him up for an outrageously efficient season. He led the NFL at 8.9 yards per attempt and finished second behind Peyton Manning in EPA per dropback. This was the year Willie Parker became a household name and rushed for over 1,200 yards behind Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca. Jerome Bettis, who was just a short-yardage specialist by that point, finally got his ring and a dream ending to his career, winning the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit. The group of pass catchers was just OK, but Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El were good enough to torch defenses that loaded up the box.
At full strength, this was the best and most balanced team Bill Cowher coached during his Hall of Fame run in Pittsburgh. —Ruiz
(1) 2007 New England Patriots vs. (8) 2001 New England Patriots
2007 Patriots
Record: 16-0
Result: Lost Super Bowl XLII (17-14 vs. Giants)
The New York Giants beating the undefeated 2007 Patriots was perhaps the single greatest moment of my life. So as a Giants fan, I feel uniquely qualified to say that the 2007 New England Patriots are unequivocally the best football team of the 21st century, even though they did not win the Super Bowl.
You know the accolades: Tom Brady became the first player to throw 50 touchdown passes in a season. Randy Moss broke the single-season receiving touchdown record. The Patriots offense as a whole scored more points than any other team in league history. And they were the first team to go undefeated in the regular season since the 1972 Dolphins, and the first (and to date, only) team to go 16-0.
The ’07 Patriots also changed the game. They made three-receiver sets the default. They moved offenses from under center to shotgun. Football before and after this team looked different, both on the field and in the record books. Brady may be the best player in the history of football, and 2007 was inarguably the best season of his career. Despite that Super Bowl loss, there is zero doubt in my mind that if you put every team in the 21st century on the same field, the ’07 Patriots walk away champions. —Heifetz
2001 Patriots
Record: 11-5
Result: Won Super Bowl XXXVI (20-17 vs. Rams)
After Week 2 of the 2001 NFL season, legendary sportswriter Paul Zimmerman had the Patriots 31st in his weekly power ranking. There’s a good chance that Dr. Z would’ve had them 32nd, except the Houston Texans were still one year away from starting to play. Thus began the most remarkable Cinderella story in league history—and the all-consuming entity that swallowed the league whole for two decades.
To retell the tale is to repeat well-worn lore—depending on your allegiances, you’ll either smile or shudder at the words “Mo Lewis,” “199th overall pick,” and “Tuck Rule.” But strip away the legend and look at the facts, and you’ll find a much less romantic story. This version of the Pats may have been the big bang for the dynasty, but on paper, they did little exceptionally well besides win. They ranked sixth in both offensive and defensive yards, but DVOA had them at 11th and 13th on those sides of the ball, respectively. They had zero All-Pros, and despite the remarkable midseason turnaround—going 11-3 after starting 0-2 and suddenly losing their starting quarterback—Bill Belichick lost Coach of the Year honors to Dick Jauron. (And for those keeping score, they finished the year sixth in Dr. Z’s power rankings.)
What this team was best at was simply finding ways to win when it mattered. Call it the mastery of “situational football.” Call it a hot streak that they rode to a ring. Either way, the result is still the same: David toppling Goliath in the biggest Super Bowl upset since Joe Namath. Of course, David then became Goliath. That may be the only reason this version of the Pats doesn’t truly stand a chance in this exercise. —Sayles
(4) 2022 Kansas City Chiefs vs. (5) 2021 Buffalo Bills
2022 Chiefs
Record: 14-3
Result: Won Super Bowl LVII (38-35 vs. Eagles)
They won the Super Bowl in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The Chiefs’ current run of dominance has become such a part of our NFL existence that it has almost become monotonous. Like background noise. So it’s worth saying again: They won the Super Bowl in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. It’s an achievement unlike any other in league history.
Heading into the 2022 season, Kansas City was coming off a loss in the AFC championship game, and needed to refresh an aging roster. Most notably, the team traded away wide receiver Tyreek Hill and opted not to re-sign Tyrann Mathieu, but those weren’t the only changes. A full 24 of the players on the 53-man Super Bowl roster were new to the team that season. Four rookies started the Super Bowl.
Yet not only did the team not take a step back, but arguably the Chiefs got better. Patrick Mahomes won MVP (both regular season and Super Bowl), as the offense ranked first in both points and yards. The Chiefs got crucial rookie contributions from rookies like Isiah Pacheco, Trent McDuffie, and Skyy Moore. Mahomes injured his ankle in the playoffs, but was brilliant despite that. In the Super Bowl, Kansas City scored a touchdown on every single second-half drive, save for the final one, which resulted in a lead-changing field goal with eight seconds left on the clock.
In short, this is the year the Chiefs went from great to terrifying. What had been a phenomenally exciting squad became a true dynasty. Mahomes and Andy Reid showed that even when they need to rebuild the roster, they can still win it all. —McAtee
2021 Bills
Record: 11-6
Result: Lost in divisional round (42-36 OT vs. Chiefs)
It’s weirdly difficult to pinpoint the best Buffalo Bills team in the Josh Allen era. Not that it’s wrong to include one on this list: In the 2020s, the Bills have had the second-most wins and the best point differential by a lot. But every team in this run has had their flaws and their fair share of bizarre results. The 2020 Bills went to the AFC championship game but got housed by a much better Kansas City Chiefs team; the 2024 team got that far, too, but their defense was far worse than in previous years and their best wide receiver was … Mack Hollins; the 2022 team looked unstoppable at times and went 13-3, but they almost lost to a Skylar Thompson–led Miami Dolphins team in the wild-card round before getting run over by the Cincinnati Bengals at home in the divisional.
That leaves the 2021 Bills, a team that finished the regular season third in points (helmed by OC Brian Daboll), first in points against (thanks mostly to a dominant secondary led by All-Pro safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer), and second in total DVOA. Funnily enough, the 2021 AFC East race was pretty tight, especially after the New England Patriots beat Buffalo 14-10 in Week 13’s “Wind Game.” But the following week, after trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-3 at half, Josh Allen took another leap to become Current Form Josh Allen. The Bills lost that game in OT, but from there they seemed destined for the Super Bowl. A five-game win streak followed, punctuated by a literally perfect offensive performance in a 47-17 wild-card win versus the Patriots. Of course, you all know what happened next. Instead of talking about it again, let us hold a 13-second moment of silence for this great football team that probably would’ve achieved more had the gods not decided to be so cruel. —Andrew Gruttadaro
(3) 2000 Baltimore Ravens vs. (6) 2009 Indianapolis Colts
2000 Ravens
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl XXXV (34-7 vs. Giants)
High on the list of “Things That We’ll Never See Again” is watching a defense allow just one touchdown on a run to a championship. Statistically, the 2000 Ravens defense is arguably the best ever, squeezing the air out of almost every offense it matched up against. The Ravens started the season with a shutout of rival Pittsburgh, went 12-4 in spite of five consecutive weeks without an offensive touchdown, and stomped all over Denver and Oakland in the AFC playoffs—two of the top three scoring offenses that year. Baltimore’s résumé compares favorably with that of any other team in this bracket.
Baltimore allowed just 10.3 points per game that year, went 14 of its 19 total games allowing no more than one touchdown, and I’m sure almost every offensive player in the NFL would flinch if Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis even looked in their direction. By the time we got to the Super Bowl, it was clear that no one on the New York Giants was interested in meeting him between the tackles, either. It felt like the Giants spent the entire first quarter inside of their own 20-yard line, toggling between running into a brick wall and having quarterback Kerry Collins shoved into one every time he dropped back. While Lewis shared the stage with fellow Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, linebacker Peter Boulware, and Pro Bowler Sam Adams, it was clear that Lewis was the best player in the league, the centerpiece of his defense and the heartbeat of the organization, and bringing Baltimore the first championship in franchise history will always be the crowning achievement in his long career.
Because the 2000 Ravens were objectively bad on offense, led by unheralded head coach Brian Billick (who left the league after he was fired in 2007), and feel like a relic of football’s past due to the advent of the modern passing game, properly appreciating a team like this will be tough. But if you remember what a phenomenon the 2000 Ravens defense was, you’ll have trouble picking a team you’d rather advance than this one. —Lee
2009 Colts
Record: 14-2
Result: Lost Super Bowl XLIV (31-17 vs. Saints)
Let me just start by saying: Onside kicks are fucking stupid. This should have been Peyton’s second Super Bowl win with the Colts; instead it was probably the beginning of the end. Indy started the season 14-0 and seemed destined for a perfect season, but rookie head coach Jim Caldwell decided to play the long game, resting his starters in the third quarter of Week 15 (with the Colts up five) and losing the streak. Did the L take away some of the team’s mojo? Perhaps. (At a minimum, it introduced us to the concept of Curtis Painter.) But Indy still made it to the Super Bowl before Sean Payton caught the Colts with their pants down and Tracy Porter betrayed his college roots. These Colts didn’t have the offense to match the 2006 squad, but the ’09 defense was almost on Peyton’s level, with players like Antoine Bethea and Gary Brackett fortifying the pass rush. But this Super Bowl loss might have been the most painful of Peyton’s career. (As a young Colts.com beat writer, it absolutely was mine.) —Matt Dollinger
(2) 2001 St. Louis Rams vs. (7) 2006 San Diego Chargers
2001 Rams
Record: 14-2
Result: Lost Super Bowl XXXVI (20-17 vs. Patriots)
The 2001 Rams were the best and most complete team of the Greatest Show on Turf era—a squad loaded with future Hall of Famers who ran through the NFC before they were upset in the Super Bowl by a pesky New England Patriots team and some young quarterback named Tom Brady.
Even before that season began, there was no doubt that the St. Louis Rams had one of the greatest offenses the NFL had ever seen. But they needed to make major changes on defense if they wanted to have a real shot at a second ring. They spent the offseason overhauling the defense, hiring a new defensive coordinator (Lovie Smith), using three first-round picks on defensive players, and trading for star cornerback Aeneas Williams. It worked.
The Rams were a juggernaut, winning 14 games and routinely blowing out their opponents. They scored more than 30 points in 11 of their games, and their point margin of plus-230 was the third highest of all teams from 2000 to 2024. That revamped defense finished the regular season ranked third in yards allowed, while Williams was a lockdown corner (and had a pair of pick-sixes in a playoff win over the Packers) and one of four Rams to earn first-team All-Pro honors. Five players from that ’01 team are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame: Williams, quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, and offensive tackle Orlando Pace. A sixth, receiver Torry Holt, is a multi-time finalist and should eventually get his gold jacket.
There aren’t many teams from the early aughts whose roster and playing style would hold up here in 2025, but these Rams are timeless. —Jones
2006 Chargers
Record: 14-2
Result: Lost in divisional round (24-21 vs. Patriots)
The 2006 Chargers gave me, a San Diego native, the most memorable single season of any sports team in the city during my lifetime. This magical season predates the idea of “Chargering,” the prime of quarterback Philip Rivers’s career, and a franchise brand highlighted by its pretty uniforms and ugly playoff losses. For 17 weeks, everything was finally going right at Qualcomm Stadium.
We know now that the 2000s were the beginning of the Patriots dynasty and Tom Brady’s domination over his peers in the AFC. But after Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning finally beat Brady in the 2005 playoffs and New England’s season ended in a disastrous loss to the Broncos in the divisional round, the conference (and league at large) felt like it might be an open competition again. The Chargers checked several boxes as a candidate to take the throne in 2006, with the no. 1 scoring offense in the league and a top 10 scoring defense. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson had over 30 total touchdowns that season and won MVP, tight end Antonio Gates was squarely in his prime and the best at his position, and Rivers made it easy to forget about the Drew Brees era that preceded him, making the Pro Bowl that season.
What felled one of the best regular-season teams of this century was exactly what had dogged the Manning era Colts for years: this was a finesse-first, front-running team that was over-reliant on its star power. New England never flinched in the face of San Diego’s speed and explosiveness on both sides of the ball, and upset the Chargers by making key plays in the second half of the divisional round matchup.
Had the Chargers seen anyone else in the AFC playoffs, they’d have likely waltzed to the conference title game, and certainly would have been favorites to run the table. San Diego was so stacked with talent in this era, the Chargers were banned from use in any Madden tournament I played in. Tomlinson’s explosive runs felt like an inevitability each week, and the edge-rushing pair of Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips were the best duo outside of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis in Indianapolis. After San Diego’s divisional-round meltdown, now you’ll just find jaded fans in the Gaslamp Quarter sneering at you if you mention Marlon McCree. —Lee
(1) 2019 Kansas City Chiefs vs. (8) 2024 Detroit Lions
2019 Chiefs
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl LIV (31-20 vs. 49ers)
It was tough to pick the best Chiefs team of the Patrick Mahomes era, so in many ways this 2019 team will account for the incredible three-year run that kicked off his career as a starting quarterback. The 2018 squad was a revelation and finished the regular season ranked first in points (565, the third most of the century), touchdowns, total yards, and yards per play. They were explosive and efficient, and by total offensive EPA, they were the seventh-best offense of the century so far. But they came up short in the playoffs, losing at home to the Patriots in the conference championship and robbing us of a Super Bowl matchup against Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams. I may never forgive Dee Ford (or the officiating crew that flagged him for offsides).
The 2019 Chiefs didn’t quite hit the same offensive highs, but this was the year they broke through in the postseason and Mahomes built his legacy as one of the greatest gamers. He led Kansas City back from double-digit deficits in each of their three playoff wins, including the Super Bowl victory over the 49ers. And that 2019 team had defensive closers—Tyrann Mathieu was a huge addition to the secondary, and Chris Jones was an absolute monster in the biggest moments.
The 2020 Chiefs made it back to the Super Bowl, but the offense was a shell of itself by February because of injuries on the offensive line. Ultimately, the 2018 Chiefs might have been more fun, but the 2019 Chiefs were better when it counted, and that’s worth plenty when determining not just the best Chiefs team of the Mahomes era but the best teams of this quarter century. —Jones
2024 Lions
Record: 15-2
Result: Lost in divisional round (45-31 vs. Commanders)
The 2024 Lions offense was an absolute fucking buzz saw. They were the perfect combination of smashmouth football and track-meet speed. They played with both extreme discipline and a wild, devil-may-care attitude. They led the league in points and in disrespectful play calls. Head coach Dan Campbell led the league in fourth-down cajones. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson led the league in play calling arrogance (complimentary), dialing up flea-flickers, hook-and-ladders, tackle-eligible passes, double passes, quarterback throw-backs, and everything in between with delightful frequency.
And it all usually worked, except for that time they ran an end-around to star tackle Penei Sewell at the 10:00 mark of the first quarter in one game against the Bears. He lost yardage on that one after deciding not to throw it downfield. But otherwise, this Lions team was calling and executing hilariously over-the-top plays like they were the plucky underdogs of an ’80s Disney movie. They had this one play, they called it Stumblebum, on which Jared Goff pretended to stumble and almost fall before turning around and throwing a strike to Sam LaPorta in the end zone. Basically, the 2024 Lions were the new America’s Team. They played the way you wish your team played. Man, they were so fun.
Ultimately, though, the 2024 Lions lost the battle of attrition. Basically everyone on their defense got hurt. It was honestly unbelievable that they got as far as they got, winning 15 games and earning the no. 1 seed in the conference, with the absurd amount of injuries the team had to endure. They failed to get their heartwarming Hollywood ending, losing in the divisional round to a very good Commanders team. But this Detroit squad—thanks to a unique combination of aggressive coaching, play calling, and explosive on-field talent—was quite possibly the most fun team I’ve ever watched play. —Kelly
(4) 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (5) 2006 Indianapolis Colts
2020 Buccaneers
Record: 11-5
Result: Won Super Bowl LV (31-9 vs. Chiefs)
Has a team bent a season more to its will than the 2020 Buccaneers? Tampa Bay pulled off the coup of becoming the team to sign Tom Brady with the single hope of winning a Super Bowl, then did just that in one season. Brady signed in March, quickly assembled a band of mercenary buddies, including Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette, and 11 months later was taking avocado tequila shots in the championship boat parade.
That’s not to say it was just Brady. Leading up to that fateful offseason, general manager Jason Licht took the “Field of Dreams” approach, building a roster he believed could coax a star quarterback to Tampa Bay and support him all the way to a championship once he was there. That started with a stacked defense, particularly a nasty and stifling front seven highlighted by Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh clogging up the middle, and Lavonte David and Devin White’s aggressive and versatile play at linebacker. And while Brady brought his buddy Gronk with him to Tampa, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans were ready and waiting for him, as was a sturdy offensive line.
Brady was instantly the best passer the Bucs had ever had, but he may have made his greatest mark that season by showing how a single player can drastically influence culture, seemingly overnight, particularly given the fact that this season took place amid the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the NFL. The 2020 Bucs had plenty of growing pains throughout the season—particularly a brutal November loss to the Saints—and were only 11-5 going into the postseason as a wild-card team. But Brady’s lessons took hold at the right time, which Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs learned the hard way in Super Bowl LV. That win belonged first to Tampa Bay’s defense, which had Mahomes running for his life. But it was another playoff victory for Brady in a battle of great quarterbacks, and a fitting end to this season of statement making. The Tom vs. Bill debates in and out of New England were never the same. —Princiotti
2006 Colts
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl XLI (29-17 vs. Bears)
Peak Peyton was about as unstoppable as they get (unless, of course, you were also taping opponents’ practices and deflating footballs). Like if Nikola Jokic played quarterback. Manning could peer into a defensive coordinator’s soul, change the play at the line of scrimmage, and seemingly always find Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne streaking downfield. Sure, the run defense was as porous as a spaghetti strainer, but the offense was electric and led to Peyton’s only Super Bowl win with the Colts (thank you, Rex Grossman). With Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis pinning their ears back and a young secondary generating just enough big plays, this baby was a true juggernaut. They finally got over the hump, slayed Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the AFC title game, and delivered a ring. —Dollinger
(3) 2017 Philadelphia Eagles vs. (6) 2019 Baltimore Ravens
2017 Eagles
Record: 13-3
Result: Won Super Bowl LII (41-33 vs. Patriots)
One of the great “nobody believes in us” teams of all time. The Eagles looked like legit contenders for most of the year, but Carson Wentz (remember him?) suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 14 against the Rams. That felt like the funeral for the 2017 Eagles. Another opportunity wasted and an angry (to put it mildly) fan base that would have to go another year without seeing its team win its first Super Bowl. Even late in the regular season things seemed hopeless, but then came a magical playoff run.
The players broke out underdog masks, and the fans rapped along to Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares.” The defense, led by Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Malcolm Jenkins, allowed a total of 17 points in playoff wins over the Falcons and Vikings. That set up a Super Bowl matchup against the Patriots. Nick Foles and Doug Pederson vs. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick? On paper, it didn’t seem like a fair fight. Belichick even took a break from game prep to attend a Timberwolves-Bucks game just days before the Super Bowl. But the Eagles’ offensive line was dominant, Foles played the game of his life, and Pederson coached to win, delivering Philly Special, one of the most iconic play calls in Super Bowl history. The offense was so good that the defense needed to make just one play: a Brandon Graham strip sack that one aspiring podcaster had predicted days before.
If you go position by position and just look at talent, there’s not a strong case for this team. But if you believe that football is about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, it’s hard to beat the 2017 Eagles. —Kapadia
2019 Ravens
Record: 14-2
Result: Lost in divisional round (28-12 vs. Titans)
The Ravens wasted no time putting the league on notice to start the 2019 season, annihilating the Dolphins in a 59-10 blowout Week 1 win. It was a statement victory for the ascending Baltimore team, which had officially turned the page on the Joe Flacco era in favor of a wholly different style under Lamar Jackson. And it was a preconception-smashing performance for Jackson, who took any remaining doubts about his legitimacy as an NFL passer behind the woodshed, throwing for 324 yards and five touchdowns in the smackdown. “Not bad for a running back,” he quipped after the game, a shot at predraft doubters who had suggested he switch positions in the pros.
Jackson changed the quarterback position forever in 2019. He led the Ravens to a 14-2 record while tossing a league-best 36 touchdown passes and just six picks—while setting a new all-time quarterback record of 1,206 rushing yards, adding seven touchdowns on the ground. The Ravens used pistol and shotgun formations almost exclusively while employing tons of read-option looks and play-action shots downfield. Defenses struggled to find answers. Baltimore led the league in points, as you might’ve guessed, but did so with previously unheard-of balance, throwing the most touchdowns (37) while also setting the league record (which they still hold) for rushing yards in a season (3,296). Lamar won his first MVP award.
The team’s defense and special teams units were excellent, too, ranking fourth and ninth in DVOA, respectively. Unfortunately for Lamar and the legacy of that incredibly dominant regular-season squad, things fell apart quickly when the postseason rolled around. Jackson stumbled badly in the team’s stunning 28-12 divisional-round loss to the Titans, turning the ball over three times as Tennessee star Derrick Henry ran roughshod all over the Ravens’ run defense, the team’s one main vulnerability. That early playoff exit tarnishes the team’s image and obviously hurts its standing in the pantheon of all-time groups—but the 2019 Ravens will go down as one of the most exciting teams I’ve ever watched. And more importantly, Jackson’s performance that year forever changed our collective notion of what a quarterback can do. —Kelly
(2) 2004 New England Patriots vs. (7) 2015 Denver Broncos
2004 Patriots
Record: 14-2
Result: Won Super Bowl XXXIX (24-21 vs. Eagles)
This team gets the nerd bump. They had the highest DVOA of any of the six Patriots championship teams. Despite a challenging schedule, they went 14-2 in the regular season. In the AFC playoffs, the Patriots faced two legit Super Bowl contenders in the Colts and the Steelers. Indianapolis had averaged a league-best 30.4 points per game in the regular season, but the Patriots shut them down in a 20-3 victory in the divisional round. The Steelers were one of two teams that beat the Patriots in the regular season, but New England got its revenge in the AFC championship, leaving Pittsburgh with a 41-27 victory. They then got past Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, and the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
This was a classic “do your job and don’t beat ourselves” Bill Belichick team. During their playoff run, the Patriots committed just one turnover and forced 11. That plus-10 turnover margin in the playoffs is tied for second best this century. They might have lacked the star power of future Patriots teams, but this was a balanced group—they finished the regular season in the top five in both offensive and defensive points per game—that could win in different ways. —Kapadia
2015 Broncos
Record: 12-4
Result: Won Super Bowl 50 (24-10 vs. Panthers)
Peyton Manning would need one of the greatest defensive performances in Super Bowl history to get him his second ring. And Denver’s defense, which named itself the No Fly Zone, was more than up for that challenge—just as it had been throughout the regular season and playoff run leading up to Super Bowl 50.
After the additions of pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby, and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, this 2015 defense looked almost nothing like the group that had lost to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl two years earlier. In 2015 the defense immediately showed that it was clutch, routinely coming up with game-changing stops and turnovers—none bigger than Roby’s scoop-and-score touchdown late in the fourth quarter of a tied game against the Chiefs in Week 2, a win that ultimately proved to be critical in the AFC standings by the end of the season. The Denver defense peaked in the playoffs, hitting Tom Brady 17 times (with four sacks) in the AFC championship game and bullying MVP Cam Newton and the Panthers in the Super Bowl. Five Broncos defenders made the Pro Bowl, and Von Miller was Super Bowl MVP and a first-team All-Pro.
We’ll remember the 2015 Broncos for the weird, sometimes sad, but ultimately triumphant end to Manning’s Hall of Fame career. He missed seven regular-season games because of a foot injury and clearly lacked the arm strength to be an effective downfield passer. But thanks to a talented group of offensive teammates around him, especially receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and the historically good defense, Manning’s final team warrants inclusion in any discussion of the best of the century so far. —Jones
An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated that Randy Moss broke the single-season receiving-yard record in 2007; he broke the single-season receiving touchdown record that year.
