We ranked every Super Bowl champion, 1-58: How do the Chiefs stack up against Brady's Pats, the '85 Bears? (2024)

Aaron Schatz, ESPN WriterFeb 11, 2024, 11:20 PM ET
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The Chiefs have defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. There have now been 58 Super Bowls since the NFL champion first took on the AFL champion after the 1966 season, which means we have 58 teams in this exclusive club. How do the 2023 Chiefs stack up?

Some of these teams were dominant from start to finish. Other teams slipped into the playoffs after a mediocre regular season then went on a shocking postseason run to a title. We've done our best to rank all 58 Super Bowl champions here from worst to best, looking at both the regular season and the playoffs to find the most powerful teams in NFL history.

To rank these teams, I used my proprietary DVOA ratings (explained further here) that look at efficiency on a play-by-play basis adjusted for situation and opponent. For teams prior to the start of DVOA in 1981, I estimated DVOA ratings based on Pro Football Reference's Simple Rating System plus the average margin of victory during the postseason. There's also an adjustment for the first four Super Bowl champions to reflect that the NFL was stronger than the AFL before the merger.

Let's start with a team from the 1970s.

58. 1970 Baltimore Colts (14-2-1, 6.8%)

This was the first season after the merger, and the NFC was still far superior to the AFC. According to Pro Football Reference, the Colts had the second-easiest schedule of the 1970 season. Despite that schedule, they outscored opponents by just 6.2 points per game and finished the regular season 14th in PFR's Simple Rating System. Johnny Unitas, in his final season as the starter, threw more interceptions (18) than touchdown passes (10).

In the playoffs, the Colts shut out the Bengals 17-0 and beat the Raiders 27-17 but then needed a last-minute field goal to beat the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V.

57. 2011 New York Giants (13-7, 10.9%)

The 2011 Giants are the only Super Bowl champion in history to get outscored during the regular season, although they did face the third-toughest schedule of the season and thus finished 13th in regular-season DVOA. They lost four straight games in the middle of the season to drop from 6-2 to 6-6, but then finished 3-1 and won a very mediocre NFC East at 9-7.

In the playoffs, the Giants had big wins over the Falcons and Packers and survived the 49ers in overtime. In Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants pulled off a 21-17 win against a Patriots team that had the worst defense to ever play in a Super Bowl.

56. 2001 New England Patriots (14-5, 11.9%)

You know the story: The Patriots started 0-2, Drew Bledsoe got hurt, Tom Brady came in, and a legend was born. But the Patriots were far from a great team at the start of the dynasty, finishing just 11th in both offensive and defensive DVOA that season. They ranked 29th in the NFL in schedule strength.

All three of their playoff victories came by just one score, and of course the divisional round win over Oakland required overtime, a lot of snow and a couple of legendary field goals. They beat the Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI.

55. 1987 Washington (14-4, but really 11-4, 11.9%)

This team had the lowest regular-season DVOA of any Super Bowl champion, in part because I don't count the three games, all wins, during the players strike. Washington ended the season eighth on offense with a below-average defense and special teams for a total DVOA of just 4.2%. They also escaped their first two playoff games with close victories, beating the Bears by just four points and the Vikings by seven. But they destroyed the Broncos 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII, and that's why they don't come in on the bottom of this list.

54. 2007 New York Giants (14-6, 13.6%)

While Washington in 1987 had the lowest regular-season DVOA of any Super Bowl champion, the 2007 Giants had the lowest rank, coming in just 15th at 4.5% DVOA. They finished second in the NFC East behind the Cowboys but went on a legendary run through the playoffs. The victories were close, but they all came on the road over teams that were fantastic during the regular season. They beat No. 8 Tampa Bay 24-14, No. 3 Dallas 21-17 and No. 4 Green Bay 23-20. And of course, the pièce de résistance was the 17-14 victory over the previously undefeated No. 1 Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

53. 1981 San Francisco 49ers (16-3, 14.1%)

This team was less impressive than you might think, considering it finished the regular season 13-3. As with the Patriots, the first championship team of the 49ers' dynasty was clearly the weakest. The 49ers were 7-2 in one-score games in the regular season and finished only 10th in DVOA. They were in the top eight for both offense and defense, dragged down by an awful special teams unit.

The 49ers needed two more one-score wins in the postseason: first "The Catch" leading to a 28-27 win over the Cowboys (fifth in DVOA), and then a 26-21 victory over the Bengals (third in DVOA) in Super Bowl XVI.

52. 1968 New York Jets (13-3, 14.6%)

Although the Jets won the AFL East, they finished third in both wins and point differential behind the Raiders and Chiefs. Considering the gap between the two leagues at that point, the Jets probably would have been an average NFL team. Their win in the AFL championship required a go-ahead touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter for a 27-23 victory over Oakland. Then came the 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, possibly the biggest upset in NFL history.

51. 2012 Baltimore Ravens (14-6, 15.5%)

The Ravens were just 12th in total DVOA during the regular season and ranked lower than that in both offense and defense. They were lifted by a No. 1 special teams unit which is one of the top dozen special teams units in DVOA history. In the first round, they easily put up a 24-9 win over a Colts team that made the playoffs despite ranking just 24th in DVOA.

Then came the "Mile High Miracle," the 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones that tied things up with the Broncos and led to a 38-35 Baltimore victory in double overtime. The Ravens easily dispatched the Patriots in the AFC championship 28-13 and defeated the 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII. Other than the Colts, the Ravens had a tough road to a title, as the last three teams they played ranked first (Denver), second (New England) and fourth (San Francisco) in DVOA that season.

50. 1980 Oakland Raiders (15-5, 17.1%)

The Raiders were the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl title after finishing second in the AFC West and seventh in PFR's Simple Rating System. They won 11 regular-season games despite finishing seventh in points scored and 10th in points allowed. They walloped the Oilers 27-7 in the wild-card round and then escaped the Browns 14-12 in the "Red Right 88" game, when the Browns went for a touchdown instead of trying for the winning field goal from the Raiders 13 with less than a minute remaining.

After a narrow victory over the rival Chargers in the AFC championship, the Raiders had a surprisingly convincing 27-10 victory over the favored Eagles (the No. 1 team in SRS) in Super Bowl XV.

49. 2018 New England Patriots (14-5, 19.6%)

This was not the best regular season for the Tom Brady-led Patriots, with a couple of big losses including 26-10 to the Lions and 34-10 to the Titans. The Patriots also lost to Miami on the "Miami Miracle" touchdown in Week 14. They finished the season just seventh in total DVOA, very average in defense and special teams to go with a good offense. However, the Patriots did manage to get a first-round bye followed by a 41-28 victory over the Chargers.

In the AFC championship, they beat the Chiefs 37-31 in overtime after Dee Ford's offside penalty cost the Chiefs a takeaway late in the fourth quarter. And in Super Bowl LIII, Bill Belichick's defense completely shut down a powerful Rams offense and Brady managed just enough offense in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever (13-3).

48. 2015 Denver Broncos (15-4, 20.0%)

A veteran Peyton Manning had seen his skills disintegrate through the second half of the previous season, and as a result, the 2015 Broncos have the worst offensive DVOA of any Super Bowl champion. But oh, that defense was so good -- No. 1 in the league that season and 13th in DVOA history if we include the postseason. The Broncos managed to go 9-3 in one-score games in the regular season, finishing 12-4 despite outscoring opponents by only 59 points (10th in the NFL).

Getting to the Super Bowl required two more one-score victories over the Steelers and the Patriots, but they easily beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, California.

47. 2006 Indianapolis Colts (16-4, 22.1%)

Peyton Manning was the quarterback for both the team with the worst regular-season offense of any Super Bowl champion (see above) and the team with the worst regular-season defense of any Super Bowl champion (these 2006 Colts). The Colts were No. 1 in offensive DVOA but 25th in defense DVOA that season. Then, Bob Sanders returned from injury for the playoffs and the entire defense flipped the switch.

46. 2003 New England Patriots (17-2, 22.5%)

This is probably a controversially low ranking considering that the Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season and won their final 15 games in a row. However, the Patriots ranked 12th in both offensive DVOA and points scored. Their point differential suggested a team with 11.4 wins, not 14, in part because of the 31-0 loss to the Bills that started the season.

The Patriots also required a couple of very close victories in the playoffs. They beat the Titans 17-14 in the freezing cold and won the AFC championship 24-14 over the Colts in the snow. Super Bowl XXXVIII was a 32-29 win that required a last-second field goal to beat a Panthers team that was one of the weakest to ever appear in the Super Bowl (17th in DVOA that season).

45. 2010 Green Bay Packers (14-6, 23.5%)

I wrote above about a number of teams that won more games than advanced metrics would suggest. Here's a team that won fewer games than advanced metrics would suggest. The Packers snuck into the playoffs with a sixth seed despite ranking fifth in the league in total DVOA, partly because they were only 4-6 in one-score games.

Their luck in one-score games turned around in the postseason. The Packers went on the road to beat the Eagles 21-16 and then destroy the Falcons 48-21. The NFC championship was a 21-14 victory over the Bears, then the Super Bowl XLV was a 31-25 victory over Pittsburgh.

44. 1982 Washington (12-1, 23.7%)

OK, back to teams that won more games than their advanced metrics would suggest, Washington finished the strike-shortened 1982 regular season just seventh in DVOA despite the 8-1 record. That gets a bit of an asterisk, however, as the top six teams in DVOA that season were all AFC teams -- leaving Washington as the top team in their own conference!

Things were trending up as Washington entered the playoffs, as it beat its final two opponents by a combined score of 55-10. And Washington didn't require a single one-score win in the postseason. The four wins in the expanded 1982 tournament came by an average of 15.5 points, including a 27-17 win over the pre-Marino Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

43. 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3-1, 24.3%)

The Steelers finished this regular season ranked third in PFR's Simple Rating System. They ranked sixth in points scored and second in points allowed. But the Steelers didn't require any close wins on their way to their first Super Bowl championship. Pittsburgh took the divisional game 32-14 over Buffalo and then won the AFC championship 24-13 over the Raiders. In Super Bowl IX, the Steelers won 16-6 over Minnesota and the "Purple People Eaters" defense.

42. 2023 Kansas City Chiefs (15-6, 24.4%)

The Chiefs were a relative disappointment during the regular season, at one point going 3-5 over an eight-game string that ended with a home loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day. They were only eighth in offensive DVOA -- but seventh on defense, the best rank of the Patrick Mahomes era. In the playoffs, the Mahomes Magic arrived. Based on average DVOA of opponents, the Chiefs surpassed the 2007 Giants with the hardest postseason road to a Super Bowl title ever. An average championship-quality team (25% DVOA) would be expected to win these four games only 2.4% of the time. (The 2007 Giants were at 2.44% and the 2005 Steelers at 2.8%.)

First came a dominating defensive performance in a 26-7 home win over the No. 6 Dolphins in the subfreezing cold. Next, the Chiefs edged out the No. 3 Bills 27-24 on the road in the divisional round. Finally, the Chiefs took out the No. 1 Ravens and the No. 2 49ers -- two of the 10 best regular-season teams in DVOA history -- with a 17-10 win in the AFC Championship Game and a 25-22 overtime victory in Super Bowl LVIII.

41. 2014 New England Patriots (15-4, 24.8%)

The 2014 Patriots ranked fourth in regular-season DVOA. They didn't really stand out anywhere, ranking sixth on offense, 12th on defense and fifth on special teams. However, they were 10-1 from Week 5 to Week 16 before sitting starters against the Bills in the final game of the regular season.

Then came a very, very memorable postseason. They came back to beat Baltimore 35-31 and then absolutely destroyed the Colts 45-7 in the Deflategate game. In Super Bowl XLIX, Malcolm Butler made the most important single play in NFL history (based on Super Bowl win probability) -- a goal-line interception -- as the Patriots came away with a 28-24 victory and their first Lombardi Trophy in 10 years.

40. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs (14-3, 26.7%)

The Chiefs finished second in the AFL West behind the 12-1-1 Raiders but ranked No. 1 in point differential and PFR's Simple Rating System. They were second in points scored and first in points allowed. It's a good thing the AFL added a round of playoffs that season, as previously two teams from the same division only made the AFL playoffs if they ended the regular season tied.

The Chiefs took out the AFC East champion Jets first 13-6 and then beat the rival Raiders 17-7 in the AFL championship. Finally, they embarrassed the NFL champion Vikings 23-7 despite being 12-point underdogs in Super Bowl IV. It's hard to figure out where the Chiefs rank among all these NFL teams, but they were clearly the best AFL team to make the Super Bowl before the merger.

39. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles (16-3, 27.1%)

The Eagles were 11-2 and third in DVOA through Week 14, when MVP candidate Carson Wentz got hurt in a win over the Rams. In came Nick Foles who won the next two games before the Eagles lost a meaningless Week 17 game with Nate Sudfeld playing quarterback. Still, the Eagles had dropped to fifth in DVOA, even without the Sudfeld game.

A close 15-10 victory over the Falcons in the divisional round didn't really stoke excitement that Foles would be able to lead the Eagles to a title. Then came the NFC championship, a 38-7 dismantling of the Vikings that has the seventh-highest single-game DVOA of any game since 1981. Finally, Foles and the Eagles destroyed the New England defense in Super Bowl LII while the Eagles' defense withstood maybe Brady's best Super Bowl performance ever. The result: a 41-33 win and an Eagles championship.

38. 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers (15-4, 27.4%)

Led by an outstanding defense, the Steelers went 12-4 against the league's fourth-toughest schedule based on average DVOA of opponents. It's the toughest regular-season schedule ever faced by a Super Bowl champion. The Steelers ranked just 20th in both offensive DVOA and points scored but ranked second in defensive DVOA and first in points allowed. The team ranks among the top 10 regular-season defenses in DVOA history, as do the 2008 Ravens. But it was the Steelers who proved victorious over the Ravens in the AFC championship.

Things get complicated with Pittsburgh's DVOA when we get to Super Bowl XLIII. The Steelers won 27-23 on an amazing last-minute toe-tap catch by Santonio Holmes, but their DVOA is negative for that game because 1) Arizona had the weakest regular season ever for a Super Bowl team and 2) the Cardinals outgained the Steelers 407 yards to 292 on roughly the same number of plays. That drops Pittsburgh on this list, as the 2008 Steelers would rank 30th without the Super Bowl.

37. 2016 New England Patriots (17-2, 27.8%)

Despite going 14-2 in the regular season -- including 3-1 during Brady's Deflategate suspension -- the Patriots finished second in DVOA behind the Falcons because they played the easiest schedule in the league. This was a balanced Patriots team, ranking in the top 10 for all three phases and first in the league in run defense.

In the divisional round, they clobbered a very weak Houston team (AFC South champion despite finishing 28th in DVOA) by a 34-16 score. They had a very convincing 36-17 victory over No. 4 Pittsburgh in the AFC championship. As for Super Bowl LI, the Patriots don't get extra credit for coming back from a 28-3 deficit because they fell behind Atlanta 28-3 in the first place. But a 34-28 overtime victory over the No. 1 team from the regular season is still impressive!

36. 1967 Green Bay Packers (12-4-1, 28.4%)

The Packers finished third in PFR's Simple Rating System behind the Rams and Baltimore Colts, who each finished 11-1-2. However, their losses were all close. They lost by three to the Vikings, Colts and Rams and then lost by seven to the Steelers when they sat Bart Starr and other starters to end the regular season.

A 28-7 victory over the Rams in the divisional round was impressive, despite the Packers turning over the ball four times. Next came the "Ice Bowl" and a 21-17 victory over the Cowboys. Finally, the Packers dispatched the best team in the AFL, the 13-1 Oakland Raiders, 33-14 in Super Bowl II.

35. 1976 Oakland Raiders (16-1, 28.4%)

Here's another team that wasn't quite as good as its 13-1 regular-season record. Point differential suggests a 10-4 record, as the Raiders were 6-0 in one-score games and their only loss was 48-17 to the Patriots. The Raiders finished fourth in points scored and only 12th in points allowed.

However, they went on a strong run in the playoffs. They got revenge on the Patriots with a 24-21 win in the divisional round, known to Patriots fans as the "Sugar Bear Hamilton" game because of a controversial roughing the passer penalty. In the AFC championship, the Raiders easily beat the best regular-season team in the Simple Rating System, the Steelers, by a 24-7 score. Finally, they got the Super Bowl XI victory, 32-14 over the Vikings.

34. 2021 Los Angeles Rams (16-5, 28.9%)

The Rams were third in DVOA during the regular season. The Matthew Stafford-led offense was surprisingly lower (eighth) than the defense (third) or special teams (fourth). In the playoffs, the Rams started with a dominating 34-11 win over the Cardinals, but their final three wins were all by three points apiece: the divisional round game against the Buccaneers, the NFC championship where they hosted the 49ers and Super Bowl LVI against the Bengals (23-20).

33. 2000 Baltimore Ravens (16-4, 29.4%)

The Ravens ranked fourth in total DVOA and -- this might surprise you -- a reasonable 22nd on offense. Yet, once you adjust for the league's easiest strength of schedule, these Ravens did not have one of the top 25 regular-season defenses in DVOA history. Their run defense was fantastic, but the pass defense finished just sixth that season. Combined, the Ravens were second to the Titans on defense.

Then the Ravens turned it on to a ridiculous extent once we got to the postseason. In four games, the Ravens allowed a combined 23 points to the Broncos, Titans, Raiders and Giants, all teams that were above average on offense that season. As a result, the Ravens' defensive DVOA goes from minus-21% in the regular season to minus-31% once you include the playoffs. It's the fifth-best defense in DVOA history with the playoffs included. They defeated the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV by a score of 34-7.

32. 2009 New Orleans Saints (16-3, 29.5%)

The Saints led the NFL in DVOA after a 13-0 start but fell to sixth because of a three-game losing streak to finish off the regular season. (Their starters played in the first two of those three losses, but not the third.) The Saints were second on offense, narrowly behind the Patriots, but 13th on defense and 28th on special teams.

Their DVOA moves up nicely thanks to some big playoff victories. They dominated Arizona 45-14 in the divisional round. The NFC championship required overtime and a Brett Favre interception for a 31-28 victory over the Vikings. But then the Saints beat the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV, capped off by a Tracy Porter pick-six off Peyton Manning.

31. 2022 Kansas City Chiefs (17-3, 30.1%)

The Chiefs finished the season fourth in total DVOA: first on offense but 14th on defense and 19th on special teams. They played one of the league's easier schedules (26th) but their three losses each came by just four points or fewer. The postseason was interesting because the Chiefs won three games by an average of just 4.3 points, tied with the 2001 Patriots for the lowest average playoff margin of victory among Super Bowl champions. And yet, DVOA thinks the Chiefs' playoff run was outstanding.

The Chiefs won the turnover margin in all three games and had the higher yards per play number in the final two, thus putting up at least 40% DVOA in all three wins: 27-20 over the Jaguars, 23-20 over the Bengals and then 38-35 over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

30. 1990 New York Giants (16-3, 30.2%)

There's a general sense that 1990 was the best Bills team and the Giants stole Super Bowl XXV from a superior opponent when kicker Scott Norwood went wide right. The DVOA metric disagrees. The 1990-1992 Bills all come out about the same, and the Giants were truly the better team during the 1990 regular season. We're almost halfway through the list of Super Bowl champions and this is the first team that ranked No. 1 in DVOA during the regular season. New York was seventh on offense, second on defense and second on special teams.

The Giants blew out Chicago 31-3 in the divisional round before finishing up with two very close wins: 15-13 over San Francisco in the NFC championship and then 20-19 over the Bills when Norwood missed the field goal in the Super Bowl.

29. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (17-2, 30.3%)

The next few teams on our list were all impressive during the regular season but move up substantially thanks to even more impressive postseason runs. We'll start with the 1978 Steelers, second in the PFR Simple Rating System behind the 12-4 Cowboys. The Steelers played an easy schedule but also lost just two games by a combined 10 points. The Steel Curtain had the fewest points allowed and the Terry Bradshaw-led offense was fifth in points scored.

The big playoff wins included a 33-10 victory over the Broncos in the divisional round and then a 34-5 dismantling of the Houston Oilers in the AFC championship. Super Bowl XIII was much closer by the end, as the Steelers took a 35-17 lead and then held off the defending champion Cowboys despite two touchdowns in the final three minutes and a successful onside kick between them.

28. 1977 Dallas Cowboys (15-2, 30.4%)

The Cowboys finished just fourth in the Simple Ratings System this season, ranking second in points scored and eighth in points allowed. Their offense was led by quarterback Roger Staubach and running back Tony Dorsett, the Heisman Trophy winner they traded up in the draft to take. During the regular season, the Cowboys had three wins by 17 points or more.

Then in the playoffs, the Cowboys matched that by winning all three games by 17 points or more. First, they took out the Bears, 37-7, and then won the NFC championship 23-6 over the Vikings. And Super Bowl XII was a 27-10 victory over the Broncos, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in SRS.

27. 1986 New York Giants (17-2, 30.7%)

The Giants were third in the NFL in DVOA for 1986, finishing ninth on offense, third on defense and 11th on special teams. Their point differential suggested a team going 12-4 rather than 14-2. But any talk about the Giants being "overrated" disappeared after they beat the 49ers by the stunning score of 49-3 in the divisional round. Jim Burt knocked Joe Montana out of the game with a quarterback hit in the second quarter as Montana threw a pick-six to Lawrence Taylor. This game has the highest single-game rating of any game in DVOA history (147%).

But the Giants weren't done with the dominating wins. They shut out Washington 17-0 in the NFC championship, with Washington getting just 2.7 net yards per play. Then they easily won Super Bowl XXI over the Broncos, taking a 33-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before a 39-20 final.

26. 1988 San Francisco 49ers (13-6, 30.7%)

This team is a good example of two facts about the NFL. First, advanced metrics are more predictive than win-loss records. The 49ers were the No. 1 team in DVOA in 1988 -- albeit with one of the lowest DVOA ratings ever for a No. 1 team -- despite going just 10-6 in the regular season. Second, a lot of teams that are good year after year don't win the championship after their best regular seasons. For example, the Colts were better in 2004 and 2005 than 2006; the Patriots were better in 2007 and 2010 than they were from 2014-2018; and in this case, the 49ers were dominant in 1987 but won the title in 1988 instead.

These 49ers really turned it on in the playoffs against the other top teams of 1988. First, they demolished the No. 3 Vikings, 34-9. Then they shattered the No. 5 Bears, 28-3. Finally, Montana drove the 49ers 92 yards against the No. 2 Bengals with a touchdown pass to John Taylor in the final minute for a 20-16 victory in Super Bowl XXIII.

25. 1993 Dallas Cowboys (15-4, 31.6%)

The Cowboys were the No. 2 team of 1993 by DVOA, behind San Francisco, although they probably would have been No. 1 without Emmitt Smith's holdout and a 0-2 start. The Cowboys were second on offense, 11th on defense and seventh on special teams. None of the Cowboys' playoff games were particularly close.

They started the playoffs with a 27-17 win over Green Bay in the divisional round. Then they took out the 49ers with a 38-21 victory in the NFC championship. Finally, the Cowboys fell behind 13-6 at halftime of Super Bowl XXVIII in a rematch with the Bills from the season before, but scored 24 points in the second half for a 30-13 victory and a repeat title.

24. 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers (15-5, 31.7%)

This Steelers team was lower than other Steelers teams in terms of regular season performance, but 2005 appears this high on our list because of a strong playoff run against very difficult opponents. Although Pittsburgh didn't win the AFC North, it finished fourth in DVOA, with a top-10 finish in all three phases. Then the Steelers beat the three teams ahead of them on the way to the Lombardi Trophy.

First, they vanquished the team that had beaten them for a division title, the No. 7 Bengals, by a 31-17 score. Then came a 21-18 victory over the No. 1 Colts. The AFC championship was an easy 34-17 win over No. 2 Broncos. And with the help of some controversial officiating and a receiver option touchdown pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward, the Steelers took out the No. 3 Seahawks, 21-10, in Super Bowl XL for the franchise's fifth championship.

23. 1972 Miami Dolphins (17-0, 31.7%)

We'll always have good arguments about just how great the 1972 Dolphins were. Yes, the Dolphins led the league in points scored and allowed and finished with a perfect record. But advanced metrics have never put them among the best teams of all time. The Dolphins played a very easy schedule in 1972 and then won their three playoff games by just one score each. (OK, the Super Bowl win was only a one-score win because of Garo Yepremian, but still ...)

It wasn't a tough road to the title either. The Steelers (AFC championship) ranked second in SRS but the Browns (divisional) were 14th and Washington (Super Bowl VII) was sixth. The Dolphins won that Super Bowl by a score of 14-7.

22. 1983 Los Angeles Raiders (15-4, 32.0%)

The Raiders were third in total DVOA in 1983: first on defense and fourth on special teams but only ninth on offense. They were 15th in run offense DVOA, which didn't matter much when Marcus Allen ran all over Washington with 191 yards and two touchdowns in Super Bowl XVIII. The 1983 Raiders won their average playoff game by 24.3 points, the fourth-largest average margin of the Super Bowl era. First came a 38-10 win over Pittsburgh, then a 30-14 win over the Seahawks in the AFC Conference Championship Game and the 38-9 win over Washington in the Super Bowl.

21. 1971 Dallas Cowboys (14-3, 32.3%)

The Cowboys started the season alternating Craig Morton and Roger Staubach at quarterback, but they won their final 10 games in a row (including the playoffs) once Staubach was made the full-time starter. The Cowboys led the NFL in points scored and were just seventh in points allowed, but it was the defense that turned things on in the postseason as the Cowboys allowed only 18 points with 11 takeaways over three games against the Vikings, 49ers and Dolphins. Dallas won Super Bowl VI 24-3 over Miami.

20. 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15-5, 32.4%)

The Buccaneers were fourth in total DVOA for 2020 although they would have been No. 1 without a single game, a 38-3 stomping at the hands of the Saints in Week 9. Overall, the Bucs were third on offense and fifth on defense.

Things didn't look so good when the Bucs were 7-5 at their bye week, but they won their final four games of the regular season and then another four games in the playoffs. First came a wild-card victory over Washington 31-23, then revenge in New Orleans with a 30-20 score. They beat the Packers 31-26 in a Brady-Rodgers NFC Championship Game, and their biggest playoff win was 31-9 over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

19. 1997 Denver Broncos (16-4, 33.8%)

Led by John Elway and Terrell Davis, the 1997 Broncos were one of just six teams since 1981 to finish a season in the top five of DVOA for all three phases: second on offense, fifth on defense and fourth on special teams. Each of these teams won the Super Bowl except the 2022 Bills and the 2023 Ravens. Nonetheless, the Broncos finished 1997 second in total DVOA behind the defending champion Packers, who they would vanquish 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII to break the AFC's long losing streak. Three of their playoff wins (over the Chiefs, Steelers and Packers) came by just one score, although they started the postseason run with a 42-17 victory over the Jaguars.

18. 2019 Kansas City Chiefs (15-4, 33.8%)

This is another team where their best regular season was not in the same season the team won a championship. Mahomes and the Chiefs were No. 1 in DVOA in 2018 but just fourth in 2019. Then again, this was a strong season for the strongest teams; the Chiefs were one of four teams that finished the regular season above 30%. They were second in offensive DVOA behind the Ravens plus 12th on defense and second on special teams.

Kansas City was even better during the playoffs. In the divisional round, the Chiefs fell behind the Texans 24-0 before storming back to win 51-31. They defeated the Titans in the AFC Championship Game, 35-24, then scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat the 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.

17. 1994 San Francisco 49ers (16-3, 34.5%)

Often considered one of the best teams ever, the 1994 49ers' DVOA was dragged down by their 40-8 loss to Philadelphia in Week 5. But that was their last loss of the season (except for a meaningless Week 17 game in which many starters sat in the second half). By the end of the season, the 49ers were No. 1 in weighted DVOA which gives strength to more recent games. For the season, they were third on offense, fifth on defense and ninth on special teams.

And in the playoffs, the 49ers put on an offensive showcase with an average scoring margin of 20.7 points. They dismantled the Bears 44-15, took out the Cowboys 38-28 and won Super Bowl XXIX 49-26 over the Chargers.

16. 1999 St. Louis Rams (16-3, 35.9%)

The 1999 Rams came from out of nowhere, as did their quarterback, Kurt Warner. They dominated the league on both offense and defense -- but they did that against a very, very easy schedule. Based on average DVOA of opponents, the only team since 1981 that played an easier schedule was the 1991 Bills. Between opponent adjustments and adjustments for playing indoors, the "Greatest Show on Turf" ranked only fifth in offensive DVOA. The defense, boosted by those same adjustments for playing indoors, ranked third.

The Rams had a 49-17 lead over the Vikings in the divisional round before the Vikings scored three late meaningless touchdowns. However, the other two games were close: an 11-6 NFC Championship Game in which the Buccaneers shut down Warner and the Rams offense, and then the 23-16 victory in Super Bowl XXXIV when the Titans finished 1 yard short.

15. 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers (15-4, 38.2%)

In the final season of the Steel Curtain dynasty, the Steelers ranked higher in points scored (first) than points allowed (fifth). They played a harder-than-average schedule and ranked No. 1 in the Simple Rating System. Pittsburgh had a couple of surprisingly big losses (35-7 to San Diego, 34-10 to Cincinnati) but also five different games it won by at least four touchdowns.

The playoffs began with a 34-14 victory over Miami where Pittsburgh held the Dolphins to 25 rushing yards. The Steelers did that one better in the AFC Championship Game, winning 27-13 while holding the Oilers to 24 rushing yards. Super Bowl XIV was a bit closer than the 31-19 final score would indicate, a one-score game until Franco Harris scored an insurance touchdown with 1:52 left.

14. 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15-4, 38.3%)

This team ranked only 22nd in offensive DVOA. But the Bucs had the best pass defense DVOA ever put up in a full nonstrike season, and the third-best total defense in DVOA history behind the 1991 Eagles and 1986 Bears. Both sides of the ball worked together well once the Bucs got to the postseason, as they won by an average margin of 23.0 points per game.

The divisional game was a 31-6 beatdown of the 49ers. In the NFC Championship Game, they got 27-10 revenge against an Eagles team that had beaten them in Week 7. And in Super Bowl XXXVII, Dwight Smith had two pick-sixes off Rich Gannon, and Keenan McCardell caught two touchdown passes from Brad Johnson as the Buccaneers easily won, 48-21.

13. 1966 Green Bay Packers (14-2, 39.4%)

Led by MVP quarterback Bart Starr and coach Vince Lombardi, the 1966 Packers had the best Simple Rating System score in either league that season. They led the NFL in points allowed and ranked fourth in points scored. Their two losses came by a combined four points. In the final NFL Championship game from when only two teams made the postseason, the Packers held off the Cowboys 34-27 with a last-minute interception by Tom Brown. Then they dispatched the AFL Champion Chiefs very easily in Super Bowl I with a final score of 35-10.

12. 2013 Seattle Seahawks (16-3, 39.5%)

This was the only season when the "Legion of Boom" finished No. 1 in defensive DVOA. The Russell Wilson-led offense ranked 10th with the special teams fifth, so the Seahawks were the best team overall. All three of their losses came by a touchdown or less that season.

In the postseason, all three wins came against teams that ranked in the DVOA top five. First came a 23-15 victory over No. 4 Saints, then a 23-17 NFC championship win over No. 5 49ers. Finally, the Seahawks keelhauled the No. 2 Broncos by the ridiculous score of 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. It's the best Super Bowl performance ever by DVOA, with a single-game rating of 129%.

11. 1984 San Francisco 49ers (18-1, 39.5%)

This team might surprise you for being outside the top 10 -- not because of the offense, where the 49ers ranked second behind the Marino-led Dolphins, but because of the defense. San Francisco ranked first in points allowed during the 1984 regular season but were only 10th in defensive DVOA. Some of what looked like defense was a field position advantage from offense and special teams. On a play-by-play basis, the 49ers ranked 14th in yards per play allowed and ninth in success rate allowed despite playing the easiest schedule of opposing offenses in the league that season.

The defense didn't have much of a test in the first two rounds of the playoffs, as the 49ers played two teams known more for their defenses. San Francisco beat the Giants 21-10 in the divisional round and then shut out the Bears 23-0 in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XIX finally brought a real offensive test with the Dolphins, and the 49ers passed it with flying colors. They held Marino to 5.4 net yards per pass and forced two interceptions in a 38-16 win.

10. 1998 Denver Broncos (17-2, 40.0%)

Here's another team that dominated against an easy schedule during the regular season. The Broncos started 13-0 before finally losing two games and ranked No. 1 in offensive DVOA even though Bubby Brister had to start four games for an injured John Elway. However, the Broncos were only 19th in the league on defense. They started their playoff run with a 38-3 blowout of the No. 4 Dolphins, then beat the No. 3 Jets in the AFC Championship Game, 23-10. Then they won back-to-back titles with a 34-19 win over No. 7 Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII.

9. 1995 Dallas Cowboys (15-4, 41.4%)

The 1995 Cowboys are the last post-1980 team on this list that didn't lead the league in DVOA during the regular season, finishing slightly behind the 49ers. They ranked No. 1 in offense with the triplets -- Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin -- but just 10th on defense. The Cowboys lost four games during the regular season, but they played a top-10 schedule and three of those losses were by just one score. The other loss was to the No. 1 49ers, but a Packers upset meant the Cowboys never got revenge on the 49ers in the playoffs.

They did beat the rival Eagles 30-11 in the divisional round before taking out the Packers 38-27 in the NFC Championship Game. Super Bowl XXX was a 27-17 victory over the Steelers, iced by an Emmitt Smith touchdown with less than four minutes left after Larry Smith picked off Neil O'Donnell on the Pittsburgh 39 and returned it all the way to the Pittsburgh 6-yard line.

8. 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers (15-2, 41.4%)

The 1975 Steelers had the highest regular-season rating of the pre-1981 teams but are also the only team in our top 15 that had an average winning margin of less than 10 points in the postseason. The Steelers ranked fifth in points scored and second in points allowed, and after a Week 2 loss to Buffalo, their only loss all season was in a meaningless Week 14 game against the Rams in which Bradshaw sat in the second half.

The Steelers whipped the Baltimore Colts 28-10 in the divisional round and then took out the Raiders 16-10 in the AFC Championship Game. Finally came Super Bowl X, when the Steelers held off the Cowboys 21-17. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw a touchdown pass to Percy Howard with less than two minutes left. Then the Cowboys got the ball back with 1:22 left at their own 39, but Staubach threw a pick with 18 seconds left to end the game.

7. 2004 New England Patriots (17-2, 41.7%)

By DVOA, this was clearly the best of the six championship Patriots teams. This was the first season that Brady was Tom Brady, ranking fifth in pass DVOA after ranking outside the top 10 in his first three seasons as the starter. The Patriots also ranked third in rushing and fourth on defense, although they were abnormally average on special teams.

They played one of the five hardest schedules of any Super Bowl champion, in part because the NFL was so imbalanced with all the best teams (except Philadelphia) in the AFC. DVOA put them ahead of the 15-1 Steelers, and their only losses were 34-20 to the Steelers at midseason and then a shocking 1-point loss to the 4-12 Dolphins on a late-season Monday Night Football.

The playoffs started with a 20-3 divisional round win over the Colts in which the Patriots held Peyton Manning to just 5.7 yards per pass. Then came a trip to Pittsburgh and a 41-27 victory in the AFC Championship Game. Finally, the Patriots held off the Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.

6. 1973 Miami Dolphins (15-2, 42.6%)

The 1972 squad is famous for going undefeated, but the 1973 Dolphins were a better team and finish much higher on our list. Yes, the Dolphins lost twice, but they played a much tougher schedule than the 1972 team. Their one big loss, 16-3 to Baltimore, came when Brian Griese was injured and Earl Morrall had to start at quarterback. Then the 1973 Dolphins had a much more dominating playoff run than the 1972 team. First, they beat the Bengals 34-16, then the Raiders 27-10 in the AFC Championship Game. Super Bowl VIII was a 24-7 win over Minnesota in which the Vikings didn't score until the fourth quarter.

5. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (16-3, 42.8%)

The first of the three '90s Cowboys champions was the best. They ranked second in offensive DVOA and fifth in defensive DVOA, plus ninth on special teams. And they ran through the best of the other teams in the league on their way to the title. First came the rival Eagles, the No. 2 team in DVOA, and an easy 34-10 divisional round win. In the NFC Championship Game, they beat No. 3 San Francisco back when that game was known as "the real Super Bowl." And in Super Bowl XXVII, they destroyed No. 6 Buffalo, 52-17.

4. 1996 Green Bay Packers (16-3, 44.9%)

This team had one of the strongest starts ever, winning its first three games by a combined score of 115-26. The Packers dipped in the middle of the season, losing three games, then got hot again at the end of the regular season. In Week 15 they beat the No. 2 team in DVOA, the Broncos, by the absurd score of 41-6. Then they won their final two games against Detroit and Minnesota by a combined 69-13. The Packers were an incredibly well-balanced team: fourth on offense, first on defense and second on special teams.

In the playoffs, they first vanquished the No. 3 49ers, 35-14. Then they won the NFC championship 30-13 over the No. 5 Panthers. Finally, they rode a big Brett Favre performance and a couple long Desmond Howard returns to a 35-21 win over the No. 8 Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers (17-2, 45.1%)

The 49ers were No. 1 in the league in DVOA during the 1989 regular season, but what really sets them apart is the way they destroyed their playoff opponents. San Francisco's average margin of victory of 33.3 points is the biggest for any Super Bowl champion. The Vikings finished second in DVOA behind the 49ers, and the 49ers demolished them 41-13 in the divisional round.

In the NFC Championship Game, they embarrassed the division rival Rams (No. 3 in DVOA) by a 30-3 score. Then the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIV 55-10 over the No. 6 Broncos. That's 55 points -- five passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns -- against the defense that ranked second in DVOA and allowed the fewest points during the regular season.

There's a big DVOA gap between the 1989 49ers and our top two teams. Only one non-Super Bowl champion would fall into this space, the 2007 Patriots at 50.8%. The last two teams are clearly the top teams of the Super Bowl era, and each has its own good arguments for why it should be No. 1.

2. 1985 Chicago Bears (18-1, 52.3%)

The Bears were great on defense for years in the '80s, but the 1985 team stands out because the Bears could do everything else, too. They combined one of the greatest defenses in NFL history with the No. 5 offense and No. 5 special teams. They easily beat the other top teams in DVOA. That started in the regular season with a 26-10 win over No. 2 San Francisco and a 19-6 win over the No. 3 Jets.

Then the playoffs came, and the Bears allowed 10 points. As in, 10 points in all three games combined. They beat the No. 5 Giants 21-0 and then the No. 7 Rams 24-0. In Super Bowl XX, they blew out the No. 7 Patriots 46-10, with the Patriots' only points before the fourth quarter coming because Walter Payton fumbled on his own 20. The Patriots gained 0 yards before kicking a field goal.

1. 1991 Washington (17-2, 53.9%)

Here's the team that DVOA says is the greatest of all time. Washington led the NFL in points scored and was second in points allowed. It lost by a field goal to the Cowboys after an 11-0 start, then sat its starters in the second half of the final week and lost to the Eagles by two points. That was it for losses.

For the 1991 season, Washington was second in offensive DVOA behind San Francisco, third on defense behind Philadelphia and New Orleans and first on special teams. But what's more impressive is where Washington ranks in DVOA out of 1,309 teams going all the way back to 1981. It's the only team to rank in the top 50 for all three phases. (Specifically, Washington is 50th in offense, 36th in defense and 19th in special teams.)

Washington won games during the regular season by scores like 45-0 (Detroit), 34-0 (Phoenix) and 23-0 (Philadelphia). It beat the Falcons 56-17 and the Rams 27-6. Then came the playoffs. A rematch with the No. 8 Falcons ended with a score of 24-7. The Lions made it to the NFC championship despite ranking only 13th in DVOA, only to be pummeled by Washington, 41-10. Washington had a 37-10 lead over the No. 4 Bills with half of the fourth quarter left in Super Bowl XXVI, eventually winning the Lombardi Trophy 37-24 after two late Bills touchdowns sandwiched around a successful onside kick.