However, these NFL teams should not be tossed aside because they lost the Super Bowl. First place on this list scored 140 points in my grading system. Let's start in the 1980s, with a team led by Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young For a franchise that was so consistently dominant in the 1980s, the 1988 version of the San Francisco 49ers sure seems mediocre. As Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers went back and forth to win the title, Super Bowl LIV is the 13th-best Super Bowl on our list. The defense wasn't that much better either, finishing 27th in points allowed, 30th in yards allowed, and recorded the fewest turnovers in the league. Who do you think was the best team to not win a Super Bowl. There are quite a few contenders to win their first Super Bowl in 2021, and the two favorites reside in the loaded AFC. So, which teams have won it all, but look inferior to their championship brethren in retrospect? They have a new head coach, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator, and rookie QB.. Fran Tarkenton is one of many players on this list that deserved a Super Bowl ring. Gruden did bring the Raiders back from almost a decade of ineptness and he did win a Super Bowl against the Raiders, but the rest of his career he was pretty much a .500 coach. If Baker Mayfield improves from last season's campaign, the Browns will contend for a Super Bowl in 2021. While Kansas City's 19% chance to win the Super Bowl might be more than any other team's, FPI is also saying that there's a 4-in-5 chance that a team other than the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs might have lost Super Bowl LV, but they are still the NFL team to beat this season, according to the new ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) projections for 2021. Washington Football Team +5500 (bet $10 to win $560 total), Ryan Fitzpatrick, a guy who hasnt been to the playoffs in his career, is suddenly going to get to the Super Bowl?. Ill assume you didnt watch the Let's dive into the 2021 FPI projections with the 10 biggest takeaways. ET (Rams, Seahawks, Chargers). Green, but for a young team with a young coach, locker room leadership was needed last year down the stretch when they lost five of seven and missed the playoffs.. 10 wins in a 14-game season, and this was easily the least impressive of Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl. Cincinnati Bengals +10000 (bet $10 to win $1010 total), The Bengals will be improved, but theyre not higher on this list for three reasons:. And they do return all 11 starters on offense and defense., If they get by the Rams in Week 3, theyll be favored in every game the rest of the way, and youll regret not taking a flier that you can potentially hedge later., 2. The Bucs, despite not being quite on Kansas City's level, remain the favorite in the NFC and are the only other team to cross double digits in terms of chances to win the Super Bowl. Oh, and they had Terrell Owens, who was a superstar. Wait, Dilfer isn't iconic. Now the Colts will need to stay afloat while he recovers from foot surgery, which likely will cause him to miss the beginning of the season. Dallas got out to an early 10-point lead and never looked back. The team had a 142 record and the best offense in the league averaging about 34 points per game, Joe Theismann and Jon Riggins were stars. There was a reason the Colts were heavily favored going into the big game: The Jets were not all that good. All rights reserved. US residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data. Ranking 12 teams that never won a Super Bowl by best chance One of the bigger mismatches in Super Bowl history, this one gets bonus points for being the first one and the Chiefs actually keeping things interesting for 30 minutes after going into the half trailing by only four points. 16. With Aaron Rodgers' future in limbo, the Vikings could be primed to win the NFC North. Poor Bengal fans will never watch a 49ers game with a smile (unless they're losing). And while the effect isn't dramatic, they would each be a little better off if the other weren't around. Buffalo is in position to make another deep playoff run this season. Super Bowl MVP Pick. Allen set the Bills' franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,544) and passing touchdowns (37), finishing with a 107.2 passer rating. Malcolm Butlers game-winning interception remains the best ending in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs win Denver came in with a historically good offense. A step up from the traditional method is to look at the mean win total for every team's opponents, but this too has an issue; for instance, every Chiefs opponent's win total is depressed because it has to play the Chiefs (division opponents doubly so! Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley was awarded that honor (one that he refused to accept). An 11-win season leaning on the talent of John Elway and the defense's ability to hold teams to under three touchdowns. FPI considers Houston more than a touchdown worse than an average NFL team on a neutral field and believes the Texans simultaneously have the worst offense Buffalo is on the doorstep of reaching the league championship game, thanks to the emergence of Josh Allen as one of the game's best quarterbacks. edit: grammar Joe Montanas first Super Bowl win was nearly squandered after the 49ers let the Bengals nearly erase a 20-point deficit. A 97 team that wasn't top 10 in anything really. Cleveland hasn't been in a position to win a Super Bowl since Bernie Kosar led the franchise to consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances in the mid-1980s. Kansas City would be favored by 1.3 points over Tampa Bay on a neutral field if the teams were to suit up for a rematch tomorrow, FPI believes. If the Saints slip a bit, there's a spot open for the Panthers to take a leap in 2021. New York didnt want Buffalos explosive offense on the field, so it grinded out the clock on the ground and ended up winning the time of possession battle by about 20 minutes. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens featured one of the most stifling defenses ever assembled, allowing only 970 rushing yards all season and five rushing touchdowns. This contest was more important than nearly any other as it asserted the AFL's legitimacy as a league and proved it could contend with the NFL year in and year out. Phil Simms set the record for completion percentage after finishing 22-of-25 in an MVP effort. One team (Patriots) in the last 25 years has been to three straight.. Shaun Alexander had 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.Shaun Alexander had 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns! Keep in mind, those numbers assume there is some chance Wentz plays in each of these games, particularly the later ones. A 142 season, and the best offense in the league led by Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce. Joe Namath may have guaranteed a Super Bowl III win over the Baltimore Colts, but he didn't say anything about being the best team of all time. They were the 3rd best scoring offense in the league, but 28th on defense. It seems odd to think of Terry Bradshaw as a problem, but in 1974 he took over for Joe Gilliam. FPI has created preseason projections every year since 2015, and the 2021 Chiefs rank third out of the seven favorites, behind the 2017 Patriots (32%) and 2020 Chiefs (22%). This 11-5Oakland Raiders teamfinished second in the AFC West in an era when there were only three divisions. Please check your email for a confirmation. A crummy game turned into an instant classic thanks to a brilliant game-winning drive authored by Joe Montana. Again, FPI doesn't think the division is much-improved. Super Bowl VIII: 5h. An 115 team that didn't exceed in anything, but had John Elway. Everyone's mind goes to Rex Grossman, but people forget this overall team was more than their quarterback. Had Rodgers simply decided to retire rather than suit up, Green Bay's chances to make the playoffs would have dropped from 70% to 24%, and their Super Bowl chances would have dropped from 6% to 0.2%. The AFC is considerably tougher than the NFC. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks all rank in the top half of the most difficult schedules. And the Chiefs would hold at least a 3.5-point edge over every team outside of the Bucs, Bills and Ravens. Matt Rhule is building something in Carolina as he enters his second year, taking a chance he can resurrect Sam Darnold's career. WebThe Los Angeles Rams won in Super Bowl LVI versus the Bengals on February 13, 2022. Over the past three years, Cousins is seventh in passer rating (103.6), second in completion percentage (69.03), fifth in passing touchdowns (91), and 10th in yards per attempt (7.77). This was the year that Joe Montana and Steve Young alternated starts at quarterback until eventually Montana firmly took the reins down the stretch. Philadelphia Eagles +7500 (bet $10 to win $760 total), The biggest preseason long shot to win the Super Bowl was the 1999 St. Louis Rams behind unknown QB Kurt Warner; the Rams were 300-1. Dilfer bounced around many teams in his career, but he was lucky enough to helm the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory on the strength of their history-making defense. With a 131 record, this Oakland Raiders team would be higher, but not as good as some of the other late '60s losing teams. The least memorable of the Giants four Super Bowl wins also happened to be their most dominant. They lost the Super Bowl 1055 against the San Francisco 49ers. Kirk Cousins may not be elite, but he's a pretty good quarterback. Here they are ranked: It was a lot of fun to research these teams to remember just how good they were their respective seasons. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | This time, he didnt need a miracle catch to beat New England thanks to his sublime pass to Mario Manningham on the game-winning drive. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Of course, it is impossible to label a Super Bowl-winning team as average, but this 49ers team was certainly not up to par with others. WebPer Reuters, the NFL issued a cease-and-desist order to a Las Vegas law firm over a Super Bowl commercial featuring Raiders DE Maxx Crosby. Bart Starr won MVP with only 13 completions. This game mightve been higher on the list if the Jets hadnt pulled off the AFL-NFL upset the prior season. New York's passing attack was somewhere between awful and mediocre. Kam Chancellor should have been MVP. IMPORTANT NOTE: I used my own mathematical point system involving team records, offensive production, and defensive production to determine the order. It was called the "Blunder Bowl" for a reason. Slightly. It was easily the sloppiest Super Bowl of all-time. It was never even close as the Seahawks dominated from the opening snap. 15. Their defense only gave up 9.5 points per game in a 14-game season. With the best defense in the game, this 124 Steelers team could not stop a hot road team in the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. You can follow him on Twitter at @jasonrmcintyre. They took down what was supposed to be the greatest team in NFL history and instead became one of the least likely Super Bowl champions in recent memory. This team just wasn't ready to win it all yet, but still a very good all-around team with a sneaky productive defense. The Doomsday Defense vs. the Orange Crush ended up being a forgettable, one-sided affair. WebThe Los Angeles Rams won in Super Bowl LVI versus the Bengals on February 13, 2022. worst team defense to win a super bowl The Los Angeles Rams won in Super Bowl LVI The 1970s Steelers gave us one last entertaining Super Bowl before its dynasty ended. Now, by most accounts, the Steelers were great in 1974. Indianapolis Colts +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total), Preseason surgery to Carson Wentz and Quentin Nelson could put the Colts down for the count before the calendar turns to October.. It was all downhill for Chicago after Devin Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown. Four of those teams made the playoffs last year and Miami won 10 games. And we'll start with the Chiefs: More: NFL fans would have to get used that kind of ending. Kansas City's middling defense (No. and quarterback rating (112.4). This isn't just about winning the closely contested division, though. A 4.47 shuttle is extremely rare. They are part of the legacy of the biggest game in sports, and they had fought hard an entire winning season. I'm sure fans in Baltimore still curse Joe Namath's Super Bowl guarantee. 1: 3: 17: 313: 305: 40.0: Obsessed with travel? A really strong offense, but their defense hurt their overall grade since there were less teams in the league. It's what helps people grow. 3. The run offense needs to be stronger with Devin Singletary and Zack Moss as the offensive line has to create better holes up front to take the pressure off Allen. ELEVEN! He saved the team from the clutches of defeat and led a game-winning fourth-quarter drive. Yet I can see the defense making a Washington-type leap, and the offensive weapons are there for whoever wins the starting job. And that's embodied by an extreme result: The NFC East is the only division that recorded a simulation with a five-win champion. A solid team all around, but more importantly, proficient on offense and defense. This was the first of the Cowboys three Super Bowl wins in the 90s. Peyton Manning winning his second ring bumps this one up a few spots. Keep in mind, the Larry Fitzgerald touchdown catch (pictured above) was to go ahead with 2:37 left in the game. And to help you out, we ranked all 32 teams ahead of this season by the value on the odds they'll win the Super Bowl.. They had a top 5 offense and defense. A 142 record with the seventh best defense in points scored against in the league. Replying to @GoBirds___ and @FanDuel. Eli Manning did it to the Patriots again. Just when the Falcons appeared to have a team set to contend for a playoff berth in 2021, Atlanta traded Julio Jonesto the Titans for draft picks. Well, they play in a division that produced three playoff teams last year. Although the Rams are FPI's top team of the bunch, San Francisco is actually the favorite here. Reeling off 11 straight road wins was impressive, and so was beating the top two seeded teams in the NFC en route to the title game (Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys). Not every team epitomizes greatness and dominance when it is victorious in the Super Bowl. Los Angeles was a heavy underdog but actually took a lead into the fourth quarter. By Jason McIntyreFOX Sports Betting Analyst. However, like most teams on this list, the Steelers had one glaring deficiency: the passing game. So its only fitting that the winner of Super Bowl 53 will have a defense that finished the regular season below the league average. Washington led 24-3 at one point. But the Super Bowl? It truly is a remarkable tale, but the Patriots were nothing special on the way there. and Im sorry, but Dan Campbell is not winning the Super Bowl this year., 30. Im more likely to become a billionaire than the Texans are to finish above .500, much less win the Super Bowl this season. 1 in just about every projection you can imagine, including projected wins (11.5) and chances to reach the playoffs (89%), win their division (72%), be the No. To handle the uncertainty in the timing of Wentz's return, FPI gives the QB a very small chance to play in Week 1 and gradually increases the chance of his return until Week 8 -- spanning the range of the recovery timeline laid out last week by coach Frank Reich. Just as importantly, no team lost more games to injury last year than the 49ers, And thats at every position. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? But the rest of the roster is important, too. People think of Kerry Collins when they think of this 124 Giants squad, but this defense was the real story. Even without Wentz, the forecast for that stretch is better than one might guess; on average, the Colts win 2.2 of those games, and the chances that they start 0-5 is just over 1 in 20. 1980 was also the final year of "Stickum" being allowed in the NFL, and cornerback Lester Hayes used it to his full advantage, reeling off 18 interceptions in 20 games. Two good-but-not-great teams playing an uncompetitive game with an unforgettable MVP? This is how good the NFC West is: There's a 37% chance that three of the four teams reach the playoffs, and there's even a 3% chance that all four get in. 29. How much this defense will improve under first-year head coach Brandon Staley will be an indicator whether the Chargers are playoff-caliber. Philly was actually favored before the game, but Oakland made the betting line look silly early on, getting out to a 21-3 lead. FPI believes there is an 8% chance that the Chiefs face the Bucs again, more than any other potential matchup. It was not only totally unexpected but it was made possible by a play-call that will be debated for years to come. Both Cowboys-Bills Super Bowl were blowouts, but this one was at least competitive into the third quarter. Washington, despite being the reigning champ and making an improvement at quarterback in the form of Ryan Fitzpatrick, is second (29%), followed by the Giants (15%) and Eagles (11%). They had one of the league's best defenses that year. The Browns also have a good defense that improved with the additions of John Johnson III at safety, Anthony Walker and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at linebacker, Jadeveon Clowney at edge rusher, and Greg Newsome II at cornerback. Sure, it was a massive upset and Joe Namaths guarantee adds to the lore, but the game itself was a bore. Oh, if they only handed the ball off the Marshawn Lynch. A game remembered more for trick plays and bad refereeing than the actual quality of either team, the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious in their effort to send Jerome Bettis off into the sunset in style. Buffalo Bill's in 1992 super bowl against Dalls Cowboys have up 52 points to there offense managed 17pts (How about them cowboys.) that's pretty ba Yes, the Chiefs -- not the Super Bowl-champion Buccaneers -- are projected to be the best team and also have the best chances to hoist the Lombardi trophy next February. It was a sloppy game that was marred by questionable refereeing, but Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis finally winning a Lombardi Trophy thanks to Willie Parkers record-setting touchdown run and Hines Ward throwing for a score made this a memorable Super Bowl. 6) Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 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When Indianapolis traded for Wentz, the organization bet on a bounce-back year from the former Eagles quarterback. 20 David Tyree: 2008 Giants Known for his improbable catch in the Super Bowl and how it essentially won the Giants the game, it also hasn't been lost that Tyree was just a mediocre player at best, at any point during his career. Listen below and follow the Pick Six podcast for a daily dose of everything you need to follow pro football. Although they have one less win, there stats still propel them ahead of the '86 team. Im all aboard the Trevor Lawrence bandwagon., 8. Aaron Rodgers capped off a brilliant playoff run with a masterful performance against one of the leagues best defenses. There were great pieces, but the team was not performing at its peak. Buffalo actually led going into halftime before being outscored 21-0 in the second half. The Bills ended up with the most wins in a season (13) since 1991. Here is a quarterback guru who never could quite develop a quarterback as a head coach. The NFL didn't have a full season due to a strike, so it is hard to put a 72 team ahead of others. Maybe the most controversial one on the list. Jacksonville was the worst team in the league last year, but the Jaguars were competitive in half of their games (seven of their losses were by one score). Tough division, and they open with three of four on the road. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 10. The first five weeks of Indianapolis' schedule are rough, as the Colts host the Seahawks and Rams before hitting the road to face the Titans, Dolphins and Ravens. Granted, having Simms on the field would have undoubtedly bolstered the Giants offensive attack in the postseason, but this is not a countdown of "what ifs" and "should have beens.". https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/01/2019-super-bowl-rankings-best-to-worst, a fascinating chess match between the Falcons and Patriots coaching staffs, Anthony Richardson showed off his freakish athleticism by breaking 2 NFL Combine records, Joey Porter Jr. shared a wholesome moment with dad Joey Porter at 2023 NFL Combine, Will Levis finally shared the origin story for his mayo coffee, How to watch the NFL Combine, live stream, TV channel, Quarterbacks, Receivers, Tight Ends, Bryce Young's measurements at the NFL Combine are almost identical to Kyler Murray's, C.J. However, New York went just 10-6 in the regular season. Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys is often considered the worst Super Bowl ever played simply because of the terrible play from both teams. Including the next one. The Dolphins won their second consecutive Super Bowl in a game that was over well before the fourth quarter. A great defense and front seven, but their running game hit on all cylinders with 2.305 total team rushing yards. 9. A full explanation for how FPI works can be found here, but here's the abridged version: The model determines forward-looking strength ratings for every team based on a variety of factors, including team win total, projected starting quarterback, returning starters and past performance on offense, defense and special teams. It has to be the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. Up 28-3 at the end of the third quarter, they couldn't hold off the Patriots in the biggest game of the year Brown, setting the stage for Jones to have a huge first season in Tennessee. Ken Anderson led his team to 124. Seriously, I get the Super Bowl is one of the worst in history, but this team was really great with an underappreciated defense. Top 5 in both points for and against, the Vikings 10-win record kept them from being higher on this list. Head coach Bill Cowher would get Super Bowl redemption the next decade, but this 115 team was pretty great all around. I have multiple tickets on the Jags - win the division, wins over, win the Super Bowl. But it wasn't always so certain that FPI would give Green Bay the love. Las Vegas Raiders +6600 (bet $10 to win $670 total), One of the most dysfunctional teams in the league, the Raiders once again scream "stay away. Yes, the New York Giants knocked off the 18-0 New England Patriots. 55) Super Bowl XLVIII (2013) The 2013 Seahawks were able to take advantage of this game to solidify themselves as an all-time NFL defense. This game gave us one of the most iconic plays in Super Bowl history: John Riggins taking a 4th-and-one run to the house to help seal Joe Gibbs first Super Bowl win. It did earn him a bunch of money. 32. Green and Rondale Moore at wide receiver. Theyre basically the 2020 Patriots, who lost a Hall of Fame QB, had a ton of opt-outs defensively (the Saints lost five key contributors to free agency), and have no receivers (given the Michael Thomas surgery). Id have to guess the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. In the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh managed just 16 points and won a defensive slugfest 16-6. The Titans thrust themselves into Super Bowl contention with the offseason addition of Julio Jones, a massive upgrade over departed free agent Corey Davis. Both halves of this one were capped off by remarkable plays. 5. With that criteria in mind, weve ranked every Super Bowl ever played from worst to first. section: | slug: ranking-12-teams-that-never-won-a-super-bowl-by-best-chance-to-win-title-in-2021-high-hopes-in-buffalo | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Chicago Bears +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total). ODonnell set Larry Browns family up for life with his dreadful performance.