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40 -- 1986 Cleveland Browns
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 6-2 ... Road: 6-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +5
Turnover Margin: +13
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 5
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 1-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 3
Playoff Extra Credit: None
OVERVIEW
With all due respect to the NFL Network, which holds the 1986 Browns in super-high regard, Cleveland ranked only fifth in scoring, 11th in scoring defense, sixth in per-game point differential and fourth in turnover margin that season -- average marks for this countdown.
However, the Browns warrant a top-40 slot based on one undeniable belief:
In the Super Bowl era, no team has ever incurred a bigger punch-in-the-gut playoff defeat than the Browns in the AFC championship game ... first surrendering a 98-yard touchdown drive in the final minute to John Elway's Broncos, forcing overtime.
Soon after that, Cleveland fans had to endure the sight of Rich Karlis's game-winning field goal for Denver -- although no hard video evidence confirms the ball actually sailed through the uprights.
40a. -- 1980 Philadelphia Eagles
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 7-1 ... Road: 5-3
Per-Game Point Differential: +10.1
Turnover Margin: +7
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 8
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-3
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 3
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (Raiders)
OVERVIEW
History will remember the 1980 Eagles for two reasons: It represented the high point of Dick Vermeil's highly successful tenure in Philly, leading a downtrodden franchise to unprecedented heights (in the Super Bowl era). It also launched the end of the Cowboys' dominant run as NFC champions in the Tom Landry era, even though Dallas would make the conference title game for the 1980, '81 and '82 seasons.
39 -- 2012 Atlanta Falcons
Regular Season Record: 13-3
Home: 7-1 ... Road: 6-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +7.5
Turnover Margin: +13
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 6
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 3
Record vs. playoff teams: 2-0
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 3
Playoff Extra Credit: None
OVERVIEW
Throughout the regular season, the 2012 Falcons were largely panned by the national media as a good team benefiting from an easy schedule.
And while no one can debate the merits of facing the Raiders, Cardinals and hapless Chiefs, this Atlanta squad also earned its 13-3 record and No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs with impressive wins over Peyton Manning's Broncos and Robert Griffin III's Redskins.
All told, the Falcons swept opponents from the AFC West and NFC East.
38 -- 1986 Chicago Bears
Regular Season Record: 14-2
Home: 7-1 ... Road: 7-1
Per-Game Point Differential: +10.3
Turnover Margin: +0
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 8
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 0
Record vs. playoff teams: 1-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 2
Playoff Extra Credit: None
OVERVIEW
The 1986 Bears might not have the sexiest peripherals of teams in this countdown, but it's hard to deny a 14-2 club of prominence -- especially one that steamrolled all comers the previous season. (NFL Network ranks the 1985 Bears as the second-greatest Super Bowl champion.)
It's also worth noting the following: The '86 Bears are the only club listed here to start four different quarterbacks in a single campaign (Jim McMahon, Steve Fuller, Mike Tomczak, Doug Flutie).
37 -- 2009 Indianapolis Colts
36 -- 1974 Oakland Raiders
Regular Season Record: 12-2
Home: 6-1 ... Road: 6-1
Per-Game Point Differential: +9.1
Turnover Margin: +13
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 7
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 0
Record vs. playoff teams: 1-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 2
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost to Super Bowl champs (Steelers)
OVERVIEW
This might have been the second-best Raiders team during the John Madden/Ken Stabler era, running only behind the 1976 Super Bowl champs.
In a five-week span during the season (all victories), Oakland posted four games of 28-plus points -- a stellar number at the time. As a capper, the Raiders knocked off the two-time defending champion Dolphins in the divisional playoff round -- the famous Sea Of Hands game -- in what easily ranks as one of the 10 greatest playoff clashes of all time.
35 -- 1978 Dallas Cowboys
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 7-1 ... Road: 5-3
Per-Game Point Differential: +11
Turnover Margin: +1
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 8
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 0
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-3
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 4
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (Steelers)
OVERVIEW
The 1970s belonged to the Steelers, Raiders, Dolphins and Cowboys; and for Dallas, Roger Staubach's full-time promotion ahead of QB Craig Morton in 1971 played a huge role in the team's transformation from Next Year's Champions to two-time Lombardi Trophy winners for that decade.
Including the '71 and '77 titles, one could argue the '78 Cowboys were the most prolific squad of the Staubach era.
At the time, the Cowboys missed out on becoming the fourth franchise to post back-to-back Super Bowl crowns -- eventually bequeathing that honor to the (1978/79) Steelers, who outlasted the Cowboys in an epic Super Bowl XIV.
The peripherals stand tall for Dallas 35 years later, going 12-4 amidst a brutal schedule and posting eight victories of 10 points or more. The only drawback: A pedestrian turnover margin of plus-1.
34 -- 2008 Tennessee Titans
33 -- 1988 Cincinnati Bengals
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 8-0 ... Road: 4-4
Per-Game Point Differential: +7.4
Turnover Margin: +9
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 7
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 4-2
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 5
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (49ers)
OVERVIEW
In 1988, the AFC Central had three teams with records of 10-6 or better, with Cincinnati taking honors at 12-4. That's an acceptable scenario for a club posting a 4-4 road mark ... and still earning a prominent spot in this countdown.
At home, the '88 Bengals were a dominant club, rolling for 20-plus points in every game at Riverfront Stadium -- highlighted by a four-outing run of 36, 44, 42 and 35 points.
One last thing: Cincinnati was less than 40 seconds away from beating San Francisco in Super Bowl XXIII and capturing its first Lombardi trophy in franchise history.
32 -- 1973 Los Angeles Rams
31 -- 1972 Washington Redskins
Regular Season Record: 11-3
Home: 6-1 ... Road: 5-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +8.4
Turnover Margin: +6
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 7
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 2
Record vs. playoff teams: 2-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 2
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost to Super Bowl champs (Dolphins)
OVERVIEW
The 1972 Redskins, famously hailed as The Over-The-Hill Gang, impressively held the opposition to less than 20 points 12 times that (full) season -- including three straight stout outings during the playoffs.
Of equal importance, the Redskins were actually favored to win Super Bowl VII in the days leading up to the clash -- even though the Dolphins were 16-0 and on track to become the first perfect team in the Super Bowl era.
30 -- 1981 Cincinnati Bengals
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 6-2 ... Road: 6-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +7.3
Turnover Margin: +13
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 7
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 3
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 2
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (49ers)
OVERVIEW
Some Chargers stars of the 1970s and 80s (Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, Hank Bauer) have identified the 1981 team as San Diego's best of the Don Coryell era. If that's the case, the 1981 Bengals deserve extra credit for toppling the Chargers twice that year -- once in sunny San Diego (40-17) and once in chilly Cincinnati (27-7), aka the 1981 AFC title game, better known as The Freezer Bowl (wind chill of minus-59).
Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson (3,754 yards passing, 29 TDs) captured NFL MVP honors that season and running back Pete Johnson bulldozed opponents for 1,397 total yards and 16 touchdowns.
29 -- 1967 Baltimore Colts
28 -- 2004 Philadelphia Eagles
27 -- 2005 Seattle Seahawks
Regular Season Record: 13-3
Home: 8-0 ... Road: 5-3
Per-Game Point Differential: +11.3
Turnover Margin: +10
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 7
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 2-2
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 1
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (Steelers)
OVERVIEW
The 2005 Seahawks had all the elements of a juggernaut -- a top-three running back (Shawn Alexander -- 1,958 total yards, 28 TDs), top-10 quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck -- 3,459 yards passing, 24 TDs) and superb pass defense (six games of under-200 yards passing). They were also the NFC's best club by a long shot that year.
The only drawback to that dream campaign: An underwhelming 21-10 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL ... although the referees may have robbed the Seahawks of two additional touchdowns on that Super Sunday in Detroit.
26 -- 1968 Dallas Cowboys
Regular Season Record: 12-2
Home: 5-2 ... Road: 7-0
Per-Game Point Differential: +17.5
Turnover Margin: +8
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 11
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-0
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 2
Playoff Extra Credit: None
OVERVIEW
The 1967 Cowboys have garnered more acclaim from NFL historians, based on The Ice Bowl defeat to the eventual-champion Packers in the NFL championship. But the '68 Cowboys actually topped their predecessors in overall record, point differential, turnover margin and blowout victories.
Bottom line: It's too bad the Cowboys had to play (and lose to) the 10-4 Browns in Cleveland that year, despite owning a better record.
Which brings us to this: Why did the NFL have so much trouble scheduling playoff games in the 1960s? It stands to reason ... when comparing apples-to-apples components, like division champions, the better record should always warrant a home playoff date.
25 -- 2012 New England Patriots
Regular Season Record: 12-4
Home: 6-2 ... Road: 6-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +14.1
Turnover Margin: +25
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 8
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 1
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-3
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 3
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost to Super Bowl champs (Ravens)
OVERVIEW
Only the Arizona Cardinals held the high-powered Patriots to less than 20 points during the 2012 regular season, a remarkable achievement for a club that would eventually drop nine straight games from October through December.
As for Tom Brady (4,827 yards passing, 34 TDs), his club posted a yearly average of 34.8 points -- highlighted by a run of 45, 37, 59 and 49 points from Weeks 8-12 (four straight outings) -- and bore the look of a Super Bowl shoo-in.
But that's not how things played out against the Ravens in the AFC title game.
That aside, history shall remember this team fondly. It may even recall that Rob Gronkowski (11 TDs) missed five of the final eight games to injury (broken arm).
24 -- 1997 Green Bay Packers
Regular Season Record: 13-3
Home: 8-0 ... Road: 5-3
Per-Game Point Differential: +8.8
Turnover Margin: +0
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 9
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 2
Record vs. playoff teams: 7-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 4
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost in Super Bowl (Broncos)
OVERVIEW
You may recall that Brett Favre's Packers were 17-point favorites to beat John Elway's Broncos in Super XXXII, a presumption that Green Bay would easily capture back-to-back Lombardi trophies for the second time in franchise history.
Obviously, that didn't happen for Favre and Co. on that Super Sunday in San Diego ... but it also doesn't detract from a '97 campaign that featured nine blowout victories and seven regular-season wins against playoff teams. (Four teams from the NFC Central made the postseason.)
23 -- 2011 San Francisco 49ers
22 -- 1979 San Diego Chargers
21 -- 1976 New England Patriots
Regular Season Record: 11-3
Home: 6-1 ... Road: 5-2
Per-Game Point Differential: +10
Turnover Margin: +14
Wins Of 10 Points Or More: 8
Losses to sub-.500 teams: 2
Record vs. playoff teams: 3-1
Strength of division (minimum to maximum scale of 1 to 5): 4
Playoff Extra Credit: Lost to Super Bowl champs (Raiders)
OVERVIEW
Ah, the 1976 Patriots, the juggernaut that history forgot.
Perhaps that's because New England averaged only four victories from 1965-75 and featured a starting QB (Steve Grogan) who threw more interceptions than touchdowns his first four years in the league (1975-78).
For one amazing season, the '76 Patriots steamrolled the Dolphins, Steelers and Raiders during a three-week stretch in September and cruised to the AFC East title. The peripherals were similarly stellar, with double-digit margins in point differential and turnovers ... and eight victories of 10 points or more, while playing in a top-notch division.
How good were the '76 Pats? The Raiders, who lost only one game during that Super Bowl season (to New England), were extremely lucky to survive the Patriots in the AFC playoffs.
Here's the scene: New England led Oakland 21-17 in the waning moments of the divisional playoff round and should have had the Raiders in a 4th-and-long foxhole.
But a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on 'Sugar Bear' Hamilton gave Ken Stabler and the Raiders a fresh set of downs -- and the opportunity to post the game-winning touchdown.
Best Teams Not To Win The Super Bowl: 1-20
