5 p.m.

 

• Yesterday I was listening to Mark Madden’s local radio show, and he brought up this article on ESPN.com that ranked all 80 Super Bowl teams. Normally I don’t care for stupid lists/rankings like this, but for some reason I was intrigued. Below is ESPN’s rankings, followed by a comment about each team. The entire list and full commentary about each team can be found here.

 

80) 1979 LOS ANGELES RAMS

The Rams led the NFL in interceptions thrown in '79, with four different QBs contributing.

 

79) 2003 CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Panthers barely outscored their opponents during the regular season (seven of their 11 wins were by three points or less) despite a pretty easy schedule – only six games against .500-or-better teams.

 

78) 2000 NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants were strong on D, especially against the run (allowing just 3.2 yards per carry) and did beat the Eagles three times, but won a weak conference and lacked star power (only two Pro Bowlers).

 

77) 1982 MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Dolphins were 19th in total yards, making them one of the worst offensive teams to reach the Super Bowl.

 

76) 1985 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

QB Tony Eason had more picks than TDs (17 to 11).

 

75) 1986 DENVER BRONCOS

How did they reach Super Bowl with such mediocre team statistical rankings? Oh yeah, they beat a Marty Schottenheimer-coached team in the AFC title game.

 

74) 1996 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

It certainly wasn't a great team and was helped when 9-7 Jacksonville knocked off 13-3 Denver in the divisional round.

 

73) 1993 BUFFALO BILLS

Despite a 12-4 record, this team had slipped substantially from previous years.

 

72) 1999 TENNESSEE TITANS

Despite its 13-3 record, there were some smoke and mirrors involved since the Titans barely outgained their opponents and didn't dominate any statistical category.

 

71) 1994 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

This team takes its lumps because of the pummeling it took in the Super Bowl against one of the finest offenses ever assembled.

 

70) 1970 DALLAS COWBOYS

They went just 3-4 against teams .500 or better, including drubbings of 38-0 and 54-13.

 

69) 1988 CINCINNATI BENGALS

They allowed the second-most points of any playoff teams, and while three of Cincinnati's four losses were by seven or fewer points, the fourth was a 35-point defeat at Houston with home-field advantage and the playoffs still at stake.

 

68) 1995 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Their leading rusher was Erric Pegram, and they lost three games by 13 or more points.

 

67) 1966 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Len Dawson compiled the second-best passer rating of his Hall of Fame career.

 

66) 1992 BUFFALO BILLS

The Bills had excellent rankings in the major categories, with the exception of 13th in yards allowed.

 

65) 1974 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

This team lost by more than four points only once, but laid an egg in the Super Bowl, compiling a mere 119 net yards and scoring only on a blocked punt recovered in the end zone.

 

64) 1987 DENVER BRONCOS

After allowing more than 30 points just once in 12 nonstrike games, Denver coughed up a combined 75 in the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.

 

63) 1975 DALLAS COWBOYS

Staubach didn't have one of his better seasons statistically (16 picks), and the Cowboys had the worst record among NFC playoff participants.

 

62) 1981 CINCINNATI BENGALS

The Bengals held the NFL's highest-scoring team, the Chargers, to a single touchdown in the AFC Championship Game – the coldest contest in league history at minus-9 degrees with a wind chill of minus-59.

 

61) 1977 DENVER BRONCOS

Denver had neither a 500-yard rusher nor a 30-catch wide receiver, but still went 8-2 against opponents .500 or better.

 

60) 1973 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL, but ranked toward the middle of the pack in yards allowed.

 

59) 1972 WASHINGTON REDSKINS

The Redskins enjoyed solid performances from Billy Kilmer and Larry Brown, but their offense ranked just 11th in total yardage.

 

58) 1989 DENVER BRONCOS

Yes, this team was the victim of the largest blowout in Super Bowl history. Because of that drubbing, many fans forget that the Broncos allowed the fewest points in the league in '89.

 

57) 2002 OAKLAND RAIDERS: The Raiders faced a difficult schedule, going 9-4 against teams .500 or better. But they lost four straight at one point, and were woefully unprepared for Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.

 

56) 1971 MIAMI DOLPHINS

Offensively, Bob Griese compiled the highest passer rating of his career, and Larry Csonka had the first of three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

 

55) 1967 OAKLAND RAIDERS

The Raiders did nothing for the credibility of the upstart league by losing convincingly to a Packers team that was in decline and coming off the "Ice Bowl."

 

54) 1980 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Philadelphia loses style points for dropping three of its last four regular-season games and for going just 4-3 against teams with a record of at least .500.

 

53) 1976 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The Vikings were just 2-2-1 against teams .500 or better in playing a weak schedule and the defense was 21st in average yards per rush.

 

52) 1991 BUFFALO BILLS

Amazingly, this Bills defense allowed the second-most yardage in the league.

 

51) 1970 BALTIMORE COLTS

The Colts had the second-easiest strength of schedule among postmerger Super Bowl teams, losing two of their three games against .500-plus teams -- by 20 and 17 points.

 

50) 2005 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

What does it say about Seattle that it became the only team to outgain and commit fewer turnovers than its Super Bowl opponent and still lose?

 

49) 1968 NEW YORK JETS

The Jets had just the third-best record in the AFL that season. Namath completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

 

48) 1967 GREEN BAY PACKERS

This team gets docked for ranking just ninth out of 16 NFL teams in points and yards gained.

 

47) 2001 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The Patriots had poor rankings in offensive and defensive yardage (outgained overall).

 

46) 2004 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

This team was near the top of the league in just one major statistical category, fewest points allowed, and it played just two teams in the regular season with records above .500.

 

45) 1969 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Minnesota was just 10th out of 16 teams in yards but still led the NFL in scoring (yeah, those league-leading 30 interceptions helped).

 

44) 1998 ATLANTA FALCONS

Atlanta knocked out the highest-scoring team in NFL history in the NFC Championship Game. Its only two losses came against 12-4 teams.

 

43) 1990 BUFFALO BILLS

Despite possessing the ball for less than 20 minutes, the Bills narrowly lost as Scott Norwood's 47-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.

 

42) 1988 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Although the Niners lost six games in Bill Walsh's final season, they went 6-3 against .500 or better teams and easily won their first two postseason games (34-9 and 28-3).

 

41) 2005 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers hit their stride at the right time and won the Super Bowl as a wild card after winning their final four regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs.

 

40) 1980 OAKLAND RAIDERS

Ordinary statistically (they relied on a league-leading 35 interceptions, including 13 by Lester Hayes), the Raiders ramped things up in the postseason.

 

39) 1982 WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Despite allowing the fewest points in the NFL during a nine-game, strike-shortened regular season, Washington was a three-point underdog in the Super Bowl.

 

38) 1969 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs didn't even win their division, getting swept by the Raiders and losing to the second-year Bengals. Their primary quarterback, Len Dawson, threw 13 interceptions and just nine touchdowns.

 

37) 1997 GREEN BAY PACKERS

The Packers went 7-1 against teams with a record of .500 or better. But the Pack had one weakness: stopping the run. Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and three TDs and Denver had the upset.

 

36) 1968 BALTIMORE COLTS

It allowed the fewest points in the NFL and ranked No. 2 in points scored. Its only loss came against Cleveland, a division champion.

 

35) 2002 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Defense, defense, defense. Tampa Bay's offensive rankings were even worse than those of the 2000 Ravens.

 

34) 1984 MIAMI DOLPHINS

Wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper each topped 70 receptions and 1,300 yards as the Dolphins scored more touchdowns than any team in NFL history (70).

 

33) 1990 NEW YORK GIANTS

How did the Giants win? They didn't make mistakes, committing just 14 turnovers -- the fewest since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978.

 

32) 2003 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

New England's stout defense made up for a pedestrian offense, as the Patriots allowed the fewest points in the league for the only time in franchise history.

 

31) 1974 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Pittsburgh made up for its lack of a strong passing attack by pounding the ball effectively on the ground.

 

30) 1987 WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Washington entered the playoffs with a quarterback controversy and a defense ranked 18th in yards allowed. It had just the third-best record in the NFC, even with a soft schedule and a 3-0 mark in games involving replacement players.

 

29) 2000 BALTIMORE RAVENS

Statistically, this was the best defense in NFL history (the Ravens allowed 33 fewer points than the '85 Bears).

 

28) 1983 WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Something often overlooked regarding this team is its ordinary defense, which ranked 11th in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed and featured just one Pro Bowler (Dave Butz).

 

27) 1983 LOS ANGELES RAIDERS

The impressive Super Bowl win helps vault this team to No. 27 despite some shaky times during the regular season (the Raiders allowed more than 30 points five times).

 

26) 1995 DALLAS COWBOYS

This team equaled the 8-2 mark against teams .500 or better of the '93 Cowboys and had 10 players named to the Pro Bowl.

 

25) 1981 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Despite the reputation of the 49ers' passing attack, with Joe Montana, Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon, the team's defense was actually more impressive, ranking No. 2 in the NFL in points and yards allowed.

 

24) 1977 DALLAS COWBOYS

Dallas' defense wasn't as stout as it would be the following year, as it ranked eighth in points allowed, five spots lower than in '78.

 

23) 2001 ST. LOUIS RAMS

St. Louis ranked No. 1 in the NFL in points scored (despite committing the most turnovers in the league) and offensive yardage and third in the league in yards allowed – 21 spots ahead of the Pats.

 

22) 1966 GREEN BAY PACKERS

The '66 team was pretty mediocre on offense, ranking in the middle of the NFL pack in yards gained, and its leading rusher, Jim Taylor, averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.

 

21) 1973 MIAMI DOLPHINS

The '66 team was pretty mediocre on offense, ranking in the middle of the NFL pack in yards gained, and its leading rusher, Jim Taylor, averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.

 

20) 1997 DENVER BRONCOS

The balanced Broncos ranked No. 1 in the NFL in points and offensive yardage, and its defense allowed the fifth-fewest yards in the league.

 

19) 1978 DALLAS COWBOYS

The Cowboys ranked No. 1 in points scored and No. 3 in fewest points allowed, and they narrowly lost to one of the greatest teams in NFL history in the Super Bowl.

 

18) 1976 OAKLAND RAIDERS

A less-than-impressive 113-point scoring differential means the Raiders pulled out a lot of squeakers – they won five games by four points or less – and their biggest win was 49-16 over the 0-14 expansion Bucs.

 

17) 1993 DALLAS COWBOYS

All three of their postseason victories were by double figures, including wins over a young Brett Favre and the Steve Young-led Niners in the NFC title game.

 

16) 1979 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers lose style points for 34-10 and 35-7 losses in the regular season and for letting a 9-7 opponent take the lead into the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.

 

15) 1971 DALLAS COWBOYS

Roger Staubach compiled a career-best passer rating, and the Cowboys won their last seven regular-season games after Landry made Staubach the unquestioned starter over Craig Morton.

 

14) 1999 ST. LOUIS RAMS

The knock on this team was its easy schedule. It went 3-2 against teams .500 or better, and they played two close postseason games.

 

13) 1975 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers held their opponents to 10 points or fewer 10 times in 17 total games.

 

12) 1998 DENVER BRONCOS

John Elway compiled the best passer rating of his career, and Terrell Davis became the only NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in the same season.

 

11) 1994 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Over its final 13 games (including the playoffs), it scored more than 40 six times and less than 30 just twice, and one of those was the season finale – which the Niners lost – when Young and Jerry Rice were benched after the first quarter.

 

10) 1991 WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Their point differential (+261) is tied for second-best since the 16-game schedule began. They lost two games by a combined five points, and one of those came in the final game.

 

9) 2004 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The stats are strong on both sides of the ball, the two losses were on the road to 15-1 Pittsburgh and by one point to Miami, and they were 9-1 against .500 or better teams.

 

8) 1986 NEW YORK GIANTS

For those of you who think we have this team ranked too high, we offer five words: Lawrence Taylor in his prime.

 

7) 1972 MIAMI DOLPHINS

The Dolphins played the easiest schedule of all 80 Super Bowl participants, and their passing game was ordinary.

 

6) 1996 GREEN BAY PACKERS

The '96 Packers are one of two postmerger Super Bowl participants to lead the NFL in points scored while allowing the fewest points.

 

5) 1984 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Joe Montana was entering his prime and enjoyed the first of three seasons with a passer rating higher than 100.

 

4) 1992 DALLAS COWBOYS

The only knock against this team is its soft schedule, which is the sixth-easiest of any Super Bowl participant since the AFL-NFL merger.

 

3) 1978 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Pittsburgh's two losses were by a total of 10 points, and both defeats came against playoff qualifiers.

 

2) 1985 CHICAGO BEARS

The Bears won 14 games by double digits, including three dominant postseason performances.

 

1) 1989 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

This team gets our nod due to its excellence on both sides of the ball, mind-boggling statistics and perhaps the most dominant postseason run in NFL history.

 

Like I said before, I usually don’t care about “Who is/what team is the greatest of all-time?” but I decided to do a little calculating. Below is a list of each Super Bowl game and the competitiveness of each matchup. What I did was take each Super Bowl game, took the team that was higher ranked (the worse team in rankings, as according to ESPN) and subtracted it from the other team’s rank. The higher the score, the bigger the mismatch, according to ESPN. For example, the biggest mismatch was in 1985 with the second-ranked Bears clobbering the 76th-ranked Patriots. I included the final score of each game, too.

 

Strength-of-Team Differentials

High Score: 74

Low Score: 1

Average Score: 36.8

 

1985: 74 Score

Bears (2), Patriots (76)

Chicago 46, New England 10

 

1996: 68 Score

Packers (6), Patriots (74)

Green Bay 35, New England 21

 

1986: 67 Score

Giants (8), Broncos (75)

N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20

 

1979: 64 Score

Steelers (16), Rams (80)

Pittsburgh 31, L.A. Rams 19

 

1992: 62 Score

Cowboys (4), Bills (66)

Dallas 52, Buffalo 17

 

1994: 60 Score

49ers (11), Chargers (71)

San Francisco 49, San Diego 26

 

1999: 58 Score

Rams (14), Titans (72)

St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

 

1989: 57 Score

49ers (1), Broncos (58)

San Francisco 55, Denver 10

 

1993: 56 Score

Cowboys (17), Bills (73)

Dallas 30, Buffalo 13

 

1972: 52 Score

Dolphins (7), Redskins (59)

Miami 14, Washington 7

 

1975: 50 Score

Steelers (13), Cowboys (63)

Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17

 

2000: 49 Score

Ravens (29), Giants (78)

Baltimore 34, N.Y. Giants 7

 

2003: 47 Score

Patriots (32), Panthers (79)

New England 32, Carolina 29

 

1966: 45 Score

Packers (22), Chiefs (67)

Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10

 

1991: 42 Score

Redskins (10), Bills (52)

Washington 37, Buffalo 24

 

1995: 42 Score

Cowboys (26), Steelers (68)

Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17

 

1971: 41 Score

Cowboys (15), Dolphins (56)

Dallas 24, Miami 3

 

1973: 39 Score

Dolphins (21), Vikings (60)

Miami 24, Minnesota 7

 

1982: 38 Score

Redskins (39), Dolphins (77)

Washington 27, Miami 17

 

1977: 37 Score

Cowboys (24), Broncos (61)

Dallas 27, Denver 10

 

1981: 37 Score

49ers (25), Bengals (62)

San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21

 

2004: 37 Score

Patriots (9), Eagles (46)

New England 24, Philadelphia 21

 

1976: 35 Score

Raiders (18), Vikings (53)

Oakland 32, Minnesota 14

 

1974: 34 Score

Steelers (31), Vikings (65)

Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6

 

1987: 34 Score

Redskins (30), Broncos (64)

Washington 42, Denver 10

 

1998: 32 Score

Broncos (12), Falcons (44)

Denver 34, Atlanta 19

 

1984: 29 Score

49ers (5), Dolphins (34)

San Francisco 38, Miami 16

 

1988: 27 Score

49ers (42), Bengals (69)

San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

 

2001: 24 Score

Patriots (47), Rams (23)

New England 20, St. Louis 17

 

2002: 22 Score

Buccaneers (35), Raiders (57)

Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21

 

1970: 19 Score

Colts (51), Cowboys (70)

Baltimore 16, Dallas 13

 

1997: 17 Score

Broncos (20), Packers (37)

Denver 31, Green Bay 24

 

1978: 16 Score

Steelers (3), Cowboys (19)

Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31

 

1980: 14 Score

Raiders (40), Eagles (54)

Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10

 

1968: 13 Score

Jets (49), Colts (36)

N.Y. Jets 16, Baltimore 7

 

1990: 10 Score

Giants (33), Bills (43)

N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19

 

2005: 9 Score

Steelers (41), Seahawks (50)

Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10

 

1967: 7 Score

Packers (48), Raiders (55)

Green Bay 33, Oakland 14

 

1969: 7 Score

Chiefs (38), Vikings (45)

Minnesota 7, Kansas City 23

 

1983: 1 Score

Raiders (27), Redskins (28)

L.A. Raiders 38, Washington 9

 

Another thing I decided to check out was each Super Bowl game in terms of team quality. Here I took the rankings of each team per Super Bowl and added them together. The higher the score, the worse the game was, in terms of quality of teams, according to ESPN. For example, the 1970 Super Bowl was the worst when it came to quality of teams, with the 51st-ranked Colts beating the 70th-ranked Cowboys on a last-second field goal. Final score are also posted.

 

Quality of Team Matchups:

High Score: 121

Low Score: 22

Average Score: 81

 

1970: 121 Score

Colts (51), Cowboys (70)

Baltimore 16, Dallas 13

 

1982: 116 Score

Redskins (39), Dolphins (77)

Washington 27, Miami 17

 

1988: 111 Score

49ers (42), Bengals (69)

San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

 

2003: 111 Score

Patriots (32), Panthers (79)

New England 32, Carolina 29

 

2000: 107 Score

Ravens (29), Giants (78)

Baltimore 34, N.Y. Giants 7

 

1967: 103 Score

Packers (48), Raiders (55)

Green Bay 33, Oakland 14

 

1974: 96 Score

Steelers (31), Vikings (65)

Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6

 

1979: 96 Score

Steelers (16), Rams (80)

Pittsburgh 31, L.A. Rams 19

 

1980: 94 Score

Raiders (40), Eagles (54)

Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10

 

1987: 94 Score

Redskins (30), Broncos (64)

Washington 42, Denver 10

 

1995: 94 Score

Cowboys (26), Steelers (68)

Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17

 

2002: 92 Score

Buccaneers (35), Raiders (57)

Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21

 

2005: 91 Score

Steelers (41), Seahawks (50)

Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10

 

1993: 90 Score

Cowboys (17), Bills (73)

Dallas 30, Buffalo 13

 

1966: 89 Score

Packers (22), Chiefs (67)

Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10

 

1981: 87 Score

49ers (25), Bengals (62)

San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21

 

1999: 86 Score

Rams (14), Titans (72)

St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

 

1968: 85 Score

Jets (49), Colts (36)

N.Y. Jets 16, Baltimore 7

 

1977: 85 Score

Cowboys (24), Broncos (61)

Dallas 27, Denver 10

 

1969: 83 Score

Chiefs (38), Vikings (45)

Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7

 

1986: 83 Score

Giants (8), Broncos (75)

N.Y. Giants 39, Denver 20

 

1994: 82 Score

49ers (11), Chargers (71)

San Francisco 49, San Diego 26

 

1973: 81 Score

Dolphins (21), Vikings (60)

Miami 24, Minnesota 7

 

1996: 80 Score

Packers (6), Patriots (74)

Green Bay 35, New England 21

 

1985: 78 Score

Bears (2), Patriots (76)

Chicago 46, New England 10

 

1975: 76 Score

Steelers (13), Cowboys (63)

Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17

 

1990: 76 Score

Giants (33), Bills (43)

N.Y. Giants 20, Buffalo 19

 

1971: 71 Score

Cowboys (15), Dolphins (56)

Dallas 24, Miami 3

 

1976: 71 Score

Raiders (18), Vikings (53)

Oakland 32, Minnesota 14

 

1992: 70 Score

Cowboys (4), Bills (66)

Dallas 52, Buffalo 17

 

2001: 70 Score

Rams (23), Patriots (47)

New England 20, St. Louis 17

 

1972: 66 Score

Dolphins (7), Redskins (59)

Miami 14, Washington 7

 

1991: 62 Score

Redskins (10), Bills (52)

Washington 37, Buffalo 24

 

1989: 59 Score

49ers (1), Broncos (58)

San Francisco 55, Denver 10

 

1997: 57 Score

Broncos (20), Packers (37)

Denver 31, Green Bay 24

 

1998: 56 Score

Broncos (12), Falcons (44)

Denver 34, Atlanta 19

 

1983: 55 Score

Raiders (27), Redskins (28)

L.A. Raiders 38, Washington 9

 

2004: 55 Score

Patriots (9), Eagles (46)

New England 24, Philadelphia 21

 

1984: 39 Score

49ers (5), Dolphins (34)

San Francisco 38, Miami 16

 

1978: 22 Score

Steelers (3), Cowboys (19)

Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31