Making it official: My picks for the 12 Greatest NFL Teams of All Time. What are my credentials? None...other than a 20-year Chiefs fan turned NFL geek who likes to make lists of things. These are all on a year-to-year basis. I tried my best to avoid adding teams based soley on their "Dynasty" status, but regardless managed to include one team from each of them. That was in no way planned. I also tried to avoid repeating teams, and simply pick the best overall squad from one team (again, avoiding the whole "Dynasty" label). While that may deter from the notion that it is the "purest of the pure" top-ten lists, it was better than reading about how great the Steelers, Cowboys and 49ers are, over-and-over again. Most importantly, it's my best and most fair opinion and that will always differ from person-to-person. I really did cringe a little having to take a few off of here, and it's actually one of the reasons it's a Top 12 list instead of a Top 10...but not a Top 20 because I didn't feel like writing that much.

In reverse order (great to greatest):

12. 1983 Los Angeles Raiders (15-4)

Head Coach: Tom Flores
Star Players: Jim Plunkett (QB), Marcus Allen (RB), Howie Long (DE), Ted Hendricks (LB)
Stats:
Scored 442 points (27.6/g), 3rd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 338 points (21.1/g), 13th.
Differential of 104 points (6.5/g), 5th.
Expected W-L: 10.5-5.5.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -13 (-0.8/g), 23rd.

When the NFL Network ran "America's Game" counting down the 20 greatest teams to win the Super Bowl, this team started off the list at #20. Tom Flores threw a fit at being ranked "last of the best" saying that the'83 Raiders were easily in the top 5. The Chiefs fan in me finds this humorous, especially since I'd personally rather put the 1996 Packers in this list. But the football geek in me knows Flores was right in that the Raiders were a better team the hand dealt to them. Maybe not top 5, but better than top 20. The 1983 Raiders did what the 2007 Giants did, but with a better team. They showed everyone how to completely shut down one of the best offenses in the league in a game that came to be known as "Black Sunday." Hogs everywhere watched in horror as the Raiders slowly dismantled Joe Theisman and Washington's heavily favored high-powered offense. The 1983 Raiders may have been far from the greatest, but have the talent to consider a second look.

Fun Fact: During a timeout in the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, Apple Computer ran their famous 1984 ad which some say revolutionized the way Super Bowl commercials were presented.

11. 1986 New York Giants (17-2)

Head Coach: Bill Parcells
Star Players: Lawrence Taylor (LB), Phil Simms (QB), Joe Morris (RB), Leonard Marshall (DE), Harry Carson (LB).
Stats:
Scored 371 points (23.2/g), 8th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 236 points (14.8/g), 2nd.
Differential of 135 points (8.4/g), 2nd.
Expected W-L: 11.9-4.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +11 (0.7/g), 6th.

The Giants of the 1980s were all about defense. In listing the star players, I had to put Lawrence Taylor first simply because he may very well be the greatest defensive player to ever step onto the gridiron, in that he literally changed the way the game is played. The '86 Giants may have been the poor man's '85 Bears but the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" could be just as aggressive. The Giants lost their first game of the season, and after a second loss in week 7 against Seattle, they endured a nine-game winning streak to cap off the season at 14-2. In the post-season, they scored 49 points on the 49ers while holding them to just three to win the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The next week they shut out Washington, beating them for the third time that year. John Elway and the Denver Broncos never had a chance by the second half of Super Bowl XXI, after the Giants scored on a fake punt from backup QB Jeff Rutledge in the opening drive of the third quarter, and the Giants cruised to their first Super Bowl victory from there.

10. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs (13-3)

Head Coach: Hank Stram
Star Players Len Dawson (QB), Willie Lanier (LB), Bobby Bell (LB), Buck Buchanan (DT), Mike Garrett (RB), Otis Taylor (WR), Emmitt Thomas (CB), Jan Stenerud (K).
Stats:
Scored 359 points (25.6/g), 2nd of 10 in the AFL.
Allowed 177 points (12.6/g), 1st.
Differential of 182 points (13.0/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 11.8-2.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +8 (0.6/g), 3rd.

An under-appreciated, "great-but-forgotten" team whose defense led the AFL in almost every single significant statistical category, the '69 Chiefs boasted six future Hall-Of-Famers in its starting lineup (not including their Head Coach, inducted in 2003). Aside from just Hall-Of-Fame caliber, the team also had a future two-time Super Bowl winning coach, Tom Flores, on the roster as a backup quarterback, and were the underdogs going into Super Bowl IV. The Chiefs 23-7 upset of the Minnesota Vikings often doesn't often hold the proverbial candle to the upset that occurred one year prior (Joe Namath's famous "guaranteed win"), but as the final professional football game before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, it kept both leagues on an even keel (each winning two Super Bowls) which helped play a major role in the AFL teams' credibility and acceptance into the NFL.

09. 1992 Dallas Cowboys (16-3)

Head Coach: Jimmy Johnson
Star Players Troy Aikman (QB), Emmitt Smith (RB), Michael Irvin (WR), Tony Tolbert (DE)
Stats:
Scored 409 points (25.6/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 243 points (15.2/g), 5th.
Differential of 166 points (10.4/g), 2nd.
Expected W-L: 12.4-3.6.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +7 (0.4/g), 7th.

It's only fair that we put one of the 90s Cowboy Dynasty teams here, and I feel somewhat guilty not having one from the '70s, but this was arguably Dallas's most dominating team. Aside from a humiliating 31-7 loss at Philadelphia (whom they would play again beat a month later), and two other minor losses of less than five points, this team cruised to the Super Bowl on the star-power of "The Triplets" and crushed Buffalo 52-17 in the latter's third straight Super Bowl loss. Troy Aikman took the Super Bowl MVP title in a post-season where he completed 68% of his passes, throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

08. 1962 Green Bay Packers (14-1)

Head Coach: Vince Lombardi
Star Players:Bart Starr (QB), Jim Taylor (RB), Willie Wood (S), Paul Hornung (HB).
Stats:
Scored 415 points (29.6/g), 1st of 14 in the NFL.
Allowed 148 points (10.6/g), 1st.
Differential of 267 points (19.1/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 12.9-1.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +22 (1.6/g), 1st.

The 1962 Packers boasted an impressive roster, and ranked first in almost every important status in the 1962 season. The team was successful in playing classic, straight-forward, tough football, and closed the regular season with only one loss. By the time they reached New York for the NFL Championship they were capable of shutting down everyone in their way...and that's exactly what they did, defeating the Giants in New York for the NFL Championship (the first Super Bowl was still a little over four years away).

07. 1999 St. Louis Rams (16-3)

Head Coach: Dick Vermeil
Star Players: Kurt Warner (QB), Marshall Faulk (RB), Issac Bruce (WR), Toy Holt (WR), Kevin Caryer (DE), D'Marco Farr (DT).
Stats:
Scored 526 points (32.9/g), 1st of 31 in the NFL.
Allowed 242 points (15.1/g), 4th.
Differential of 284 points (17.8/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 13.8-2.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +5 (0.3/g), 9th.

Dubbed "The Greatest Show On Turf" they were certainly one of the greatest offenses to ever take the field. Kurt Warner, who only a year before was working at a local HyVee to support his Arena Football League career, stepped out of the shadows for an injured Trent Green during the pre-season, and scored three touchdowns in his first three games ever playing in the NFL. A feat that has not been matched before, or since. The offense went on to score 526 points during the season averaging almost 33 per game, while the defense allowed only 15 per game. Super Bowl XXXIV itself may very well be the most exciting championship game ever played in the NFL. Anyone who saw it will never forget Kevin Dyson being stopped at the one-yard line by Mike Jones as the clock fell to 00 seconds. A stunning finish to a great game.

06. 1991 Washington Redskins (17-2)

Head Coach: Joe Gibbs
Star Players: Mark Rypien (QB), Earnest Byner (RB), Gary Clark (WR), Art Monk (WR)
Stats:
Scored 485 points (30.3/g), 1st of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 224 points (14.0/g), 2nd.
Differential of 261 points (16.3/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 13.8-2.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +18 (1.1/g), 1st.

The 1991 Redskins are another prime example of a "great-but-forgotten" team. A flash-in-the-pan that managed to sandwich itself between two mediocre seasons (10-6 & 9-7, respectively) the last Washington team to win a Super Bowl seems to go over the heads of many sportswriters looking for greatness. But the numbers don't lie: Statistically, the '91 'Skins are one of the greatest teams, and put up the big numbers to prove it. They topped in the NFL in two of the most important stats in determining the league champions: yards gained per pass, and yards allowed per pass attempt. It's also fair noting they went 14-2 on a VERY tough schedule, and defeated the Bills 37-24 to take Super Bowl XXVI.

05. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers (17-2)

Head Coach: Chuck Noll
Star Players: Terry Bradshaw (QB), Franco Harris (RB), Lynn Swan (WR), John Stollworth (WR), "Mean" Joe Greene (DT).
Stats:
Scored 356 points (22.2/g), 5th of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 195 points (12.2/g), 1st.
Differential of 161 points (10.1/g), 2nd.
Expected W-L: 12.9-3.1.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +9 (0.6/g), 5th.

It's hard not to pick a Steelers team from the 70s on a Greatest Teams of All Time list. And the amazing thing is you could pick just about any one of them. Although most single-out the '78 squad simply because they had the best record and played in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever against the Dallas Cowboys. Super Bowl X started a storied rivalry between the two teams that managed to re-emerge in two other Super Bowls (the Steelers lead the "series" 2-1). Bradshaw is without a doubt one of the greatest clutch players to ever put on a helmet, and Franco Harris - if nothing else - will go down in history for the "Immaculate Reception". Those two alone could make any team a team to beat, but looking down the list of talent, again, another impressive roster. Amazingly one that held with the Steelers practically throughout all of the 1970s, and because of this, helped make Pittsburgh the first team to ever win four Super Bowls (and ironically the last team, of three, to win five).

Another Fun Fact: In 1990 Steve Sabol of NFL Films set out on a documentary of The Greatest NFL Teams of All Time. Using a state-of-the-art (at the time) computing system to analyze all the statistics and crunch the numbers, science itself confirmed the 1978 Steelers to, in fact, be THE Greatest NFL Team of All Time. I, however, move onward...

04. 1984 San Francisco 49ers (18-1)

Head Coach: Bill Walsh
Star Players: Joe Montana (QB), Roger Craig (FB), Dwight Clark (WR), Randy Cross (OG), Ronnie Lott (CB).
Stats:
Scored 475 points (29.7/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 227 points (14.2/g), 1st.
Differential of 248 points (15.5/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 13.6-2.4.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +16 (1.0/g), 3rd.

This team often gets overshadowed by the 49ers 1989 squad, but I think this one is far superior. One of only 4 teams to go 15-1 in the regular season, next to the 2007 Patriots, they were probably the second closest to ever having a perfect season...losing by 3 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers in game 7. Other than that they dominated the competition as did their Bears counterparts the next season. They stand as the only two 15-1 teams to win the Super Bowl although in almost polar opposite ways. While the '85 Bears had the punishing defense, complemented with an outstanding offense, the '84 49ers had the high-powered offense to complement their defense. This took them all the way to the championship where they ousted Dan Marino from his one and only Super Bowl after Dolphins Kicker Ray Finkle botched the game-winning field goal.* The next year, the 49ers drafted Jerry Rice and the Chicago Bears accomplished the same 18-1 Championship team feat, and with that the achievements of the 1984 49ers somewhat faded into obscurity. Like I said, many people determine the 1989 49ers to be the best of the 49ers teams, but I honestly think this has much more to do with Rice's absence from the '84 squad than anything. The 1989 team was certainly great, broke many records and sealed 49ers place as the dynasty team of the 1980s. But 1984 49ers best encapsulated the Bill Walsh vision of the "West-Coast Offense" in one of it's finest forms.

(*and yes, I am aware that the events in the movie were fabricated.)

03. 1972 Miami Dolphins (17-0)

Head Coach: Don Shula
Star Players: Bob Griese (QB), Earl Morrall (QB), Larry Csonka (RB), Mercury Morris (RB), Nick Buoniconti (LB) & The "No-Name" Defense.
Stats:
Scored 385 points (27.5/g), 1st of 26 in the NFL.
Allowed 171 points (12.2/g), 1st.
Differential of 214 points (15.3/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 12.2-1.8.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +18 (1.3/g), 2nd.

It's often hard to find a list of the greatest NFL teams where someone is explaining why the '72 Dolphins - The NFL's ONLY undefeated team - is the greatest team of all time. Often, the article is listing several reasons why they aren't. So in some sort of weird paradoxical sense, it could be a good argument for why they ARE the best: People who say they aren't immediately have to go on the defensive and explain themselves...often to great lengths. So sure, they may have had one of the easiest schedules in NFL history. And sure they weren't even favored to win the Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins. And sure, it should be noted that in 1972, teams only played 14 games compared to today's 16. But consider this: The NFL instituted the 14-game schedule in 1961 (and - give them some credit - the AFL actually "conceived" it a season earlier), and in the 17 seasons it was in use, not ONE other team - NFL or AFL - went undefeated in that time. Let alone, not a single NFL team went undefeated before the 14-game schedule (The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears both had undefeated regular seasons, but like the Patriots to follow over half a century later, lost the Championship game). And while many people may have favored the Redskins to win Super Bowl VII, that's the equivalent of betting on the Washington Generals. Granted that logic would have pushed you the winning hand in Super Bowl XLII, but in foresight - why favor against a team that hasn't proven they're capable of losing? Particularly against a team that had lost three games in the regular season. And suggesting that their schedule allowed the team to "phone it in" is also a rather weak argument. Surely, in the 88 years of the NFL, there have been at least a handful, if not a fairly decent amount of teams that had to have had easier schedules than the Dolphins. Why did they still lose games? Why were the Dolphins the only ones able to achieve this feat? Because they were a good team. A very good team. Put them head-to-head with others from other points in time, and yeah, they may have lost one or two, but after seeing New England lose to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, I gained a new respect for this team. No matter how easy the schedule is, and despite playing just two fewer games than today's teams, the other important numbers to consider are on the other side of that little dash. Not losing at least one game is no easy task. Once the pressure for perfection is there, it only gets more and more intense until the job is done. And in 88 years of 14-games/16 games, easy schedules/tough schedules, favorites/underdogs, they're still the only ones who managed to follow through that task to the very end. And until such time that the football gods deem it worthy, that is still their record for keeps...35 years and counting.

02. 2007 New England Patriots (18-1)

Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Star Players: Tom Brady (QB), Randy Moss (WR), Laurence Maroney (RB), Jabbar Gaffney (WR), Donte Stallworth (WR), Wes Welker (WR), Tedy Bruschi (LB), Junior Seau (LB), Rodney Harrison (SS) Ellis Hobbs (CB), Asante Samuel (CB).
Stats:
Scored 589 points (36.8/g), 1st of 32 in the NFL.
Allowed 274 points (17.1/g), 4th.
Differential of 315 points (19.7/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 13.8-2.2.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +16 (1.0/g), 3rd.

It's hard for me to put a team that lost the Super Bowl on this list. Let alone at the number 2 spot. After the loss at Super Bowl XLII, many critics and sportswriters began writing off the Patriots season as an otherwise-promising season that ultimately didn't deliver, and thus forgettable. But it's important to keep a few things in perspective:
1. The Patriots won 16 games in the regular season and had 0 losses. A feat that not only had never happened in the history of the NFL (the 16-game schedule having been instituted in 1978), but also, according to many NFL aficionados and general fanatics, was thought to be practically impossible in the age of free-agency and salary caps. The Patriots not only achieved an impressive feat, they achieved what many (myself included) said would never happen. We'd seen teams come close (The 1985 Bears, the 1998 Broncos, the 2005 Colts). And every single time it looked like they might just pull it off, they lost one (or two) of their last games. After that, I think most people who thought "it might happen..." learned their lesson and decided not to be fooled again. That's around the same time the '07 Patriots actually pulled it off.
2. With that in mind, the Patriots' only loss came in the last minute and fifteen seconds of playing a team whom they had beaten a month earlier, on a fluke catch of a pass that - had it been thrown ten times, would have been dropped nine times. I don't want to downplay the greatness of miracles. They're what make games like that great, and why many of us watch with hope every Sunday. And I certainly don't want give the impression that the Giants didn't deserve to win. The point I AM making is that the 2007 Patriots greatness shouldn't be swept aside due to them being on the wrong side of the miracles in question, when they'd managed to stay on the opposite side up to that point. Were they just lucky? You could argue it (certainly the week 13 game against Baltimore comes to mind). But if the Patriots were lucky to win all 18, certainly the Giants were lucky to win the one that counted. And that's what really sparks this whole debate: It really was the one game that REALLY counted. But all their achievements cannot be simply overlooked. Which brings me to:
3. Beyond the Win/Loss record, members of the 2007 Patriots squad also broke NFL records for: Most points by a team in a season (569 pts), Most touchdowns by a team in a season (71 TDs), Most touchdown passes in a season (Tom Brady - 50 TDs), Most touchdown receptions in a season (Randy Moss - 23 TDs), Longest kickoff return (Ellis Hobbs - 108 yards), Most games with at least three touchdown passes (Tom Brady - 9 games), Touchdowns by a single player before halftime (Randy Moss - 4 TDs), Most extra points in a season (Steven Gostkowski - 66 pts), and countless Patriots franchise records. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge Patriots fan. They're not even close to one of my favorite NFL teams, but I know when I'm seeing history being made. I'll always credit the Giants in Super Bowl XLII that the team that played better that night won, and deservingly so. And their defensive line - one of best I've ever seen in recent years - did exactly what they needed to in order to keep Tom Brady in check. For that reason, and that reason alone, my best guess would say that the 1985 Bears would have beaten the 2007 Patriots in a true head-to-head matchup, and that's why they belong in my #2 spot. And one other minor thing to consider:
4. The sheer star-power and talent of the roster. Again, win/loss records aside, that "Star Players" list above is mighty impressive, and probably will be the longest of any on this list. Not one member that a coach, in his right mind, would turn down a chance for them to play on their team.

01. 1985 Chicago Bears (18-1)

Head Coach: Mike Ditka
Star Players: Jim McMahon (QB), Walter Payton (RB), Mike Singletary (LB), Richard Dent (DE), William "The Refrigerator" Perry (DT, FB).
Stats:
Scored 456 points (28.5/g), 2nd of 28 in the NFL.
Allowed 198 points (12.4/g), 1st.
Differential of 258 points (16.1/g), 1st.
Expected W-L: 14.1-1.9.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +23 (1.4/g), 1st.

Not to sound cliche but if you look up "DOMINATE" in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of the '85 Bears. Buddy Ryan's famous "46" defense absolutely annihilated every team that stood in their way by an average of almost 20 points per game. The lone exception being a week 13 game in which ironically enough, Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins were the teams' last hope (well, technically fourth-to-last hope) of keeping their "Perfect Season" to an exclusive club. Other than that one off-game, the team that immortalized the "Super Bowl Shuffle" was absolutely unstoppable. Shutting out two teams in the regular season, they performed the feat again in the post-season, as neither team who played the Bears during the playoffs were able to get any points on them. Both the Giants and the Rams were completely shut out in the Division and Conference Championships, respectively. By the time Tony Eason and the New England Patriots managed to kick a field goal in the first quarter of Super Bowl XX, it was the first time the Bears had allowed the opposing team to score in over a month. And they didn't let it happen again until the fourth quarter, when they were already up by 40+ points. Perhaps, by then they had decided to "be nice," But knowing Ditka and Ryan, I have my doubts. However, the final score of 46-10 could hardly be considered a nail-biting finish. The Patriots were clobbered all over the field all day, and never had a chance. This team played with the most heart: I don't know of any other team of whom it could be said to put any football team in the history of football teams up against the '85 Bears, and the Bears will win 99.9% of time.