- 2007 Patriots– The 2007 Patriots outscored their opponents 589-274, allowing 17.1 points/game. They won the AFC Championship after a 16-0 season, and they were one win away from a perfect season, but Eli Manning and the Giants spoiled their perfect season in the Super Bowl. They had three pro bowlers on offense (Tom Brady QB, Randy Moss WR, and Logan Mankins OG) and three pro bowlers on defense (Mike Vrabel LB, Vince Wilforx DT, and Asante Samuel CB). This Patriots team was 1st in offensive rankings and 4th in defense for the year, and even though they didn’t win the Super Bowl, they are the top team since 2000.
- 2004 Patriots– The 2004 Patriots won the Super Bowl 24-21 vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. This year the offense ranked worse than the defense (however, both the offense and defense were top 5 in the league). This Patriots team went 14-2 in the regular season and outscored their opponents 437-260, allowing 16.3 points/game. They had two pro bowlers on offense (Tom Brady QB & Corey Dillon RB) and three defensive pro-bowlers (Teddy Bruschi LB, Richard Seymour DE, and Larry Izzo LB). On top of that, they also had pro bowl kicker Adam Vinatieri. This Patriots team can make a case for the greatest team since 2000 because they won the Super Bowl, but the offensive firepower on the 2007 Patriots is incomparable to 2004.
- 2016 Patriots– The 2016 Patriots team is my favorite Patriots team. This year was the famous 28-3 comeback versus the Atlanta Falcons. They went 14-2 in the regular season and had the 3rd best offense and 1st best defense that year. They had two pro-bowler players on offense (Tom Brady QB & Matthew Slater WR) and two pro bowlers on defense (Dont’a Hightower LB and Devin McCourty CB). They rank in the top 5 because of their miraculous comeback in the Super Bowl, but the roster was nowhere near the early 2000s Patriots rosters talent-wise. They outscored their opponents 441-250 that year, allowing 15.6 points/game.
- 2013 Seahawks– The 2013 Seahawks and the 2014 Seahawks were very close, but I had to give the edge to the 2013 Seahawks because they won the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning, and it wasn’t even close. The 2013 Seahawks had the best defense that year (8th best offense), and their defense is arguably the best since the Super Bowl Era (the Legion of Boom). They had two pro bowlers on offense (Russell Wilson QB & Marshawn Lynch RB) and three pro bowlers on defense (Richard Sherman CB, Earl Thomas FS, and Kam Chancellor SS). They held the number 1 Denver Broncos offense to only 8 points in the Super Bowl. Regardless of their 13-3 record, they only allowed over 20 points to 3 opponents that year. They outscored their opponents 417-231 that year, allowing only 14.4 points/game to opponents.
- 2006 Colts– The 2006 Colts had one of the more impressive postseason runs since the Super Bowl Era. During the regular season, they went 12-4, and they had the 2nd best offense and a mediocre defense (23rd in the league). They outscored their opponents by a slim margin of 427-360 that year. On offense, they had three pro-bowlers (Peyton Manning QB, Reggie Wayne WR, and Marvin Harrison WR), but they had 0 pro bowlers on defense.
The top 5 teams from 2000-2021 hi-lighted Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and the famous Seahawks defense. The deciding factor for ranking these teams 1-5 was the number of pro bowlers on the roster during the season.
Some honorable mentions: 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers (have the second most wins since 2000), the Packers (have the 4th most wins since 2000), the Bears had some excellent teams in the 2000-2021 Era, and the Cowboys with Aikman in 2000.
Max's Sports Blog 