Ranking Each Super Bowl-Winning Team In NFL History

2. 1972 Miami Dolphins

What’s this, you say? The only undefeated Super Bowl team ever is somehow ranked only No. 2 on the list of all-time great Super Bowl-winning teams? Well, yes, it’s true, as this team hasn’t exactly translated well over the years. That’s not to say it isn’t an all-time great team, because it is certainly in the running for the best of all-time. However, based on how the game is played has evolved, these Dolphins simply wouldn’t have been undefeated. For example, Bob Griese threw for 1,360 yards that year, a number that would almost certainly see him released from most teams had he been a full-time NFL starter today. Their leading receiver was Paul Warfield with 606 yards. True, it was just a different era of football back then, but it would be a wholly predictable gameplan in today’s NFL.

Either way, these Dolphins are still the only team to accomplish what they did. They were first in the NFL in both average points per game and points allowed per game. Larry Csonka was a stalwart rushing the ball with 1,117 yards. Yet the paper stats of this Dolphins team don’t tell the whole story. In truth, they were close to losing several games that season. Even their playoff run to the Super Bowl wasn’t exactly dominant. They won each game by single-digit points and even had to fight back to top the Steelers in the AFC title game. When they reached the Super Bowl, they again found the result a close one. True, they got up by two touchdowns on Washington, but only won by seven points. We won’t deny the 1972 Dolphins are one of the greatest Super Bowl teams of all-time. But to call them the outright best is a bit short-sighted. It’s safe to say they might struggle if they played the final team on our list…

1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers

Some, perhaps even many, believe that the 1972 Dolphins belong at the top of this list. But it’s this dominant San Francisco team that is actually the best Super Bowl winner of all-time. This was head coach Bill Walsh and his West Coast offense at the height of its powers, as the team went 15-1 that year. They, too, would have been undefeated if not for a narrow three-point loss to the Steelers in the regular season. These 49ers were second in the NFL in average points scored per game and first in average points allowed. Of course, Joe Montana led the way. This time he did so, once again, without having his future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice by his side.

Montana threw for 3,630 yards that season, good enough for that era, but his stats didn’t really matter. What defines this team is the manner in which they won the Super Bowl. In 1984, a young quarterback by the name of Dan Marino was absolutely tearing up the NFL.

He was light years ahead of the game that season, throwing for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns with only 17 interceptions. The yards and touchdowns were records that stood the test of time until the all-out offensive explosion in the NFL of the last 12 or so years. Marino and the Dolphins came in with real hype behind them. But this 49ers team immediately threw them off of their game.

Marino did throw for 318 yards in the Super Bowl, but he only threw for one touchdown as opposed to two interceptions. The 49ers had Miami on the ropes before the fourth quarter had even begun. Sadly enough, this ended up being Marino’s only Super Bowl appearance. While it was far from Montana’s only trip to the big game, it may have been his finest year overall. He took home the Super Bowl MVP and his 49ers put together the best Super Bowl-winning season in NFL history.