The full ranking
Single seasons of total domination, ranked. From Shula's perfect 1972 Dolphins to Brady's 16-0 Patriots and the Steel Curtain dynasty, these are the most complete teams the NFL has produced.
1972 Miami Dolphins
The only undefeated, Super Bowl-winning team in NFL history, 17-0 behind Don Shula's No-Name Defense and the Csonka-Morris ground game. Backup Earl Morrall started most of the year after Bob Griese broke his ankle, and Miami still led the league in both points scored and points allowed.
1985 Chicago Bears
A 15-1 wrecking crew whose Buddy Ryan 46 defense produced one of the most lopsided playoff runs ever: back-to-back shutouts of the Giants and Rams before a 46-10 rout of the Patriots in Super Bowl XX. McMahon, Payton, Singletary, Dent, and the Super Bowl Shuffle.
1978 Pittsburgh Steelers
The peak of the Steel Curtain dynasty. Terry Bradshaw won league MVP, the NFL rewrote its pass-defense rules in part to slow Mel Blount's coverage, and a 14-2 Pittsburgh outlasted Dallas 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII for the third of four titles in six years.
1984 San Francisco 49ers
The first 15-win team of the 16-game era, with Joe Montana taking league and Super Bowl MVP honors. Their lone loss was a missed-field-goal away from undefeated, and they smothered Dan Marino's record-setting Dolphins offense in a 38-16 Super Bowl XIX win.
1989 San Francisco 49ers
A 14-2 roster stacked with Hall of Famers, Montana, Young, Rice, Craig, and Lott, that authored the most decisive playoff run in NFL history. Blowouts over the Vikings and Rams set up a 55-10 demolition of Denver, still the widest margin of victory in Super Bowl history.
1992 Dallas Cowboys
Jimmy Johnson's first title team and the launch of the Triplets dynasty. Aikman, Smith, and Irvin led the NFL's top-scoring offense, while a top-five defense held playoff opponents under 16 points en route to a 52-17 Super Bowl XXVII rout of Buffalo.
2007 New England Patriots
The only 16-0 regular season of the modern format and the all-time point-differential record (+315). Brady set a then-record 50 touchdown passes, Randy Moss caught 23, and only a Giants upset in Super Bowl XLII kept this team from finishing as the consensus greatest ever.
1976 Oakland Raiders
John Madden's first championship team after three straight AFC title-game losses. A 13-1 regular season featured a Ken Stabler-led offense behind Hall of Fame linemen Upshaw and Shell; the playoffs delivered a 24-7 rout of the two-time defending champion Steelers and a 32-14 Super Bowl XI win over Minnesota.
1961 Green Bay Packers
Vince Lombardi's first NFL championship and the launch of a Packers dynasty that would win five titles in seven years. Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, and Jim Taylor closed the season with a 37-0 NFL Championship Game shutout of the Giants at frozen Lambeau.
1998 Denver Broncos
John Elway's swan song and back-to-back Super Bowl champion. Terrell Davis ran for 2,008 yards and league MVP, the Broncos opened 13-0 and finished 14-2, and Elway took Super Bowl XXXIII MVP in his final NFL game.
Ranked across 4 sources: CBS Sports · Greatest Teams of the NFL Modern Era (2025); Pro Football Reference · NFL 100 Top 100 Teams (2019); Bleacher Report · 50 Best Teams in NFL History; Pro Football Network · Top 10 Greatest NFL Teams. Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
Related lists
Browse every Top 10 List, see the experts and aggregators behind them, or play the day’s puzzles.