The 25 Best NFL Teams in the Last 25 Years: An In-Depth Analysis
The 3rd of September 2000 marked the beginning of a new era in the NFL, with a season that would start with a “2”. Since then, professional football has undergone a radical transformation. The game has evolved in all aspects, from strategy and rules to the way it is presented and analyzed. In 2025, the NFL we’ll see will be very different from the one followed a quarter of a century ago. Offenses and defenses have evolved, incorporating new strategies and adaptations of concepts from the past. Teams, which might have previously dispensed with technology, now rely on player tracking data to gain competitive advantages. In this analysis, we will delve into the last 25 years of the NFL to identify the 25 best teams that have competed in this period. To do this, a series of key factors will be considered to evaluate the performance of each team.The main objective is to determine which would be the best team if the 25 most outstanding teams of the last 25 years faced each other in a kind of “Champions League” of American football. The performance of each team will be evaluated throughout the season, from the first week to the playoffs, as the best measure of their actual level of play. Injuries will be taken into account to simulate what really happened during each team’s season. In addition, teams that won championships will be rewarded, giving greater weight to postseason performance. Teams that dominated their opponents will be sought, especially those who were also among the best in the league. Complete teams that controlled both sides of the ball will be prioritized, without neglecting those with a generational impact on offense or defense, especially if they managed to reach the Super Bowl. To compare performance, a simple method will be used, measuring each team’s offense and defense per game, including postseason figures, and then normalizing them against the league average. The percentile rank of each team in offense and defense over the last 25 years will be included, with 100 being the maximum. Advanced metrics will be used to gain a greater understanding of each team’s level of play. Consistent and solid levels of play will be prioritized, rather than those teams that performed spectacularly in close games or achieved narrow victories each week. While all the teams on this list won many games, this is not a list of win totals. Finally, the difficulty of the schedule will be measured using the Pythagorean formula. For each opponent a team faced in a given season, the points scored and allowed in the games that did not involve that team will be calculated, and then an expected win percentage will be constructed from that formula. This average schedule difficulty will help inform the path each team took during its season. With all this in mind, the key question when comparing two teams on the list will be: given everything we saw from each of these two teams throughout their full seasons, which one would win if they faced each other on a neutral field? Sometimes, this leads to contradictory answers. The following will present the teams that received an honorable mention, followed by the list of the best teams of the last 25 years.Honorable MentionThe task of selecting only 25 teams from 25 seasons is a challenge. For example, in 2024, the selection of the Eagles implies that the Chiefs do not make the list, as do the Lions and the Vikings. There are notable teams from each of the last 25 years that simply didn’t make it in. Therefore, honorable mention is limited to the 12 teams that won the Super Bowl but didn’t make it into the top 25. Winning the biggest prize in professional soccer is valuable, but what those teams did throughout the entire season is considered, not just how their campaign ended. Below, these teams and the reasons why they failed to make this ranking will be analyzed.2001 Patriots: This team is remembered for key moments like Drew Bledsoe’s injury, the famous “Tuck Rule,” and Adam Vinatieri’s field goals. However, their regular season performance was not so outstanding, with only two victories against teams with winning records. Although they achieved a Super Bowl victory, there were superior versions of the Patriots in the future.2005 Steelers: The Steelers had a difficult start to the season, but managed a winning streak to win Super Bowl XL. Although they struggled, including the absence of Ben Roethlisberger due to injuries, they did not win their division. They were survivors, but not an exceptional team by their own standards.Which team was the most successful? Which ones played best in each play? Will the maximum performance of each team be considered or their performance throughout the season?
Key questions to determine the best team.
2006 Colts: The Colts were a great team when they had safety Bob Sanders, but their defense ranked 23rd in points allowed. Although they pulled off a memorable comeback in the playoffs, other versions of the Manning-led Colts made the list, even without a ring.
2007 Giants: The Giants achieved a memorable victory in the Super Bowl, but they also lost against the Patriots in the regular season. Although they had a great performance in the postseason, their performance in the regular season was closer to the league average.2011 Giants: This team was outscored during the regular season and had an inconsistent performance. Despite a significant improvement in defense during the playoffs, their overall performance was not enough to enter the top 25.
2012 Ravens: The Ravens improved their defense in the postseason, but had an irregular performance during the regular season. Although they managed to reach the Super Bowl, their overall performance did not place them among the best teams of the Flacco/Harbaugh era.2014 Patriots: Although they managed to win Super Bowl XLIX, their performance in the regular season and playoffs was not as dominant as in other years. Their inclusion was affected by the comparison with other Patriots teams.
2015 Broncos: The Broncos had a dominant defense led by Von Miller, but their offense struggled. Although they managed to win Super Bowl 50, their offensive performance was not consistent.2018 Patriots: This team performed well, but not excellently, during the regular season. Although they achieved important victories in the playoffs, their defense was not exceptional, and they relied heavily on their offense.
2020 Buccaneers: The Buccaneers, led by Tom Brady, managed to win Super Bowl LV. While they had an outstanding performance in the Super Bowl, their path to the title included close victories and a bit of luck in the playoffs.2021 Rams: The Rams had a good start to the season, but their overall performance was not consistent. Although they managed to win the Super Bowl, they failed to enter the top 25.
