Where do the 2024 Eagles actually rank among All Time Super Bowl Champions?

[Alphagrand]

As an exercise in analysis and in response to Aaron Schatz's ESPN article, which ranked the 2024 Eagles #39 out of 59 Super Bowl champion teams, I decided to do my own analysis of Super Bowl championship teams.  For this analysis I used the following criteria -- all ranked against the rest of the league for that individual season:

-- Win/loss record (and league rank)

-- regular season league rank in points scored and allowed (I was too lazy to research and rank by yardage)

-- average margin of victory in playoff games

 

Because the attempt is to rank each championship team individually, I am disregarding whether the team was a dynasty or how many hall of fame, Pro Bowl, or All Pro players each team has inducted.  This is strictly each team on its own merits for that season.  In doing this exercise for each season it becomes apparent there should be two separate lists -- one before and one after free agency in 1993 -- but I've made one list anyway.  In part, this is to see how close my list comes to the various articles from media sources ranking their top 10 ....

So, in reverse order, here is my top 10 Super Bowl championship teams:

 

#10.    2024 Philadelphia Eagles    14-3 regular season record (T3rd)   Average margin of playoff victory 17 points    7th in points scored     2nd in points allowed

Why wouldn't I start here, right?  Here's a spoiler -- there are no teams in this top 10 with more than 3 losses on the season.  This Eagles team is one of only two on the list that wasn't at least tied for the league's best record.  So why are they my #10 team?  Their 145-77 points f/a is the best average margin of playoff victory since the 2002 Buccaneers.  It would have been even better without the late garbage time points the Chiefs put up.  The NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl was as dominant as the league has seen in quite some time.

 

#9.     1978 Pittsburgh Steelers    14-2 regular season record (1st)         Average margin of playoff victory 18.7 points    5th in points scored     1st in points allowed

This was the 3rd Steelers championship team of their 4 titles in 6 years.  They beat Dallas 35-31 in the Super Bowl (the first Super Bowl I remember clearly from my childhood). 

 

#8.     2004 New England Patriots    14-2 regular season record (2nd)     Average margin of playoff victory 11.3 points    4th in points scored      2nd in points allowed

I still think this team stole the Eagles' defensive signals, so I'd like to eliminate them for cheating ...... but they had a dominant season and won the Super Bowl 24-21

 

#7.    1996 Green Bay Packers        13-3 regular season record (T1st)       Average margin of playoff victory 17.3 points    1st in points scored      1st in points allowed

I didn't expect to have this team in my top 10 when starting this exercise, but first in both points scored and points allowed is extremely rare.  Favre and Reggie White had quite a season.

 

#6.   2016 New England Patriots    14-2 regular season record (1st)       Average margin of playoff victory 14.7 points      3rd in points scored     1st in points allowed

If only Devonta Freeman could have made a block on a LB the Falcons would have been champions, and this Pats team wouldn't be on the list.  Oh well .....    

 

#5.   1989 San Francisco 49ers      14-2 regular season record              Average margin of playoff victory  32.7 points      1st in points scored       3rd in points allowed

Even without the horrific (and comical) 55-10 hammering they laid on John Elway and the Broncos, this Niners team bludgeoned other playoff teams.

 

 #4.  1991 Washington Redskins   14-2 regular season record               Average margin of playoff victory  20.3 points       1st in points scored     2nd in points allowed

This Redskins team was a juggernaut.  A healthy Eagles team might have pushed them, but this was an historically great team.  Great offense and great defense in rare combination

 

#3.  1984 San Francisco 49ers     15-1 regular season record               Average margin of playoff victory 18.7 points         2nd in points scored     1st in points allowed

Just a dominant football team -- and this was before they even had Jerry Rice.  Freddie Solomon, Dwight Clark, and Roger Craig leading the way -- with Joe Montana, of course.

 

#2.  1985 Chicago Bears              15-1 regular season record               Average margin of playoff victory 27 points            2nd in points scored      1st in points allowed

Widely regarded as the greatest defense ever assembled, but their offense was second in the league in points as well.  Walter Payton sure was great.

 

#1.  1972 Miami Dolphins            14-0 regular season record              Average margin of playoff victory 6.7 points            1st in points scored       1st in points allowed

The only perfect season in the Super Bowl era, and the team was ranked #1 and #1 on offense and defense.  

 

 

There is my top 10 Super Bowl champions rankings.  Feel free to provide your own and use your own criteria.  The timing would be right to do a Top 5 Super Bowl Champions of the last 25 years -- going back to 2000.    

 

 

[xxeaglesfanxx]

Crazy thing is they could have finished 16-1 if not for the two drops.

[SkippyX]

The problem with the 1972 Dolphins is they were not even as good as the 1973 Dolphins.

They played the most pathetic schedule in NFL History.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1972/

Their SoS was -4.6. The next worse was the Jets (also in their pathetic division) at -2.6

They were a weak sauce +17 in 3 playoff games.

Regular season records are meaningless outside of seeding. 

 

The other problem is that DVOA analysis and other metrics don't take into account when you blow out teams and don't try for the whole 4th quarter. This Eagles team played to win. Period. They did not care about stats. As referenced above they had 2 more wins in their hands and the one actual loss they were missing 3 of their 8 best players  (AJ, DeVonta, and Lane) If this team played the Bucs next week they would beat them by 20+

 

How do you capture pity in analysis?

Saquon pitied the Packers and slid down instead of picking up another 55 yards and a TD.

The Eagles pitied KC for that weak 4th down Pickett try and the backups on D.

[Aerolithe_Lion]

1 hour ago, xxeaglesfanxx said:

Crazy thing is they could have finished 16-1 if not for the two drops.

17-0 is 2 drops and a concussion

[opa-opa]

1989 49ers should be #1

[EagleJoe8]

Speaking objectively with no bias, I’m going to put the 2024 team #1, and the 2017 team #2, while totally ignoring the fact that other Super Bowl seasons have been played. 

[time2rock]

Cool topic.  10 seems about right.  Curious where the 2017 Eagles ranked.

[JohnB]

23 hours ago, opa-opa said:

1989 49ers should be #1

I hate the 49ers more than I hate the Cowboys, and I have since around '81 or '82. That being said, I agree with you 100%. They were freakin' unstoppable. 

[eagle45]

I like the rankings, but I think the only objective way to do it is based on regular season losses.  

Anything else, a team looked better or felt more dominant.  

[Ace Nova]

As far as single-game performance, there aren't too many teams over the past 59 years that would have beat this team on Sunday.  They galvanized and began to peak during the NFCCG and were 100% peak performance during the Super Bowl. 

Could there have been 9 other teams that would have beat them on Sunday?  Doubtful, imo. 

I think 5-7 of the absolute best teams would have given them a run for their money but they would have played ANY team close with a chance to win, imo.  That's how good this team was from A-Z, on both sides of the ball and that's how well they were prepared and played on Sunday. 

[Iggles_Phan]

Each Super bowl winner is 1 of 1.  Comparing between champions is nearly impossible and implicit (and sometimes explicit) bias comes in.  

 

No need to rank them.    This season was a helluva ride and it culminated in one of the most dominant Super Bowl performances in history.   It is worth savoring.