Some teams waddle through the regular season like a drunken CHFF troll after the all-you-can buffet on the Pacific Princess during high, rocky seas ... yet somehow manage to reach the sunny lido deck that is a Super Bowl championship.
Last year's champion, the Colts, are high up on this list of un-impressive regular-season teams. But they looked downright dominant compared with the 2007 Giants who, if they beat the Patriots next Sunday, would be the worst regular-season team (by a commanding margin) to go on to win the Super Bowl.
Here's a look at how the 2007 Giants stack up against the Super Bowl champions who fielded the weakest teams in the regular season, based upon average point differential. The 2007 Giants would also join the 1988 49ers as the Super Bowl champions with the worst regular-season records (10-6; .625).
GIANTS vs. LEAST DOMINANT SUPER BOWL WINNERS
|
Team |
Record |
PPG Scored |
PPG Allowed |
PPG Differential |
|
2007 Giants |
10-6 |
23.31 |
21.94 |
+1.37 |
|
1980 Raiders |
11-5 |
22.75 |
19.13 |
+3.62 |
|
2006 Colts |
12-4 |
26.69 |
22.50 |
+4.19 |
|
1988 49ers |
10-6 |
23.06 |
18.38 |
+4.68 |
|
1987 Redskins |
11-4 |
23.69 |
17.81 |
+5.88 |
|
2001 Patriots |
11-5 |
23.19 |
17.00 |
+6.19 |
We almost could have made this list simply by looking at won-loss record. Just six Super Bowl champions have won 11 or fewer games. Four of them are represented on this list of least dominant Super Bowl winners.
The only teams missing are the 2005 Steelers, who went 11-5 but outscored their opponents by a healthy 8.19 PPG, and the 1967 Packers, who went 9-4-1 but outscored their opponents by 8.79 PPG.
Couple other quick points:
The Giants surrendered 351 points this year. Only one Super Bowl champion gave up more: the 2006 Colts surrendered 360 points.
The Giants are the second worst team to even reach the Super Bowl. The 1979 Rams, who lost to the Steelers, another team that was chasing its fourth Lombardi Trophy in a decade, were 9-7 and claimed a measly +14 point scoring differential for the entire season (323-309). The Giants were +22 (373-351).
