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The NFL's greatest two-year teams
Cold, Hard Football Facts for October 20, 2007
Just 10 teams in history have won 30 or more games over a two-year period (including playoffs) and three of them are your resident AFC powerhouses: the 2003-04 Patriots, 2004-05 Steelers and 2005-06 Colts.
Pretty amazing.
We stacked up all these 30-win two-year teams below and ranked them by winning percentage. All but the 1972-73 Dolphins played in the era of the 16-game schedule (since 1978). We also added in one non-30 win team, the 1982-83 Redskins. The Redskins went 28-4 and in all likelihood would have won 30 or more games if not for the 1982 players strike. The Redskins played just nine regular-season games that year, plus four playoff games in the 16-team postseason tournament the NFL employed in 1982. Their .875 win percentage over two seasons certainly indicates that they belong on this list.
- The 2003-04 Patriots won more games over two years (34) than any team in history.
- The 1972-73 Dolphins are the only team to win more than 90 percent of their games over a two-year period.
- The most dominant 30-win team was the 1985-86 Bears, who won by an average of 13.6 PPG.
- The least dominant teams were the recent Patriots (+8.9), Colts (+8.0) and Steelers (+7.5).
Pittsburgh is the only franchise with two entries on the list.
NFL's GREATEST TWO-YEAR TEAMS
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|
Team |
Record |
Titles |
Avg. PF-PA |
Differential |
|
1 |
1972-73 Dolphins |
32-2 (.941) |
2 |
25.5-11.5 |
+10.0 PPG |
|
2 |
2003-04 Patriots |
34-4 (.895) |
2 |
24.8-15.9 |
+8.9 PPG |
|
3 |
1985-86 Bears |
32-4 (.889) |
1 |
25.3-11.7 |
+13.6 PPG |
|
4 |
1982-83 Redskins |
28-4 (.875) |
1 |
28.9-17.9 |
+11.0 PPG |
|
5 |
1989-90 49ers |
32-5 (.865) |
1 |
26.0-14.7 |
+11.3 PPG |
|
6 |
1997-98 Broncos |
33-6 (.846) |
2 |
30.2-17.9 |
+12.3 PPG |
|
7 |
1978-79 Steelers |
32-6 (.842) |
2 |
25.4-14.4 |
+11.0 PPG |
|
8 |
1996-97 Packers |
31-7 (.816) |
1 |
27.5-15.5 |
+12.0 PPG |
|
9 |
1992-93 Cowboys |
31-7 (.816) |
2 |
26.2-15.0 |
+11.2 PPG |
|
10 |
2004-05 Steelers |
31-7 (.816) |
1 |
24.1-16.6 |
+7.5 PPG |
|
11 |
2005-06 Colts |
30-7 (.811) |
1 |
26.7-18.7 |
+8.0 PPG |
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