worst defense to win super bowl worst defense to win super bowl

I'm sure fans in Baltimore still curse Joe Namath's Super Bowl guarantee. Those questions need to be answered in a division where the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers defenses reside. This would have been yet another classic Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowl if Neil ODonnell didnt throw the game away. Herbert will have more protection to connect with a talented cast of offensive weapons as the Chargers rebuilt their offensive line centered around All-Pro Corey Linsley and first-round pick Rashawn Slater. Even the worst of the second-place teams showed they could have won it all. The Bills ended up with the most wins in a season (13) since 1991. Craving even more NFL coverage focusing on previews, recaps, news and analysis? The best chance they had and they were wide right. The Patriots dynasty started with a massive upset that ended with a Tom Brady game-winning drive and clutch kick by Adam Vinatieri. W. 23-20. FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, C.J. Brett Favre was brilliant in his only Super Bowl win. Four NFL teams the Browns, Lions, Jaguars, and Texans have never appeared in the Super Bowl. Even if Kevin Dyson had pulled a Michael Jordan in Space Jam and reached the ball over the goal line, the game would have gone to overtime. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has to commit to running the ball besides using Murray on designed carries, or else Arizona will experience the same second-half swoon as last year. Why? That being said, wait until they lose the opener to Tampa, and then get them at possibly better odds. And we'll start with the Chiefs: More: Sam Darnold cannot go from worst QB in the NFL (by some metrics) to winning the Super Bowl in twelve months. Bettis got his ring before retirement andthe Steelersgreatly overachieved in the process. When thinking about the 1990 season, it is hard to conjure up images of anything other than Buffalo Bills kicker Scott Norwood missing a potential Super Bowl-winning kick. The Bucs finished the season, including playoffs, with the sixth-most efficient defense under coordinator Todd Bowles. Those numbers are buoyed by two factors: FPI projects them to have the best defense in the league. Michael Strahan and Keith Hamilton combined for 19.5 sacks, and the team had 44 total. An 11-5 record was good enough for first place in the AFC East, yet New England was 5-5 through 10 games. Stroud showed love to Justin Fields when explaining why he doesn't the Bears to draft him: 'That's his team', The Red Sox found a loophole in the MLB shift ban and it stinks for Joey Gallo, Survivor 44: Meet the castaways who will compete for $1 million in Fiji, Mets fans hilariously embraced basketball tactics to confuse players on the pitch clock, The Warriors left Russell Westbrook ridiculously wide open and it worked to perfection, Watch: Man tries feeding bison near Yellowstone; it doesnt go well, 2023 NFL Combine Winners Day 1: Blazing-fast DTs give the Bears plenty to consider, Ranking all 32 NFL teams' helmet logos, from worst to best, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. This is the first game on this list that was actually competitive going into the fourth quarter, but it was a sloppy affair featuring seven fumbles and a pair of interceptions. They had an unimpressive 115 record, but the 2002 Raiders were a well-balanced, finely tuned machine. Joe Montanas first Super Bowl win was nearly squandered after the 49ers let the Bengals nearly erase a 20-point deficit. 12. A 14-win team with a top 10 offense and defense. Keep in mind, the Larry Fitzgerald touchdown catch (pictured above) was to go ahead with 2:37 left in the game. Matt Stafford, on the other hand, is learning a new offense, albeit with a smart coach and talented skill players. The first half ended with James Harrisons lung-busting interception return. San Francisco 49ers +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total), Tricky to put San Francisco here given the uncertainty at QB, but theres no way they actually start 21-year-old Trey Lance, right?. Reggie White was downright unblockable. The game was a blowout but did give us one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history: Don Beebe chasing down a prematurely celebrating Leon Lett. What Allen accomplished in 2020 was MVP-caliber, even if he didn't take home the league's highest individual honor. While that's a long shot with Kansas City in the conference, both the Ravens and Browns have at least a 10% shot to pull it off. Granted, having Simms on the field would have undoubtedly bolstered the Giants offensive attack in the postseason, but this is not a countdown of "what ifs" and "should have beens.". Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Brown, setting the stage for Jones to have a huge first season in Tennessee. 13. FPI is able to reconcile that issue to determine a more accurate SOS. All rights reserved. There have been some very random teams that reached the conference championship game in recent years (Titans and 49ers, 2020; Jaguars and Vikings 2018), though. The Doomsday Defense vs. the Orange Crush ended up being a forgettable, one-sided affair. The defense wasn't that much better either, finishing 27th in points allowed, 30th in yards allowed, and recorded the fewest turnovers in the league. 3. 5 offense. Kind of. A crummy game turned into an instant classic thanks to a brilliant game-winning drive authored by Joe Montana. 1980 was also the final year of "Stickum" being allowed in the NFL, and cornerback Lester Hayes used it to his full advantage, reeling off 18 interceptions in 20 games. Another dynasty toppled by Tom Brady, but the "Legion of Boom" should not be undersold. Id say so, yes.. 15. This was the first of the Cowboys three Super Bowl wins in the 90s. Because there is a salary cap. When teams win the players want raises forcing teams to lose some players. This is what is happening to Green Bay an Tom Brady led the offense with Randy Moss and Wes Welker to score 36.8 points per game. Here they are ranked: It was a lot of fun to research these teams to remember just how good they were their respective seasons. Just how goofy was this game? TEAM DATE ROUND TM OPP RESULT W TD 1DWN OFF OPP OFF 3DWN% 4DWN% Los Angeles Rams: 2/13/2022: Super Bowl: LAR @ CIN. A step up from the traditional method is to look at the mean win total for every team's opponents, but this too has an issue; for instance, every Chiefs opponent's win total is depressed because it has to play the Chiefs (division opponents doubly so! 3 overall pick Trey Lance entering the season. Arizona still needs more help in the secondary, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has man-cover corners to fit his scheme. It all makes for a nice story, but the fact remains that the Giants were not a superb team. Matt Rhule is a coach whose stock Im buying low.. The game was expected to be a blowout Green Bay was favored by 13.5 points and it was. Nobody has a tougher September schedule: vs Seattle, vs the Rams, at Tennessee, at Miami, at Baltimore. Miami Dolphins +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total), Miami led the NFL in two categories that they are unlikely to duplicate: takeaways (29) and 3rd down defense (31%); they were also seventh in red zone defense. This Super Bowl gave us a bunch of memorable performances. The game did not feature nearly as dramatic an ending as the rest of the top-10, but it was a game full of Hall of Famers all playing at a high level. Green, but for a young team with a young coach, locker room leadership was needed last year down the stretch when they lost five of seven and missed the playoffs.. It remains the worst run defense in NFL history. In the end, FPI's projections for the Colts are not all that bad; they have a 44% chance to win the AFC South (second to the Titans) and a 59% shot to make the postseason. The Titans thrust themselves into Super Bowl contention with the offseason addition of Julio Jones, a massive upgrade over departed free agent Corey Davis. The Chiefs defense also surrendered 31 points. Baltimore is well balanced, with a projected offense and defense (and special teams!) This year, theres a chance theyre 4-0 heading into a week five game against the Cowboys. Jacksonville was the worst team in the league last year, but the Jaguars were competitive in half of their games (seven of their losses were by one score). Were on a run of blowouts now. Here is a quarterback guru who never could quite develop a quarterback as a head coach. This game gave us one of the most iconic plays in Super Bowl history: John Riggins taking a 4th-and-one run to the house to help seal Joe Gibbs first Super Bowl win. It was called the "Blunder Bowl" for a reason. Ken Anderson led his team to 124. This should have been a great game. You can make a case that every team that endured the best shots from every one of their opponents throughout the season, found a way to win enough Andy Reids never-ending two-minute drill robbed us of what could have been an exciting ending. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens featured one of the most stifling defenses ever assembled, allowing only 970 rushing yards all season and five rushing touchdowns. Detroit Lions +12500 (bet $10 to win $1260 total), There is a universe in which the Lions ride an inspired Jared Goff and underrated defensive talent to seven or eight wins., But the schedule is brutal six road games against playoff teams from 2020! Division favorites, win totals and the NFL's best (and worst) teams: Takeaways from the 2021 projections, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? Check out the full strength of schedule rankings here. Both halves of this one were capped off by remarkable plays. Baltimore has a unique spot on this list because its inclusion is not based on mediocre talent (it had players like Bubba Smith and Johnny Unitas) or that it struggled to win games (the Colts went 11-2-1). This 1969 Minnesota Vikings team was elite and ranked first for both points scored and points against. While Kansas City's 19% chance to win the Super Bowl might be more than any other team's, FPI is also saying that there's a 4-in-5 chance that a team other than the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. The Chargers got the last of the three talented quarterbacks from the 2020 draft class, and possibly the best in Justin Herbert -- the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Let's start in the 1980s, with a team led by Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young For a franchise that was so consistently dominant in the 1980s, the 1988 version of the San Francisco 49ers sure seems mediocre. 2007 Giants, 2007 Patriots, 2006 Colts, or the 2009 Saints, with a 25th overall defense, could say they were all the worst defensive teams to win a Shaun Alexander had 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns.Shaun Alexander had 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns! There's enough depth to get by. When you have to play the two toughest divisions in the NFL NFC West, AFC North the uphill climb is real. Dallas Cowboys +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total), Realistically, Dallas is in the second tier of teams that could win the Super Bowl.. There's talent on the Falcons, but they are such an unknown heading into 2021. Of course, it is impossible to label a Super Bowl-winning team as average, but this 49ers team was certainly not up to par with others. Peyton Mannings struggles reinforced the notion that he could be great in the regular season but collapsed in the playoffs. 29 and 30. 1 pick, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing eight years in prison, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report, Last Super Bowl appearance: 2016 (Super Bowl 50), Last Super Bowl appearance: 2017 (Super Bowl LI), Last Super Bowl appearance: 1990 (Super Bowl XXIII), Last Super Bowl appearance: 1995 (Super Bowl XXIX), Last Super Bowl appearance: 1977 (Super Bowl XI), Last Super Bowl appearance: 2009 (Super Bowl XLIII), Last Super Bowl appearance: 2000 (Super Bowl XXXIV), Last Super Bowl appearance: 1994 (Super Bowl XXVIII). Four of those teams made the playoffs last year and Miami won 10 games. They are part of the legacy of the biggest game in sports, and they had fought hard an entire winning season. 2023 NFL Draft odds: Will Georgia's Stetson Bennett get selected? Seriously, the Vikings are never allowed to make another Super Bowl. XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? This 11-5Oakland Raiders teamfinished second in the AFC West in an era when there were only three divisions. Buffalo is in position to make another deep playoff run this season. But even with all that, its not even the best Super Bowl of the last two years. Denver got out to a 10-0 lead before Washington dropped a Super Bowl-record 35 points in the second quarter on the Broncos defense. The presence of Lawrence gives Jacksonville hope for the first time in years. Had Rodgers simply decided to retire rather than suit up, Green Bay's chances to make the playoffs would have dropped from 70% to 24%, and their Super Bowl chances would have dropped from 6% to 0.2%. What should have been a great quarterback matchup Marino vs. Montana turned into a blowout as the Dolphins gunslinger couldnt keep up with the 49ers surgeon. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. This 97 Cardinals team scored 78. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | Cleveland has the game's top running back tandem in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, a duo head coach Kevin Stefanski utilizes heavily in the offense. The Dolphins capped off the only perfect season ever, despite Garo Yepremian give us an all-time blooper. He finished fourth in the league in completion percentage (69.2), fifth in passing yards, fifth in passing touchdowns, and fourth in passer rating -- while also rushing for 421 yards and eight touchdowns. Adding Marvin Jones to a young receiving unit that already includes Laviska Shenault Jr. and D.J. As of now, FPI is working under the assumption that two rookies -- the Jaguars' Lawrence and the Jets' Wilson -- are their respective teams' current starters. However, like most teams on this list, the Steelers had one glaring deficiency: the passing game. As the tweet said, only 28 players have achieved that in the last decade-plus. This is how good the NFC West is: There's a 37% chance that three of the four teams reach the playoffs, and there's even a 3% chance that all four get in. Take note: This isn't technically a ranking of the teams from very worst to very best, although the worse teams tend to be toward the bottom and the better teams toward the top. Buffalo Bill's in 1992 super bowl against Dalls Cowboys have up 52 points to there offense managed 17pts (How about them cowboys.) that's pretty ba For a team with quarterback uncertainty, it could be much worse. Everyone's mind goes to Rex Grossman, but people forget this overall team was more than their quarterback. That's right, a team with Jerry Rice had a running back gain more receiving yards. Jacksonville Jaguars +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total), "Dont tell me what you think tell me whats in your portfolio. Is this a bad thing?No, but it does not exactly make for one of the most dominant championship teams of all time. Ah, the iconic image of Trent Dilfer hoisting his arms in victory. Not every team epitomizes greatness and dominance when it is victorious in the Super Bowl. 22. Los Angeles could put itself in position to contend for a playoff spot. With a hostage crisis in Iran taking attention away from the game, the Raiders and Eagles made sure Americans too concerned to tune into a football game didnt miss much. The Buffalo Bills are coming off their first conference championship game appearance since 1993 while the Cleveland Browns won their first playoff game since 1995. WebWhat was the worst NFL offensive team to win a Super Bowl? A 124 record and a solid defense? This team is starting to scratch the surface of its potential. The first of the Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowls gave us those beautiful NFL Films shots of Lynn Swanns acrobatic catch. Adding Patrick Peterson, Xavier Woods, Sheldon Richardsonand Dalvin Tomlinson in free agency improves this unit -- which also gets Danielle Hunter back from a neck injury. Historically, those are difficult to duplicate.. ", From the huge offseason losses on the offensive line, to questions about the secondary, to the difficult division there isnt an ounce of value in the Raiders to win a ring., 26. This unit -- like the offense -- has the potential to be an elite group. As Rodgers' future hung in the balance over the summer, so too did the Packers' projections. Poor Bengal fans will never watch a 49ers game with a smile (unless they're losing). The defense got a huge boost with the signing of Haason Reddick and top 10 pick Jaycee Horn, but Carolina still has to deal with Tampa Bay and New Orleans in the NFC South. The Kansas City Chiefs might have lost Super Bowl LV, but they are still the NFL team to beat this season, according to the new ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) projections for 2021. You won't believe how good some of these teams were. It has happened 8 times to 7 different teams. Interestingly enough, not only has no team won 3 in a row, not a single team has ever made it back to Joe Namath may have guaranteed a Super Bowl III win over the Baltimore Colts, but he didn't say anything about being the best team of all time. Las Vegas Raiders +6600 (bet $10 to win $670 total), One of the most dysfunctional teams in the league, the Raiders once again scream "stay away. It was easily the sloppiest Super Bowl of all-time. A solid team all around, but more importantly, proficient on offense and defense. Denver has eight games against FPI's bottom 10 teams: at Giants, at Jaguars, vs. Two years ago, the 49ers were 10 minutes away from winning the Super Bowl, and they return eight defensive starters from that team. Matt Rhule is building something in Carolina as he enters his second year, taking a chance he can resurrect Sam Darnold's career. A game remembered more for trick plays and bad refereeing than the actual quality of either team, the Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious in their effort to send Jerome Bettis off into the sunset in style. But itll face Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers before Halloween. That decision is based on two factors: Garoppolo is generally believed to be the favorite over rookie No. Therefore, designating Garoppolo as the starter seemed the safer choice. 23. Its more fun to speculate on the Bears QB race than it is their actual Super Bowl chances., 24. Theyve won 35 regular-season games in the last three seasons for a reason., When narratives build for example, that Lamar Jackson cant win in the playoffs you can find an edge fading them., 1. Id have to guess the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. A special season in Tennessee could be in store. It has to be the 2016 Atlanta Falcons. Up 28-3 at the end of the third quarter, they couldn't hold off the Patriots in the biggest game of the year At 133, this defense was nasty by forcing 31 turnovers. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, with a 15% chance, followed by the Jets (10%), Jaguars (8%) and Eagles (7%). The poor AFC South is the only reason theyre not lower. Although they have one less win, there stats still propel them ahead of the '86 team. Love the defense, which is good enough to vault Washington to the playoffs again. Head coach Bill Cowher would get Super Bowl redemption the next decade, but this 115 team was pretty great all around. Zaven Collins has strong NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year capabilities and Isaiah Simmons is expected to take a huge step in his second year. They were the 3rd best scoring offense in the league, but 28th on defense. Yes, the Chiefs -- not the Super Bowl-champion Buccaneers -- are projected to be the best team and also have the best chances to hoist the Lombardi trophy next February. With Aaron Rodgers' future in limbo, the Vikings could be primed to win the NFC North. The first five weeks of Indianapolis' schedule are rough, as the Colts host the Seahawks and Rams before hitting the road to face the Titans, Dolphins and Ravens. For the 2021 version of FPI, we made some under-the-hood improvements, including an updated expected points added model and a better predictive quarterback rating system. The NFL regular season begins in just days. The wild card is first-time head coach Brandon Staley, who probably is an upgrade over Anthony Lynn but hes only been in the NFL since 2017, so how could anyone say for sure? Tennessee Titans +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total), Probably the favorites in the division given the Colts' injuries, but Im leery of taking the bait. In the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh managed just 16 points and won a defensive slugfest 16-6. It also gave us the first and only Super Bowl blackout. To no surprise: It's the Patrick Mahomes-led offense -- which includes Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and a rebuilt offensive line -- that leads the way and is more than 2.5 points per game better than the next-best offense (Green Bay). New England Patriots +3300 (bet $10 to win $340 total), If Bill Belichick can figure out his QB, the Patriots are going to be extremely dangerous. Jets, vs. Eagles, vs. Lions, vs. Bengals and a home-and-home with the Raiders. The 49ers' projection is based on the assumption that Jimmy Garoppolo is the starting quarterback. A great defense and front seven, but their running game hit on all cylinders with 2.305 total team rushing yards. 2) The AFC North is a filthy, disgusting mosh pit whence nobody comes out alive. Phil Simms set the record for completion percentage after finishing 22-of-25 in an MVP effort. A 142 season, and the best offense in the league led by Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce. An 11-win season leaning on the talent of John Elway and the defense's ability to hold teams to under three touchdowns. Washington led 24-3 at one point. FPI, which launched Monday, is a forward-looking projection model that includes ratings and projections for every team, from projected win-loss records to percentages to win each division. But the Super Bowl? In the playoffs, Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt had to have a meltdown of epic proportions to send the Steelers to the Conference Championship and cover up for Bettis' fumble earlier in the contest. 20. Give them five years to become a dynasty. The teams combined for 11 turnovers. Green Bay Packers +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total), The Packers are tied for the second-best odds to win the NFC, but their arduous schedule includes a league-high 10 games against teams that made the playoffs last year. They went 7-3 in one-score games last year and led the NFL in turnover margin (+11). Here are the 10 teams most likely to win Super Bowl LV: Kansas City vs. Tampa Bay is still not that likely, however. The Panthers and Patriots gave us the most exciting fourth quarter in Super Bowl history, combining for five scores, including an 85-yard pass by Jake Delhomme, which remains a Super Bowl record, and Adam Vinatieris game-winning kick as time expired. At best, the Falcons are a playoff team, but theyd need something calamitous to happen to the Bucs to have a shot to win the division., 21. What makes a great Super Bowl? Which one is the most likely to remove itself from this dubious list? Chicago Bears +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total). Again, FPI doesn't think the division is much-improved. A very good defense led by Andre Tippett and Steve Nelson. Kam Chancellor should have been MVP. Cleveland hasn't been in a position to win a Super Bowl since Bernie Kosar led the franchise to consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances in the mid-1980s. The NFC West features three of FPI's top 10 teams in the Rams, 49ers and Seahawks, and the 21st-ranked Cardinals aren't necessarily an easy out, either. At 133, this New England Patriots offense was extraordinary, but their defense was lacking and kept them out of the top 20. The Kansas City Chiefs, winners of Super Bowl 57, are the favorites at +600. This may not be the worst championship team of all time, but these Steelers werebarely ataste ofthe greatness that wasto come in the following years. Instead, Baltimore is here due to how poorly it played in its Super Bowl win. 11 in the league, per FPI) isn't a problem with that kind of strength on the other side of the ball. Dick Vermeil's boys just missed out on the Lombardi Trophy with one bad day. San Francisco finished the regular season at just 10-6, and the leading receiver was none other than Roger Craig. Peyton Manning was on another level this season, leading his offense to score a jarring 37.9 points per game, but the team around him was lacking. To show you how wildly that fluctuates, in those categories the year before, Miami ranked 29th, 24th, and 27th.. This one was actually pretty entertaining for the first 30 minutes. Including the next one. The Broncos could muster only 35 net passing yards. The game may have been bad, but this is NFL history. Both Cowboys-Bills Super Bowl were blowouts, but this one was at least competitive into the third quarter. The Tennessee Titans are one of 12 teams in the NFL to have never won a Super Bowl, and according to one writer, they are the furthest away from doing so of those dozen teams. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Boomer Esiason and the Bengals were the most productive offense in 1988. New York had to scrap its way to the Super Bowl. They started 1-7, fought back into playoff contention, and cratered down the stretch behind backup QB Colt McCoy.. Buffalo also addedEmmanuel Sanders to the mix, making the passing game even more formidable. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. It was not only totally unexpected but it was made possible by a play-call that will be debated for years to come. Minnesota Vikings +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total), I want to like Minnesota as a buy-low team after rebuilding its defense.. I have multiple tickets on the Jags - win the division, wins over, win the Super Bowl. It was a sloppy game that was marred by questionable refereeing, but Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis finally winning a Lombardi Trophy thanks to Willie Parkers record-setting touchdown run and Hines Ward throwing for a score made this a memorable Super Bowl. OK, so this game was never in doubt, this was Bill Walshs 49ers dynasty at its apex. Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. The Jaguars are going to be better than the 1-15 team that played last year, and could actually contend for eight or nine wins if the defense becomes a top 20 unit (ranked 31st in points and yards allowed in 2020). This contest was more important than nearly any other as it asserted the AFL's legitimacy as a league and proved it could contend with the NFL year in and year out. Well, they play in a division that produced three playoff teams last year. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. Yes, they have the best QB, a fleet of skill players and a fantastic coach, but history is not on their side.