Which is the best single-season team in NFL history?

It was a discussion on the Super Bowl Shuffle thread, but we should start fresh here.

1985 Bears? '89 Niners? One of the Steel Curtain teams? Who ya got?

If you say '72 Dolphins, you will be placed in a burlap sack and thrown from the nearest tall bridge over water.

 

I'm biased, but the '85 Bears, I believe. Particularly, they peaked at absolutely the right time, the playoffs, which is what a team is supposed to do. Ten points allowed in three playoff games. Has anyone else ever come close to that? How many did the '00 Ravens allow?

 

'85 Bears.

Though they should probably be docked a couple of votes for the Super Bowl Shuffle.

 

85 Bears

 

23, in an extra game. Surprisingly, 12-4 didn't win the division. The Titans won it at 13-3.

 

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't include the Ravens in this particular discussion. A best single-season defenses discussion, yes.

 

I'm not really biased at all (actually I may be a little biased toward a couple of the 49er teams), but put me down for the '85 Bears also. I never seen a team so dominant during my time covering the NFL.

But I also agree with Armchair. Sometimes I want to blow them off the face of the earth for that Shuffle video and all the sports team-created copycats it spawned.

 

1962 Packers.

 

I'd go 1985 Bears slightly over the 1989 Niners.

 

1989 49ers. Joe Montana in his best season ever. Jerry Rice in his physical prime (he averaged 18.1 yards a catch, then went down to 15.0 the next year and never again got above 16). Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and a dominant defense. Won three playoff games by a total of 126-26.

Those 49ers didn't play the precise '85 Bears. But they did play some reasonable facsimiles of the defense in that time ('84 and '88) and crushed them in the playoffs. I think they would have scored in the 20s against the '85 group, which would have been enough with that defense.

Anyone on this thread who says the '72 Dolphins needs to just go watch soccer.

 

Second that.

 

Thirded...best O-line in history, best linebackers, amazing secondary. The skill positions were dominant. Defensive backfield the only soft spot, and it really didn't matter because the pass rush was so good.