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

Was a big fan of the Montana 49ers during the 80s, but my pick here would be the 85 Bears. They just demolished the opposition, and mauled them on defense. You could almost sense the fear the other team had playing that bunch--not something you expect of grown men playing professional sports.

The only other time I've seen dominance of that nature was the recently undefeated Patriots. Just crushed people in the regular season. Point spreads of 16, 18, 23 throughout the year. Came a Tyree catch on the helmet away from being at the top of the list.

 

Amen, brother. Winning 10 games with the rotating cast of Jim McMahon, Jeff Kemp, Brad Goebel and Pat Ryan under center — all coached by Rich Kotite — should speak volumes about how great that defense was.
Eat a dick, Bryce Paup.

 

1976 Steelers. 10-4, five shutouts, Franco and Bleier both over 1000 yards rushing. Lost to Raiders in AFC Title game due largely to the absence of the two RBs, who were both injured.

28: how many points the defense allowed in the last nine games of the season. That is dominance.

The team didn't win the Super Bowl, but it might have been the best of those Steelers team, at least until injuries late in the year killed them.

 

The thread title asks for the best single-season team in NFL history and your vote goes to a team that lost four games and didn't win the Super Bowl, while four other editions of that team did win the Super Bowl? That's your single best team in the history of the NFL?

 

yes. injuries prevented them from winning a title, but a nuanced mind can look beyond that. You're saying every team that won a Super Bowl is by default better than any team that didn't? Because that's pretty simple-minded.

BTW, ESPN ranked that Steelers defense as the best of all time in 2007 -- better than the Bears or the 49ers or the 1991 Eagles.

In the playoff opener -- a 40-14 drubbing of the Colts -- Pittsburgh gained an NFL record 524 total yards. Unfortunately Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were lost to injuries during the game.

So record-setting offense and the best defense of all time. Yes, they still get my vote for best team even though they didn't win the Super Bowl.

 

OK, then you have to include the 2010 Packers in the discussion. 10-6, didn't win the division, but didn't lose by more than 4 points in those 6 losses, and won the Super Bowl with 15 players on IR ... among those being six starters.

And for the record, I'm not saying this team was the best single-season team in NFL history.

 

1972 Dolphins.

 

1985 Bears

Stellar defensive line, strong linebackers (only the Dome Patrol and '70s Steelers were better), outstanding secondary, strong offensive line and only the greatest running back known (had to say something to upset the Jim Brown sorts ... ).

Just a strong team, and that Monday Night game against the Dolphins is still a highlight in terms of watching a great team get taken down. If the Patriots hadn't discovered lightning in a bottle, what Super Bowl XX could have been ... the only offense that had any answers for the 46 (yes, one pass was lucky, but 38 points is NOT luck, not against that bunch).

 

Hippie.

 

I can make room in my brain for the 2010 Packers.

 

The thread topic is not "best Steeler teams", it's best ever. So I've no idea why you're discussing a 10-4 team that failed to reach the Super Bowl. If those are the rules, I nominate the 05 Colts, they were frickin unbeatable up until Week 15.

 

That 1976 Raiders team was very good, but did catch that break against a franchise that it just couldn't solve. Still, it's nice for that group to have been validated with a title.

If winning it all isn't part of the criteria, I'll throw out the 2007 Patriots.

For most of the season, they were playing Madden, while everyone else was playing reality football.

Those 1990-93 Bills were one of the great squads ever assembled, but none of their single years was as good as those discussed here.