- The 2007 Patriots were incredibly close to glory: New England's 18-0 start before being upset in Super Bowl 42 featured several records, including the best single-season point differential ever.
- The 49ers have been through the wringer: Kyle Shanahan's 2023 and 2019 squads both played like a Super Bowl winner but lost to the Chiefs in the title matchup.
- The 2025 Rams deserve their flowers: While Los Angeles didn't make the Super Bowl, its 96.0 overall PFF grade is the best for any team in a season since 2006.
Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes
A general epithet around sports is that the best team in any given year will be the one to hoist the championship trophy. In recent memory, that’s largely felt true. Over the last two seasons, the Seahawks and Eagles have genuinely felt like the most dominant team in the sport.
However, the best-performing, most efficient and/or most talented team doesn’t always climb the mountain top. In fact, some squads have become legendary for cruising through the regular season, only to bow out earlier than expected.
Blending advanced PFF metrics (which date back to 2006) with more basic stats, it’s becoming growingly possible to revisit history. With a revisionist point of reference, it’s tough to believe that these 10 teams never won the Lombardi Trophy during their indelible seasons. In many ways, though, that makes them immortalized.
1. 2007 New England Patriots
When discussing the best overall teams in NFL history, the 2007 Patriots are ubiquitously mentioned for good reason. Going 18-0 before a stunning Super Bowl upset to the Giants speaks for itself, but the metrics under the hood do as well.
Bill Belichick’s group outscored its opponents by 315 points in the regular season, the highest single-year point differential by over 65 points. Further, New England finished the season no worse than third in either offensive or defensive PFF grade.
Its offense was historic, as Tom Brady, Randy Moss & Co. secured a 0.249 EPA per play — tied for the best ever. The Patriots’ defense wasn’t quite as good, but it still saw Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren and Mike Vrabel earn at least a 79.7 overall mark.
These Patriots finished as pro football’s highest-graded unit by 1.5 points — not to mention 8.6 points higher than New York. This team will forever be legendary despite never receiving hardware.
Highest single-season EPA/play marks, 2006-25
| Team | Season | Value |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 2007 | 0.249 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2011 | 0.249 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2016 | 0.233 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2018 | 0.233 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2020 | 0.213 |
2. 2015 Carolina Panthers
The 2015 Panthers assembled a similar oh-so-close year, going 15-1 before falling to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Carolina’s 94.4 overall PFF grade unsurprisingly led the NFL.
Boasting the league MVP in Cam Newton along with Greg Olsen, Ron Rivera’s bunch provided endless offensive fireworks. But its defense was potentially even better, as Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Josh Norman placed second in scoring drive rate allowed.
Balanced, star-powered and incredibly energetic, the 2015 Panthers continue to live on. Their +192 point differential ties for 15th all time.
3. 2023 San Francisco 49ers
Winning the Super Bowl has proven to be a Sisyphean task for Kyle Shanahan. His 2023 squad was certainly worthy of doing so.
San Francisco reached Super Bowl 58 with a league-best 95.3 overall PFF grade. Impressively, the 49ers graded no worse than third in both offensive and defensive profile. A whopping nine starters — six on offense and three on defense — secured at least an 84.5 mark, including stars like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
Losing to the Chiefs in overtime in the big game only reaffirms the legitimacy of this 49ers team, which owns the 14th-best point differential in league history.
4. 2016 Atlanta Falcons
Much like their NFC South rivals the year before, the 2016 Falcons rode the league MVP to a scintillating season. Atlanta’s 95.6 overall PFF grade was tops, powered by an offense that finished with a 0.233 EPA per play mark and a 52.9% scoring drive rate. What Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman assembled was downright special.
Atlanta’s defense was more problematic, slotting 15th in grade with zero performers reaching an 82.0 mark. That unit proved to be part of an infamous 28-3 demise in Super Bowl 51 against the Patriots. While these Falcons are etched on the wrong side of history, their broader campaign was incredible nevertheless.
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(opens in new tab)5. 2022 Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia’s first run to the Super Bowl under Nick Sirianni featured a team that was elite in almost all facets. The Eagles led the NFL in overall grade with a 93.7 overall mark, including sitting second in offense and first in defense. Further proof of that balance is the team placing no worse than fourth in both offensive and defensive scoring drive rate.
What dings the Eagles’ case is that just six players recorded at least an 84.5 overall grade, with four of them (Jason Kelce, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson) coming on offense. Likewise, the team’s +133 point differential only ranks 89th. Still, this type of well-rounded dominance and an overtime Super Bowl loss are meritorious.
6. 2013 Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning’s second season in Denver was a prolific one. The 2013 AFC champions notched a 95.4 overall PFF grade, which trailed only the Seahawks, and sat in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive success rate.
With an elite offensive line, Manning under center and stupendous weaponry like Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker, the Broncos ranked first in offensive EPA per play. Meanwhile, the team’s defense flashed other quality players in Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr. and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who each played to at least an 80.0 grade.
Denver’s 43-8 dismantling at the hands of Seattle in Super Bowl 48 does diminish what the Broncos accomplished a tad. But this team was still outstanding in countless ways, securing the seventh-best point differential in NFL history.
7. 2025 Los Angeles Rams
Last year’s Rams team had all the makings of a Super Bowl title, sitting neck-and-neck with the Seahawks as the head-and-shoulders best team in the NFL throughout the entire campaign. The stats back up that notion, as Los Angeles earned a 96.0 overall PFF grade — the best ever for a team in the PFF era.
With Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua assembling decorated seasons, Sean McVay’s offense was the most efficient and explosive in football. Meanwhile, the Rams’ defense sat 10th in EPA per play thanks to a formidable defensive line and breakout defensive backs like Kamren Curl and Kamren Kinchens.
The fact that the Rams didn’t even reach Super Bowl 60 is a bit of a knock, but losing to the eventual champion Seahawks makes it a better pill to swallow. The bottom line is that the 2025 Rams were a stupendous, well-coached team on both sides of the ball who just couldn’t get past the champs in two very close, late-season affairs.
8. 2011 New England Patriots
The second Patriots team to fall to the Giants in the Super Bowl wasn’t as stellar as the first, but it still holds its weight. In 2011, New England’s 91.0 overall PFF grade was the highest in the league by 1.4 grading points.
With stars like Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Welker, Belichick’s offense was second in success rate and third in EPA per play. However, the team’s defense underperformed by placing 29th in EPA per play and 22nd in PFF coverage grade.
This version of the Patriots concluded the year with a robust +171 point differential. While not the +208 number by the Saints in the same season, New England’s slightly better defense gives it the edge.
9. 2024 Detroit Lions
In 2024, the Lions went from upstart competitor to outright contender. While finishing with a 15-2 record, Detroit deposited a 93.8 overall PFF grade, which trailed only the champion Eagles that season.
Detroit’s remarkable year featured a terrific offense, as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and others helped the team rank second in both EPA per play and average yards per play. On the other side, Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch powered a defense that allowed scoring drives at the 10th-lowest figure.
Believe it or not, Dan Campbell’s 2024 squad is responsible for the fifth-highest single-season point differential at +222. After being upset by the Commanders in the divisional round, Campbell & Co. will hope to finally make the Super Bowl in a bounce-back 2026 campaign.
10. 2019 San Francisco 49ers
Poor Shanahan. As if his 2023 season wasn’t grueling enough, he endured much of the same against the Chiefs four years prior.
The 2019 49ers were a phenomenal group, pacing the league with a 93.9 overall PFF grade. San Francisco sat no worse than sixth in EPA per play on both sides of the ball, including second in defensive and fourth in offensive grade. Many of the same linchpins dominated, although its defense was even scarier with Richard Sherman, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Jimmie Ward next to Bosa.
The 49ers actually compiled the third-highest point differential during the 2019 campaign at a +169, trailing the Ravens and Patriots. But San Francisco’s more well-rounded group — one which was firmly in Super Bowl 54 against Kansas City — makes it a hair better than those two.
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