Nearly every decade of NFL football has had at least one dynasty — a team that won so much they came to define that era.
Right now, we are witnessing an incredible run by the Patriots. In one week, they will play in their eighth Super Bowl, seeking a sixth Lombardi Trophy. The combination of coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady has become the image that will be shown first when people talk about the NFL after the turn of the century.
How do they stack up with the all-time dynasties in the sport? Is their run greater than Lombardi’s Packers, Noll’s Steelers or Walsh’s 49ers?
We took a look at the top 10 dynasties in NFL history and tried to sort them out. Here is our list:
1. 2001-present Patriots
Super Bowl wins: 5
Super Bowl appearances: 8 (counting next week’s game)
Average annual win percentage: .768 (209-63)
Win or lose Super Bowl LII, the Patriots have the greatest dynasty in league history. The length of it is crazy to think about. Most teams’ runs span a decade at best. The Patriots are almost at two decades. They have done it with one coach and one quarterback, too. If the Patriots win next Sunday, they will have won back-to-back titles twice and three in four years twice. Add in the fact they have done this in the free-agency era, and no one is really close.
2. 1981-98 49ers
Super Bowl wins: 5
Super Bowl appearances: 5
Average annual win percentage: .739 (207-72-1)
These guys were the champs until the Patriots just kept winning. The span of time when the 49ers were one of the league’s top teams was similar to the Patriots, but the 49ers only won one title in the 1990s and were surpassed by the Cowboys in that decade. This also spanned three head coaches and two quarterbacks.
3. 1972-79 Steelers
Super Bowl wins: 4
Super Bowl appearances: 4
Average annual win percentage: .759 (88-27-1)
The Steel Curtain defines the 1970s. Chuck Noll’s crew won all four Super Bowls they appeared in. The four titles came over eight seasons. The 1970s was a time of super teams, and the Steelers might have won more if they did not have to contend with a few other teams on this list.
4. 1960-67 Packers
Championships: 5 (3 NFL, 2 Super Bowls)
Championship game appearances: 6
Average annual win percentage: .745 (82-24-4)
Vince Lombardi’s crew went 9-1 in the playoffs during this time, losing the 1960 NFL Championship Game to the Eagles then never dropping a postseason game again. Their run spanned the birth of the Super Bowl era, with them taking the first two to defend the NFL’s honor against the upstart AFL.
5. 1946-57 Browns
Championships: 7 (4 AAFC, 3 NFL)
Championship game appearances: 11
Average annual win percentage: .793 (119-26-5)
The Otto Graham Browns are perhaps the most underappreciated dynasty in sports history. Yes, the beginning was in the AAFC, an inferior league, but they won the NFL title in the first year they joined the league. Paul Brown and Graham were the best coach-quarterback duo until Bill Walsh and Joe Montana came along. Graham went to 10 title games in his career and won seven of them.
6. 1991-99 Cowboys
Super Bowl wins: 3
Super Bowl appearances: 3
Average annual win percentage: .653 (94-50)
The Cowboys knocked the 49ers off their perch and owned the 1990s. We can only wonder how much better their run would have been if Jimmy Johnson had remained head coach past 1993.
7. 1982-92 Redskins
Super Bowl wins: 3
Super Bowl appearances: 4
Average annual win percentage: .690 (116-52)
Joe Gibbs won three titles with three different quarterbacks over 10 years. It is hard to imagine any other coach matching that feat.
8. 1973-85 Raiders
Super Bowl wins: 3
Super Bowl appearances: 3
Average annual win percentage: .707 (135-55-1)
It is hard to define a beginning and an end to this one because the Raiders had success earlier under Al Davis and with Daryle Lamonica at quarterback. But they took off with the John Madden-Ken Stabler pairing. That success continued with the Tom Flores-Jim Plunkett combination.
9. 1970-74 Dolphins
Super Bowl wins: 2
Super Bowl appearances: 3
Average annual win percentage: .814 (57-12-1)
Some might not consider this a dynasty because they won just two Super Bowls, but it is hard to overstate the dominance of Don Shula’s team during this run. They might have won more had the Steelers not come along.
10. 1929-44 Packers
Championships: 6
Championship game appearances: 4
Average annual win percentage: .717 (137-46-8)
This is the original NFL dynasty. They won three of their championships before there was a postseason, but kept it going when the title game was introduced. Star wide receiver Don Hutson wrote the record book during this time.