As the 49ers bid for a record-tying sixth championship at Super Bowl 2024 and the Chiefs pursue their fourth Lombardi Trophy, The Post thought it was a good time to look at NFL franchise legacy.
Each of our NFL writers ranked the 10 best franchises of the Super Bowl era. Points were then tallied — 10 for a 1st-place vote, 9 for a 2nd-place vote and so on.
Here’s how it ended up, accompanied by each writer’s individual ranking and thought process.
Overall NFL franchise rankings
1. Patriots (55 points)
2. Steelers (55)
3. 49ers (49)
4. Cowboys (42)
5. Packers (36)
6. Chiefs (21)
7. Raiders (20)
8t. Giants (16)
8t. Broncos (16)
10. Washington (10)
11. Dolphins (6)
12. Vikings (3)
13. Rams (1)
Note: Patriots win the tiebreaker by virtue of three 1st-place votes to the Steelers’ two.
Mark Cannizzaro
1. Patriots
2. 49ers
3. Steelers
4. Cowboys
5. Packers
6. Chiefs
7. Raiders
8. Giants
9. Washington
10. Dolphins
The Patriots earn the edge as the greatest because of the numbers — six total Super Bowls (three in a four-year span), nine AFC titles and 17 division titles — and because their dominance took place in the salary-cap era.
During the dominant runs of the Steelers, Cowboys, Raiders and Packers, for example, those teams stayed intact, with the top players returning.
While New England kept the most important constants — quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick — there were always many more moving roster parts each year than that of its predecessors.
Brian Costello
1. Cowboys
2. Steelers
3. Patriots
4. 49ers
5. Broncos
6. Packers
7. Dolphins
8. Vikings
9. Chiefs
10. Raiders
The Steelers and Patriots have more Super Bowls, but the Cowboys have consistently been good throughout the Super Bowl era and did not have a losing season between 1966 and 1985, a remarkable run.
The Vikings may surprise some people because they don’t have a Lombardi Trophy, but they have more playoff appearances than anyone except the Cowboys and Steelers in this time period.
Ryan Dunleavy
1. Steelers
2. 49ers
3. Patriots
4. Cowboys
5. Broncos
6. Packers
7.Chiefs
8. Giants
9. Raiders
10. Rams
I valued competitive consistency (Steelers) and winning in different eras with different quarterbacks (49ers have 19 conference championship game appearances) in sorting through a clear-cut top-four.
The Chiefs could be No. 5 by Sunday night. There’s room for all three-time or more Super Bowl winners except Washington, which gets bumped for the Rams (five Super Bowl appearances from 11 conference championship games).
Paul Schwartz
1. Patriots
2. Steelers
3. 49ers
4. Packers
5. Cowboys
6. Giants
7. Chiefs
8. Raiders
9. Washington
10. Broncos
The Patriots, with 11 Super Bowl appearances, get the slight nod over the Steelers (eight).
Yes, we know the Cowboys won five Super Bowls, but 1995 is a long, long time ago.
How ’bout them last three decades in Dallas? Ask your parents about the glory days of yesteryear in Oakland and Washington.
Steve Serby
1. Patriots
2. Steelers
3. 49ers
4. Packers
5. Raiders
6. Cowboys
7. Washington
8. Chiefs
9. Broncos
10. Dolphins
The 1970s Steelers remain the only team to win four Super Bowls in a six-year span and back-to-back Super Bowls twice.
But their greatness came in a more forgiving era, when there was no parity or player movement as we know it today. Edge: Patriots.
Mike Vaccaro
1. Steelers
2. Patriots
3. 49ers
4. Cowboys
5. Packers
6. Giants
7. Raiders
8. Chiefs
9. Washington
10. Broncos
The Steelers and Patriots both have to believe they left at least one or two more on the table, too, so they’re in a group by themselves which the Niners might inch closer to with a win.
Tough beat for the Dolphins, too, left out of my top 10, since they probably should’ve gotten at least one more out of their early ’70s run plus the Marino years.
