3 often mentioned are the 85’ Bears, 00’ Ravens and the 01’ Bucs... all three had very average QB’s...all three had one of the top 5 defenses ever.
I’d say that’s extremely elite defenses.
Nfl Qb Position: Absolute Or Relative?
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3 often mentioned are the 85’ Bears, 00’ Ravens and the 01’ Bucs... all three had very average QB’s...all three had one of the top 5 defenses ever.
I’d say that’s extremely elite defenses.
7. 1972 Miami Dolphins
The No-Name Defense led the league in points and yards allowed. This unit was the foundation of the only perfect season of the Super Bowl era.
6. 1962 Green Bay Packers
Vince Lombardi’s greatest defense featured five eventual Hall of Famers and held opposing quarterbacks to a 43.5 passer rating. The 267-point differential (19.1 per game) between the Packers and their opponents is the best of any team of the 1960s.
5. 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In addition to dominating opponents, the 2002 Buccaneers were always a threat to take interceptions to the house. They did so three times in their Super Bowl win over the Oakland Raiders.
4. 2013 Seattle Seahawks
The Legion of Boom and the rest of the 2013 Seahawks defense led the league in points, yards and turnovers. And, of course, this defense completely shut down Peyton Manning — who was having the best season of his career — and Denver’s record-setting offense in Super Bowl XLVIII.
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7. 1972 Miami Dolphins
The No-Name Defense led the league in points and yards allowed. This unit was the foundation of the only perfect season of the Super Bowl era.
The Phins of that era were such an incredibly well balanced machine on O and D -- their teamwork was
artistry -- so perfectly coordinated and seemingly of one mind. I miss that kind of football. I think it was real.
3. 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers
Facing an unbelievable number of injuries on offense, the 1976 Steel Curtain picked up the slack. The defense pitched five shutouts and at one point did not give up a touchdown for 22 straight quarters. If the team had not lost to Oakland in the AFC Championship Game, this defense may have topped the list.
Facing an unbelievable number of injuries on offense, the 1976 Steel Curtain picked up the slack. The defense pitched five shutouts and at one point did not give up a touchdown for 22 straight quarters. If the team had not lost to Oakland in the AFC Championship Game, this defense may have topped the list.
2. 2000 Baltimore Ravens
The 2000 Ravens may be the worst team offensively to ever win a Super Bowl. Why did they win? Because they allowed an average of 9.4 points in 16 regular season games and four playoff games.
1. 1985 Chicago Bears
The success of this team is almost mythical. The ’85 Bears led the league in yards, points, first downs and turnovers en route to a 15-1 regular season. In the playoffs they shut out both the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams and did not allow a touchdown for 11 quarters. They finished things off with a 46-10 dismantling (123 total yards allowed, 7 sacks, 6 takeaways) of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
And they didn’t beat themselves... incredibly tough and smart team.
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Hardest team to beat. Ever!
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Yup, but I was responding to this > "Building a top 5 all-time defense? Or finding an elite level quarterback?'
All fans have seen a top D in any particular year win SBs. Doesn't have to be top 5 ALL-TIME.
No.., we were talking about teams winning with marginal QB’s... and that normally requires an extraordinary defense... not just a good one that year... look back!
And again... easier to land a franchise QB than build a great defense.
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Now were're making progress. We've moved fro "top 5 all-time" to "a great defense."
Let's try it this way. 2008 to 2017. I'm going to use the top 3 Ds for each year (and, yes, I know there are a number of ways to define "top 3)
2008 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. One of those, PITT, won the SB
2009 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. None got to the SB
2010 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. One of those, GB, won the SB
2011 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. None got to the SB
2012 - 2 of the top 3 Ds made the playoffs. One of those, One, SF, made it to the SB
2013 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. One of those, SEA, wone the SB
2014 - 1 of the top 3 Ds made the playoffs. That team, SEA, made it to the SB
2015 - all 3 top Ds made the playoffs. One of those, CAR, made it to the SB
2016 - 2 of the top 2 Ds made the playoffs. One of those, NE, won the SB
2017 - 2 of the top 2 Ds made the playoffs. None of those made it to the SB
In 7 of those 10 years, one of the top 3 Ds made it to the SB. It is not reasonable to say all 7 were "extraordinary" over the course of NFL history. They were good THAT year (although most were good, not extraordinary, for a number of years).
Now, back to an elite QB. Is it easier to have an elite QB than a top 3 D? I'd say no, but admit, it's debatable. BTW, in 6 of those 10 years, a non-elite QB won the SB. I'm not arguing elite QBs aren't important, nor am I arguing I wouldn't love Miami to have one. I'm responding to the poster who, again, emphasized an "all-time top 5" D, as if anything less than "all --time top 5" wasn't as important. I'm only pointing out a top 3 d for ANY random year has a high correlation to SB appearances.
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I give you A+ for research!
What an exemplary way to back up your opinion/statement with facts!
Perhaps you have a legal background?
That or a research analyst?
Either way -- important information to consider
before one makes "absolute claims/statements!"