Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 2:50 PM | 4 comments |
 

Top NFL teams since 2003
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This is a list I compiled at my previous stop, but I thought it'd be of interest to the readers here.

I took a look at how teams have performed in the past five years, since 2003. The list is based on regular-season records, but I included playoff results because, obviously, that's what ends up mattering in the end.

Some teams like the Patriots and Colts are easy to name off the top of your head as the league's elite franchises over that time period, but others might surprise you. For instance, would you have guessed that besides New England and Indy, the Seahawks are the only other team to have made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons? And no other team has made the postseason more than three times.

Would you have guessed that the Bengals have a better regular-season record than the Giants since '03? But New York has made the playoffs three times (including last year's Super Bowl win), while Cincinnati has reached the postseason just once.

A quarter of the league (eight teams) hasn't made the playoffs since '03 -- the Raiders, Browns, Texans, 49ers, Lions, Cardinals, Dolphins and Bills. Oakland takes the title of worst franchise over the last five years, with just 19 total wins. Pretty incredible when you consider New England won 16 games in '07 alone. The Raiders' best season since '03 came in 2004 when they went 5-11.

Keep in mind that these are not my personal rankings; these are just the numbers. If two teams had the same regular-season record over the past five years, I listed the one with more postseason success first.

1. New England Patriots

Record: 66-14
Playoff appearances: 5
Best finish: 2003, 2004 -- Super Bowl champions

2. Indianapolis Colts

Record: 63-17
Playoff appearances: 5
Best finish: 2006 -- Super Bowl champions

3. Seattle Seahawks

Record: 51-29
Playoff appearances: 5
Best finish: 2005 -- Super Bowl loss

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

Record: 50-30
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2005 -- Super Bowl champions

5. San Diego Chargers

Record: 50-30
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2007 -- Conference championship loss

6. Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 49-31
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2004 -- Super Bowl loss

7. Denver Broncos

Record: 49-31
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2005 -- Conference championship loss

8. Dallas Cowboys

Record: 47-33
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2007 -- Division round loss

9. Jacksonville Jaguars

Record: 45-35
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2007 -- Division round loss

10. Green Bay Packers

Record: 45-35
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2007 -- Conference championship loss

11. Carolina Panthers

Record: 44-36
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2003 -- Super Bowl loss

12. Chicago Bears

Record: 43-37
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2006 -- Super Bowl loss

13. Baltimore Ravens

Record: 43-37
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2006 -- Division round loss

14. Kansas City Chiefs

Record: 43-37
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2003 -- Division round loss

15. Cincinnati Bengals

Record: 42-38
Playoff appearances: 1
Best finish: 2005 -- Wild-card round loss

16.Minnesota Vikings

Record: 40-40
Playoff appearances: 1
Best finish: 2004 -- Division round loss

17. New York Giants

Record: 39-41
Playoff appearances: 3
Best finish: 2007 -- Super Bowl champions

18. Tennessee Titans

Record: 39-41
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2003 -- Divisional round loss

19. St. Louis Rams

Record: 37-43
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2003, 2004 -- Division round loss

20. New Orleans Saints

Record: 36-44
Playoff appearances: 1
Best finish: 2006 -- Conference championship loss

21. Tampa Bay Bucs

Record: 36-44
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2005, 2007 -- Wild-card round loss

22. Atlanta Falcons

Record: 35-45
Playoff appearances: 1
Best finish: 2004 -- Conference championship loss

23. Washington Redskins

Record: 35-45
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2005 -- Divisional round loss

24. New York Jets

Record: 34-46
Playoff appearances: 2
Best finish: 2004 -- Divisional round loss

25. Buffalo Bills

Record: 34-46
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2004 -- 9-7

26. Miami Dolphins

Record: 30-50
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2003 -- 10-6

27. Cleveland Browns

Record: 29-51
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2007 -- 10-6

28. Arizona Cardinals

Record: 28-52
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2007 -- 8-8

29. Houston Texans

Record: 28-52
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2007 -- 8-8

30. Detroit Lions

Record: 26-54
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2007 -- 7-9

31. San Francisco 49ers

Record: 25-55
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2006 -- 7-9

32. Oakland Raiders

Record: 19-61
Playoff appearances: 0
Best finish: 2004 -- 5-11
Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 2:50 PM  Permalink | 4 comments
4
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:25 PM, 08/26/2008
    See.. Philadelphia fans aren't frontrunners.. they complain even when the Eagles are clearly one of the most successful franchises in the NFL.
    — doorspj24
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:12 PM, 08/26/2008
    PROVES MY POINT ABOUT WASHINGTON. I CALL THEM THE "DEADSKINS".
    — JACK V
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:51 AM, 08/29/2008
    Seahawks are an above average team in one of the worst divisions in football. They get a bunch of easy games each year because of the teams in their division. If I were them, I would be extremely embarrassed if I didn't make the playoffs with at least 10 wins each year.
    — en37


4 comments
About Sheil Kapadia
Sheil Kapadia is in his fourth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

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