To win the Super Bowl is to gain eternal recognition. Successfully becoming the last team standing by the end of an NFL season means legacies are secured and sweet memories that last a lifetime are made. Since the turn of the millennium, the NFL has added many teams to its ever-expanding list of champions. Most of these teams dominated in the regular season and stood out among the rest because of an elite quarterback, high-flying offense, soul-crushing defense, or just a unique ability to deliver when it mattered the most.On this list, we are going to count down the 10 best teams since 2000 to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
10 LIV - Kansas City Chiefs
Regular Season: One of the more recent ones on this list is the 2019 Chiefs squad. This was the first Patrick Mahomes-led unit that won the Vince Lombardi Trophy and gave Andy Reid his first-ever taste of Super Bowl victory after several years of chasing the experience. The Chiefs finished the regular season on a scorching six-game win streak to secure the No. 1 spot in the AFC West division and a No. 2 seed in the playoffs with a 12-4 record.
Playoffs: The Chiefs started things off in the postseason by rattling off a 51-31 win in the divisional round over the Houston Texans. Mahomes threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions to lead the way for Kansas City. In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans, 35-24, to set up a date with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
Super Bowl: Kansas City looked like it was circling down the drain when the 49ers built a 10-point lead with under three minutes remaining in the third period. The momentum was on the side of San Francisco heading into the final quarter, but Mahomes and the Chiefs engineered two unanswered touchdown drives to erase the deficit and put Kansas City in front by four points. Damien Williams put the icing on top of the cake with a 38-yard rushing touchdown near the end of regulation to completely deflate the Niners and secure the 31-20 win for the Chiefs.
9 XLII - New York Giants
Regular Season: The Giants didn’t look like a playoff contender, let alone a Super Bowl threat to the rest of the league after losing their first two games of the 2007 season. But Eli Manning and the Giants turned things around after their 35-13 blowout loss at home to the Green Bay Packers, as they won all of their next six games. It was a wild ride for New York during the remainder of that regular season, as the Giants went 4-4 from Weeks 10 to 17. They even lost to the Patriots in the regular season-finale at home, 38-35, before entering the playoffs as just a No. 5 seed with a relatively mediocre 10-6 record.
Playoffs: With their defense stepping up, the Giants clobbered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys on the road to reach the NFC Championship Game against the Packers. This time, New York got its revenge for their Week 2 loss to the Packers, as they eked out a 23-20 overtime victory at Lambeau Field.
Super Bowl: To say that the Giants were massive underdogs against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII would be a big understatement. New England not only beat New York back in the regular season but was also undefeated all season long. But the Giants’ defense plus David Tyree’s miraculous catch were enough for New York to pull off what was thought to be impossible – sink the Patriots.
8 XLIV - New Orleans Saints
Regular Season: Powered by a high-octane offense led by Drew Brees, the Saints ripped apart one opponent after another on their way to a 13-0 start. They struggled toward the end of the regular season, but that was only when they already had a spot in the playoffs all locked up. While their defense was not great – just 20th in total points allowed – their offense was electric, as the Saints finished with 510 points.
Playoffs: The Saints squashed all doubts about their readiness for the playoffs following a three-game losing skid by knocking out the Arizona Cardinals at home in the divisional round to the tune of a 45-14 score. They were tested in the NFC Championship Game by the Minnesota Vikings but escaped with a 31-28 overtime victory.
Super Bowl: Remember that thing we said about the Saints’ defense earlier? That same pedestrian defense stepped up big time in Super Bowl XLIV, with cornerback Tracy Porter, who had a crucial pick in the NFC title game against Minnesota, taking a Peyton Manning interception late in the fourth to the house. The Saints defeated Indianapolis in Miami, 31-17.
7 LII - Philadelphia Eagles
Regular Season: Armed with a balanced offense and defense, the Eagles concluded the regular season with a 13-3 record. There were serious doubts regarding their form for the playoffs as they lost starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a devastating knee injury in Week 14. But Nick Foles showed that he was more than capable of orchestrating the Eagles’ offense, as he won as a starter in Week 15 and 16 versus the Giants and the Oakland Raiders, respectively.
Playoffs: The Eagles notched a No. 1 seed in the playoffs but barely defeated the Atlanta Falcons at home in the divisional round, 15-10. But they restored faith in the team by smashing the Vikings in the NFC title game, 38-7.
Super Bowl: In Super Bowl LII, Foles outdueled Tom Brady, as the Eagles took down the Patriots in a wild shootout, 41-33. Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on 28-of-33 completions. He even scored a receiving touchdown in one of the most unforgettable Super Bowl plays in history.
6 XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers
Regular Season: Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers went 12-4 in the regular season and claimed a No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Pittsburgh’s defense was dominant, allowing just 13.9 points per game and just 3,795 total yards through 17 weeks – also the best in the NFL.
Playoffs: The Steelers met the San Diego Chargers in the divisional round and did their homework in a 35-24 win. After that, they eliminated bitter rivals Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game by scoring a 23-14 triumph at home.
Super Bowl: Pittsburgh had a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIII, but the Cardinals staged a furious rally to get the lead, 23-20. The Steelers took the lead back – and the Vince Lombardi Trophy – thanks to Santonio Holmes’ iconic touchdown with less than a minute to go in regulation to help Pittsburgh win, 27-23.
5 XLIX - New England Patriots
Regular Season: The Patriots stumbled right out of the gate, losing to the Miami Dolphins on the road in Week 1, 33-20. In fact, they went just 2-2 in their first four games. However, New England regained stability, picking up just two losses the rest of the way. With a 12-4 record, the Patriots secured the top seed in the AFC.
Playoffs: New England was challenged hard by the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. Joe Flacco and the Ravens erected a 14-0 lead in the first half and even had a 14-point lead after a Justin Forsett touchdown reception in the third quarter. But the Patriots showed championship poise and fought back to earn a 35-31 come-from-behind victory. The AFC Championship Game had the Patriots at their top form, as they demolished Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, 45-7.
Super Bowl: Two words: Malcolm Butler. The Patriots instantly became a Foxboro folk hero by being in the center of arguably the best defensive Super Bowl play ever. With the Seattle Seahawks on the goal line late in the contest, it seemed that all that they needed to do was hand the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch. Instead, the Seahawks tried to pass the ball, resulting in Butler’s game-saving interception. The Patriots ended up with a 28-24 win.
4 LV - Kansas City Chiefs
Regular Season: The Chiefs were amazing in the regular season. Even in losses, they looked fantastic, as evidenced by the fact that their only three defeats were by a total margin of just 10 points. After a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 on the road, Kansas City did not look back and won the six remaining games in the regular season for a 14-3 record.
Playoffs: After preventing an upset in the divisional round by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-20, the Chiefs exacted revenge on the Bengals and beat Joe Burrow and company in the AFC title game, 23-20.
Super Bowl: In Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles led the Chiefs at the half by 10 points. But like always, Kansas City found a way to wiggle out of a predicament to win in Glendale, 38-35.
3 XXXIX - New England Patriots
Regular Season: The Patriots were the defending Super Bowl champions in this season and they played like it the entire year. The Pats won their first six games of the season and pounded opponents with their second-ranked defense and fourth-ranked attack. New England concluded the regular season with a 14-2 record to clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Playoffs: New England faced the Colts in the divisional round and came through with a 20-3 victory at home. In the AFC Championship Game, they braved the hostile crowd in Pittsburgh and defeated the Steelers, 41-27.
Super Bowl: Brady passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions, as the Pats beat Donovan McNabb and the Eagles, 24-21. McNabb had 357 passing yards and three touchdowns but also got intercepted thrice and sacked four times for a loss of 33 yards.
2 LI - New England Patriots
Regular Season: The Patriots started the season without Brady in the first four weeks, as the quarterback served his suspension for his role in the controversial Deflategate. However, the Patriots still went 3-1 during Brady’s absence and 11-1 with him under center again to finish 14-2.
Playoffs: New England had little trouble in the divisional round, as they flattened the Houston Texans, 34-16. The Steelers were no match either to the Patriots, who sent Pittsburgh packing for vacation by winning the AFC Championship Game, 36-17.
Super Bowl: There’s a reason why “28-3” continues to be a meme in the football realm, and it’s because of the miracle the Patriots pulled off in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons. Down by as many as 25 points, the Patriots somehow managed to claw their way out of a deep hole and win yet another Vince Lombardi Trophy by talking down the Falcons, 34-28.
1 XLVIII - Seattle Seahawks
Regular Season: It was all about defense for the Seahawks in 2013. The Legion of Boom was at its peak and Seattle was holding opponents down to just an average of 14.4 points and 273.6 total yards per game. The Seahawks lost three times in the regular season but never by more than seven points for a 13-3 record.
Playoffs: Seattle’s defense continued to dominate in the playoffs. The Seahawks humbled the Saints in the divisional round, 23-15, and took down the Niners in the NFC title game, 23-17. The best was yet to come, though.
Super Bowl: The Denver Broncos were supposed to give the Seahawks the toughest test of the entire season. Peyton Manning and the Broncos carried with them a record-breaking offense. But the Seahawks’ defense was just on another level, as Richard Sherman and company manhandled the Broncos’ attack on their way to a 43-8 win.