Top 10 NFL Teams of the Past 10 Years

The NFL is the most popular sports league in America. Nothing gets fans more excited than watching their team win a big game. The past ten years has given us many memorable moments from some great football teams. As it is in all sports, some teams are better than others. Here is the countdown of the 10 best NFL teams from the 2003-2012 NFL seasons. To achieve their overall score, teams receive one point for a regular season win, two points for a playoff win, three points for a Super Bowl loss, and five points for a Super Bowl win.  

10. Seattle Seahawks 100 Points- The Seahawks spent the past decade dominating the NFC West, winning the division five times out of ten. Led by superstar quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle went 85-75 with seven playoff appearances including a trip to Super Bowl XL in 2006 that resulted in a 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other players that have contributed to the Seahawks success are offensive tackle Walter Jones, linebacker Lofa Tatupu, and running back Shaun Alexander, who won the league MVP in 2005. With Hasselbeck now gone, the current Seahawks are led by rookie quarterback sensation Russell Wilson, who along with a top defense, are showing that the Seahawks are still in the upper crest of the NFL. 

9.T San Diego Chargers 101 Points- While the Chargers were a constant presence in the playoffs they found little success, only winning three games in five appearances. They did have success in the regular season, going 95-65 behind there all pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson. LT, who was the NFL MVP in 2006, rushed for over 13,000 yards in his career with 145 touchdowns and was considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time. Another member who has had a major impact is quarterback Phillip Rivers, who along with main targets Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson made the Chargers one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. Unfortunately for Charger fans, their team has not made the playoffs in the past four years and is currently in a sort of rebuilding phase.

9.T New Orleans Saints 101 Points- The Saints had to deal with more adversary than any other team this past decade because of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. With their home city destroyed, they found a way to preserve and help their city find closure by winning Super Bowl XLIV in 2009. Going 88-72 the last decade, they had to fight in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, making the playoffs four times. They are led by quarterback Drew Brees, who has set more than 43 different NFL passing records since 2001. New Orleans’ offense is perfectly complemented by their tough defense, led by Jonathan Vilma and Roman Harper. Recently, the Saints were involved in a bounty scandal, where it was reported that some of their players were paid to injure other players. This has been a major distraction to the Saints who failed to make the playoffs for the first time in four years last season.

7. Philadelphia Eagles 106 Points- The Eagles were the prime example of “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” in the NFL this past decade. Making the playoffs six times including a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX, they failed to pull it all together and win the big one. The team was no stranger to controversy, bringing in controversial yet talented players such as Donavan McNabb, Terrell Owens, and Michael Vick. They did manage a 91-68-1 record, beating teams on the ground with talented running backs Brian Westbrook, and now LeSean McCoy. Recently they have taken a nose dive and are nowhere near the four division championship they previously won. They went 4-12 last season, fired longtime coach Any Reid, and are finding themselves in deep trouble.

6. New York Giants 109 Points- No team has provided more of an underdog story than the New York Giants. Led by quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants won two Super Bowls last decade, both times being heavy underdogs and defeating the favorite New England Patriots (one time the Patriots were undefeated). The Giants have used many home grown talents such as running back Tiki Barber, defensive end Michael Strahan, and wide receiver Victor Cruz to make the playoffs five times and an overall 87-73 regular season record. Winning Super Bowl XLII and XLVI were major stories in the NFL, as the Giants had to win mostly on the road against higher ranked teams leading to being one of only three teams to win two championships in the past 10 years. They also had their own fair share of drama, with a highlight being Plaxico Burress accidently shooting himself in 2008.

5. Baltimore Ravens 113 Points- The Ravens were a lot of the time overshadowed by division rival Pittsburgh Steelers this past decade, but Baltimore had its fair share of success and was one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. The “bridesmaids” of the AFC, the Ravens went 97-63 in the regular season, including seven playoff appearances with no Super Bowl wins. The Ravens strong point has and still is their defense. Led by veterans Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs; Baltimore’s defense was constantly ranked at the top of the NFL and shut down other teams star players like no one else could. Their offense was no slackers either, with several different playmakers including QB Joe Flacco leading them to such success. This season they finally broke out, and they will play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on February 3^rd. 

4. Green Bay Packers 117 Points- The best team in the decade from the NFC was the Green Bay Packers. They went 98-62 in the regular season with seven trips to the playoffs including beating the Steelers 31-25 in 2011 to win Super Bowl XLV. Green Bay split the decade behind two all-star quarterbacks. First was longtime Packer and soon to be hall of famer Brett Farve, who finally retired in 2008 and passed the reigns to Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has quickly risen to the top of the league and won a Super Bowl for the Packers in 2010. Other players that have contributed to their success are cornerback Charles Woodson, linebacker Clay Matthews, and wide receiver Donald Driver. The Packers are just as good as they ever were, are are still a threat to go all the way every year.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers 132 Points- The Steelers had an impressive decade reaching the playoffs six times, which resulted in two Super Bowl wins in 2006 and 2009. Their (sometimes controversial) quarterback Ben Roethlisberger became their leader, and also the first rookie to win the Super Bowl as the starter. Overall they went 103-57 in the regular season which translated into winning the AFC North four times. Roethlisberger is not the only one to help lead the Steelers to such a great record, as they had help from other players such as running back Jerome “The Bus” Bettis and safety Troy Polamalu. While they do play in one of the most competitive divisions in football, they are still very talented and compete every year in the AFC.     

  

2. Indianapolis Colts 136 Points- The Colts had a very successful run in the decade behind the face of their franchise Peyton Manning. The Colts made the playoffs nine out of the ten years, but only made it to two super bowls, winning Super Bowl XLI in 2006. Manning is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and help lead the Indianapolis to a 112-48 record and won their division seven times. Other players that added to the Colt’s success are defensive lineman Dwight Freeny, running back Edgerrin James, and wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who is tied for the most receiving touchdowns in NFL history. Currently Manning has moved out of Indy and into Denver, but a new promising rookie Andrew Luck is showing that the Colts are still a force to be reckoned with.

1. New England Patriots 166 Points- The best team of the decade in none other than the New England Patriots. They went a league best 126-34 with nine playoff appearances including four trips to the Super Bowl, winning two. The Patriots have been led by their quarterback Tom Brady, who since being promoted to starter in 2001 has dominated the league breaking records along the way. They won the AFC East nine times, and had a whopping fourteen playoff wins. Brady has thrown to many different talented receivers over the years from Wes Welker to Randy Moss, which has led to New England constantly having the top offense in the league. Now that the decade is over, the faces might be different (except for Brady), but the Patriots are not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon.