Do the 2001-14 Patriots Have the Greatest Postseason Reign? (continued)
Third, we look at championship credentials. For this study, we will look at all championships won. This includes division, conference and Super Bowl championships after the merger. It also includes division, league and Super Bowl championships between 1967 and 1969. As for 1966, it includes conference, league and Super Bowl championships. We also the total number of teams within the division, conference or league for all those championships won. For example, with a team won the NFC East 10 times since 2002, it would only involve 40 total teams. If a team won the NFC East 10 times between 1990 and 2001, it would instead involve 50 total teams. This different was created by NFL realignment in 2002. This gives better value to teams that went through more opponents to win.
Table 3: Championship Credentials
| Team | Division | Conference* | Super Bowl | CPPY | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-14 Patriots | 12 times (49 teams) | 6 times (96 teams) | 3 times (95 teams) | 1.50 champs (17.14 teams) | 32.14 points |
| 1972-84 Steelers | 9 times (36 teams) | 4 times (54 teams) | 4 times (108 teams) | 1.31 champs (15.23 teams) | 28.33 points |
| 1981-98 49ers | 13 times (54 teams) | 5 times (70 teams) | 5 times (140 teams) | 1.28 champs (14.67 teams) | 27.47 points |
| 1982-92 Redskins | 4 times (20 teams)** | 4 times (56 teams) | 3 times (84 teams) | 1.00 champs (14.55 teams) | 24.55 points |
| 1968-78 Vikings | 10 times (42 teams) | 4 times (56 teams) | 0 times (0 teams) | 1.27 champs (8.91 teams) | 21.61 points |
| 2000-11 Steelers | 6 times (26 teams) | 3 times (48 teams) | 2 times (64 teams) | 0.92 champs (11.50 teams) | 20.70 points |
| 1970-85 Dolphins | 9 times (45 teams) | 5 times (67 teams) | 2 times (52 teams) | 1.00 champs (10.25 teams) | 20.25 points |
| 1966-85 Cowboys | 13 times (65 teams) | 5 times (67 teams) | 2 times (54 teams) | 1.00 champs (9.30 teams) | 19.30 points |
| 1966-85 Raiders | 12 times (54 teams)** | 4 times (51 teams) | 3 times (84 teams) | 0.95 champs (9.45 teams) | 18.95 points |
| 1999-2014 Colts | 10 times (41 teams) | 2 times (32 teams) | 1 times (32 teams) | 0.81 champs (6.56 teams) | 14.66 points |
| 1992-2004 Packers | 6 times (27 times) | 2 times (30 teams) | 2 times (30 teams) | 0.77 champs (6.69 teams) | 14.39 points |
| 1966-80 Rams | 9 times (37 times) | 1 times (14 teams) | 0 times (0 teams) | 0.59 champs (3.40 teams) | 9.30 points |
| 1990-2003 Dolphins | 3 times (15 teams) | 0 times (0 teams) | 0 times (0 teams) | 0.21 champs (1.07 teams) | 3.17 points |
CPPY= Championship Points per Year
*- Includes league championships before 1970 and conference championships after 1970
**- Excludes finishing with the conference’s best record in 1982, when division standings were ignored
Of the 13 postseason reigns, the teams averaged 0.97 championships going through 9.82 teams. It’s interesting to see how those totals were developed, as the best and worst teams in championship average were also the best and worst teams in team average, but the middle teams were all over the place. To balance this out, we give the championship average 10 times power, so we can have the two categories be of near equal value. Thus, we’ve added a “point value” column for the final assessment.
Once again, the 2001-14 Patriots come out on top. Note that with a Super Bowl win, they get their 22nd championship within this 14-year span. They would then average winning 1.57 championships going through 19.43 teams for a 35.13-point value. That would put them significantly ahead of the rest of the other postseason reigns.