2023 NFL Super Bowl era franchise rankings: Chiefs continue rise with Super Bowl win
Mia Morrison Fifty-seven Super Bowls have been completed and the Kansas City Chiefs are our new champions of the NFL. It is their third Super Bowl win and the past decade has been a busy one — heck, the past five years — as the Chiefs have almost accomplished in five years what the franchise had pieced together in its first 52. It happens. Championships are rare and tough to attain.
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In the past decade, only one franchise has accomplished more than the Chiefs and as you can imagine, that could change if 2023 is anything like 2022 in Kansas City. New England had its day, but with Patrick Mahomes running the NFL at the age of 27, the Chiefs will pass the Patriots with one more Lombardi Trophy. Well, for the decade, that is. The Chiefs have plenty of ground to make up if they plan on stealing any of Bill Belichick’s thunder over the past two decades.
But, even Belichick and the Patriots still do not sit at the top of the NFL, because the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to hold them off — barely.
And then there are two teams in the middle of three-decade droughts since they last held the Lombardi Trophy: Dallas and San Francisco. In many ways, they are like twin brothers with tradition that mirrors one another. In the past 30 years, though, the 49ers have been painfully close several times, whereas Dallas has been running in the same unsatisfying circles.
Such is the “game of thrones” we know as professional football, where these proud franchises attempt to stuff their trophy cases to claim the historical king of the hill by fighting over the same turf year after year.
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We love it. We talk about it. We read about it. We argue about it.
So, I tried to do something that could answer the question of who has been the best in these 57 years by creating a system with which we objectively weigh all 32 franchises against each other based on annual accomplishments.
How would you keep it objective? Everyone is always stumping for their favorite team and slanting things in the favor of that agenda. How do you keep opinions out of this?
I put together a scoring system 21 years ago that credited teams for making the playoffs, advancing to the final four of each conference’s championship games, making a Super Bowl and winning that Super Bowl.
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The system had to be more complex than simply counting Lombardi trophies, because some teams have a knack for rising up every few years and winning the Super Bowl despite missing the playoffs altogether for several years in between (shoutout to Eli Manning and the New York Giants). At the same time, it is a very big deal to win one of those trophies — let alone several — so any point system should give a great deal of credit to any team winning it all.
The database is updated every February after the Super Bowl because, of course, things change. Less and less each year, mind you, as the longer we do this the more it resembles icebergs racing each other: One year is not enough to move far, but they do, in fact, move. I have tinkered with the system over the years, but this is the one that works. Our objective scoring system (remember, this is all math) includes these point values:
• Winning the Super Bowl: 11 points
• Losing the Super Bowl: 5 points
• AFC/NFC Championship Game: 3 points
• Making the playoffs: 1 point
To be clear, you only get one point threshold per year — you don’t collect on multiple levels. We add up the points from each year in existence (adjusting for expansion), and that leads to the overall standings (you can see season-by-season point totals here). Ties? There are no ties. We break them with Super Bowls, then Super Bowl losses, then championship games, as necessary. Also, we provide rankings for “points per year” at the bottom of this piece, grading on a curve for those teams that have not existed for all 57 seasons.
19 seasons ago, Spring of 2002 – the first version of my NFL Franchise Rankings from the @dfwticket Guy's Guide –
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) February 2, 2020
Obviously, the Chiefs are the big mover this year, climbing from 14th to ninth and into Tier 2 (“Light Heavyweights”). They are one more Super Bowl away from hopping all the way to No. 6 all-time and passing divisional rivals Denver and Las Vegas, as well as the Los Angeles Rams. Other teams that jumped someone in this year’s rankings include the Miami Dolphins (who moved past the Washington Commanders), the Cincinnati Bengals (who passed the New Orleans Saints), and the Jacksonville Jaguars (who moved north of the Detroit Lions). The Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts both were pushed down by the Chiefs’ ascension. The Eagles did not jump anyone, but they are now poised to jump that closely packed group of the Vikings, Commanders, Dolphins, Colts and Giants.
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Enough of me spoiling your trip down this list. It’s time to unveil the 21st edition of the Sturm Super Bowl-era NFL Franchise Rankings.
Tier One
The Heavyweights
Rank
| Team
| 2023 Total
| Pts/Season
|
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 116 | 2.04 | |
2 | 115 | 2.02 | |
3 | 113 | 1.98 | |
4 | 107 | 1.88 |
Last year: No. 1
Total: 116 points
Playoff years: 32 | Final Fours: 8 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 6
Last decade (since 2013): 8 points
Average: 2.04 points per season
The Steelers passed Dallas to vault into first place in 2015 but later found themselves passed by those hard-charging Patriots for one year in 2020. Then, Pittsburgh took it back in 2021, and here we sit as the Steelers attempt to find the gas pedal again. The Steelers are the most successful team that has accomplished something of note in every decade and have therefore been worthy leaders for some time in this exercise.
2. New England Patriots
Last year: No. 2
Total: 115 points
Playoff years: 27 | Final Fours: 4 | Super Bowl losses: 5 | Super Bowl wins: 6
Last decade: 46 points
Average: 2.02
The Patriots finally passed the field for the top spot of the modern era after a season (2019) when they went one-and-done in the playoffs, which verifies how much damage they have done in the previous two decades. To put it in perspective, the Patriots made Super Bowl 31 in the final year of Bill Parcells’ tenure, then had two playoff berths with Pete Carroll and still ended the previous millennium sitting on 17 points and in the NFL’s bottom third. Their surge since is absurd: the most dominant two-decade stretch in NFL history. Thirteen final fours, nine Super Bowls and six Lombardi trophies boosted their point total by 97, with Tom Brady and Belichick, which is more than pretty much every other franchise has done since Super Bowl 1.
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Last year: No. 3
Total: 113 points
Playoff years: 35 | Final Fours: 8 | Super Bowl losses: 3 | Super Bowl wins: 5
Last decade: 5 points
Average: 1.98
This project only exists because, as a Cowboys writer, I was answering emails about the relative greatness of their franchise. Well, 2002 was a time when the case for the Cowboys’ greatness was a bit more convincing. Make no mistake, Dallas’ drought now rivals pretty much anyone’s, including those in Washington and Detroit. The Cowboys would consider a berth in the final four a major accomplishment these days, which tells you how the mighty have fallen.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Last year: No. 4
Total: 107 points
Playoff years: 27 | Final Fours: 11 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 5
Last decade: 14 points
Average: 1.88
The 49ers have again cemented their spot in the top tier, even with these two lost Super Bowls in the past decade. The reason, of course, is their run from 1981 to 1997 being the closest thing we have seen to the Patriots’ recent stretch, with San Francisco winning five Super Bowls in a span of 14 years and four more NFC Championship games mixed in.
Tier Two
The Light Heavyweights
Last year: No. 5
Total: 82 points
Playoff years: 26 | Final Fours: 6 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 4
Last decade: 15 points
Average: 1.44
Despite 22 playoff visits since 1993 when the Packers have had MVP-level play at quarterback, there is a feeling that they have not made the most of their chances, with just two Lombardi trophies to show for their trouble. But looking down the list, we find many franchises that would do just about anything to have two Super Bowl wins in 25 years, so the debate can rage on. The Packers sit fifth overall and would argue that the “Super Bowl Era” merely was the renaming of the NFL championship game, which they won in 1961, 1962 and 1965 — and six more times before that. In other words, if this ranking were based on all-time results, they would have a very comfortable lead. But it’s not, so the Packers remain stuck and frustrated in fifth place and appear about ready to leave their window.
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Last year: No. 6
Total: 79 points
Playoff years: 23 | Final Fours: 9 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 3
Last decade: 2 points
Average: 1.39
The Raiders became a real power with wins in Super Bowls 11, 15 and 18. Since then, times have been significantly more difficult, most famously when all-powerful owner Al Davis lost the secret formula for winning. Despite an incredible drought since they last ranked as an NFL power, the Raiders remain just barely outside the top five.
Last year: No. 7
Total: 76 points
Playoff years: 22 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 5 | Super Bowl wins: 3
Last decade: 17 points
Average: 1.33
Winning Super Bowl 50 pushed the Broncos past the Green Bay Packers into sixth place, for a time, and right on the heels of their hated rivals in Oakland, but they have not made a playoff appearance since. It’s an impressive résumé for a franchise that missed the playoffs in each of the first 11 seasons of the Super Bowl era. Since then, the Broncos have attended eight Super Bowls and famously lost their first four trips. Going 3-1 since then has pushed them up the board the past two decades, and although the near future is awfully uncertain, the Broncos definitely have made their mark.
8. Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams
Last year: No. 8
Total: 69 points
Playoff years: 25 | Final Fours: 6 | Super Bowl losses: 3 | Super Bowl wins: 2
Last decade: 18 points
Average: 1.21
Last year’s Super Bowl champion missed the playoffs in 2022. From 1973 until the late 1980s, the Rams were in the mix nearly every single year for the big prize. They went to seven conference championship games but lost all of them, except for 1979, when they played in Super Bowl 14 but fell to the Steelers. Then, in their St. Louis years, they won it all in 1999 at Super Bowl 34 before losing Super Bowl 36 to the young Patriots.
Last year: No. 14
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Total: 68 points
Playoff years: 24 | Final Fours: 3 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 3
Last decade: 37 points
Average: 1.19
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Super Bowl 57’s champion has won two in four years and played in three of them. The Chiefs are on the cusp of true dynasty status as they have been charging hard up the list since 2018, thanks to the Patrick Mahomes show. The Chiefs are now an annual title contender. That’s the sort of success the franchise knew at the beginning of the Super Bowl era, when it lost in Super Bowl I before redeeming its story with its famous run to Super Bowl IV. Then came 50 years in the wilderness that they can proudly say came to an end in the 2019 season. Prepare for more from the Chiefs.
Tier Three
The Middleweights
10. New York Giants
Last year: No. 10
Total: 61 points
Playoff years: 17 | Final Fours: 0 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 4
Last decade: 2 points
Average: 1.07
Giants win the tiebreaker with the Colts with Super Bowl wins (4-2).
Only five franchises can say they have won four Super Bowls, so the Giants are in very good company. But, they also are usually either boom or bust. Four Super Bowl wins in just 17 playoff appearances is a ridiculous yield given their mediocre year-to-year results. Four Super Bowl wins since Super Bowl 21 measures well for the G-Men, however, and they still fit into the top 10. Now, they just hope to assemble a new era with Brian Daboll and he is off to a good start.
11. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts
Last year: No. 9
Total: 61 points
Playoff years: 24 | Final Fours: 4 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 2
Last decade: 6 points
Average: 1.07
The Colts sat on the NFL throne twice: Super Bowls 5 and 41, which took place over two different cities and eras of pro football. For now, they sit packed with a number of historical pillars of our league.
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12. Miami Dolphins
Last year: No. 12
Total: 60 points
Playoff years: 24 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 3 | Super Bowl wins: 2
Last decade: 2 points
Average: 1.05
People are quick to tell you about the Dallas Cowboys’ drought, but Miami is another traditional power that has an even longer one with no championship game appearances since 1992 and no Super Bowls since 1984. They did make the playoffs this year, so they actually moved past Washington, but it has been a while for the Dolphins.
13. Washington Commanders
Last year: No. 11
Total: 59 points
Playoff years: 19 | Final Fours: 1 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 3
Last decade: 2 points
Average: 1.04
And right there with Dallas and Miami is Washington. Its run over the past 31 years since winning Super Bowl 26 has been spectacularly underwhelming. Washington has won three wild-card games in the ensuing 31 seasons and, like its hated rivals in Dallas, hasn’t approached an NFC Championship Game.
Last year: No. 13
Total: 59 points
Playoff years: 31 | Final Fours: 6 | Super Bowl losses: 4 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 6 points
Average: 1.04
We are amazed at the Vikings every year because when it comes to being very good, they are always high on the list. But, they are also the highest-ranked team without a Super Bowl win. In fact, every single team above the Vikings has won at least two Super Bowls. Only Pittsburgh and Dallas have been in the playoffs more often than Minnesota. Crazy that the Vikings are still seeking their first trophy.
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Last year: No. 15
Total: 55 points
Playoff years: 25 | Final Fours: 4 | Super Bowl losses: 3 | Super Bowl wins: 1
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Last decade: 20 points
Average: 0.96
The Eagles were dangerously close to leaping into the top 10 with a win Sunday in Super Bowl 57, but instead will be proud of another NFC championship. They seemed to make a real mistake by losing Andy Reid a decade ago but can claim to be one of the most successful franchises since, despite three coaches and many machinations of their team.
Tier Four
The Welterweights
16. Buffalo Bills
Last year: No. 16
Total: 41 points
Playoff years: 19 | Final Fours: 3 | Super Bowl losses: 4 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 7 points
Average: 0.72
Known for winning four consecutive AFC Championship games, only to lose each Super Bowl in painful succession, this new era has restored the dreams. As any Buffalo fan will tell you, only a great team can lose four consecutive Super Bowls, but that doesn’t heal the wound. Now, the Bills have become playoff regulars again, which will bring joy and pain until they finally win it all.
17. Seattle Seahawks
Last year: No. 17
Total: 40 points
(Established 1976)
Playoff years: 20 | Final Fours: 1 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 1
Last decade: 22 points
Average: 0.85 in 47 seasons of existence
A surprising playoff team in 2022, the Seahawks have only missed the tournament twice in 11 years and have had a productive decade. The Malcolm Butler interception in Super Bowl 49 will forever be the source of friction about whether the Seahawks were going to mount a dynasty of their own.
18. Baltimore Ravens
Last year: No. 18
Total: 38 points
(Established 1996)
Playoff years: 14 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 2
Last decade: 5 points
Average: 1.41 points per season in 27 years of existence
The NFL ruled that all old records for this franchise stay in Cleveland with the Browns, making Baltimore one of the big movers over the past decade. If you wish to sort this on a points-per-year basis, the Ravens would be right behind the top five overall, just behind Green Bay. Instead, their wins at Super Bowl 35 and Super Bowl 47 help them rise above several franchises that existed before World War II.
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Last year: No. 19
Total: 37 points
(Established 1976)
Playoff years: 13 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 2
Last decade: 13 points
Average: 0.79 points per season in 47 seasons of existence
The Buccaneers and Ravens are the only two organizations outside of the top 13 on this list to win two Lombardi trophies. The Brady years were all playoff seasons and enjoyable, for sure. Now, it is anyone’s guess.
20. Chicago Bears
Last year: No. 20
Total: 36 points
Playoff years: 16 | Final Fours: 3 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 1
Last decade: 2 points
Average: 0.63
Bears win the tiebreaker for 20th place over the Titans by virtue of Super Bowl wins (1-0).
Speaking of history from before World War II, the Bears, like Green Bay, are eager to promote NFL titles that came before the Super Bowl was conceived. With nine NFL titles, they are plenty proud of their T-formation and Sid Luckman’s entire catalog. But Bears fans are anxious about finding the next winner in Chicago after experiencing just two titles since Harry S. Truman was U.S. President, including the single Super Bowl win in 1986.
21. Tennessee Titans
Last year: No. 21
Total: 36 points
Playoff years: 22 | Final Fours: 5 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 6 points
Average: 0.63
Formerly the Houston Oilers, this is a franchise with plenty of history as well as memorable players and games, but it continues to search for that coach-quarterback combo that helps them achieve high heights again. With just six trips to the final four (including three before 1980) and that Super Bowl 34, in which they finished a single yard short, the Titans are starved for their day in the sun.
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22. New York Jets
Last year: No. 22
Total: 32 points
Playoff years: 14 | Final Fours: 4 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 1
Last decade: 0 points
Average: 0.56
Speaking of one solitary title that we talk about until the end of time, here are the New York Jets. Their Super Bowl 3 win behind Joe Namath’s famous guarantee forged their place in history, but 54 years to follow it up is a long time.
23. Cincinnati Bengals
Last year: No. 24
Total: 30 points
(Established 1968)
Playoff years: 16 | Final Fours: 1 | Super Bowl losses: 3 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 11 points
Average: 0.54 points per season in 55 seasons of existence
Joe Burrow looks the part of a man who will win a lot of games in his career, and the Bengals jumped from the depths all the way to the welterweights. In other words, there is hope again in Cincinnati. Two impressive years in a row is a start to something big.
24. New Orleans Saints
Last year: No. 23
Total: 28 points
(Established 1967)
Playoff years: 14 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 1
Last decade: 7 points
Average: 0.5 per season in 56 seasons of existence
For years, the Saints lived a similar existence to the Falcons, but their legacy changed forever when they broke through to win Super Bowl 44. That took them to another level. Unfortunately, it has been just the one NFC Championship Game in 2018 since, and the recent history is fueled by the frustration of their own blown call ordeal.
Tier Five
The Lightweights
Rank
| Team
| 2023 Total
| Pts/Season
|
|---|---|---|---|
25 | 26 | 0.46 | |
26 | 25 | 0.44 | |
27 | 25 | 0.46 | |
28 | 20 | 0.71 |
25. Atlanta Falcons
Last year: No. 25
Total: 26 points
Playoff years: 14 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl Losses: 2 | Super Bowl Wins: 0
Last decade: 6 points
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Average: 0.46
26. Los Angeles Chargers
Last year: No. 26
Total: 25 points
Playoff years: 15 | Final Fours: 3 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 3 points
Average: 0.44
Chargers win the tiebreaker with the Browns by virtue of their Super Bowl appearances (1-0).
Los Angeles’ other team has moved past Cleveland with its playoff spot in 2022.
27. Cleveland Browns
Last year: No. 27
Total: 25 points
(Did not play 1996-1998)
Playoff years: 15 | Final Fours: 5 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 1 point
Average: 0.46 points per season in 54 seasons of existence
Last year: No. 28
Total: 20 points
(Established 1995)
Playoff years: 8 | Final Fours: 2 | Super Bowl losses: 2 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 8 points
Average: 0.71 points per season in 28 seasons of existence
Tier Six
The Featherweights
Rank
| Team
| 2023 Total
| Pts/Season
|
|---|---|---|---|
29 | 15 | 0.26 | |
30 | 14 | 0.5 | |
31 | 14 | 0.25 | |
32 | 6 | 0.29 |
Last year: No. 29
Total: 15 points
Playoff years: 9 | Final Fours: 1 | Super Bowl losses: 1 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 5 points
Average: 0.26
Last year: No. 31
Total: 14 points
(Established 1995)
Playoff years: 8 | Final Fours: 3 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 4 points
Average: 0.5 points per season in 28 seasons of existence
The Jaguars hold the tiebreaker for 30th place over the Lions by virtue of championship game appearances (3-1).
If nothing else, Jacksonville’s big playoff push this year got them out of 31st place and past Detroit.
31. Detroit Lions
Last year: No. 30
Total: 14 points
Playoff years: 12 | Final Fours: 1 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 0
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Last decade: 2 points
Average: 0.25
Oh, Detroit. It’s now only north of the Houston Texans. Dan Campbell has room to push this franchise forward.
32. Houston Texans
Last year: No. 32
Total: 6 points
(Established 2002)
Playoff years: 6 | Final Fours: 0 | Super Bowl losses: 0 | Super Bowl wins: 0
Last decade: 4 points
Average: 0.29 points per season in 21 seasons of existence
People are quick to defend Houston based on its short tenure in the NFL, but even with points per season, it is still bottom four. It is pretty ugly down there right now.
Franchise rankings by points/season
Decade point totals: 2013-2022
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos: George Gojkovich, Carmen Mandato, Stephen Dunn, Maddie Meyer: Getty Images)
