From Aikman's Cowboys to Mahomes' Chiefs: Best NFL Teams Since 1991 According to Advanced Metrics

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Can a team be the best in franchise history even without winning the Super Bowl? In the NFL, the answer is yes. Unlike MLB or the NBA, there are no seven-game series, so even elite teams can fall in single-elimination situations.

TRACR Methodology

Historical TRACR (Team Rating Adjusted for Competition and Roster) normalizes performance across eras and enables comparison of teams from different periods. It measures how many points per 10 drives teams are better or worse than the league average in a given season, including playoffs.

Top 5 Best Teams Since 1991

1. New England Patriots 2007 (20.6 TRACR) The highest TRACR since 1991 belongs to the Patriots with Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker. The historic undefeated 16-0 regular season ended with a surprising 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

2. Green Bay Packers 1996 (16.5 TRACR) During Brett Favre's peak, the Packers won their final eight games by an average of 21.2 points. Favre won his second MVP and led the team to their first title since 1968 with a 35-21 victory over the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

3. Baltimore Ravens 2019 (15.4 TRACR) After a 2-2 start, the Ravens won 12 straight games behind MVP Lamar Jackson. Despite their dominant regular season, they fell surprisingly in the playoffs.

4. St. Louis Rams 2001 (15.3 TRACR) The "Greatest Show on Turf" with Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and others went 14-2 but lost to the Patriots 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI.

5. Washington 1991 (14.6 TRACR) The best team of the current Commanders since 1991 paradoxically comes from 1991. They went 14-2 and defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI.

Notable Cases

The Detroit Lions 2024 achieved the highest TRACR in franchise history (13.0) with a 15-2 record but surprisingly fell to Washington in the playoffs.

The Minnesota Vikings 1998 became the first 15-1 team not to win the Super Bowl after Gary Anderson's missed kick in the NFC Championship.

The Kansas City Chiefs 2019 with Patrick Mahomes and their first title of the current dynasty represents their best season according to data, despite later successes.

Conclusion

The data shows that the best teams don't necessarily win titles. The NFL's single-elimination system can stop even the most dominant teams at critical moments.

Thanks to Stats Perform for the data and photo.

More information:24live.com

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