Was thinking about the demise of the Seahawks today and that got me considering the great teams over the past 20 years or so. In the free-agent, salary-cap era (1994-present), here are the franchises that had runs that you'd consider to be on the cusp of being a dynasty:
1995-98 Packers
- 48-16 (.750)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" ended when Denver knocked GB off in the SB following the 1997 season. They were a middling team in 1999-2000, and rose again from 2001-2004, but in that second run never made it to the NFCCG. They had the potential for greatness, but couldn't sustain it or reach the top again.
1996-1998 Broncos
- 39-9 record (.813)
- 2 Super Bowl titles
- "Dynasty" ended when Elway retired after the 1998 season. They were later found out to have built that dynasty by circumventing the salary cap, for which they were penalized by the NFL twice (nearly $2 million and two 3rd round draft picks).
1999-2001 Rams
- 37-11 (.771)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" ended when Adam Vinatieri's kick won Super Bowl 36 for the Patriots. For three years, this team was absolutely loaded. Kurt Warner eventually left and the team slid back to mediocrity.
1999-2010 Colts
- 138-54 (.719)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" never really happened. They had a very very good and long run of excellence, but only made it to two Super Bowls over that time period, and only making it to the AFCCG three times. With all-time great Peyton Manning at the helm, they had a chance to be a true dynasty, but it never materialized.
2000-2004 Eagles
- 59-21 (.738)
- 0 Super Bowl titles, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" that never was. They were elite in the NFC for four straight seasons, reaching four consecutive NFCCGs, and winning one of them.
2004-2011 Steelers
- 89-39 (.695)
- 2 Super Bowl titles, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" featured a really good and solid run for many years, including two Lombardis and a third trip to the Super Bowl. Two mediocre seasons (2006 and 2009) where they went 8-8 and 9-7, marred this overall period of excellence.
2007-2011 Giants
- 49-31 (.613)
- 2 Super Bowl titles
- "Dynasty" wasn't in any way a dynasty. Had to put them on this list because they did manage to win two Super Bowls in this time frame, which is a remarkable accomplishment. But mainly those were two excellent (and miraculous) runs in a sea of mediocrity. Still, two SB titles is nothing to sneeze at.
2009-2016 Packers
- 87-40-1 (.685)
- 1 Super Bowl title
- "Dynasty" isn't really one as such, but they have been excellent for this stretch, save for a mediocre 2013 season (8-7-1). 5 division titles in there, and a 15-1 season in 2011.
2012-2016 Seahawks
- 56-23-1 (.709)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" that had a chance to truly be one, featuring one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL from 2012-2016. Young, stud QB who cost virtually nothing against the salary cap as well. Their "dynasty" ended when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone in Super Bowl 49. It has been documented that this single moment did more to collapse the burgeoning dynasty than anything else. We've seen the salary cap eat away at their talent pool as well and this franchise is a shadow of what it was just a couple of years ago.
2001-2017 Patriots
- 209-63 (.768)
- 5 Super Bowl titles, 3 losses in the Super Bowl
- DYNASTY is a dynasty in every sense of the word. Long, sustained excellence, plus 5 championships and 8 overall trips to the Super Bowl. Seven straight trips to the AFCCG. Regular season success included a 16-0 season in 2007 and 15 division titles. Unprecedented success in the annals of the NFL. And is still going strong. Think about their winning percentage from 2001-2017. .768. Better than any of these teams' great runs, but over a 17 year period. Only Denver's three year run from 1996-98 featured a better (barely) winning percentage. I didn't include their 2018 numbers here because the season has just made it to the quarter mark but clearly they are not done yet.
It goes to show you how hard it is to maintain excellence and also reach the top of the mountain. By every reasonable measure, the Peyton Manning Colts and the Ben Roethlisberger Steelers should be considered to have some of the best runs of any franchise in NFL history. Tons of regular season success and topped off with a championship or two. That's amazing. And yet those franchises PALE in comparison to what New England has done. Meanwhile, the Patriots buried two other potential dynasties in the Rams and Seahawks.
It's really, really hard to keep this kind of excellence going. Many teams have had really good runs for a few years. It is never sustained. The Colts, Steelers, Packers, and Patriots are basically the exceptions to that rule. But then you look at peak performance and yes, those teams all had good seasons, championship seasons, but only the Patriots have reached the mountain top more than twice during these dynastic periods.
1995-98 Packers
- 48-16 (.750)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" ended when Denver knocked GB off in the SB following the 1997 season. They were a middling team in 1999-2000, and rose again from 2001-2004, but in that second run never made it to the NFCCG. They had the potential for greatness, but couldn't sustain it or reach the top again.
1996-1998 Broncos
- 39-9 record (.813)
- 2 Super Bowl titles
- "Dynasty" ended when Elway retired after the 1998 season. They were later found out to have built that dynasty by circumventing the salary cap, for which they were penalized by the NFL twice (nearly $2 million and two 3rd round draft picks).
1999-2001 Rams
- 37-11 (.771)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" ended when Adam Vinatieri's kick won Super Bowl 36 for the Patriots. For three years, this team was absolutely loaded. Kurt Warner eventually left and the team slid back to mediocrity.
1999-2010 Colts
- 138-54 (.719)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" never really happened. They had a very very good and long run of excellence, but only made it to two Super Bowls over that time period, and only making it to the AFCCG three times. With all-time great Peyton Manning at the helm, they had a chance to be a true dynasty, but it never materialized.
2000-2004 Eagles
- 59-21 (.738)
- 0 Super Bowl titles, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" that never was. They were elite in the NFC for four straight seasons, reaching four consecutive NFCCGs, and winning one of them.
2004-2011 Steelers
- 89-39 (.695)
- 2 Super Bowl titles, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" featured a really good and solid run for many years, including two Lombardis and a third trip to the Super Bowl. Two mediocre seasons (2006 and 2009) where they went 8-8 and 9-7, marred this overall period of excellence.
2007-2011 Giants
- 49-31 (.613)
- 2 Super Bowl titles
- "Dynasty" wasn't in any way a dynasty. Had to put them on this list because they did manage to win two Super Bowls in this time frame, which is a remarkable accomplishment. But mainly those were two excellent (and miraculous) runs in a sea of mediocrity. Still, two SB titles is nothing to sneeze at.
2009-2016 Packers
- 87-40-1 (.685)
- 1 Super Bowl title
- "Dynasty" isn't really one as such, but they have been excellent for this stretch, save for a mediocre 2013 season (8-7-1). 5 division titles in there, and a 15-1 season in 2011.
2012-2016 Seahawks
- 56-23-1 (.709)
- 1 Super Bowl title, 1 loss in the Super Bowl
- "Dynasty" that had a chance to truly be one, featuring one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL from 2012-2016. Young, stud QB who cost virtually nothing against the salary cap as well. Their "dynasty" ended when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson in the end zone in Super Bowl 49. It has been documented that this single moment did more to collapse the burgeoning dynasty than anything else. We've seen the salary cap eat away at their talent pool as well and this franchise is a shadow of what it was just a couple of years ago.
2001-2017 Patriots
- 209-63 (.768)
- 5 Super Bowl titles, 3 losses in the Super Bowl
- DYNASTY is a dynasty in every sense of the word. Long, sustained excellence, plus 5 championships and 8 overall trips to the Super Bowl. Seven straight trips to the AFCCG. Regular season success included a 16-0 season in 2007 and 15 division titles. Unprecedented success in the annals of the NFL. And is still going strong. Think about their winning percentage from 2001-2017. .768. Better than any of these teams' great runs, but over a 17 year period. Only Denver's three year run from 1996-98 featured a better (barely) winning percentage. I didn't include their 2018 numbers here because the season has just made it to the quarter mark but clearly they are not done yet.
It goes to show you how hard it is to maintain excellence and also reach the top of the mountain. By every reasonable measure, the Peyton Manning Colts and the Ben Roethlisberger Steelers should be considered to have some of the best runs of any franchise in NFL history. Tons of regular season success and topped off with a championship or two. That's amazing. And yet those franchises PALE in comparison to what New England has done. Meanwhile, the Patriots buried two other potential dynasties in the Rams and Seahawks.
It's really, really hard to keep this kind of excellence going. Many teams have had really good runs for a few years. It is never sustained. The Colts, Steelers, Packers, and Patriots are basically the exceptions to that rule. But then you look at peak performance and yes, those teams all had good seasons, championship seasons, but only the Patriots have reached the mountain top more than twice during these dynastic periods.