Steelers: The Best Team of All-Time

Ben Roethlisberger’s story is, even in these early stages, an impressive one to tell. A Number Eleven pick by the Steelers back in the 2004 draft, Big Ben was pressed into action earlier than expected after incumbent starter Tommy Maddox suffered an injury in the second game of the season and Roethlisberger had to step in. As it happened, the team’s concerns about not starting their future quarterback too early were unfounded as Roethlisberger led the franchise to a 15-1 record, picking up Offensive Rookie of the Year plaudits in the process. Though the Steelers lost at the AFC Championship Game, they went on to reach, and win, the Super Bowl the following season, with Roethlisberger very much at the helm. In 2009, he won to the Big Game again, defeating the Arizona Cardinals and emerging as the leader of his quarterback class, while also winning more Super Bowls than Dan Marino, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.

I mention Roethlisberger because I have a close affinity with his career. I started following the NFL in 2004, when Ben was drafted, and have seen him win the Super Bowl on more occasions than any other quarterback. It is a shame, therefore, that I did not pledge my allegiances to Pittsburgh for, as my research shows, they are the most successful team in my five years as an NFL fan.

The Steelers do not have the best record in that period; they rank behind the Patriots and the Colts in this field. However, their two Super Bowl victories put them above these contemporaries as the undisputed Best Team of All-Time (as in MY all-time). Interestingly, the arch-rivals Patriots and Colts have a league-leading identical record over the past five seasons, though the Patriots’ losing Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XLII sets them apart from the Colts, who have only reached the Big Game once in these five years. San Diego and Denver – both with no Super Bowl appearances – close the Top Five, a Top Five intriguingly made up entirely out of AFC teams.

The top NFC team in this time span are the New York Giants, tied with the Broncos in fifth place overall. It is hardly surprising that they lead the NFC given that they are the only team in the conference to have won the Super Bowl in my all-time. Who is next, however, raises a number of interesting questions. While Dallas has the next best record (and 7th overall), they only have one division title, whereas Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle has multiple divisional triumphs (two, two and four respectively, though the latter is in the weak NFC West). They also have one Super Bowl appearance apiece. By virtue of a slightly superior record and a greater consistency over this period, Philadelphia is probably worthy of second best NFC team of all-time, while the Cowboys, Bears and Seahawks can fight for the scraps among themselves.

Talking of the scraps, at the opposite end of the table is a familiar pattern of futility over the past five seasons. Unsurprisingly, Oakland is rock bottom, with over 40 victories less than New England and Indianapolis. Averaging four wins per season, it is not surprising that they have not amounted to anything since I started following the League. The Lions, despite their best (or is it worst?) efforts, have one more win than the Raiders, 20 wins away from their nearest division rival! As for my Rams, well they are the 29th best team of all-time, though you might be surprised to know that I am actually happy about this, mainly because, over the last five seasons, we have won 2 more games than our rival San Francisco 49ers and, when you support a team that has performed as direly as the Rams have in my time, then any victory counts.

On another note, the figures show that 16 NFL teams have winning total records over these five seasons; fifteen have losing records (the Tennessee Titans are squarely on 40-40). Perhaps this shows that parity is working.