Super Bowl power rankings: Which winner is the greatest?

37. 1988 San Francisco 49ers (SB XXIII)

The 1988 San Francisco 49ers ultimately benefit in a big way from their place in history as a dynasty rather than what they did on the year. Otherwise, they could have come in much lower in these rankings given their record, statistical production, and everything in between. However, with the legendary talent on the field, they ultimately get a little bit of a boost simply because of their place in history as part of the Niners’ run.

Joe Montana and Steve Young were both present in the offense, though Montana was still in charge when he was healthy. Throw in the fact that Jerry Rice and Roger Craig were also on the roster and the talent was clearly there for San Fran in the 1988 season, though they only ranked as the No. 7 offense in the NFL on the year. Their defense was also a bit disappointing as they ranked just eighth in the league on their way to 10-6 in the regular season.

They reached their potential early on in the postseason by beating the Vikings and Bears by a combined 62-12 in their first two playoff games. However, they came back to earth against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl, just barely getting by with a 20-16 victory. The potential that they showed in other years of their dynasty was always there, they just didn’t reach it quite as often as they did in other Super Bowl years for the franchise.

Next: No. 36