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Super Bowl power rankings: Which winner is the greatest?

By Cody Williams

St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner looks to make pass in a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30, 2000 at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Allen Kee/Getty Images)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner looks to make pass in a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30, 2000 at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Allen Kee/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 30: John Riggins #44 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins during Super Bowl XVII on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Redskins won the Super Bowl 27-17. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 30: John Riggins #44 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins during Super Bowl XVII on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Redskins won the Super Bowl 27-17. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

27. 1982 Washington Redskins (SB XVII)

If it were solely up to me, I would scratch the 1982 NFL season from the record books and, subsequently, the 1982 Washington Redskins as Super Bowl champions. While that might seem a bit unfair, everything from the strike shortened season just feels like it could potentially be a fluke and makes it hard to judge in the context of history. Even if the 1982 Washington team was one of the best ever, it’s hard to say because they only played nine regular season games.

Granted, Washington went 8-1 over those nine regular season games and performed quite well over that run. They allowed only 14.2 points per game in the shortened season, making them the No. 1-ranked defense in the league. Their offense was only 12th in the league, but they were still able to put up the fifth-best point differential in the NFL on the year.

Why Washington ranks as high as they do even after the strike is the fact that they were undeniably impressive over their four playoff games, winning by scores of 31-7, 21-7, and 31-17 to get to the Super Bowl before ultimately handling the Dolphins with relative ease by a count of 27-17 in the big game. Again, it’s hard to judge them given the circumstances of the season as a whole, but they do deserve a bit of credit for their record and how they handled the postseason.

Next: No. 26

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