Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
35 of 51
Next
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 1: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots won 32-29 to claim their second Super Bowl in three years. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 1: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots won 32-29 to claim their second Super Bowl in three years. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) /

17. 2003 New England Patriots (SB XXXVIII)

When you think of the New England Patriots and the empire that they’ve established in the NFL over the past two decades, you think about Bill Belichick and Tom Brady and the success that they’ve been able to have since Touchdown Tom took over under-center. However, when the Patriots were climbing to the mountaintop after a dominating 2003 regular season, it was their defense that was the driving force.

Brady and the Patriots offense ranked only 12th in the NFL on the season in terms of scoring, putting up a respectable but not overwhelming 21.8 points per game. However, their defense came up and absolutely dominated behind the efforts of Rodney Harrison, Ty Law, Richard Seymour, and Willie McGinest as they were the best scoring defense in the NFL on the season as they went to accrue a 14-2 record in the regular season.

It was far from a cake-walk in the postseason for New England as they beat the Tennessee Titans by only three points in the Divisional Round, topped Peyton Manning and the Colts by a score of just 24-14 in the AFC title game, and then won by an Adam Vinatieri field goal in the Super Bowl over the Carolina Panthers. Even still, 14-2 and a great defense is more than enough to consider them one of the better champions in NFL history.

Next: No. 16

Home/Super Bowl