Super Bowl power rankings: Which winner is the greatest?

46. 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers (SB XL)

The Pittsburgh Steelers will make quite a few appearances in these rankings as they’ve been one of the most prolific franchises in NFL history in terms of winning Super Bowls. However, this first title for Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh was hardly as impressive as any of the franchise’s other championships, even though it was Bill Cowher finally getting his long-awaited ring.

Roethlisberger was only 23 years old for the Steelers in the 2005 season and led the team to an 11-5 record in the regular season. Big Ben, however, wasn’t at his best just yet as he only led Pittsburgh to the No. 9-ranked offense in the NFL on the season. Joey Porter, Troy Polamalu, and the rest of the defense were a bit better as they were the third-best unit in terms of scoring in the league on the year.

There’s no question that Big Ben and the Steelers greatly benefitted from hitting their stride at the end of the regular season as the won their final four games handily. They carried their momentum into the playoffs and, save for the Divisional Round matchup with the Colts, they won every game by double digits. They weren’t unimpressive, but they were hardly an all-time great either.

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