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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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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 12: Franco Harris #32 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball pursued by Paul Krause #32 of the Minnesota Vikings during Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium January 12, 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Steeler won the Super Bowl 16 -6. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 12: Franco Harris #32 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball pursued by Paul Krause #32 of the Minnesota Vikings during Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium January 12, 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Steeler won the Super Bowl 16 -6. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

43. 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers (SB IX)

The second appearance for the Steelers already on these rankings (a dubious honor considering that we are starting from the bottom), the 1974 Pittsburgh team wasn’t particularly overwhelming in any sense. While they were the start of something truly special for the franchise in terms of the run that they would ultimately go on, the team as a whole just wasn’t that special in terms of their overall performance.

The regular season saw the Steelers go 10-3-1, and while that’s at least decent, it’s nothing terribly notable. Their offense that saw a shifting quarterback rotation between Terry Bradshaw and Joe Gilliam splitting time throughout the year ended up as only the No. 6-ranked offense in the NFL. As the start of the Steel Curtain era in the 1970s, the defense ranked second in the league, but they posted a point differential of just 116 points on the season or 8.3 points per game.

Though they weren’t really challenged in the postseason, they only had one game that was a complete runaway on the way to the Super Bowl. In fact, their ranking is hurt a bit by a lackluster showing in the big game as they beat the Minnesota Vikings 16-6. The 1974 Steelers just weren’t wholly impressive, even if they were obviously a quality football team.

Next: No. 42

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