ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently listed the 25 best NFL teams of this quarter-century. As dominant as his top squad was, it’s somewhat of a head-scratching decision. That crew, the almost-undefeated 2007 New England Patriots, is missing something.
Barnwell acknowledged his No. 1 team didn’t hoist the Lombardi Trophy before making his case. A win away from going 19-0, Bill Belichick’s Patriots were upset by Eli Manning’s New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, one of the most surprising outcomes in NFL history.
“Would this even be a debate if Asante Samuel caught that interception on the final drive?” Barnwell wrote. “If David Tyree didn’t bring in the Helmet Catch? Of course not. Samuel didn’t and Tyree did, and it’s why these Patriots aren’t the most successful team of the past 25 years, even if they came within moments of being the first 19-0 team in league history.”
Belichick’s 2007 Patriots are one of 10 teams on the list without a Super Bowl ring. At No. 10, the 2001 St. Louis Rams, who lost to Tom Brady and New England in Super Bowl XXXVI, are the next-highest ranked of that variety.
The 2007 Patriots were great, but they didn't win it all
Barnwell’s argument centers around the fact that he believes that version of the Patriots would beat every other team on the list. Such competition would include the 2013 “Legion of Boom” Seattle Seahawks (No. 2) and last season’s Philadelphia Eagles (No. 4), who trounced Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
There’s a bundle of outfits on the list that would put up a much stiffer fight than a postseason road warrior, fifth-seeded team. That fact doesn’t matter to Barnwell.
“Over a full year, it’s tough to find a team that can realistically compete with the 2007 Pats, even with the Super Bowl wins on the résumé,” Barnwell said. “They were the only one-loss team of the era. They had the largest average margin of victory (17.5 points) by more than a field goal over the next-best team. … I’m not considering aesthetic impact here, but it’s tough to pick another team that was more influential or striking on the league to come.
“The 2007 Patriots did everything except win a Super Bowl. If you put them against every other team on this list on a neutral field, I believe they’re the team that would take home a title.”
Yet, somehow, they couldn’t even take home the crown when they had the chance. Hmm.