What NFL Team Went Undefeated?
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The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team to go undefeated, finishing the season 17-0. They are also the only team to complete a perfect season, culminating in a Super Bowl win.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins
The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the only NFL team to go undefeated in a season. They had a perfect season, winning all of their games. This was an amazing feat, and it has never been done since. The Dolphins were led by their coach, Don Shula, and their star quarterback, Bob Griese. They had a strong defense, and they were able to score points on offense. The 1972 Dolphins are truly a team to be remembered.
The Team
The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the team’s seventh season, and third in the National Football League (NFL). The undefeated campaign culminated in the Dolphins’ defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first and to date only team to complete an entire perfect regular and postseason. The head coach was Don Shula, and the team finished with a regular season record of 14–0.
The Schedule
The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the perfect season. The team went 14–0 in the regular season and then won all three post-season games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish 17–0. The only blemish on the Dolphins’ record was a 24–20 loss to the Baltimore Colts in a preseason game.
The 1972 Dolphins are considered one of the greatest teams in NFL history. They are the only team to finish a season undefeated and untied from start to finish, including playoff games.
The 1972 dolphins’ strength of schedule has been rated as the fourth most difficult in NFL history. The team played seven games against teams that would go on to win at least 10 games that season (the Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders) and three more against teams that would make the playoffs (the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals).
The 2007 New England Patriots
The 2007 New England Patriots went undefeated in the regular season with a record of 16-0. They became the first team in NFL history to do so. They went on to win the Super Bowl that year, making them the only team to ever go 19-0 in a single season.
The Team
The 2007 New England Patriots season was the franchise’s 38th season in the National Football League, the 48th overall and the 8th under head coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots looked to improve on their 12–4 record from 2006 and win their sixth Super Bowl title.
The Patriots finished the regular season undefeated at 16–0, becoming only the fourth team in NFL history to do so (joining the 1934 Chicago Bears, 1972 Miami Dolphins, and 1998 Denver Broncos as the only other teams to achieve an undefeated regular season). The Patriots set an NFL record for most consecutive wins with 21 (including all 19 games of their regular season), a feat accomplished when they defeated their rivals, the New York Jets, on December 16. They would also become only the second team ever to finish a 16-game regular season undefeated (joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins as well). New England became only the fifth wild card team to ever make it to a Super Bowl (and first since 1997), and just the second team with three losses or more (joining Green Bay in 2010) to do so. They also joined those same 1971 Dolphins as well as those 1998 Broncos and 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers in going 3–0 in road playoff games en route to winning a Super Bowl. In addition, they became only the third team after those 1972 Dolphins and 1984 San Francisco 49ers to win all of their playoff games by double digits; each of New England’s four playoff wins were by 14 points or more. They defeated all three other NFC East opponents on their way to becoming champions for a fourth time (joining Green Bay [1965], Dallas [1992] and San Francisco [1994] as teams that have done so since 1966 when that conference was formed), after having lost five Super Bowls previously while representing that conference (Super Bowls XX, XXVIII, XXXI, XLII and XLVI).
The Patriots set an NFL record for most first downs in a single season with373 (breaking Indianapolis’ record of357 set earlier in the year) while also leadingthe league in scoring with589 points (an average of36.8 per game). New England became justthe fourth team since 1950 towin every game by double digits. They also broke several otherteam records including fewest turnovers inthe regular season with 10(tied with Green Bayin 2010), opponent passer rating141.8(breaking Tampa Bay’srecord from 2002of71.2), shutting outfive opponents duringthe regular season missedfield goals byopponents with 13(tied with San Diegofrom 1992)and total plays inthe playoffs withouta turnover at 156.(tiedwith 1977Oakland Raidersforfewest such plays inthe postseason).[1][2][3]QuarterbackTom Bradywould finish secondto Green Bay’sBrett Favre forNFL Most ValuablePlayer honors infactoring 16 touchdownsto 2 interceptionsand setting arecord for best Touchdownto Interceptiondifferentialat +14(breaking PeytonManning’s oldrecordof+12which he hadaccomplishedtwice). Bradywould also throwfor 50 touchdownsduringthe entireregularseason–2 shy ofPeyton Manning’ssingle-seasonrecord–settingan anothersingle-gamerecordbythrowingfor 6 touchdownspasses againstthe haplessNew York Jets afterTheir42-7 victoryagainstJets
The Schedule
The New England Patriots’ 2007 regular season was the franchise’s 38th regular season in the National Football League and 41st overall. They finished the 16-game regular season undefeated at 16–0. They became only the fourth team in NFL history to accomplish an undefeated regular season, joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 1934 Chicago Bears.
In addition to their 16–0 record, the Patriots became just the second team ever (after the 1984 San Francisco 49ers) to finish a single season with a point differential of +300 or better, finishing with a +315 point differential. The Patriots set several NFL records during their perfect regular season, including most consecutive wins (21), most victories (including playoffs), largest point differential in a single season, fewest points allowed in a 16-gameseason, most touchdowns by any team in any NFL season and most completed passes by any team in any NFL season.
The 2011 Green Bay Packers
The Team
The 2011 Green Bay Packers were an American football team that played in the National Football League. The Packers competed in the NFL as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference North division. They are also the third-most winning team in regular season play and hold the record for the most wins in a single season. The Packers were founded on August 11, 1919, byCurly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. Lambeau, a star player with the Green Bay East High School football team, was given $500 by his employer, the Indian Packing Company, to buy equipment and uniforms.
The Schedule
The Packers began the season against the New Orleans Saints, winning 42–34. The Packers then hosted the Carolina Panthers and won 30–23. In Week 3, the Packers traveled to Chicago to play the Bears and won 27–17. The Packers hosted the Denver Broncos in Week 4 and won 49–23.
