Which NFL Team Went Undefeated and Won the Super Bowl?

The New England Patriots went undefeated in the regular season and won the Super Bowl in 2019.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins

The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the perfect storm. They had an incredible defense, a Hall of Fame head coach, and a young quarterback who was playing out of his mind. They went undefeated, winning all 14 of their regular season games. They then won their divisional playoff game and the AFC Championship game. Finally, they capped off their historic season with a win in Super Bowl VII, becoming the only team in NFL history to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl.

The perfect season

The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the perfect season. The team went 14–0 in the regular season and then won all three of their playoff games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish 17–0. The Dolphins are the only team to complete an entire season undefeated and untied from the beginning of the season through the playoffs.

The 1972 Dolphins have been immortalized as one of the greatest teams in NFL history and have been commemorated with multiple films and documentaries, including the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Perfect Season.

Undefeated regular season

On their way to becoming the NFL’s first and only undefeated team, the 1972 Dolphins racked up a then-record 17–0 record. They outscored their opponents by a total of 332–129, and their +203 point differential is still an NFL record. Nine of their games were decided by seven points or less.

Their schedule was not an easy one, as they faced six playoff teams from the previous season. They started the season with a difficult away game against the division rival Buffalo Bills, which they won 28–17. They then beat the New England Patriots at home, 21–0. The Patriots would go on to make the playoffs.

The Dolphins had several close calls during the season. In week 3, they squeaked by the Detroit Lions 16-14 on a last-second field goal by Garo Yepremian. In week 5, they came from behind to beat the Baltimore Colts 21-17 on a touchdown pass from Bob Griese to Paul Warfield with just under two minutes left in the game. And in week 14, they survived a late comeback attempt by the New York Jets to win 14-7.

The Dolphins clinched the AFC’s top seed and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 27-14 win over division rivals, the Buffalo Bills in week 11. They then went on to win their remaining regular season games, including a key matchup against fellow undefeated team, the Washington Redskins in week 13 (16-3), which helped solidify their stature as the best team in football heading into the playoffs.

Super Bowl VII

Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1972 season. The Dolphins defeated the Redskins by a score of 14–7, and became the first and still the only team in NFL history to complete an entire perfect regular and postseason. They were also the first team to appear in three consecutive Super Bowls, Super Bowls VI–VIII.

The game was played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. This was the second AFC-NFC Championship Game appearance for both teams, with both teams appearing for a then-record second time. At Memorial Coliseum, it was also the last NFL game ever played on natural grass there (the stadium switched to AstroTurf in time for Super Bowl X).

The 1973 Pro Bowl was played at Memorial Coliseum on January 21, a week after Super Bowl VII.

The 2007 New England Patriots

The perfect season

The 2007 New England Patriots delivered one of the most dominant performances in NFL history. That season, they became the first team to go undefeated in a 16-game regular season, and they capped it off with a win in Super Bowl XLII.

The Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, outscoring their opponents by an average of more than 12 points per game. They then won their first two playoff games by a combined margin of four points, setting up a matchup with the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

In one of the most memorable games in NFL history, the Giants upset the Patriots 17-14 to hand them their only loss of the season. The Patriots’ 2007 season is still considered one of the greatest ever, despite the disappointing ending.

Undefeated regular season

The 2007 New England Patriots went undefeated in the regular season with a record of 16-0. They became only the second team in NFL history to do so, after the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots also became the first team to ever win all their games by double digits. In the playoffs, they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-3, in the Divisional Round and then the San Diego Chargers, 21-12, in the AFC Championship Game. They then went on to win Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, 17-14.

Super Bowl XLII

The New England Patriots went undefeated in the 2007 NFL regular season, becoming only the second team in NFL history to finish a 16-game season without a loss or tie. They then went on to win Super Bowl XLII, defeating the heavily favored New York Giants by a score of 17-14. The game was widely considered to be one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

The 2020 Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. They joined the NFL in 1970 as an expansion team. The team is worth $2.6 billion.

The perfect season

The 2020 Kansas City Chiefs went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. They are the only team in NFL history to do so.

Undefeated regular season

Under head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs posted a 12–4 record in the 2019 regular season, their best 16-game record since 2003. They also clinched their first AFC West division title since 2010, and the second overall in Reid’s tenure. In the playoffs, they defeated the Houston Texans 51–31 in the Divisional Round and advanced to the AFC Championship for the first time since 1994. They then beat the Tennessee Titans 35-24 in the AFC Championship to reach Super Bowl LIV, their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years (and first league championship game appearance of any kind since 1970), where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win their first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.

Super Bowl LIV

The 2020 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise’s 51st season in the National Football League, their 61st overall and their first under head coach Andy Reid since 2013. The Chiefs improved on their 12–4 record from 2019, when they won their first AFL-title in 50 years, and also won Super Bowl LIV for the first time in franchise history. They also became the first team to win a Super Bowl after starting the season 2–4.