Who are the Top Teams in the NFL?

It’s that time of year again! Time to start thinking about who the top teams in the NFL are. Here are our picks for the top five teams in the league.

The New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is located 28 miles (45 km) southwest of downtown Boston.

The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium. The team’s ownership group is headed by Robert Kraft, while Bill Belichick is the head coach and Tom Brady is the starting quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the National Football League (NFL), as part of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC.

In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they were nicknamed the ” Yorkshire Terriers”, Steeler teams of the 1970s and 1980s became well known for featuring some of the best defenses ever assembled in professional football, winning an unprecedented six Super Bowl championships in a span of 23 years. The team currently has more Super Bowl wins (six) than any other franchise; this includes winning a record four championships consecutively from 1974 to 1979, becoming the only team in NFL history to do so and making them one of only two AFC teams to win four conference championships in a row. The other is their AFC North division rival Baltimore Ravens.

The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, dating back to 1919, and is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games have been played at Lambeau Field since 1957.

The Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They are one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, and in 2019 they were ranked as the world’s most valuable sports franchise by Forbes with an estimated value of $5 billion.

The Cowboys were founded in 1960 as an expansion team. They played their home games at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park until 1964, when they moved to Texas Stadium in Irving. The Cowboy’s first season was disappointing, finishing last place in their conference with a record of 3-13-0. However, the following year they improved to 11-2-1 and won their first NFL Championship. They would go on to win 5 more NFL Championships, making them one of only 2 teams to win 6 or more championships. The Cowboys also hold the record for having the most Super Bowl appearances (8) and are tied for the second most Super Bowl wins (5).

The team has made 18 playoff appearances, tied for ninth most all-time. The Cowboys have reached eight Super Bowls, tied for second most all-time with Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos (behind only New England Patriots’ eleven), winning five of those games: Super Bowl VI, Super Bowl XII, Super Bowl XXVII, Super Bowl XXVIII, and Super Bow XLV. They also played in and lost three other Super Bowls: Super Bowl X, Super Bow XIII, and Super Bowl XVII.

The Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) West division. They joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Seahawks are coached by Pete Carroll. Since 2002, they have played their home games at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field), located south of downtown Seattle. They previously played home games in the Kingdome (1976–1999) and Husky Stadium (1994, 2000–2001). Seahawks fans have been referred to collectively as the “12th Man”, “12th Fan”, or “12s”.

Loud Fans:
One of the Seahawks’ defining features is their loud and passionate fan base, which is famously referred to as the “12th man” or “12th fan”. CenturyLink Field is regularly ranked among the loudest stadiums in the NFL, and has set multiple world records for crowd noise, including a decibel level of 137.6 during a Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints in 2013

The Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Founded on January 30, 1960, they began play as a charter member of the AFL–NFL merger that occurred in 1970. Their home games are played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The Raiders’ name originated with the team’s founder, part-owner and head coach of the then–Oakland Seals, Eddie Erdelatz; his inspiration was derived from Civil War naval hero John Paul Jones who famously said “I have not yet begun to fight!”. The Raiders share a bitter rivalry with the Denver Broncos. Among NFL teams, only the Green Bay Packers can claim more league championships than that of the Raiders who have won an impressive three Super Bowls (XI 1977, XV 1983 and XVIII 1984), one AFL title (1968) and an AFC conference title (1976).

In terms of winning percentage, they are one of only three teams who have never had a losing season since they first joined the league (the others being the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs). They are also one of only two teams to never have had a season with double-digit losses since joining the league (the other being their historic rivals, the Denver Broncos).

The Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are members of the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The team has played their home games at Sports Authority Field at Mile High since 2001.

The Broncos have had 13 head coaches: John Ralston, Lou Saban, Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips, Mike Shanahan, Josh McDaniels, John Fox, Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph and Vic Fangio. Shanahan and Kubiak led the Broncos to Super Bowl victories in 1997 and 1998 respectively; Fox led them to a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013; and Joseph led them to an appearance in Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

The 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. The team was founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans by businessman Lamar Hunt and was a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City and assumed their current name. The Chiefs joined the NFL as a result of the merger in 1970. The team is valued at over $2 billion.

The Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the most successful NFL teams in recent years. They have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 2016. They have a young and talented roster, led by quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones, and running back Devonta Freeman. The Falcons also have one of the best defenses in the NFL, with players like linebacker Vic Beasley and safety Keanu Neal.

The New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays its home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which it shares with the New York Jets in a unique arrangement. The Giants hold their summer training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.

The Giants were one of five teams that joined the NFL in 1925, and is one of only two teams that have been in the NFL continuously since its formation. (The other is the Chicago Bears). The team ranks third among all NFL franchises with eight NFL titles: four in the pre–Super Bowl era (1927, 1934, 1938, 1956) and four since the advent of the Super Bowl (Super Bowls XLII and XLVI), along with more championship appearances than any other team in NFL history, with 19 overall appearances. Their championship tally is surpassed only by the Green Bay Packers (13) and Chicago Bears (9). Throughout their history, the Giants have featured 28 Hall of Fame players, including NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winners Mel Hein, Frank Gifford, Y. A. Tittle, and Lawrence Taylor.