All 32 NFL Franchises Statistically Ranked In Order Of All-Time Greatness
By Daniel
Oakland Raiders helmet: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
(TIE) 11. Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders: 404 Points
Established 1970 – Despite being so uncompetitive in recent memory, the Raiders have actually put together quite an amazing history. As you can imagine, winning three Super Bowls and sending 15 players to the Hall of Fame certainly helps out their greatness ranking significantly.
Unfortunately they’re known more for their ridiculous yet raucous crowd, “The Black Hole”, and their failings as of late, rather than their overall success as a franchise. They have 18 playoff appearances all-time and were one of the most instrumental AFL teams at the time of the NFL-AFL merger.
The league might not be what it is today without Al Davis and the Raiders.
Points added in 2014 season: 8
Icons: Al Davis, Gene Upshaw, Marcus Allen, John Madden
Minnesota Vikings helmet: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
(TIE) 11. Minnesota Vikings: 404 Points
Established 1961 – The Purple People Eaters are one of the most successful teams in NFL history to never win a Super Bowl. That’s not exactly the moniker that franchises shoot for, but it does show that they haven’t been a doormat since joining the NFL. The Vikings have won a whopping 18 division championships (most in the NFC North) and have earned 27 appearances to the postseason.
Along with that team success they’ve taken home three AP MVP awards, too. They do have an NFL championship under their belt (which some people do not realize) but, like the Bills, lost all four of the Super Bowls that they have played in. They’re rebuilding now but still feature the greatest running back of this generation for the time being — Adrian Peterson. Will he be back in 2014?
Points added in 2014 season: 8
Icons: Bud Grant, Alan Page, Fran Tarkenton, Randy Moss
10: Cleveland Browns: 430 Points
Cleveland Browns helmet: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Established 1950-95; 1999-Present – This may be the biggest shocker on this list. You read that correctly, Cleveland made the NFL’s greatest franchises top 10 list. They’re an example of why we must value history when weighing greatness. The Browns have been anything but great for a long, long time.
Many people forget about their extensive history of success. In the 50s and 60s they won four World Championships. Not only that, they have sent 16 players to the Hall of Fame; including what some believe to be the greatest running back of all-time — Jim Brown. Not to mention, they’ve seen the playoffs an impressive 24 times in their history. Will Johnny Manziel lead the Browns back to their former glory, or will they continue to slide down this list?
Points added in 2014 season: 0
Icons: Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Paul Brown, Lou Groza
St. Louis Rams helmet: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
9: Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams: 450 Points
Established 1937 – The first NFL team to put a design on a helmet, the iconic horns, have won one Super Bowl and two World Championships. They’ve also managed to send 15 players to the Hall of Fame. But their success has been spread out over their long tenure in the NFL.
No one can question that they have been competitive often with 27 playoff appearances under their belt. But what might be most impressive about their history is their four AP MVP awards. Plus Kurt Warner seems to be a lock to make the Hall of Fame at some point; so that won’t hurt their ranking either. Right now the franchise that’s has been mediocre since the days of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” 2015 doesn’t look to be much more exciting in St. Louis.
Points added in 2014 season: 0
Icons: Eric Dickerson, David “Deacon” Jones, Norm Van Brocklin, Kurt Warner
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