All 32 NFL Franchises Statistically Ranked In Order Of All-Time Greatness
By Daniel
Washington Redskins helmet: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
8. Washington ‘Redskins’: 482 Points
Established 1932 – The franchise with the most politically incorrect team nickname in all of sports has a long history with various points of success and failings. Three Super Bowl wins (with three different quarterbacks), two World Championships and 19 Hall of Fame inductees is the type of success that cannot be ignored.
One must understand that those accomplishments were spread out over an 80 year history. They’ve been great in the past (23 postseason appearances) and could be on the verge of being great again — that is, if Robert Griffin III can stay healthy. But then again, will he even be their quarterback in 2015?. If he can, the soon to be renamed (in my opinion) “Redskins” could be great once more.
Points added in 2014 season: 0
Icons: Sammy Baugh, Joe Gibbs, Sonny Jurgensen, Darrell Green
Indianapolis Colts helmet:
Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
7. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts: 502 Points
Established 1953 – Their Horseshoe logo is one of the more iconic helmet designs in NFL history. And the Colts’ top two quarterbacks of all-time, Johnny Unitas and Peyton Manning, are just as iconic. Although it should be noted that both quarterbacks played in different cities. This franchise has been blessed greatness with greatness again at the quarterback position with Andrew Luck leading the way.
The Colts have won two Super Bowls and two World Championships, but are eyeing another ring in 2015. They have only sent 11 people to the Hall of Fame, but certainly have more on the way (Manning, Harrison). But a truly shocking statistic is that they have had one of their players win the AP MVP a league high nine times.
That individual success has elevated their ranking significantly but then again, they have made it to 27 playoffs, too.
Points added in 2014 season: 18
Icons: Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, John Mackey, Marvin Harrison
San Francisco 49ers helmet: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
6. San Francisco 49ers: 548 Points
Established 1950 – The Niners are one of the league’s most recognizable franchises thanks to their Joe Montana-led dynasty of the 1980s. We cannot forget the unquestionable toughness of their defensive leader Ronnie Lott, either. The 49ers continued their success into the 90s, as they won their fifth Super Bowl with Steve Young at the helm.
They have sent 14 players to the Hall of Fame and have had five AP MVPs and five Offensive Player of the Year awards. They still come in at sixth on this list because they didn’t have much success during their first couple decades in the league.
They would be even higher on this list had they been more consistent from the beginning. The team is in a bit of a transition period and the future isn’t exactly clear in San Francisco at the moment. They have 26 playoff appearances all-time.
Points added in 2014 season: 8
Icons: Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Bill Walsh, Steve Young
5. Dallas Cowboys: 590 Points
Dallas Cowboys helmet: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Established 1960 – “America’s Team” has been incredibly successful since joining the NFL in 1960 and they’re as iconic as professional sports franchises can get. But despite their iconic stature, the last 15 years or so they’ve continually underachieved. Although 2014 was a good year in the Big D, they’ve yet to follow up their early-90s dynasty with a dominant squad.
They have five Super Bowls under their belt, the second most all-time conference championships (10), and the most division championships (22). They have reached the playoffs 31 times — good for second in NFL history. Plus, they have 14 Hall of Fame inductees. Their current running back DeMarco Murray was also 2014’s AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Currently, team owner Jerry Jones is scrambling to get them back atop the hill. He is sticking with Tony Romo at the quarterback position for the next few years. Will they live up to their billing as “America’s team” over the next decade or continue to slip-up? In 2014, they showed a lot of signs of improvement and Cowboys fans should be excited for 2015. Not to mention the Cowboys are closing in on jumping the franchise in the No. 4 slot on this ranking.
Points added in 2014 season: 22
Iconics: Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith
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