Ranking the New York Giants and the Best Dynasties in NFL History

The New York Giants capped off another exciting victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, winning 21-17.

Though it may seem premature, the talk begins of the Giants becoming a dynasty.

With two Super Bowl wins in four years, Eli Manning has twice led New York to victories over the NFL's most respected franchise of the past decade.

Where do the Giants stack up against the current NFL dynasties?

Here are my rankings of the best dynasties in NFL history.

Note to the reader: I am not saying the Giants are necessarily a dynasty, but rather I am comparing them to some of the better dynasties in NFL history.

Honorable Mention: 1990s Buffalo Bills

Led by quarterback Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills came up short multiple times of becoming the greatest dynasty in NFL history.

The Bills made the Super Bowl four straight times; however, they could never win the big game and propel themselves to a place among history's elite franchises.

There is no doubt that the Bills are one of the better dynasties the league has ever seen, dominating their conference for four straight years.

But they could never move past the great dynasties, and one current dynasty has moved above them.

10) 2007 and 2011 New York Giants

The Giants can be entered in the discussion as a dynasty after their second Super Bowl victory.

It hasn't always been pretty, but the Giants are setting themselves up to become one of the greater dynasties the league has seen.

Eli Manning is in his prime, and his wide receivers are not even close to reaching their full potential.

The jury is still out on the Giants' recent success, as the next few years will ultimately decide their place in NFL history.

9) 1940s Chicago Bears

The 1940s Chicago Bears set themselves apart from the current Giants and the '90s Bills.

It may have been over 60 years since the Bears had their run, but the success under head coach George Halas cannot go unnoticed.

The Bears made their mark in a span of seven years. From 1940 to 1947, quarterback Sid Luckman led the Bears to three titles while playing in four championships.

There is no argument that the 1940s Bears produced the greatest teams in franchise history.

8) 1970s Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys dominated the league in the 1970s along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Led by Tom Landry, the Cowboys appeared in five Super Bowls and won two (VI, XII).

The Cowboys made the playoffs 13 times in 14 seasons, a run which dated back to the late 1960s.

Quarterback Roger Staubach led the charge over this famous decade, while Cliff Harris, Randy White and Tony Dorsett also contributed to Dallas' success.

The success in the 1970s prompted the Cowboys becoming "America's Team."

7) 1940-1950s Cleveland Browns

The success of the Cleveland Browns was one of the more memorable stories in league history.

While in the AAFC, the Browns dominated by winning four championships. Their success carried over to the NFL when they joined the league in 1950.

However, their success did not stop there. Paul Brown led the Browns to three championships in six years, with the other three seasons resulting in losses in the championship game.

6) 1970s Miami Dolphins

The 1970s Miami Dolphins are one of the more remarkable dynasties in NFL history. They are the only team to finish both the regular season and postseason undefeated.

The Dolphins finished 17-0 in 1972 and have continued to hold a record that has proven to be very difficult to match in today's NFL.

Head coach Don Shula led the Dolphins to another championship in the 1973 season by defeating the Minnesota Vikings.

Even though the Dolphins only won two championships in that decade, there is no doubt that this franchise had a major impact on the growing league as a whole.

5) New England Patriots (2001-2004)

The Patriots have been in a slump lately, losing their last two Super Bowls to the New York Giants.

However, the success from 2001 through 2004 turned out to be one of the greatest dynasties in recent memory.

Tom Brady was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft and became one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever step onto a football field.

Bill Belichick cemented himself in league history as one of the league's greatest coaches.

The Patriots won three championships in a span of four years and can be compared with any dynasty in league history.

4) 1990s Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys dominated the 1990s and had the potential to add more championships to Jerry Jones' trophy case.

Led by Jimmy Johnson and quarterback Troy Aikman, the Cowboys won three championships in four years.

There was no doubt that the Cowboys were loaded with talent during their championship run.

In the 1993 season alone, the Cowboys sent 11 players to the Pro Bowl.

In the end, Jerry Jones prevented the Cowboys from continuing their dominance in the 1990s.

3) 1980s San Francisco 49ers

The argument for the San Francisco 49ers having the greatest dynasty in NFL history can be made.

In the span of a decade, the 49ers managed to win four Super Bowls.

Bill Walsh is considered among the elite group of head coaches the game has ever seen.

Joe Montana is arguably the game's greatest quarterback; it didn't matter that he threw to Dwight Clark or Jerry Rice.

There are only two other teams that can be considered more successful than the 49ers of the '80s.

2) 1960s Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers dominated the 1960s under famous head coach Vince Lombardi.

Lombardi's Packers won five championships in seven seasons.

His team played in one of the more memorable games in NFL history: the "Ice Bowl."

Certainly, his team had talent. Quarterback Bart Starr is among the 12 Hall of Famers from the Lombardi era, which accounts for over half of the Packers that are enshrined in Canton.

The Super Bowl trophy was named after a man who created one of the league's more dominating teams and impacted the future of the league.

1) 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers

The argument for the league's greatest dynasty could be made for Lombardi's Green Bay Packers.

However, the '70s Pittsburgh Steelers possessed some of the greatest teams in the history of the NFL.

The vaunting Steelers defense earned the nickname "Steel Curtain" with the tradition carrying on to the modern-day team.

On the offensive side, the Steelers had plenty of talent across the board. Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Lynn Swann were considered the best at their respective positions.

Oh, and let's not forget that Chuck Noll orchestrated this dynasty from top to bottom.

Hall of Famer Bill Walsh once said, "The Steelers had the best grouping of players in the history of the game."

Translation: four Super Bowl titles in six years.