Ranking the Best Super Bowl Winners Since 2000

As the confetti falls at the Super Bowl, one NFL team becomes immortal. The path to a championship, however, is never the completely the same.

While the most successful regular-season teams generally compete for a title, wild-card qualifiers sometimes do, too. There are blowout wins, comfortable victories, comebacks and collapses, and history has shown that bitter losses can happen to anyone.

In a single-elimination playoff format, the best regular-season team doesn't always win. There is no greater evidence than the 2007 New England Patriots, who finished 16-0 but fell to the New York Giants, who barely made the postseason.

The past 20 years have brought a handful of surprise champions. But in many cases, a highly respected team finished the job. We're looking at the best of that group.

While the ranking is subjective, factors considered are regular-season record, team rankings, margin of victory and playoff performance.

8. 2014 New England Patriots

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After a 2-2 start that included a 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots had seemingly reached the end of their dynasty. Quarterback Tom Brady was ineffective. The offensive line stunk. The defense had been trending the wrong way for several years.

Little did we know, however, that 2014 would serve as the opening chapter of New England's second act.

Following that dreadful loss, the Patriots unlocked an offense that committed a league-low 13 turnovers and steadied the defense. They finished 12-4, landing home-field advantage in the AFC.

New England edged the Baltimore Ravens 35-31 in the divisional round before stomping the Andrew Luck-led Indianapolis Colts 45-7 for the AFC crown. Then in Super Bowl XLIX opposite the Seattle Seahawks, Malcolm Butler's goal-line interception sealed the Pats' first championship in a decade.

7. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles

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Even after losing then-MVP candidate Carson Wentz to a season-ending knee injury, the underdogs silenced their doubters.

Nick Foles replaced Wentz in Week 14, and the Philadelphia Eagles posted a 13-3 record to earn the NFC's top seed. They notched top-five marks in both scoring offense and defense.

Philly barely escaped the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round, only fueling doubt for the NFC Championship Game. However, the Eagles obliterated the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 and advanced to face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Foles totaled four touchdowns to spark the incredible 41-33 win. Most notably, he caught a trick-play score—the Philly Special—and tossed the game-winner to Zach Ertz late in the fourth quarter.

6. 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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While the NFL has shifted to an offense-driven focus in the 2010s, the first decade of the millennium featured two of the greatest defenses in league history.

Including the playoffs, the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers only allowed 20-plus points in six of their 19 games. It was only fitting that the defense carried the Bucs during the Super Bowl, too.

Tampa racked up five interceptions, five sacks and three defensive touchdowns when they crushed the Oakland Raiders 48-21. That incredible performance followed two playoff wins where the Bucs surrendered a combined 16 points.

The defense led the league in points (12.3) and yards (252.8) allowed per game, which narrowly trailed the 2000 Ravens.

5. 2000 Baltimore Ravens

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Speaking of those 2000 Ravens...

Baltimore leaned on a defense that featured future Hall of Fame inductees Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson, The unit ceded 10.3 points and 247.9 yards per game, forced an NFL-high 49 turnovers and limited opponents to a measly 2.7 yards per carry. All of those numbers ranked No. 1 in the league.

Although the Ravens were a wild-card team, they notched a 12-4 record thanks to that elite defense. And their postseason dominance atoned for the lack of a division title.

Baltimore allowed a ridiculously low 23 total points in four playoff games, capping the historic run with a 34-7 trouncing of the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

4. 2009 New Orleans Saints

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One of eight post-merger teams to start 13-0, the 2009 New Orleans Saints were the antithesis of 2000 Baltimore and 2002 Tampa.

The Saints relied on their offense, which Drew Brees propelled to league-best marks of 31.9 points and 403.8 yards per game. That scoring average only trails the 1999 "Greatest Show on Turf" St. Louis Rams among Super Bowl champions.

New Orleans smacked the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 to open the playoffs. And then the overshadowed defense came up huge.

Tracy Porter's late interception saved the Saints against Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, and his pick-six sealed their victory over Peyton Manning and the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Porter's iconic takeaways served a a perfect complement to Brees, who finished the postseason with eight touchdowns and zero turnovers.

3. 2016 New England Patriots

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Best recognized for the 28-3 comeback in Super Bowl LI, the Patriots enjoyed a fantastic 2016, even amid the Deflategate fallout.

New England notched a 14-2 record that included 10 wins of 10-plus points, and the defense ceded an NFL-low 15.6 points per game. Both trends continued in the playoffs; the Pats toppled the Houston Texans 34-16 and Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17.

Until facing the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, it was a comfortably dominant year for New England.

Brady and running back James White sparked the comeback midway through the third quarter. Brady tossed two touchdowns and a clutch two-point conversion to tie the game. White accounted for three scores, including the winning touchdown in overtime.

After throwing 28 scores to only two interceptions in the regular season, Brady earned his fourth Super Bowl MVP honor.

2. 2004 New England Patriots

DAVID J. PHILLIP/Associated Press

Statistically, this roster had many similarities to the 2016 Patriots. Both finished 14-2 with 10 double-digit wins and posted top-five rankings in both scoring offense and defense.

But the 2004 Pats had a remarkably tough playoff road.

New England knocked off the Colts (12-4), Steelers (15-1) and Eagles (13-3)—teams with eight combined losses—to win the Super Bowl. For comparison's sake, the 2016 Patriots eliminated the seven-loss Texans in the divisional round.

Bill Belichick's squad wrapped up this championship with a 24-21 victory over Philadelphia to become the eighth back-to-back Super Bowl winner in league history.

1. 2013 Seattle Seahawks

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In this offense-dominated era, the 2013 Seahawks stand out as the exception. Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch made the offense a dangerous unit, but the Legion of Boom defense with Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas carried Seattle.

The fearsome defense led the NFL in takeaways (39) and both points (14.4) and yards (273.6) allowed per game. Seattle posted a 13-3 record and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Following a 23-15 win over New Orleans and dramatic 23-17 escape against the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks left no doubt in Super Bowl XLVIII. They collected four takeaways in a 43-8 demolition of the Broncos, shutting down a Peyton Manning-led offense that had broken several NFL records.

Seattle's 35-point win tied the 1992 Dallas Cowboys for the third-largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history.