Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Despite the soft schedule, '99 has to be everyone's #1! Even had there been just a few more good teams on their slate, they still finish at least with a 12-4 record thus would still be seen as their best-ever. Such a high-powered offense, 62-7, and not as if they "came out of nowhere". It marked their 4th-straight playoff-berth under Coughlin. Their two other AFCCG-participants, '96 & '17, would make for a good debate as to who was better between both. Del Rio's 2005 campaign is their best regular-season finish (12-4) outside '99, but Jack's installment two years later (11-5) at least didn't go one-and-done; and also played the 16-0 Pats close at Foxboro in the divisional.

Here are the ones to pick from, below, including the newest addition - Trevor Lawrence's playoff debut...

1996:- 9-7 wild card, 6th-seed, win 1st-Rd at Buf 30-27, win at Den in divisional 30-27, lose at NE 20-6 in the CC

1997: 11-5 wild card, 5th-seed, lose 1st-Rd at Den 42-17

1998: 11-5 AFC Central champ, 3rd-seed, win 1st-Rd vs NE 25-10, lose at NYJ in divisional 34-24

1999: 14-2 AFC Central champ, 1st-seed, beat Mia in divisional 62-7, lose to Ten 33-14 in CC

2005: 12-4 wild card, 5th-seed, lose at NE in divisional 28-3

2007: 11-5 wild card, 5th-seed, win 1st-Rd at Pit 31-29, lose at NE in divisional 31-20

2017: 10-6 AFC South champ, 3rd-seed, win 1st-Rd vs Buf 10-3, win at Pit in divisional 45-42, lose at NE 24-20 in CC

2022: 9-8 AFC South champ, 4th-seed, win 1st-Rd vs Chargers 31-30, lose at KC in divisional 27-20

Here are mine...

1) 1999
2) 2017
3) 1998
4) 1997
5) 2007
6) 2005
7) 1996
8) 2022

I'd love to place '96 higher, but there was no indication at all during that regular season that they'd do what they then did in the playoffs. They win those last 5 games, but vs mediocre-or-below competition; each win being a close one. This in(con)cludes, of course, that finale at home vs 3-12 Atl which they super-easily could have/should have lost.

Their best team and year was 1999, losing only to a Titans team that was more physical. The best chance that they had to win it all was 2017, where they had the Patriots on the ropes but controversial penalties allowed the Patriots to win ... I still believe that defense would have stopped the Eagles but the Patriots benefitted from calls at home to spoil their season.

NE did a great job shutting down their offense in the 1996/97 AFC Title game.

Seeing these games involving the Steelers, an interesting tidbit -- despite being known for playing defence, on seven occasions-games during postseasons, a Mike Tomlin coached team gave up 30 or more points including a SB. It happened six times under Noll but of course he has four SB wins. Just three times under Cowher, with two games happening in the 2002/03 postseason. Yes, Tomlin doesnt have a losing season, which will put him in the HOF but it helps to have Big Ben as QB ...