Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

A fun exercise, this was, looking over the very many defending-Champs over the decades who at least made a valiant-enough effort to repeat ("showed up"). I ranked them as I went along as best I could from the very beginning up to the present. Here goes nothing...(and all JMHO, end of day)...

40) 1984 Raiders, 11-5, lost WC game

39) 1961 Eagles, 10-4, 2nd in division

38) 1935 Giants, 9-2-1, lost LCG

37) 2010 Saints, 11-5, lost 1st-Rd

36) 1943 Redskins, 6-3-1, lost LCG

35) 1952 Rams, 9-3-0, lost division tiebreaker

34) 1947 Bears, 8-4-0, 2nd in division

33) 1922 Bears, 9-3-0, second place in league

32) 2019 Patriots, 12-4, lost 1st-Rd

31) 2011 Packers, 15-1, lost divisional round

30) 1977 Raiders, 11-3, lost CCG

29) 1971 Colts, 11-3, lost CCG

28) 1986 Bears, 14-2, lost divisional round

27) 1972 Cowboys, 10-4, lost CCG

26) 1974 Dolphins, 11-3, lost divisional round

25b) 2005 Patriots, 10-6, lost divisional round

25a) 1996 Cowboys, 10-6, lost divisional round

23) 1965 Browns, 11-3, lost LCG

22) 2008 Giants, 12-4, lost divisional round

21) 1932 Packers, 10-3-1, SHOULD be a four-peat!
They won TEN out of...FOURTEEN games!! Not 6 of 11, or 6 of 13.

20) 2020 Chiefs, 14-2, lost Super Bowl

19) 2017 Patriots, 13-3, lost Super Bowl

18) 1995 Forty Niners, 11-5, lost divisional round

17) 1939 Giants, 9-1-1, lost LCG

16) 2015 Patriots, 12-4, lost CCG

15) 1983 Redskins, 14-2, lost Super Bowl

14) 1954 Lions, 9-2-1, lost LCG

13) 2007 Colts, 13-3, lost divisional round

12) 1990 Forty Niners, 14-2, lost CCG

11) 2021 Buccaneers, 13-4, lost divisional round

10) 2014 Seahawks, 12-4, lost Super Bowl

9) 1997 Packers, 13-3, lost Super Bowl

7 - tie) 1978 Cowboys, 12-4, lost Super Bowl; 1994 Cowboys, 12-4, lost CCG

6) 1963 Packers, 11-2-1, 2nd in division

5) 1976 Steelers, 10-4, lost CCG

4) 1948 Cardinals, 11-1, lost LCG

3) 1951 Browns, 11-1, lost LCG

2) 1934 Bears, 13-0, lost LCG

1) 1942 Bears, 11-0, lost LCG

The 1942 Bears and 1990 Niners tied for #1st ... Both should have three-peated.

Still surprised about the Packers in 2011. They go 15-1 and lose to the Giants in Lambeau. Rodgers is without a doubt, a great QB, who actually makes the game look easy but this game and other games to this day, make me wonder if he dogs it for the bookies? Yes, I sound crazy but lots of people, including me and many of my friends, have lost money betting on the Packers over the years.

I think I'd give the 1934 Bears the edge over the 1942 team, mainly because they were leading by 10 points after three quarters of the championship game. That's about as close as you can get to repeating. Also, it makes the Giants' 27-0 final quarter possibly the most amazing in the history of the NFL.

Incidentally, this was an extremely famous game, and for good reason, when I was a kid, but you never hear about it any more, because there's no film. And today's rule is basically that if there's no film, it didn't happen.

Had Jake Scott not gotten hurt in the 1974 divisional playoff vs Oakland, the Dolphins might have three-peated themselves ... How Scott didnt make the senior semifinalist list, is a mystery to me?

Bob Gill wrote:And today's rule is basically that if there's no film, it didn't happen.

That rule saved my ass many times growing up.

Had Pottsville simply "listened", thus the Maroons being the 1925 World Champions all this time, their '26 installment that finished 10-2-2 would have to be deserving of a high-enough spot on this list. Their last two games were against the top-two teams. First they barely lost at Halas's Bears, 9-7. And then in the finale at Champs-to-be, Frankford, they bring the Yellowjackets to a 0-0 stalemate! And GUY & Co could ill afford to lose; had something serious to play for! If they lost to Pottsville, then tomorrow's GB/Chi tie ends up giving the Bears the Title, 12-1-3 to 13-2-2!

Again, ties didn't count back then! Many of you here inspired me to "calm down" about the '25 Maroons' "plight". Yes, they should have listened to the League. And I won't disagree with what many of you say about the 1921 All-Americans having a better "case". But I feel what trumps both in importance are the '32 and '35 Packers! Back to my "WINS first, then ties" opinion, the former simply should have been rightfully awarded the League Championship thus forgoing that "dome" game thus Curly being the only one to ever FOUR-peat! And the latter? They won eight games instead of seven - enough said. But let's add they beating that very 7-game winner two for three! They should have played against the Giants. And this coming from someone who always roots for the Bears, or Lions, when they play the Pack.

i assume the 83 Redskins are not ranked higher solely because of Black Sunday against the Raiders

They certainly looked the part of a defending champ for the most part

CSKreager wrote:i assume the 83 Redskins are not ranked higher solely because of Black Sunday against the Raiders

They certainly looked the part of a defending champ for the most part

They did look the part. And at the time I thought they'd beat the Raiders again. But I didn't realize until very recently that Marcus Allen didn't even play in that 37-35 loss at RFK (Haynes not on the team yet either). Despite that very close-loss and actually beating Dallas on the road early on, and despite being 11-3, the actual best team in the league seemed "hidden" from view (my view as well) of that hyped-up "real Super Bowl" Battle of 12-2s Wash@Dal penultimate showdown. And LA losing at home to the Cardinals while Washington won, 31-10, thus further bolstering themselves seemed to keep it so. Burying the Rams in the divisional round, 51-7, made them look even more the part and allowing Walsh/Montana to come back in the 4th no real disgrace for they were the Champs two years prior. Very surprised Raiders beat them as they did. But Washington did have weaknesses and LA capitalized on that biggest stage.

I actually was going to tie '83 Wash with the 2020 Chiefs who seem like their modern-day version. But considering how less offensive-friendly things were 37 years earlier (and I do feel that Wash was better anyway), I thought to place them notches above. I guess I should move them further on up my list. But looking at the fourteen other spots, over who? I now feel that maybe I placed 2007 Colts and 2021 Bucs slightly too high; maybe, maybe not. But Indy, I thought at the time come playoffs, would be the first to beat NE if they had the opportunity. They barely lost that very 7-0 vs 8-0 Week #9 showdown. And the 2021 Bucs were a stronger team than the year before, I thought they'd repeat since opening week as well as going into the playoffs, but the Rams had their #. Maybe move Wash up to #13. I don't know. Not sure that there are any other teams besides those two to consider placing Wash above.

Bob Gill wrote:I think I'd give the 1934 Bears the edge over the 1942 team, mainly because they were leading by 10 points after three quarters of the championship game. That's about as close as you can get to repeating. Also, it makes the Giants' 27-0 final quarter possibly the most amazing in the history of the NFL.

Incidentally, this was an extremely famous game, and for good reason, when I was a kid, but you never hear about it any more, because there's no film. And today's rule is basically that if there's no film, it didn't happen.

Whether it means that they were actually 'better' than 1934 or not, my personal reason for placing '42 at Numero Uno is simply looking at both schedules and seeing that their wins were even more dominating than '34. Both superior teams that "should have" won it, but 'sneakers' and a simple familiar rival led by Flaherty/Baugh, who were 10-1, respectively both being reasonable understandable obstacles.