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Week
Eight poll: Best Single Season
What team had the
best season ever? That's easy, right? The 1972 Dolphins, the only Super Bowl
winners to complete an undefeated season. But what about some of the other
dominant teams of the Super Bowl era? Read about the three other teams we've
selected below as candidates for Best Single Season
before casting your vote ... and check back on
our previous winners from Weeks
One-Seven.
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1972
Miami Dolphins
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Manny
Fernandez, a key cog in the "No-Name" defense
Though
they were led by the famed "No-Name Defense" that
surrendered a league-low 171 points, the
'72 Dolphins were by no means short of talent. Hall of Famers
Paul Warfield, Bob Griese and Larry Csonka paced the offense while
legendary coach Don Shula guided the team to 17 victories without a
loss. Backup Earl Morrall spelled Griese when the latter went down
with an injury and led them to wins from Week Five through the
divisional playoffs. Griese returned to quarterback the AFC
Championship win over Pittsburgh and the Super Bowl VII triumph over
Washington. The Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champs the following
season.
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1985
Chicago Bears
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Jim
McMahon
Fittingly,
it was the Miami Dolphins that broke up the Bears' quest to become
just the second undefeated Super Bowl winner with a Week 13 win in
1985. But little else went wrong that season for Mike Ditka's Bears.
Led by a ferocious defense that included Mike Singletary, Richard
Dent and Gary Fencik, the Bears dominated the NFL. Hall of Fame RB
Walter Payton was the offensive focus, but "punky QB" Jim
McMahon gave the team its swagger. After a 15-1 regular season, the
Bears hammered the Giants (21-0) and Rams (24-0) in the NFC playoffs
before dismantling New England in Super Bowl XX, 46-10.
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1984
San Francisco 49ers
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Joe
Montana was MVP of Super Bowl XIX |
Just
prior to the Bears' 1985 run, the 1984 49ers dominated the league.
But unlike the Bears, it was an explosive offense that made San
Francisco unstoppable. QB Joe Montana had a 102.9 passer rating and
relied on the talents of RB Roger Craig and WR Dwight Clark under the
tutelage of offensive mastermind, Bill Walsh. The Niners would rack
up 475 points on the year, second only to Dan Marino's Miami team.
Fittingly, the teams squared off in Super Bowl XIX. The 49ers
established their superiority with a 21-point second quarter blitz
and went on to defeat the Dolphins, 38-16.
1978
Pittsburgh Steelers
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Terry
Bradshaw fired 4 TDs in Super Bowl XIII
The
third of Pittsburgh's four Super Bowl winners in the 1970s may have
been the best of all. The "Steel Curtain" defense of Jack
Ham, Joe Greene and Jack Lambert allowed just 195 points, while Terry
Bradshaw's potent offense (WRs John Stallworth, Lynn Swann; RBs
Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier) scored 356, just 28 fewer than defending
champion Dallas. After a 14-2 regular season, the Steelers wrested
the title away from the Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII, opening a 35-17
lead in the fourth quarter before two late Dallas scores made the
final 35-31. Chuck Noll's group would repeat the following
year.
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| | | | Note: Photos
courtesy of the Associated Press.
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