13 Oct 2026
The Best Pro Football Teams Countdown (Top 5 Teams)
Yesterday's Sports is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/).
YESTERDAY'S SPORTS HOME PAGE (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/podcasts/yesterdays-sports-podcast/)
EPISODE SUMMARY
With the NFL about to begin its 107th season, I have a question for my followers. Among the 32 teams, which would you say has had the most success? I'm not asking which team had the best single season, the best decade, or the best dynasty. I'm talking about going all the way back to each team's first season and judging how well or poorly they have performed overall.
There are many ways to calculate it, but I chose to keep it simple by basing it solely on the number of championships each team has won. The Green Bay Packers have won more titles than any other NFC team. They have won eleven NFL titles, three NFC titles, and four Super Bowl titles. Pretty impressive! But before you Packers fans start bragging, remember that your team has played 105 seasons and has not won a title in the past 25 years.
The New England Patriots have won more titles than any other AFC team. They have won twelve AFC titles and six Super Bowl titles. However, unlike the Packers, they have existed for only 66 years.
If we're going to be fair about this, we need to take into account how many years a team has existed and compare that to the number of titles it has won. We also need to determine what counts as a title and what doesn't.
I had a difficult time deciding whether to count titles won between 1920 and 1932. I wasn’t going to at first, for two reasons. #1 — There wasn’t a title game during those thirteen seasons. The title was awarded to the team with the best record. #2 — Most of the teams that played during that time didn’t last long. The Akron Pros, who won the first NFL title (then called the American Professional Football Association), lasted only seven seasons before folding. The Canton Bulldogs, who won the NFL title in 1922 and 1923, folded after six seasons. The 1924 Champion Cleveland Bulldogs lasted only four seasons. The 1926 Champion Frankford Yellow Jackets disbanded after eight seasons. The Providence Steam Roller lasted seven seasons and won the NFL title in 1928.
Ultimately, I changed my mind and decided to include the titles awarded from 1920 to 1932. I am also including the Cleveland Browns' four All-American Football Conference titles won between 1946 and 1949. Some may think those titles should not be included, but I disagree. The Browns proved those titles were legitimate by reaching the NFL title game for the next six seasons, winning three of them. I will also include all AFL titles won between 1960 and 1969, and all NFL titles won between 1933 and 1969. All AFC and NFC titles will also be included. Every title, other than the Super Bowl, will count as one point. All Super Bowl victories count as two points. This is because it is more difficult to win a Super Bowl than the aforementioned titles. I will then take the total number of points and divide it by the number of years the team has existed.
I considered awarding a quarter or half a point for each appearance in a title game, but decided it would make things more complicated than necessary.
I will start at #34 and work my way down to #1. How did I get 34, you ask? I am counting the current Cleveland Browns and the original Browns as two separate teams. I am also counting the Baltimore Ravens as two separate teams, one that began in 1996 and the original Cleveland Browns.
You can read the full blog post here (https://sportshistorynetwork.com/football/nfl/ultimate-all-time-franchise-rankings).
YESTERDAY'S SPORTS BACKGROUND
Host Mark Morthier grew up in New Jersey just across the river from New York City during the 1970s, a great time for sports in the area. He relives great moments from this time and beyond, focusing on football, baseball, basketball, and boxing. You may even see a little Olympic Weightlifting in the mix, as Mark competed for eight years. See Mark's book below.
No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training: A Guide For People With Limited Time (https://amzn.to/3kf5MuO)
Running Wild: (Growing Up In The 1970s) (https://amzn.to/3snjccy)
