There have been only 2 SB Champs that beat ONLY elite competition in the playoffs

[glm]

Elite teams being teams that won at least 75% of their games in the regular season.

We all know the 2018 Pats are one of them beating the 12-4 Chargers, 12-4 Chiefs, and 13-3 Rams.

Now drum roll please for the other team...





...




The 2004 Pats! Beating the 12-4 Colts, 15-1 Steelers, and the 13-3 Eagles.

Just thought the PatsFans community would appreciate that little factoid.

 

[glm]

Note: There are wild card teams that have beat a non elite opponents in the WC round, then go on to beat elite teams through the rest of the postseason. The 2007 and 2011 Giants come to mind.

This thread is only about teams that beat ONLY elite competition

 

[bormio]

I guess the Pats weren’t elite, went 11-5.

 

[glm]

I guess the Pats weren’t elite, went 11-5.

There was a noticable difference between your average Tom Brady led Patriots team and the 2018 Pats during the regular season.

The playoffs however is a much different story.

Besides, you gotta draw the line somewhere. A 12-4 record seems like the most reasonable cut off.

 

[bormio]

There was a noticable difference between your average Tom Brady led Patriots team and the 2018 Pats during the regular season.

The playoffs however is a much different story.

Besides, you gotta draw the line somewhere. A 12-4 record seems like the most reasonable cut off.

You don’t have to draw any line - the definition is made up and arbitrary. Saying who is elite and who is not based on regular season records is silly - as this year just proved.

 

[farn]

With how inconsistent this team was at times, I truly thought the most likely outcome was a Chargers win at home and KC loss... glad I was wrong. This team did indeed vanquish the league’s top teams.

 

[bormio]

With how inconsistent this team was at times, I truly thought the most likely outcome was a Chargers win at home and KC loss... glad I was wrong. This team did indeed vanquish the league’s top teams.

Saints fans might disagree. To say we beat nothing but teams 12-4 is correct. But the 1988 49ers were a heckuva lot more “elite” than the 2018 Chargers could ever hope to be.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Also want to add that the 2004 team got through their gauntlet with relative ease. That team was fuggin locked in.

This one too should have gotten through with relative ease if you look at the yardage differential but turnovers and mental errors left alot of points on the board.

 

[farn]

Saints fans might disagree. To say we beat nothing but teams 12-4 is correct. But the 1988 49ers were a heckuva lot more “elite” than the 2018 Chargers could ever hope to be.

While I agree with your premise :
*1988 SF was living in a pre-cap world
*NO had that game and the fact they blew chances both early and late do not make up for that one call... they have only themselves to blame.

 

[BTTA]

Elite teams being teams that won at least 75% of their games in the regular season.

We all know the 2018 Pats are one of them beating the 12-4 Chargers, 12-4 Chiefs, and 13-3 Rams.

Now drum roll please for the other team...

The 2004 Pats! Beating the 12-4 Colts, 15-1 Steelers, and the 13-3 Eagles.

Just thought the PatsFans community would appreciate that little factoid.

Thanks @glm, this is an interesting piece of trivia.

Pay no attention to the grumpies here. It will forever be a mystery how we can somehow find a way to argue about everything here, and find an obscure angle from which to take offense. You'd think the Pats hadn't ever won anything.

 

[sb1]

Also want to add that the 2004 team got through their gauntlet with relative ease. That team was fuggin locked in.

This one too should have gotten through with relative ease if you look at the yardage differential but turnovers and mental errors left alot of points on the board.

The 2004 gauntlet was incredible. Pats held the #1 record breaking offense in the league to 3 points, then put up 34 points on the #1 defense in the league in their house, then beat a stacked Eagles team in the Super Bowl. IMO that Eagles team was better than the team the Pats lost to a year ago.

This year the Pats trounced a solid top 10 scoring team on both sides of the ball who was the best road team in football, shut out the #1 scoring team in the league in the first half in Arrowhead, and nearly shut out the #2 scoring team in the entire game in the Super Bowl. That's not too shabby either.

 

[PatsDeb]

With how inconsistent this team was at times, I truly thought the most likely outcome was a Chargers win at home and KC loss... glad I was wrong. This team did indeed vanquish the league’s top teams.

These were my thoughts too. Not only that, but I expected in the Chargers game we would squeak by, and in the Chiefs game we might get blown out. So glad the team proved me wrong!

 

[PatsWSB47]

You don’t have to draw any line - the definition is made up and arbitrary. Saying who is elite and who is not based on regular season records is silly - as this year just proved.

Thank you Mr.Irsay....

 

[luuked]

Thank you Mr.Irsay....

He is not wrong. One tackle on that final play in Miami is the difference between calling a team elite or not ?

If the team that beat any other playoff participant is not elite who is left ?

 

[PatsWSB47]

He is not wrong. One tackle on that final play in Miami is the difference between calling a team elite or not ?

If the team that beat any other playoff participant is not elite who is left ?

Ya know this is getting way too deep, but there is something to be said about a team that beats the top record teams throughout their playoff run. Look it, the Pats are always mocked for their tomato can wins on the playoffs. Yeah it's somewhat arbitrary but 12 win NFL teams arent common and beating 3 of them in the playoffs twice has only been done by the Pats. I think that's noteworthy.

 

[glm]

You don’t have to draw any line - the definition is made up and arbitrary. Saying who is elite and who is not based on regular season records is silly - as this year just proved.

Using 1 season to try to prove your point? Ew.

How about we broaden our horizons.

Teams that went 12-4 and won the SB:
-79 Steelers
-83 Raiders
-93 Cowboys
-95 Cowboys
-97 Broncos
-00 Ravens
-02 Bucs
-06 Colts
-08 Steelers
-14 Patriots
-15 Broncos

Teams that went 11-5 and won the SB
-80 Raiders
-01 Patriots
-05 Steelers
-18 Patriots

Hmmm... I'd say there seems to be a reasonable cut off.

Seems like a team with a 12-4 record has a better chance of winning the SB than a team with an 11-5 record.

I'd say my cutoff is pretty justified.

 

[bormio]

Clearly the greatest playoff run was the 2007 Giants - after beating the Bucs, they beat 2 13-3 teams on the road (Cowboys and Packers), then the 16-0 Patriots. Trying to ignore them because they played an extra game against a lesser Bucs team seems kinda pointless. The Pats had a great playoff run, but there have been better.

 

[XLIX]

These were my thoughts too. Not only that, but I expected in the Chargers game we would squeak by, and in the Chiefs game we might get blown out. So glad the team proved me wrong!

I think the Patriots made up for some of their failed opportunities from the late 00's this year.

There were a couple years after 2005 where NE was clearly the best team in football but failed to win the Super Bowl. This year was sort of the reverse. They were not clearly the best team in football, but won the SB.​

 

[farn]

These were my thoughts too. Not only that, but I expected in the Chargers game we would squeak by, and in the Chiefs game we might get blown out. So glad the team proved me wrong!

We had no way of knowing our D was going to go CRAZY vs three high powered teams... hope they can keep it up in ‘19.

 

[glm]

Clearly the greatest playoff run was the 2007 Giants - after beating the Bucs, they beat 2 13-3 teams on the road (Cowboys and Packers), then the 16-0 Patriots. Trying to ignore them because they played an extra game against a lesser Bucs team seems kinda pointless. The Pats had a great playoff run, but there have been better.

Please read the second post in this thread, thank you.