Which great Patriots team was the best? (Poll Added)

[signbabybrady]

Wasn't it RKK asking BB was this the best team he's ever seen or something??

At the time it might have been. Also if Law was healthy I think I'd consider it still. That D with Corey Dillon and Brady was ridiculous.

 

[sb1]

1990 Patriots
2024 Patriots
1992 Patriots
2023 Patriots
1981 Patriots
1975 Patriots

In that order... just stacked with talent they could beat the 07 team easy.

Hard to choose between 90 and 24. Lisa Olson puts 90 over the top there.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I forget who it was on the CBS postgame after the 04 AFCCG who said maybe the Patriots team is the best team ever. That was quite the hot take back then but it was fun to hear it. Also loved the Baba O'Riley opening wish I could find it somewhere.

I think I remember hearing something similar about the 03 and 04 teams and even my homer self was thinking woahhh now haha. But good to hear for sure

 

[Steve102]

2004
2014
2007

 

[maust]

Define 'best'

Which great Patriots team was the best?

Gonna need you to define which teams were 'great' before I can give you an honest assessment of what one is the best. Kinda bogus to throw that out as a general question without saying which one you favor and why. For the purpose of this question what differentiates a 'great' Pats from a superior one? Are the 'great' teams the ones that got to a Super Bowl or do they have to have won it? Great to watch on the field or great in the record book? Some of the best Pats teams didn't win it all.

From a pure entertainment standpoint the '76 team played great football to watch and if Ben (may he rot in hell for a thousand eternities) Dreith hadn't been a crook they would have run the playoff table. If offensive fireworks is your idea of what makes a team great the '07 team is without peer and the play that did them in was a sequence of laughable non calls. Neither of those teams brought home a Lombardi, though with honest officiating both would have.

As a fan who'd already seen the Pats win 2 Super Bowls in the 3 preceding years I watched in awe of the way the '04 team just punched their opponents in the mouth then took their lunch money. For straight up dominant football that team was probably the best to watch, you could see the other team progressively lose their will while suffering the death of a thousand cuts. That team was as inexorable as the tides, for a Pats fan it was a beautiful thing to witness. Overall they have to be in the conversation of 'best' Patriots teams no matter your criteria

 

[Hyped]

'01

That team was far greater than the sum of its parts. They would somehow figure how to beat anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

 

[Calhoun44]

That 2001 team was the best T-E-A-M. They had a no-name QB and a lot of after-thought players on offense. The defense and special teams were game changers every week. They upset the "greatest Show on Turf" (14-point underdogs in the SB IIRC). That TEAM will always be the greatest Patriots team to me. Fcuk stats and offensive numbers and point differential. Give me heart and grit, give me 3-yard runs off tackle and ball control offense. Give me Ted, Tedy and Roman, etc... That's my TEAM.

 

[Real fan 02]

At the time it might have been. Also if Law was healthy I think I'd consider it still. That D with Corey Dillon and Brady was ridiculous.

True that... 04 was such a balanced team.. still mad we let Carolina drop 29 on us.. in the superbowl.. you heard it from you boy RF2.. we will have yet again another ferocious defense under Vrabel..

 

[JohnJH]

2004. 2007 had some outstanding talent at positions that the '04 team didn't have, but I still have to go with '04 as the best.

 

[Real fan 02]

Aside from Andre Carter and Mark Anderson being great additions and both getting 10 sacks, their defense was still bad. I'd put them at #10 tied with 2010 as they were pretty much the team team.

Yes. Carter and Anderson were phenomenal.. our secondary couldn't cover their eyes that season... giving up what 400 yards passing??

 

[lancerman]

04, 07, 16

Flip 16 with 14 and that's my list

 

[Real fan 02]

2004.

I really wanna go there too john... 2007 was just to special for me... we broke records..

 

[JohnJH]

I really wanna go there too john... 2007 was just to special for me... we broke records..

2007 was truly special. And I know that even beyond the overall W/L record it was statistically probably better. But if having to choose just one, I'd have to go with the 2004 Team.

 

[40yrpatsfan]

‘76 and ‘01 are my favorites. Both teams came from losing records to dominant in 1 season, and both were very physical.

 

[JohnJH]

‘76 and ‘01 are my favorites. Both teams came from losing records to dominant in 1 season, and both were very physical.

I remember the '76 Team. Very entertaining! And very talented.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

Flip 16 with 14 and that's my list

The 2016 team is vastly, vastly underrated. With Tom Brady starting the team went 14-1. When we had a healthy QB playing the team went 17-1. The only other loss was when they started a QB with a broken thumb because the other partly-injured QB made a business decision.

The fact that they stumbled early on in SB 51 and made Atlanta look like the better team has ironically hurt that Pats team’s historical reputation, even if it was the magnum opus for Tom Brady personally.

This offense was extremely balanced - actually had a deep threat that year in Hogan, with Edelman and Amendola moving the chains and Mitchell coming on as 4th receiver by the end of the year. Marty Bennett had a great year as TE. Blount, White and Lewis was a very capable running back trio even if none were Corey Dillon. The offensive line was very good, not 2007 level good but good nonetheless.

There were no stars on defense except Hightower, but there weren’t any holes that could regularly be exploited either. McCourty in his prime helped cover for certain limitations of Butler and Ryan at CB, but both were good CBs overall. No Washington or Wilfork but Alan Branch still manned that spot very well. No star pass rushers but Flowers, Ninkovich, Sheard and Long played extremely well in their roles given their abilities.

Just a very good, underrated team overall.

 

[p8ryts]

2003 with Teddy Washington at NT. 04 runner up.

 

[TheRainMaker]

True that... 04 was such a balanced team.. still mad we let Carolina drop 29 on us.. in the superbowl.. you heard it from you boy RF2.. we will have yet again another ferocious defense under Vrabel..

I think they were exhausted. Had AV not missed a routine kick, got another one blocked and then Tom throws an INT up 21-16 inside the Panthers 10 yard would've put the game out of reach. I believe Rodney broke his arm that game.

Flip 16 with 14 and that's my list

2014 team was pretty pedestrian compared to 2016.

The 2016 team is vastly, vastly underrated. With Tom Brady starting the team went 14-1. When we had a healthy QB playing the team went 17-1. The only other loss was when they started a QB with a broken thumb because the other partly-injured QB made a business decision.

The fact that they stumbled early on in SB 51 and made Atlanta look like the better team has ironically hurt that Pats team’s historical reputation, even if it was the magnum opus for Tom Brady personally.

This offense was extremely balanced - actually had a deep threat that year in Hogan, with Edelman and Amendola moving the chains and Mitchell coming on as 4th receiver by the end of the year. Marty Bennett had a great year as TE. Blount, White and Lewis was a very capable running back trio even if none were Corey Dillon. The offensive line was very good, not 2007 level good but good nonetheless.

There were no stars on defense except Hightower, but there weren’t any holes that could regularly be exploited either. McCourty in his prime helped cover for certain limitations of Butler and Ryan at CB, but both were good CBs overall. No Washington or Wilfork but Alan Branch still manned that spot very well. No star pass rushers but Flowers, Ninkovich, Sheard and Long played extremely well in their roles given their abilities.

Just a very good, underrated team overall.

I wouldn't even put HT in the star category.

 

[NFL Mystique]

I don't think the 07 D gets enough criticism for how sneaky poor they were towards the end of the year. Ravens, Eagles, and Giants game. The offense slowed down. But in the end, bailed them out. Fair or not, they had multiple opportunities to get turnovers and failed in SB 42. I won't put the Tyree catch on them though.

In 04, you expected the D to be great. In 07, you hoped they would be.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I don't think the 07 D gets enough criticism for how sneaky poor they were towards the end of the year. Ravens, Eagles, and Giants game. The offense slowed down. But in the end, bailed them out. Fair or not, they had multiple opportunities to get turnovers and failed in SB 42. I won't put the Tyree catch on them though.

In 04, you expected the D to be great. In 07, you hoped they would be.

They were a front running defense. Commentary all year was if teams slowed down the Pats offense, opposing teams would be able to run the football on them.

On the flip side, if the defense had a lead, their strength was teeing off on the QB. The Giants kept the game close which is why the defense eventually cracked at the end of the game. The Pats defense had opportunities all game to collect turnovers, but they choked.