Bleacher Report Ranks Raiders, 49ers Among Best Teams In NFL History
by Cutter Hicks, Sports 1140 KHTK
Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier recently ranked the Top 25 Best Teams in NFL History in his NFL Nostalgia column. Both Bay Area teams made the list with a few added blurbs to support his arguments.
The 1976 Oakland Raiders made the no. 19 spot. With a 13-1 record the Silver and Black finished the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and won their Lombardi Trophy with a 32-14 win over the Minnesota Vikings under Head Coach John Madden.
"The Raiders found just the right balance of devastation and discipline. Ken Stabler threw 27 touchdown passes to the star-studded receiving corps of Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff and Dave Casper. Gene Upshaw and Art Shell made sure Stabler stayed vertical to execute Al Davis and John Madden's preferred brand of vertical offense."
Oakland would go onto win two more Super Bowls in 1980 and 1983 under Head Coach Tom Flores.
Across the Bay, the San Francisco 49ers have won five Super Bowl rings since the franchise was established in 1946. They're often called the team of the 1980's, which hasn't gone unnoticed on Tanier's list with two spots.
At the no. 9 spot is the 1984 team, which steamrolled their way to winning their second Super Bowl ring. After a 15-1 regular season record the team defeated the Giants 21-10 in the NFC Divisional game and the Bears 23-0 in the NFC Championship game.
They were crowned champions by defeated Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in the Super Bowl at Stanford Stadium.
The 1989 San Francisco 49ers were ranked no. 4. Quarterback Joe Montana finished the season with a then-record 112.4 and threw no interceptions in the playoffs.
The team finished the regular season 14-2 and steamrolled their way to a fourth Super Bowl title, defeating the Vikings 41-13 in the NFC Divisional game, the Rams 30-3 in the NFC Championship game and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV 55-10.
"The 1989 49ers averaged 27.6 points per game and allowed just 15.8. They outscored their playoff competition by a margin of 126-26. They were one of the most balanced teams in NFL history, as well as one of the deepest."
Also to note, the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots made the list three times. The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears made the ranks twice each.
