The Most Successful NFL Teams Of All Time
The Super Bowl is one of the greatest events in world sports. It is a culmination of months of competition between the best football teams in the world (and the Lions). It all comes together in one evening that is watched by millions of people around the world. You can find the best NFL lines on next year’s event here.
The Super Bowl was created when the NFL (National Football League) combined with its rival the AFL (American Football League) to become a new super league, that we now know as the NFL.
The winner of each league plays against each other at the Super Bowl to find the overall champion. Today, we are going to look at the teams with the most NFL championships – we are including pre-Super Bowl wins in this list.
#5 – Pittsburgh Steelers, 6 Titles
1974 (IX), 1975 (X), 1978 (XIII), 1979 (XIV), 2005 (XL), 2008 (XLIII)
First on our list is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have won the title 6 times. All of these wins have taken place in the Super Bowl era and the most recent win was in 2008.
The Steelers were formed in 1933 and have always played in Pittsburgh. But they were originally called the Pirates. They currently place in the North Division of the American Football Conference, however, they were part of the NFL when it merged.
They have won their division 24 times in their 89-year history (most recently in 2021) and have qualified for the playoffs 33 times. The Steelers have won six of the eight Super Bowls they have played in – the two they lost took place in 1995 and 2010.
#4 – New England Patriots, 6 Titles
2001 (XXXVI), 2003 (XXXVIII), 2004 (XXXIX), 2014 (XLIX), 2016 (LI), 2018 (LIII)
The New England Patriots were formed in 1959 and play in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They have been one of the most successful teams of the 21st century.
Despite being formed in the middle of the 20th century, the Patriots didn’t win a title until 2001. They had made it to the Super Bowl in 1985 and 1996 but they lost both times. They also played in the 2007, 2011, and 2017 Super Bowls but did not take home the trophy.
The 2001-2019 era of the club is referred to as the Patriots Dynasty. This era was led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The team won 6 Super Bowls in the era as well as 9 conference titles, and 17 division titles.
#3 – New York Giants, 8 Titles
1927, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1986 (XXI), 1990 (XXV), 2007 (XLII), 2011 (XLVI)
There are two teams based in New York City, the Giants and the Jets. Originally they were in separate leagues but were brought together after the AFL-NFL merger. The Giants have been the more successful of the pair, as the Jets have only two titles – one from the pre-merger era and one Super Bowl win. On the other hand, the Giants have eight titles, four from each era.
The Giants are part of the NFC East division but have not had a division, conference, or Super Bowl championship since 2011. They won their final Super Bowl with the help of ace quarterback Eli Manning. However, they have really struggled with form since then. They have even come last in the league a few times since 2011.
#2 – Chicago Bears, 9 Titles
1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963, 1985 (XX)
The Bears are an interesting team, they were formed in 1919 and were one of the original NFL teams. They were originally based in Decatur, Illinois, but moved to Chicago in 1921. Of the original NFL teams, the Bears and the Arizona Cardinals are the only ones that remain.
In the early days of the competition they had a lot of success, however, they have really struggled to compete since the AFL-NFL merger. Only one of their national titles has come after the merger and that triumph happened 37 years ago. In fact, they have only played in a Super Bowl game twice- once when they won it in 1985 and again in 2006. They did win their division in 2010 and 2018, however.
#1 – Green Bay Packers, 13 Titles
1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966 (I), 1967 (II), 1996 (XXXI), 2010 (XLV)
The Green Bay Packers are arguably the most successful NFL team of all time, thanks to their domination of the sport in both the 1930s and the 1960s. Although they have had a recent resurgence of success, to some extent, led by controversial quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The anti-vaxxer QB has led them to several division titles, and a few NFC Championship games, but he he’s only led them to one Super Bowl.
That said, when the Packers do reach the big game, they rarely lose. Their only Super Bowl loss came in the 1997 edition of the game.
In recent years, they have found a lot of success in the playoffs, and they’ve made the postseason every year sans three, since 2007. They have won their division 21 times, including 12 times in the NFC North format (including the last three), a division created when the NFL realigned in 2000.