In order to be remembered as a “dream team,” a club actually has to complete the ultimate goal: See the 1992 US men’s Olympic basketball team, the Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors, or the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Many of the so-called “NFL dream teams” had all the star power and talent to be a historically great team. But when it mattered most, these teams folded like pretzels and missed their chances to be remembered as a special champions.
With that, let’s dive into 10 NFL “dream teams” that failed to win the Super Bowl.
Which NFL dream teams ultimately faltered in their quest to win a Super Bowl?
2007 New England Patriots
Who else could we have started this list with?
In the 2007 offseason, the Patriots acquired future Hall of Famer and wideout Randy Moss in a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Raiders. Bill Belichick also saw something special in Miami Dolphins wide receiver Wes Welker, acquiring the crafty special teams weapon for two NFL draft picks.
As if Tom Brady wasn’t tough enough to deal with, he now had two superstar pass-catchers at his disposal. Sure enough, the Patriots were literally unbeatable for the first 18 games of the 2007 campaign.
Brady threw 50 touchdown passes, a single-season record. Moss’ 23 TD receptions were also a single-season record. New England’s 589 points were also a single-season record for six years before getting smashed by the Denver Broncos.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
The Patriots rolled through the regular season, going a perfect 16-0 with little adversity. After dancing through the AFC bracket of the postseason, they met Eli Manning and the underdog New York Giants in Super Bowl 42.
But we all know what happened from there. The Giants’ pass rush disrupted Brady and the Patriots’ record-setting offense. Eli Manning and David Tyree hooked up for the “helmet catch”, the greatest reception in NFL history. Plaxico Burress scored the game-winning touchdown with 35 ticks remaining.
The Giants’ D forced a turnover on downs to complete the upset. Those “dream team” Patriots went from the greatest team ever assembled to one of the biggest choke jobs in professional sports.
Unquestionably, the greatest team that failed to win the Super Bowl.
1998 Minnesota Vikings
After reaching the Divisional Round in 1997, the Vikings took their dominance to a historically good level in 1998. In the regular season, at least.
Minnesota signed one of the greatest kickers of all time, Gary Anderson, and struck gold by using the 21st overall pick on future Hall of Famer and wide receiver Randy Moss. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The ‘98 Vikings finished 15-and-1 and scored 556 points — the most ever in a single season until the ‘07 Patriots and 2013 Denver Broncos broke that mark.
Minnesota looked poised to win its first Super Bowl in franchise history behind the unstoppable offensive trio of Moss, fellow Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter, and dual-threat quarterback Randall Cunningham.
But Vikings fans know all too well how this ended. Anderson, who hadn’t missed a kick or extra point all season long, missed a field goal that would have iced the NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta drove down the field for the game-tying score, then won on a Morten Andersen field goal in overtime. It was an absolutely cruel twist of fate for a historic Vikings team that had destiny on their side until Anderson’s imperfect miss.
2011 Philadelphia Eagles
Led by 2010 Comeback Player of the Year Michael Vick, the Eagles won their first NFC East division crown in four years.
After losing to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, GM Howie Roseman decided to throw all of his poker chips into the middle of the table by going all-in.
The Eagles signed superstar cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency, then bolstered the front seven by signing Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin. Philadelphia also signed former Pro Bowler and college QB legend Vince Young, who declared the 2011 Eagles as a “dream team.”
And to think this NFL team already had DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy in place…
Having also drafted future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce in the sixth round, Philly was locked and loaded for a Super Bowl run.
But the Eagles imploded after a magical 2010 resurgence from Vick. He battled injuries and struggled to regain his star-like form. Asomugha turned out to be one of the worst free-agent signings in league history, too.
The Eagles lost eight of their first 12 games and only salvaged an 8-8 finish by winning their final four contests. So much for being a ‘dream team’, huh Vince?
2018 Los Angeles Rams
The Rams came out of nowhere in 2017 to capture the NFC West division crown, ending a 13-year playoff drought as Sean McVay went on to win Coach of the Year honors.
In the offseason, GM Les Snead went all-in by loading up on an already deep roster that featured Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, and reining Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley.
GM Les Snead traded for New England star wide receiver Brandin Cooks and Kansas City Chiefs all-pro cornerback Marcus Peters. He also signed five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to form a terrorizing interior line duo with Donald.
Unlike most NFL super teams, the 2018 Rams actually lived up to expectations. They finished 13-3 and boasted the NFL’s second-highest-scoring offense, averaging 32.9 points per game.
The Rams reached the Super Bowl after stunning the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game — albeit thanks to the NOLA No-call. Just when the Rams looked poised to win it all, they were stymied by the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady-led New England Patriots by a final score of 13-3.
Belichick’s masterful game plan left Goff confused all game long, and the Rams couldn’t get their explosive ground game going. As such, it was the Pats who added a sixth and final Super Bowl of the Brady-Belichick era to their trophy room.
Fortunately for Rams fans, the team would go on to win Super Bowl 56 three years later — inside their home venue, no less. Of course, the likes of Cooks, Suh, Peters, and Gurley were long gone by then.
2006 San Diego Chargers
The Philip Rivers-Antonio Gates-led Chargers are one of the great “coulda-shoulda-woulda” NFL stories. Not only did they fail to reach a single Super Bowl despite churning out an elite roster year in and year out, but the Bolts only got to the AFC title game once with this super duo.
But among all those great Chargers teams that kept falling short, the ‘06 squad takes the cake as the real “dream team” that choked.
The ‘06 Chargers had a league-leading 11 Pro Bowlers. LaDainian Tomlinson led the league’s top-scoring offense and won MVP honors after tallying 28 touchdowns and 31 TDs from scrimmage — both single-season records.
Shawne Merriman’s 17 sacks led the NFL. Only six NFL teams allowed fewer points than Marty Schottenheimer’s group.
San Diego finished with football’s best record at 14-2, needing just two victories at home to reach the Super Bowl. Their first obstacle was Tom Brady’s Patriots, who came to Qualcomm Stadium in a Divisional Round showdown.
Despite picking off Brady three times, the Chargers fell 24-21 and saw their season end in a thud. The usually reliable kicker, Nate Kaeding, missed a game-tying 54-yard attempt in the waning seconds.
Because…Chargers. Of course. This is where the whole “Chargers gonna Charger” and “Classic Chargers” things started, folks.
Also Read: All 32 NFL Teams’ Most Underrated Move Of The 2024 NFL Offseason
1968 Baltimore Colts
If the Colts had emerged victorious in Super Bowl 3, they’d have a case as the greatest NFL Team of all time. Yes, it’s even better than the 1972 Miami Dolphins. How fitting, since Don Shula coached both squads.
Despite losing star quarterback Johnny Unitas in the preseason with an injury, the Colts offense didn’t miss a beat. His understudy, Earl Morrall, won MVP honors after leading Baltimore to a league-best 13-and-1 record.
Baltimore finished with the No. 2 scoring offense and the league’s best scoring D. They had a ridiculous +258 point differential.
The Colts crushed the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns to win the 1968 NFL Championship, setting up a Super Bowl 3 clash with Joe Namath and the AFL champion New York Jets.
Namath memorably guaranteed a Jets win, even though the Colts were an 18-point favorite. Sure enough, Namath made good on his promise and led the Jets to a shocking 16-7 victory, cementing himself as a New York sports icon — while also helping the ‘68 Colts cement themselves as arguably the greatest NFL dream team that failed to win the Super Bowl.
2000 Washington
Year one of the Dan Snyder ownership era did not go so badly in Washington. The team finished 10-6 in 1999 and nearly defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round, only losing 14-13 after a botched snap on a late go-ahead field goal attempt.
The future was ultra-bright in Washington, so Snyder opened up his wallet in free agency and let GM Vinny Cerrato spend freely.
Washington signed all-time sacks leader Bruce Smith, the GOAT of all corners in Deion Sanders, and three-time Pro Bowl safety Mark Carrier, adding two more weapons in the secondary led by superstar corner Champ Bailey.
But Smith, Prime Time, and Carrier were all well past their best-before dates. The latter two each only lasted one season in DC before retiring, though he’d return to play for the Baltimore Ravens in 2004.
Washington fired head coach Norv Turner despite sitting at 7-and-6 with three weeks to go. They lost two of their final three games under interim HC Terry Robiskie, finishing 8-and-8 to miss out on the postseason altogether.
2008 Dallas Cowboys
The Tony Romo and Terrell Owens-led Cowboys finished with a 13-3 record in 2007. That team also sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl — a single-season record that wouldn’t be matched until the Baltimore Ravens hit the feat in 2019.
And yet, the 2008 Cowboys were even deeper. And better. On paper, anyway.
Dallas was upset by the archrival Giants in the 2007 Divisional Round. Jerry Jones went all-in by signing future Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas and by trading for Tennessee Titans star return and corner Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones.
Before the 2008 trade deadline, the Cowboys went all-in by acquiring Detroit Lions star wideout Roy Williams for a package that included a first-round pick. So now Tony Romo had a three-headed receiving monster of TO, Witten, and Williams.
Even though Romo missed three games due to injury, Dallas sat comfortably in a playoff spot at 8-and-4 with four games to go. But the wheels quickly came off in Big D, as Dallas dropped three of its final four games to finish 9-and-7 and miss out on the postseason altogether.
That included a humiliating 44-6 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in a win-or-go-home Week 17 contest. Somehow, an NFL team that had 13 Pro Bowlers a year ago that added Williams, Jones, and Thomas got even worse and couldn’t win the Super Bowl, let alone make the postseason.
2013 Denver Broncos
Led by 2012 Comeback Player of the Year Peyton Manning, the Broncos shocked everyone by finishing as the AFC’s top seed with a 13-3 record.
But after losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round, John Elway decided it was time to take a “great” NFL team and build them into a “dream” team.
The Broncos signed away longtime Patriots superstar wide receiver Wes Welker, star guard Louis Vasquez, Pro Bowlers in corner Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie and linebacker Shaun Phillips, and hulking defensive tackle Terrance Knighton.
The Broncos certainly did not disappoint…for the most part. Manning threw 55 touchdowns and 5,477 passing yards — both single-season records. The Broncos’ 606 points also smashed the record set by the ‘07 Patriots.
Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker both went over 1,000 yards receiving. Running back Knowshon Moreno had 1,586 yards of offense. Those three, along with Welker and tight end Julius Thomas, each had double-digit scores.
The Broncos ran through the AFC and reached Super Bowl 48, where they met the Legion of Boom-led Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos were a slight favorite in that game, but they forgot to show up in what was a shocking 43-8 blowout loss.
Denver turned the ball over four times in the humiliating defeat. On the bright side, they would defeat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 two years later to redeem themselves.
1983 Washington
The Joe Gibbs-led Washington squad won three Super Bowls between 1982 to 1991. But amazingly, the real “dream team” was the 1983 squad that fell short of football’s ultimate prize.
Washington entered 1983 as the defending Super Bowl champs, having defeated the Miami Dolphins in the big game. But up until Super Bowl 18, this team looked unbeatable and poised for an easy repeat.
Superstar QB Joe Theisman won MVP and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Washington’s 541 points were a single-season record at the time. Their 61 takeaways on defense marked the most in a season since the NFL-AFL merger, not to mention their ridiculous +43 turnover differential and +209-point differential.
Loaded with Hall of Famers like Darrell Green, Art Monk, John Riggins, and Russ Grimm, the ‘83 team looked poised to cement themselves as the greatest NFL team ever.
That was until Super Bowl 18. Gibbs’ team napped through the contest in what would be an ugly 38-9 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders, who capitalized on three Washington turnovers to win the franchise’s third Super Bowl.
At least Washington made up for it by winning two more Super Bowls to finally become a dynasty.
Also Read: Ranking Every NFL Team That Hasn’t Won The Super Bowl In The Order We Expect Them To Finally Win One
