TOP 10 GREATEST NFL TEAMS HELD BACK BY BAD QUARTERBACKS
Quarterback is the most important position in football, if you don’t have a reliable one then you’re 88 and out the gate. Although the saying goes offense sells tickets but defense wins championships, the 1994 Chargers and 1998 Falcons couldn’t bring home the gold with Stan Humphries and Chris Chandler. These are the 10 greatest teams held back by bad or even average quarterbacks.
10. 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers / Kordell Stewart
11-5 (1-1) / Points For: 7th / Points Against: 11th / Passing Offense: 23rd
Kordell Stewart 75.2 RTG 53.6% 3,020 YDS 21 TDS 17 INT 11 RUSHING TDS
Kordell Stewart was one of the most versatile players ever to play in the NFL. The 1995 second round draft pick was nicknamed Slash for playing quarterback\receiver\anything else head coach Bill Cowher needed him to be. In his first two seasons in the league Stewart had gained 785 rushing and receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. Stewart contributed to the Steelers offense in any way he could, but not under center as Neil O’Donnell led the team to a Super Bowl XXX appearance. And by “led them” I mean he was carried by a great defense and then threw the game away like Paul Crewe.
The 1997 Steelers may not have been as good as the squad fielded in ‘95, but their shortcomings at quarterback were more egregious. The defense, a must-have for any Pittsburgh team worth its pads, ranked 11th in points allowed (19.2 per game). They had the best defense in the league against the run, allowing only 5 touchdowns and a little over 1,300 yards. Pro Bowl and All-Pro DB\Safety Carnell Lake boasted 3 interceptions and 6 sacks. It was the linebacking corps that did the dirty work, making them the stars of the blue-collar team. Levon Kirkland, who was also a Pro Bowler & All-Pro, and Earl Holmes combined for 222 tackles. Greg Lloyd may have been on his last legs at age 32, but the longtime Steelers star was still a menace at outside linebacker. Lost in the shuffle was a third round draft pick out of Ohio State, itching for some action, rookie linebacker Mike Vrabel.
The offense wasn’t too shabby as it ran through Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis aka The Bus. The Motor City native was an icon in the Steel City, as the 250-pound runner carried the ball 375 times for a career high 1,665 yards. The Bus placed 5th in MVP voting. Despite the one-dimensional offense, wide receiver Yancey Thigpen enjoyed a career year as he notched the second of his two career Pro Bowls. Thigpen, undoubtedly the most successful of the 15 players to ever come out of Winston-Salem State, caught 79 passes for 1,398 yards and 7 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the ‘97 Steelers, Kordell Stewart was an athletic marvel who happened to play quarterback. In his first year as starting QB he completed only 53.6% of his passes, averaged 188.8 passing yards per game, and recorded a 75.2 passer rating. He only had 4 more touchdown passes than interceptions, but he did rush for 476 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Steelers lost to the Denver Broncos 24-21 in the AFC Conference Championship, a game in which Stewart completed 18 of 36 passes for 201 yards, had a passer rating of 41.6, and turned the ball over 4 times.
9. 1980 Houston Oilers / Ken Stabler
11-5 (0-1) / Points For: 20th / Points Against: 2nd / Passing Offense: 17th
Ken Stabler 68.7 RTG 64.1% 3,202 YDS 13 TDS 28 INT
In 1979 the Houston Oilers suffered a heartbreaking and controversial playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the reigning NFL MVP Earl Campbell residing in the backfield, Houston felt they were a QB upgrade away from greatness. Houston completed a trade with the Oakland Raiders that involved the two teams swapping quarterbacks. Houston said farewell to longtime starter Dan Pastorini, and rejoiced as the new sheriff rode into town. Ken "Snake" Stabler. Surely trading in their 30-year old franchise quarterback for a gray haired 34-year old was the answer. In his final season with the Raiders, Stabler had gone 9-7 as the starter, throwing 26 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Perception was that the wily vet was too old, and didn't have the arm for the deep pass anymore. Back in the seventies and eighties 34-year old quarterbacks looked 34, they didn't look like Brady, Manning, or Rodgers.
Snake wasn’t the only former Raider that Bud Adams and Bum Phillips had rounded up. Houston was establishing “Oakland South”. The Oilers had also traded for Raiders safety Jack Tatum, aka The Assassin. “We were playing the Raiders in the dome,” recalled Houston receiver Mike Renfro. “He and Earl collide on a sweep by Earl around the right end, and it was a collision that was heard outside the dome. And I know about four months later Bum had traded for Jack Tatum, not many people had hit Earl one on one like that.” It wasn’t just the Snake and Assassin, The Ghost would round out the unholy Raider trinity. Halfway through the 1980 season Houston traded a first and second round draft pick for tight end Dave Casper. The 1980 Oilers also consisted of talented receivers Mike Renfro, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, and tight ends Mike Barber and Rich Caster. On defense Tatum enjoyed a career year with seven interceptions, playing alongside pro bowlers Greg Stemrick (cornerback) and Robert Brazile (Hall of Fame linebacker).
The 1980 Oilers defense was formidable, allowing only 251 points. While the 15.7 points per game the defense allowed ranked 2nd in the NFL, the 18.4 points per game from their offense ranked 20th. Stabler was inconsistent in his old age. While they relied heavily on the run game, Stabler was called upon to pull off his late game heroics. In week 4 the Oilers trailed the Bengals 10-7, but two fourth quarter drives led by Stabler resulted in field goals and a 13-10 victory. In week 17 the Vikings kicked a 38-yard field goal to go up 16-13, but Stabler led a game winning drive culminating in a go-ahead touchdown run from Earl Campbell. In a game against the Jets Stabler again showed he could still make magic happen. The Jets led 21-0, when Stabler turned back the clock to show off the Stabler of old, rather than old Stabler. He threw 4 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but the Oilers still lost. After finishing 11-5, Houston faced the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs. Stabler had no magic left, he was sacked 7 times and turned the ball over twice as the Oilers were blown out 27-7. Led by Jim Plunkett, the Raiders would go on to win the Super Bowl. If Houston would’ve had a younger, spryer QB then they likely would’ve given the eventual Super Bowl champs a run for their money. After all, what good is a stout defense and a 1,934 yard rusher such as Campbell, when your star quarterback is throwing a staggering 28 interceptions?
8. 1997 Detroit Lions / Scott Mitchell
9-7 (0-1) / Points For: 4th / Points Against: 10th / Passing Offense: 12th
Scott Mitchell 79.6 RTG 57.6% 3,484 YDS 19 TDS 14 INT
In the 1957 season Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne (& Tobin Rote) delivered the Detroit Lions their third NFL Championship in six years. I say that to say this; the Lions have only won one playoff game since then, and they have had more stars in their 93-year history than just Barry Sanders, Matthew Stafford, and Calvin Johnson. Unfortunately that one playoff win was not in 1997, and Scott Mitchell was not one of those stars. In 1993 Mitchell had performed admirably in Miami in place of an injured Dan Marino, leading to him signing a then-eye-popping $11.25 million contract with Detroit. He said he chose the Lions because he felt that they had “the potential to win and win now”.
Mitchell is one of those cases where most people only talk about the negative, the failures, he just gets utterly dogged in the history books. To be fair to Mitchell, in 1995 he had statistically one of the best seasons a QB has ever had prior to the pass-happy 2010’s. But 4 interceptions in a playoff loss is the only stat that people seem to remember from that season. In ‘97 the Lions were poised to make another playoff push, under new head coach Bobby Ross. These Lions actually had a solid team, a high scoring offense and a top 10 defense. Wide receivers Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton each surpassed 1,000 yards. Moore even earned Pro Bowl & All-Pro honors for the third year in a row with his league-leading 104 receptions for 1,293 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Obviously the MVP of this Lions team (and the league in 1997) wasn’t Moore or Morton, it wasn’t Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Porcher, it was a prime Barry Sanders. Many consider Sanders to be the greatest running back ever to play football. In ‘97 Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Those are Madden rookie mode numbers. Sanders scored 14 touchdowns in arguably his best season ever. How do you have Barry Sanders rush for over 2K, and not win a playoff game!? Well…Mitchell had regressed. Mitchell passed for 3,484 yards and only 5 more touchdowns than interceptions. In the Wildcard round the 9-7 Lions lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs 20-10, in a game that saw Sanders held to 65 yards on 18 carries. The Lions fell behind 20-0 and were never in this game. Mitchell completed 10 of 25 passes for 78 yards and an interception. Mitchell took his 31.7 passer rating to the bench as Frank Reich finished the game for the Lions (11/25 129 yards 99.0 rating).
7. 1992 New Orleans Saints / Bobby Hebert
12-4 (0-1) / Points For: 10th / Points Against: 1st / Passing Offense: 11th
Bobby Hebert 82.9 RTG 59% 3,287 YDS 19 TDS 16 INT
The 1992 New Orleans Saints were not a team known for offensive prowess. The offense left a lot to be desired. Rookie running back Vaughn Dunbar was drafted 21st overall in an RB-starved draft class. Dunbar’s 565 rushing yards led the team, and was a career high. Craig “Iron Head” Heyward was a notorious downhill runner, but ‘92 was not his best season. There weren’t just holes in the backfield, they barely produced a thousand-yard receiver (Eric Martin 1,041 yards). The ‘92 Saints were all about the defense, more specifically the linebacking corps nicknamed “The Dome Patrol”.
Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Rickey Jackson made up arguably the greatest collection of linebackers ever assembled. Swilling won Defensive Player of the Year in ‘91, a season in which he led the NFL with 17 sacks. In ‘92 he recorded 10.5. Mills was undersized (5’9” 229 lbs) and went undrafted in 1986 coming out of Montclair St., a little known university in New Jersey. He led the Saints in tackles in ‘92 with 130. Jackson boasted the most sacks among the linebackers with a career high 13.5. Mills and Jackson are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but in ‘92 something unprecedented happened. All four of the Saints starting linebackers made the Pro Bowl. Cornerback Toi Cook led the team with 6 interceptions, and defensive end Wayne Martin led the team with 15.5 sacks. The Saints defense surrendered only 12.6 points per game and finished as the number one passing defense in the league.
The fifth pro bowler on the Saints was kicker Morten Andersen, who made over 85% of his field goals, and retired as the NFL all-time leading scorer. Unfortunately The quarterback of this squad was Bobby Hebert, not a bad QB per se, but he was nothing special. In 1984 the Saints starting QB was the recently jettisoned Jets signal caller Richard Todd, who threw 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The Saints signed Bobby Hebert as an undrafted rookie in 1985 after passing up the opportunity to draft Randall Cunningham or Doug Flutie. If The Saints would have had either of those men under center, then who knows what the legacy of this team could have been. After finishing 12-4, the Saints faced the Philadelphia Eagles, a team led by the dynamic duo of Randall Cunningham and Herschel Walker. The Saints jumped out to a 20-7 lead, but the Eagles would score 29 unanswered points. Hebert threw 3 interceptions in the loss.
6. 1977 Atlanta Falcons / Scott Hunter & Steve Bartkowski
7-7 / Points For: 25th / Points Against: 1st / Passing Offense: 27th (of 28)
Scott Hunter 4-3 61.6 RTG 46.4% 898 YDS 2 TDS 3 INT
Steve Bartkowski 3-4 38.4 RTG 47.1% 796 YDS 5 TDS 13 INT
The Atlanta Falcons played their first season in the NFL in 1966, they enjoyed their first winning season in 1973 going 9-5 under head coach Norm Van Brocklin. In 1977, Rams receivers coach Leeman Bennett was hired as the fifth head coach in the franchise’s short history. At the ripe age of 39, Bennett was the youngest head coach in the NFL. They also brought in Jets defensive line coach Jim Champion, and Saints linebackers coach Doug Shively. Lions special teams coordinator Jerry Glanville was hired as the defensive backs coach. With the new coaching staff in place, an unexpected phenomenon was about to ensue.
As the defensive assistant\ DBs coach, Glanville installed a defense that would serve as the archetype for the 46 Defense made famous by the 1985 Chicago Bears. It was called “The Grits Blitz”. An ultra aggressive strategy consisting of 8-man boxes and all-out blitzes. Crowding the line of scrimmage and bringing as many pass rushers as possible is a strategy that ONLY works, if you have talented and athletic enough players to pull it off. Defensive ends Jeff Merrow (10 sacks) and Claude Humphrey (9.5 sacks) feasted on QBs in the Grits Blitz. Inside Linebacker Ralph Ortega enjoyed the best season of his career with 4 interceptions and 5 fumbles recovered. Outside linebackers Greg Brezina and rookie Robert Pennywell also enjoyed career years. Safeties Ray Brown and Ray Easterling combined for 13 total takeaways. Cornerback Rolland Lawrence was a force on defense and special teams. Lawrence is the only player in NFL history to come from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Lawrence recorded 7 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered, and a sack while also returning 51 punts for 352 yards.
The ‘77 Falcons allowed only 129 points in 14 games, 9.2 per game, which remains the best mark since the NFL-AFL merger. Seven times they held their opponents to 7 or fewer points. So how did this team go 7-7 and MISS the playoffs? In week 5 the Falcons held the Bills to only a field goal, but lost 0-3 after mustering only 200 yards of offense. This was the problem, the defense held opponents to 9.2 points per game, but the offense only averaged 12.8 points per game. Steve Bartkowski missed the first half of the season after having knee surgery, leaving the offense in the hands of journeyman Scott Hunter. Hunter boasted a passer rating of 61.6 and went 4-3 as a starter before Bartkowski returned. Unfortunately Bartkowski was severely worse, averaging less than 100 yards per game, mustering a passer rating of 38.4, and turning the ball over 18 times. Both quarterbacks completed less than 50% of their passes, and the offense didn’t feature a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver. On defense Lawrence and Humphrey were voted to the pro bowl, and Humphrey would be the lone Hall of Famer on the historic defense.
5. 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars / Blake Bortles
10-6 (2-1) / Points For: 5th / Points Against: 2nd / Passing Offense: 17th
Blake Bortles 84.7 RTG 60.2% 3,687 YDS 21 TDS 13 INT
In 2016 the Jacksonville Jaguars went 3-13. Blake Bortles, their appointed franchise quarterback, was struggling. Bortles had a career record of 11-34, and was wildly inconsistent despite showing flashes of brilliance in his short three year career. Things started off looking bleak in ‘17 when star receiver Allen Robinson tore his ACL on his first catch of the season. This left Bortles with an unproven group of receivers, an aging tight end in Marcedes Lewis, and rookie running back Leonard Fournette shouldering the load out of the backfield.
Fournette lived up to his first round draft status, rushing for 1,040 yards and 9 touchdowns in 13 games. Undrafted rookie Keelan Cole led the team with 748 receiving yards. The 33-year old Lewis led the team with 5 touchdowns. Speedster Marqise Lee had yet to live up to expectations since being drafted 39th overall in 2014, the pass catcher was plagued with butter-fingers. In 2017 Lee led the team with 56 receptions. Midseason acquisition Josh Lambo connected on 95% of his field goals, including the game-tying & game-winning kicks in overtime in week 10 against the LA Chargers (his former team). The true stars of the 2017 Jags were the defense, a unit known as Sacksonville. Telvin Smith, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson, Yannick Ngakoue, A.J. Bouye, and Jalen Ramsey were all voted to the pro bowl. Campbell set a franchise record with 14.5 sacks, and Ramsey and Bouye were the best cornerback tandem in the NFL in 2017. The star-studded defense was forged with quality draft picks and savvy free agent signings, at its heart was 11-year veteran linebacker Paul Posluszny.
Unfortunately having the best defense, and the best rushing offense in the NFL wasn’t enough. It’s a quarterback driven league. Bortles mainly got by with playing just good enough. All he really had to do was not do anything to lose the game, but he wasn’t the kind of QB that could go out and win you the game. After finishing 10-6, the Jags faced the Buffalo Bills in the Wildcard. Bortles completed 12 of 23 passes for 87 yards and 1 touchdown, while also rushing for 88 yards. The Jags etched out a 10-3 win in the defensive slugfest. In the Divisional Round things were different. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bortles passed for 214 yards and 1 touchdown, while Ben Roethlisberger passed for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns. Despite Roethlisberger’s gaudy numbers, 4 rushing touchdowns plus a fumble recovered by Telvin Smith and returned 50 yards for a score led to a 45-42 victory. In the AFC Championship Bortles played his best game of the playoffs, but it wasn’t enough. Bad play calling, officiating, and a game manager-esque performance from Bortles led to the Jaguars exit from the playoffs. If the Jaguars had a quarterback that could step up in big moments, they likely would have found themselves in the Super Bowl.
4. 2006 Chicago Bears / Rex Grossman
13-3 (2-1) / Points For: 2nd / Points Against: 3rd / Passing Offense: 14th
Rex Grossman 73.9 RTG 54.6% 3,193 YDS 23 TDS 20 INT
The Chicago Bears have had a lot of great teams in their storied history as one of the charter franchises in the NFL. In the Super Bowl era, the 2006 squad was one of the best. That ‘06 team had a scary defense that lived up to the “Monsters of the Midway” moniker. When talking about this defensive unit, it always starts with two names; Brian Urlacher & Lance Briggs. Urlacher was drafted 9th overall by the Bears in 2000, and had been an absolute force ever since. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year, placed 5th in MVP voting in 2001, then led the league in solo tackles (117) in 2002, and he won Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. In ‘06 Urlacher was named First Team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career, and was voted to his sixth Pro Bowl. Briggs recorded a career high 134 combined tackles in ‘06 and was voted to his second Pro Bowl since being drafted in ‘03.
Hunter Hillenmeyer was the third linebacker in the starting lineup, but backup Brendon Ayanbadejo made the Pro Bowl as a special teams specialist. In all there were eight Pro Bowl players on the team, including offensive linemen Ruden Brown and Olin Kreutz, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, and kicker Robbie Gould. The one that had the entire football world buzzing, was a rookie from Miami that they dubbed “Anytime” and “The Windy City Flyer”. You don’t get a nickname like Anytime without being a threat to score anytime you get the ball in your hands, and that is exactly what Devin Hester was. The rookie sensation led the league in punt return yards and touchdowns, and kick return touchdowns. While the offense didn’t feature a wideout to cross the 1K mark, an aging Muhsin Muhammad was not far removed from his All-Pro form. Thomas Jones rushed for 1,210 yards, and second year back Cedric Benson gained 647 behind a strong O-Line. The Bears finished 13-3 ranking second in points scored, and third in points allowed.
It’s surprising how good the offense was given that starting quarterback Rex Grossman completed only 54.6% of his passes and threw 23 touchdowns vs a staggering 20 interceptions. In week 6 the Bears trailed the Arizona Cardinals 23-3. Grossman had 6 turnovers in that game, but two defensive touchdowns plus a clutch punt return touchdown from Hester led to a 24-23 come from behind victory in a game that saw the offense muster zero points. In Super Bowl XLI Grossman would not be bailed out. Hester made history when he ran the opening kick back for a touchdown, but that would be the end of the fireworks for Chicago. Trailing Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts 22-17 in the fourth quarter, Grossman threw a pick six to Kelvin Hayden. Grossman threw another interception to Bob Sanders just minutes later. Chicago would go on to lose 29-17. A stellar defense featuring Charles Tillman, Mike Brown, Danieal Manning, Ricky Manning Jr, Harris, Briggs, and Urlacher (Hall of Fame class of 2018) were robbed of glory.
3. 2001 Baltimore Ravens / Elvis Grbac
10-6 (1-1) / Points For: 18th / Points Against: 4th / Passing Offense: 16th
Elvis Grbac 71.1 RTG 56.7% 3,033 YDS 15 TDS 18 INT
In 2000 the Baltimore Ravens went 12-4 and won the Super Bowl with Tony Banks and Trent Dilfer as their quarterbacks. This was a team that was built to succeed with the bare minimum at quarterback. All they needed from Elvis Grbac in 2001…was competence. Grbac was signed after a career year in Kansas City, inking a 5-year $30 million contract with the defending champs. The Ravens rising star running back Jamal Lewis would miss the season due to a knee injury, meaning they would need to rely more on the passing game. Losing Lewis likely made the team wish they had kept Priest Holmes, their backup from 2000 that was now leading the NFL in rushing yards (1,555) on the Chiefs.
Terry Allen and Jason Brookins were no Lewis & Holmes. They still had Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. Leading receiver Qadry Ismail recorded a career high 7 touchdowns. Travis Taylor and Brandon Stokley were serviceable. 31st overall draft pick Todd Heap caught 16 passes in 2001, and would go on to play a decade with the team, but the player selected directly after him was Drew Brees. Baltimore still had their defense. Linebackers Ray Lewis and Jamie Sharper were the stars, but Peter Boulware racked up 15 sacks coming off the edge. Rod Woodson was still one of the best safeties in the league at age 36, and paired nicely with Corey Harris. Defensive backs Chris McAlister and Duane Starks made life difficult for opposing passers, assuming Sharper, Boulware, or Michael McCrary didn’t get the sack first. And eating up everything in the middle was the titanic duo of defensive tackles Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa.
The defense may have lost a step, but still finished fourth in points allowed. Lewis, Woodson, and Adams made the Pro Bowl on defense, while Sharpe was the lone Pro Bowl representative on offense. Grbac did the team no favors with his disastrous season under center, tallying more turnovers than touchdowns. In the Divisional Round, the Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-10. Grbac completed less than half of his passes, for 153 yards, no touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a passer rating of 26.1!
2. 1988 Chicago Bears / Mike Tomczak & Jim Harbaugh
12-4 (1-1) / Points For: 18th / Points Against: 1st / Passing Offense: 20th
Jim McMahon 7-2 76.0 RTG 59.4% 1,346 YDS 6 TDS 7 INT
Mike Tomczak 4-1 75.4 RTG 50.6% 1,310 YDS 7 TDS 6 INT
Jim Harbaugh 1-1 55.9 RTG 48.5% 514 YDS 0 TDS 2 INT
The 1988 Chicago Bears weren’t quite the ‘85 Bears, they didn’t have Wilber Marshall, Otis Wilson, Leslie Frazier, or Gary Fencik. The biggest departure by far was polarizing defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who took the head coaching job in Philadelphia after ‘85. Replacing Ryan in 1986 was Vince Tobin, who had spent the past fifteen years serving as a defensive coordinator in college, the CFL, and the USFL. Many key pieces of that infamous defense were still in place; Steve McMichael (11.5 sacks), Richard Dent (10.5 sacks), and Dan Hampton (9.5 sacks) on the defensive line. Linebackers Mike Singletary, Ron Rivera, and Jim Morrissey, and safety Dave Duerson.
The cornerback duo of ‘85 holdover Mike Richardson and ‘86 2nd round draft pick Vestee Jackson was on point. Jackson snagged a career high 8 interceptions. Singletary, as he did in the ‘85 Super Bowl season, won 1988 Defensive Player of the Year. Ultimately the Bears defense still had quite a bit of bite in ‘88, ranking first in the league. The offense was missing Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, who had retired after the 1987 season. It’s not easy to replace a man who is practically a unanimous top 3 selection on most people’s list of greatest running backs. Attempting to fill the legend’s shoes was 24-year old Neal Anderson. While Payton was winning a Super Bowl in Chicago in 1985, Anderson rushed for 1,034 yards at the University of Florida. The Bears would draft Anderson 27th overall in the 1986 NFL Draft. When it was his turn to shoulder the load, Anderson didn’t disappoint. He rushed for 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns in ‘88.
The quarterback position has never been the Bears strong suit. When your best quarterback in franchise history last played in 1950 (*cough* Sid Luckman *cough*), you are less adept at drafting QBs than the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. The Bears starter in ‘88 was the same man who went 11-0 in ‘85. Just like during their Super Bowl run, Jim McMahon couldn’t stay healthy. McMahon’s passer rating and yards per game dropped off a lot in limited action in ‘88. The rag tag set of backups, i.e. Mike Tomczak & Jim Harbaugh, didn’t have much to do with the Bears 5-2 record in McMahon’s absence. If the Bears had better options at quarterback then they might have beaten Joe Montana’s 49ers in the NFC Championship. Let’s be honest, McMahon himself, even when healthy, was never a top tier passer.
1. 1969 Minnesota Vikings / Joe Kapp
12-2 (2-1) / Points For: 1st / Points Against: 1st / Passing Offense: 12th (of 16)
Joe Kapp 78.5 RTG 50.6% 1,726 YDS 19 TDS 13 INT
At number one we have the 1969 Minnesota Vikings and the curious case of Joe Kapp. The 70’s were far from the golden age of tight spirals, but even in the ground game-oriented decade Kapp was not a pretty sight at quarterback. When a ball left his hands it looked as if Tim Tebow was testing out his right arm to see if he was really a lefty. Perhaps that’s because Kapp, who believed all laces felt different, never threw the ball with his fingers on the laces. Kapp was drafted in the 18th round in 1959 by the Washington Redskins, who never offered him a contract given that they had already drafted two quarterbacks ahead of him. Kapp went north of the border, and after winning a Grey Cup with the BC Lions in 1964 he returned to the NFL for the 1967 season.
Again leaning into the Tim Tebow comparison, Kapp feared no defender and never shied away from contact when running with the football. In week 2 of the ‘69 season a Kapp-led Vikings team faced the Baltimore Colts. The Colts had gone 13-1 the year before and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. Kapp threw 7 touchdown passes to six different receivers, tying an NFL single game record that still stands to this day. This was the first of twelve straight wins. Running Back Dave Osborn scored a career high 8 total touchdowns. Leading receiver Gene Washington tallied career highs of 821 yards and 9 touchdowns, earning his first pro bowl. The Vikings averaged 27.1 points per game vs 9.5 ppg allowed, both ranked first in the league. As has been the case with most teams on this list, the defense were the true stars.
The Vikings fielded a unit that was known as “The Purple People Eaters”. The defensive line featured left end Carl Eller (15 sacks), right end Jim Marshall (14 sacks), plus defensive tackles Alan Page (9 sacks), and Gary Larsen (8 sacks). All four men were pro bowlers, as was safety Paul Krause. Krause recorded 5 interceptions in 1969, and would retire a decade later as the all-time record holder with 81. Krause, Eller, and Page are all in the Hall of Fame. The Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship, and would face the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. This was the last ever Super Bowl between the two leagues before they merged prior to the 1970 season. The legendary Chiefs defense, which was every bit as star-studded as the Vikings D, stymied the run game. Kapp threw a pair of interceptions and was sacked three times. His backup didn’t fare any better. If the Vikings had a QB like the Chiefs’ Len Dawson, then this might’ve been a great clash of titans, rather than a 23-7 mauling. Kapp had a good year, in fact it was the only one of his four NFL seasons in which he passed for more touchdowns than interceptions, but the difference between the Vikings and Chiefs was one Hall of Famer, and one footnote in history.
Next Five Out
11. 2008 New England Patriots / Matt Cassel
In 2007 the New England Patriots went 18-0 before falling to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. While they mostly fielded the same team in ‘08, star quarterback Tom Brady would sustain a season ending injury in week 1. This left them in the hands of Matt Cassel, a 7th round draft pick back in 2005. Cassel, who hadn’t started a football game since high school (he didn’t even start a single game in fours years at USC), went 10-5. Despite the winning record the Patriots missed the playoffs. Given that Cassel was never meant to be the leading man, the ‘08 Patriots find themselves again not making the cut.
12. 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers / Neil O’Donnell
The ‘95 Steelers featured a scary defense, led by Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd. Greene was a marquee pass rusher, but his 9 sacks in 1995 were a bit of a down year. Neil O’Donnell threw 17 touchdown passes vs 7 interceptions, going 9-3 as the starter. The team went 2-2 under backup Mike Tomczak. In the Super Bowl O’Donnell seemed to forget what team he was on, as he threw 3 interceptions.
13. 1985 Los Angeles Rams / Dieter Brock
Fun fact; Dieter Brock only played one season in the NFL. Brock played the bulk of his career in the CFL, being inducted in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Brock joined the Rams for the ‘85 season, a team that featured Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, and stud receiver Henry Ellard. Both skill position players were coming off pro bowl seasons, but Dickerson was coming off his record breaking 2,105 yard ‘84 campaign. The Rams won 11 games with Brock, but ran into the buzzsaw that was the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship. While it may seem unfair to blame a QB for not being able to stand up to such a dominating team, Dan Marino had shown in week 13 that it was possible.
14. 1991 Philadelphia Eagles / Jim McMahon, Jeff Kemp, Brad Goebel
The Eagles had gone 10-6 in 1990, getting bounced from the playoffs in round one. After replacing head coach Buddy Ryan with Rich Kotite, the Eagles looked ahead to 1991. Unfortunately star QB Randall Cunningham would be lost for the season due to injury. The starting lineup was a revolving door of Jim McMahon, Jeff Kemp, and Brad Goebel. The three men combined for 17 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. The Eagles defense ranked 5th in points allowed, and were the biggest reason for Philly etching out a 10-6 record. The Eagles would miss the playoffs in ‘91.
15. 2018 Los Angeles Rams / Jared Goff
In their second season under young head coach Sean McVey, the Rams went 13-3 with the 2nd highest scoring offense in the league. In Super Bowl LIII star running back Todd Gurley was heavily limited due to injury. Gurley had scored 21 touchdowns during the regular season, but with C.J. Anderson now serving as the lead back LA would need more from their QB. Prior to McVey’s arrival Jared Goff seemed to be a bust after being drafted 1st overall in 2016. Goff enjoyed the best season of his career in 2018, but when the offense had to lean on him in the biggest game, the results were disastrous. The Rams fell to the New England Patriots 13-3 in one of the worst Super Bowls ever. Goff’s 57.9 passer rating didn’t help. In 2021 the Rams flipped Goff for Matthew Stafford and won the Super Bowl.
