PITTSBURGH — The Super Bowl era has now spanned over half a century, with the 57th iteration of the game played a few weeks ago and won by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs - the third win in franchise history.
With the NFL offseason just getting underway, Brian Peacock and Matt Williamson of the Peacock and Williamson NFL show took the opportunity to look through the last 50+ years of history to determine who the best and worst franchises are.
The list is based on a formula created at The Athletic which uses a variety of factors; including Super Bowl wins, playoff wins, and overall record - and adjusted for teams that haven't been in the league as long as others.
The whole list is available in the episode, but the number one overall team isn't a team that has been dominant as of late, but rather a team with a rich history of excellence dating back to the 1970's in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"The thing that stands out to me about the Steelers is there are very few down years," Williamson said. "I'm almost 50 years old, I've seen three head coaches in my lifetime."
Coming up just behind Pittsburgh is a team with much more recent success in the New England Patriots, who are very close to eclipsing the Steelers despite their dynasty coming to an end with Tom Brady's departure and now retirement.
"I think it's pretty impressive by the Patriots," Williamson said. "Maybe even moreso than the Steelers."
Dallas and San Francisco round out the top four, a category labeled 'heavyweights' for their sustained excellence over many decades in the NFL.
For the rest of the list, as well as speculation as to why certain franchises remain near the bottom while others excel, check out the full Peacock and Williamson episode: