The Seattle Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the New England Patriots emphatically answered the question of which team was the NFL’s best in 2025. Seattle was the NFC’s top team during the regular season, and Sunday night’s complete domination of the Patriots made it clear that no team was more deserving of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
A machine on both sides of the ball, Seattle allowed the fewest points in the NFL during the regular season and scored the third-most. Despite having the league’s toughest schedule, the Seahawks posted the best points differential (+246) by a Super Bowl champion since the 1999 Rams.
While nine of their wins were double-digit outcomes, Seattle was capable of winning close games, too. In fact, the Seahawks’ most critical win during the regular season was their come-from-behind overtime win over the Rams in Week 16 that saw them overcome a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Seattle was No. 1 this season, but where do they rank among the other Super Bowl champions since 2000? Let’s find out.
26. 2001 Patriots
The 2001 Patriots go down in history as New England’s first Super Bowl champion and one that authored one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. The Patriots were not a dominant team, but they had an opportunistic, hard-hitting defense and a young, clutch quarterback in Tom Brady, who engineered the game-winning drive that finished off the heavily favored Rams. They also had a dynamic playmaker in Troy Brown, who in addition to being nearly a 1,200-yard receiver was the NFL’s best punt returner that season.
The 2001 Patriots scored just three offensive touchdowns in the playoffs, one in each postseason win, which is one of the main reasons why they are ranked here.
Instead of playing for overtime, Brady and the Patriots played for the win at the end of Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots won it all despite scoring just three offensive…..