best non-Super Bowl winner

[sailorsam]

since there was some discussion elsewhere about the Worst Team to Win the Super Bowl (ahem); whom do we believe to be the best team (over a 3-4 year period) that did NOT win the SB? my nominees:
*mid-70s Vikings Fran Tarkenton, Bud Grant, the Purple gang; went to 4 SBs and lost them all.
*Early 90s Bills Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, great offense, good D. went to and lost 4 straight SBs
*70s 'Luv ya Blue' Houston Oilers Bum Phillips, Earl Campbell. lost 3 straight AFC championship games. great team, and very entertaining.
*Coryell Chargers circa 1980; Coryell, Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow. beat the Dolphins in OT in one of the greatest playoff games ever. lost AFC title in Cinci in subzero weather.
*George Allen's Skins; Sonny Jurgenson, the Over-the-Hill Gang. got to SB VII, lost to the dolphins. (the franchise won SBs with Gibbs, but that was a mostly different roster.)

Your pix? any other nominees?

[Mista T]

since there was some discussion elsewhere about the Worst Team to Win the Super Bowl (ahem); whom do we believe to be the best team (over a 3-4 year period) that did NOT win the SB? my nominees:
*mid-70s Vikings Fran Tarkenton, Bud Grant, the Purple gang; went to 4 SBs and lost them all.
*Early 90s Bills Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, great offense, good D. went to and lost 4 straight SBs
*70s 'Luv ya Blue' Houston Oilers Bum Phillips, Earl Campbell. lost 3 straight AFC championship games. great team, and very entertaining.
*Coryell Chargers circa 1980; Coryell, Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow. beat the Dolphins in OT in one of the greatest playoff games ever. lost AFC title in Cinci in subzero weather.
*George Allen's Skins; Sonny Jurgenson, the Over-the-Hill Gang. got to SB VII, lost to the dolphins. (the franchise won SBs with Gibbs, but that was a mostly different roster.)

Your pix? any other nominees?

None of the above are even close! The best team to lose a Super Bowl was the 1968 Baltimore Colts. Even over a three year period, without championship teams, the Colts were stronger than any of the teams mentioned above.

This was one of the most dominant teams to ever play in the NFL, but will never get that type of recognition due to being upset by the NY Jets in SB III (some say they threw the game) after going 15-1 (or 26-2-2 over two seasons).

With Johnny Unitas and Earl Morral at QB, Jimmy Orr and John Mackey receiving, and Tom Matte in the backfield, the Colts offense generated 402 points (in a 14 game season). But even more dominant was the Colts Defense, led by Mike Curtis, Ordell Braase, Mike Curtis, Rick Volk, Billy Ray Smith, and Bubba Smith. The Colts Defense gave up just 144 points, or 10.29 points per game (compared to the 2000 Ravens 10.32 ppg). IMHO, that Defense was as good or even better than the Ravens 2000 team's Defense.

[Fcowher]

I totally agree the 68 Colts were a fantastic team and clearly head and shoulders above the other non winners.

[crazyraven]

The Bengals had two very good teams. In both games they had a chance to win the damn thing. Too bad they had to deal with the best QB to ever play the game, Joe Montana.

I also agree about the bills. Its too bad that all they did was choke whenever they got to the Superbowl, they were really a fun team to watch.

The Dolphins had some good teams while Dan Marino was playing for them. They had the unfortunate luck of playing Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.

Boo and hiss all you want about this one but the Eagles should have won at least one super bowl over the last few years especially with all their NFC Championship games. Their team is still a force to be recokoned with. The window could still be open but they have let so many chances slip through their fingers.


Unless there is information that I'm not familar with The Jets Colts super bowl was a classic, only die hard colt fans would suggest the game was thrown. Johnny came in and almost won that game. In some NFL Films video Joe Namath said he became worried when Unitas came in.

[Fcowher]

The Super Bowl III loss illustrated some classic Shula greatness and flaws. He was too stubborn to put in Unitas sooner and too stubborn to change his defense. Then defense settled down and started stopping the Jets but he went to Unitas too late and Johnny just ran out of time. I think Shula's stubborness is what kept him from winning more SB's with the Dolphins. If he would have drafted a RB every year till he could compliment Marino's arm with a running game he would have been more successful during the Marino years. You can win in this league in the regular season without a running game but come the playoffs when the coaches get tight and the defenses better you need to be able to run the ball.

[PurplePill]

68 Colts loss was one year before I was born, so no real world experience with that.

So I'd probably go with the Bills, any of their four years in the SB. They were an amazing team. That loss to the Giants was just heat breaking.

[Fcowher]

That very 1st Bills team that lost to the Giants was an awsome football team they were deep at every posistion and had that high powered offense. If Norwood makes that kick they probally go down as one of the best winners. I think the next three Bills team really dont match up with that first one.

[sailorsam]

None of the above are even close! The best team to lose a Super Bowl was the 1968 Baltimore Colts. Even over a three year period, without championship teams, the Colts were stronger than any of the teams mentioned above.

This was one of the most dominant teams to ever play in the NFL, but will never get that type of recognition due to being upset by the NY Jets in SB III (some say they threw the game) after going 15-1 (or 26-2-2 over two seasons).

With Johnny Unitas and Earl Morral at QB, Jimmy Orr and John Mackey receiving, and Tom Matte in the backfield, the Colts offense generated 402 points (in a 14 game season). But even more dominant was the Colts Defense, led by Mike Curtis, Ordell Braase, Mike Curtis, Rick Volk, Billy Ray Smith, and Bubba Smith. The Colts Defense gave up just 144 points, or 10.29 points per game (compared to the 2000 Ravens 10.32 ppg). IMHO, that Defense was as good or even better than the Ravens 2000 team's Defense.

I agree this was the best single team not to win the SB, but most of the same people were on the SBV team that won (including Unitas and Morral). I'm referring to teams with a good 3-5 year run that never won it.

[highwater]

I agree that the '68 Colts were probably the best to not win -- my memory is a little hazy, but I think they only lost only regular season game, to the Browns, and then destroyed them in the title game by a score of 38-0 or something in that neighborhood.

But putting them aside, how about the Titans team that the Ravens beat on our way to the Super Bowl? They were better than anyone in the NFC that year, and probably better than the Raiders. (Just not better than us).

I would also consider the Bills team that lost to the Giants, the first of their Super Bowl losses. That was a very, very good team that should have probably won that game.

[ravens-maniac]

i agree 68 colts, without question, then the bills losing dynasty

[awalt]

That 68 team did win it all in 71, and back then players stayed with the same team longer so you can argue that team did win a SB in its time.

That said, when I think about teams that never won a Super Bowl while the same players were together, I think of the Titans around 2000. They really had some excellent teams, lost the SB once by inches, and lost another to a team of destiny that year (Ravens). With a little different roll of the dice they could have easily won two SBs, instead they got none.

[Fcowher]

That Titans team is a great call and if not for some missed/blocked kicks by their usually reliable kicker, Del Greco. We might have a different history here in Ravenstown. Whew, we owe that guy a day or a coin flip or something.

[sopranocorleone]

The 2001 St. Louis Rams were excellent as well. 14-2 record. They were HEAVY favorites against New England.

[Real Fan Dan]

I agree with everybody's picks but I've got one more - the '85 Patriots under Head Coach Ray Berry. They had a string of sensational last minute victories throughout the end of the season and the playoffs before being blown out by da' Bears in the SB. Somebody would come up with the clutch INT or fumble recovery to win the game. The whole team was playing the take-away and they were great at it. I remember Ray Berry had a simple looking smile on his face on the sideline and people were wondering if he'd lost it. :laugh: They almost pulled it off.

[mavhimself]

people, people people. lest we forget the 1998 vikings? most points ever in a season, 15-1 record, looked un-stoppable that year. they were one gary anderson miss away from the super bowl. it was the only miss anderson had all year. so naturally he made the one that put us out of the playoffs in 2003. the 68 colts would be right there though.

[sailorsam]

1) I didn't include the 2001 Rams cuz most of them were on the 1999 team that won it.
2) the 1998 / era Vikings were definitely a great team. Randall Cunningham, then Duante Culpepper; they made the playoffs something like 6 times in 7 years. remember, they got to the NFC Champ in 2000, losing to the Giants (I think most of us remember how the Giants ended that season...).
3) Those Titan teams were certainly pretty good. As I recall they won something like 12 of the first 14 games at Adelphia, both losses coming to the Ravens. and they beat us in the playoffs a couple years ago.
4) the Bengals did have good teams for years; the Sam Wyche - Boomer Esiason bunch was the best. They had a good run, and came t-h-i-s close to winning one.
5) I didn't think the 1985 Patriots were all that good. they remind me of the 2000 Giants, a decent team that had a good playoff run, with no big-time teams in the conference that year. I think they had Ron Meyer as coach and fired him (with a winning record?) and plugged in Ray Berry, and he quietly got them to the SB.
6) yes, the Eagles have had great teams the last 5-6 years; I'm really surprised they never won one (I guess they still might!).

cheers, everyone who's contributed. gives us something to chat about whilst waiting for Camp to open.