The current century of NFL action has been dominated by the New England Patriots.
The record speaks for itself. The Patriots have earned the most wins, playoff appearances, conference championships and Super Bowl titles since 2000. They have been, without question, the gold standard of professional football over this span.
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But have they fielded the best single team of the century?
Bleacher Report's Kris Knox recently ranked the top 10 teams of the century, and only two Patriots squads made the list.
The 2007 Patriots ultimately failed to win the Super Bowl after starting 18-0, but by any statistical measure, this is one of the most impressive teams in league history. The team's offense set numerous records, including Tom Brady's 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss' 23 receiving touchdowns.
The 2016 Patriots rank No. 1, which is interesting because some people would argue it's the third-best New England team of the century.
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Here's the first part of Knox's reasoning for putting the 2016 Pats above the rest:
28-3. This number signifies the resiliency and drive of the 2016 Patriots. This team went 14-2 in the regular season, boasted the league's No. 3 scoring offense, No. 1 scoring defense and had seven players named as first- or second-team All-Pros. Yet the greatness of the 2016 Patriots presented itself when they came back from a 25-point deficit against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
The two greatest Patriots teams in the opinion of many fans and experts are the 2004 and 2014 squads -- both Super Bowl winners.
The 2004 Patriots, in particular, often are considered the franchise's best. This team had a great quarterback in Brady, a tremendous rushing attack led by Corey Dillon, and an amazing defense. Knox does list the '04 Patriots in the "honorable mentions" portion of his ranking. The 2014 team was absolutely loaded as well, especially on defense after the acquisition of future Hall of Fame cornerback Darrelle Revis. This Patriots team also beat the "Legion of Boom" defense of the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
Still, the 2016 Patriots are a solid choice for the No. 1 spot. You really can't go wrong picking from several of the Patriots' Super Bowl-winning teams from this century.