Where do the Dallas Cowboys rank as an all-time franchise?
By Tyrone Starr
With Super Bowl LII in the books and another league wrapped up, it’s time to discuss where the Dallas Cowboys rank all-time versus the rest of the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys fans were stuck between a rock and a hard place going into the biggest game of the year. On one hand, they could watch another team pass them by on the championship count. On the other, they could watch their biggest rival finally win their first.
When I was planning out the article, there was a particular outcome I was embracing. I was sure I would be coming up with a way to make fans feel better about being behind by the Patriots. Somehow the thought of a second team getting to six before Dallas still was the best option.
Of course, as we all know now, that did not occur. For some reason, New England can beat anyone in a Super Bowl unless the opponent is from the NFC East. After gifting Eli Manning and the New York Giants two rings, an even more disgusting outcome came into fruition.
All of the jokes are dead. The Philadelphia Eagles are finally champions of the NFL.
So, how can we possibly find light in the darkness that is joy in Philadelphia?
Well, I had some time on my hands and decided to sports geek out and come up with a credible way to determine who has the best NFL franchise. Before unveiling the list, let me provide a few ground rules.
- These stats are from the Super Bowl Era (1967-present). Sorry Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions fans, you’re going to be quite sad.
- Playoff victories are separate from Super Bowl victories. There is no double-dipping.
- Any team that chose to leave their original city of origin cannot shed their results from that location. The Indianapolis Colts statistics also include their time in Baltimore. Tennessee’s previous history includes their time as the Houston Oilers. The Rams and Chargers can’t shed their St. Louis and San Diego days.
- I decided to make 10+ loss seasons hurt more than 10+ win seasons help. It just seems fair to punish a franchise for having such a dismal year.
Alright, with that out of the way, I present to you the most current all-time NFL franchise rankings
| SB WINS | SB VISITS | PLAYOFF WINS | PLAYOFF GAMES | DIV. TITLES | 10+ w YEARS | 10+ L YEARS | ||
| TEAMS | (x20) | (x10) | (x5) | (x2) | (x2) | (x1) | (x-2) | TOTAL |
| PITTSBURGH | 6 | 8 | 30 | 53 | 23 | 25 | 6 | 515 |
| DALLAS | 5 | 8 | 29 | 53 | 22 | 28 | 9 | 485 |
| NEW ENGLAND | 5 | 10 | 29 | 43 | 19 | 24 | 14 | 465 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | 5 | 6 | 26 | 45 | 19 | 23 | 12 | 417 |
| GREEN BAY | 4 | 5 | 24 | 43 | 15 | 18 | 10 | 364 |
| OAKLAND | 3 | 5 | 22 | 39 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 322 |
| DENVER | 3 | 5 | 20 | 34 | 15 | 21 | 5 | 319 |
| MIAMI | 2 | 5 | 18 | 36 | 14 | 22 | 10 | 282 |
| N.Y. GIANTS | 4 | 5 | 17 | 30 | 8 | 15 | 16 | 274 |
| MINNESOTA | 0 | 4 | 20 | 45 | 20 | 19 | 8 | 273 |
| WASHINGTON | 3 | 5 | 18 | 31 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 270 |
| INDIANAPOLIS | 1 | 2 | 18 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 231 |
| PHILADELPHIA | 1 | 3 | 18 | 36 | 10 | 21 | 11 | 231 |
| L.A. RAMS | 1 | 3 | 16 | 36 | 14 | 20 | 16 | 218 |
| SEATTLE | 1 | 3 | 15 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 193 |
| BALTIMORE | 2 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 174 |
| CHICAGO | 1 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 155 |
| KANSAS CITY | 1 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 9 | 17 | 11 | 136 |
| BUFFALO | 0 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 135 |
| TENNESSEE | 0 | 1 | 13 | 31 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 135 |
| N.Y. JETS | 1 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 114 |
| L.A. CHARGERS | 0 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 103 |
| CAROLINA | 0 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 100 |
| ATLANTA | 0 | 2 | 10 | 22 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 94 |
| NEW ORLEANS | 1 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 94 |
| CINCINNATI | 0 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 75 |
| CLEVELAND | 0 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 9 | 9 | 22 | 69 |
| JACKSONVILLE | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 59 |
| TAMPA BAY | 1 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 52 |
| ARIZONA | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 51 |
| HOUSTON | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 33 |
| DETROIT | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 25 |
As you can see, if the Patriots would have won Sunday night, they would have been tied with the Cowboys in total points. With more Super Bowl victories, however, it’s safe to say they would have taken the number two spot from Dallas.
Next: The top 10 Dallas Cowboys to never win a Super Bowl
Regardless, the Dallas Cowboys are still in ratified air. Their five Lombardi trophies are still the second most of any franchise. Dallas is also in a tie with Pittsburgh for Super Bowl appearances with eight and playoff games at 53. No team has more seasons with double-digit victories than your Dallas Cowboys.
Leave your comments below with your take on how the 32 franchises appear in my formula below.