The 8 Super Bowl Champs That Had The Least Number Of Regular Season Wins

The Super Bowl is played annually to crown the champion of each NFL season. The team that wins is not always considered the sport’s best.

Upsets happen. Teams get hot at the right time. In many cases, the last squad standing is not the one that was the most consistent or productive throughout the regular season.

There are eight instances in which the Super Bowl champion entered the NFL Playoffs with 10 wins or less. Some of those teams vie for the title of “worst winners,” though as is the case with every rule, there are exceptions.

Super Bowl champions with the least number of wins.

Of the eight champs listed in this article, three actually ended their regular seasons with single digit win totals. One was nearly .500.

Here, we’ll list those squads in order from most wins to least while breaking down how each team got to the title game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (1974)

The ’74 Steelers were far from bad. In fact, they actually boast one of the top win percentages on this list. They qualify for our rankings due to a few different reasons.

First was the 14-game season, which prevented Pittsburgh from racking up more wins. The schedule wasn’t expanded to 16 games until 1978. The Steelers also recorded one stalemate.

In Week 2, they tied with Denver after both teams were held scoreless in the first ever regular season overtime session. They’d then rip off nine wins over their final 12 games to finish 10-3-1.

Pittsburgh won the AFC Central before a dominant playoff run. They took down the Bills, Raiders, and Vikings in consecutive contests, with each win coming by double digits.

Baltimore Ravens (2012)

Baltimore is the first of four teams on this list to finish the regular season at 10-6. They did so in the 2012 campaign before rolling through the NFL Playoffs.

The Ravens started the year on absolute fire, winning nine of their first 11 contests. They then went ice cold to lose four of their last five.

The 1-4 finish to the year prevented them from securing a first-round bye. In the end, it didn’t matter.

The Ravens knocked off the Colts in the wildcard round before upsetting top-seeded Denver. They then beat the Patriots to book a ticket to the Super Bowl where they defeated the 49ers.

Green Bay Packers (2010)

The Packers went 10-6 in their 2010 campaign before winning an NFL title. They just barely slipped into the postseason, securing the sixth and final seed in the NFC.

Green Bay was a .500 team outside of a four-game run between Weeks 7 and 10. They got hot again at season’s end.

The Packers upset the Eagles, Falcons, and Bears on their way to the Super Bowl. They then beat the Steelers to secure a championship.

Three of the team’s wins came by seven points or less.

New York Giants (2007)

The Giants started the season out 0-2 before ripping off six straight wins in 2007. From there, they were a .500 team.

New York finished the year at 10-6, which was good enough to earn the five-seed in the NFC. The rest is history.

The G-Men knocked off fourth-seeded Tampa Bay in their postseason opener before beating top-ranked Dallas and Green Bay to punch a Super Bowl ticket.

In the final game, they took down previously undefeated New England to earn an NFL championship. The Giants’ last three playoff wins came by a combined 10 points, with one contest going into overtime.

San Francisco 49ers (1988)

The 49ers are the last of our 10-6 teams, a record that was good enough to win the NFC West in 1988. That division title landed a No. 2 overall seed in the NFC.

Led by Joe Montana, the Niners beat Minnesota and Chicago before facing Cincinnati in the Super Bowl. It was an instant classic.

The 49ers outscored the Bengals 14-3 in the fourth quarter to overcome a late deficit. Trailing 16-13 on the final possession, San Francisco marched 92 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown with just 34 seconds left on the clock.

Green Bay Packers (1967)

The Packers were the first of just three teams to win an NFL championship with less than 10 regular season wins. They did so in Super Bowl II against the Raiders.

A few factors played into their 9-4-1 record. They tied with Detroit in the season opener. They also dropped the last two contests of a 14-game campaign.

Still, the 64.2% winning percentage ranks as the seventh worst amongst Super Bowl champs in NFL history.

At the time, there were just four divisions. Those first-place finishers battled in a four-team field with Green Bay beating the Rams and Cowboys to win their second straight ring.

New York Giants (2011)

The ’11 Giants are the worst team to ever win a Super Bowl, at least in terms of regular season record. New York narrowly evaded a .500 finish by winning their final game.

At one point, the playoffs were no guarantee. The Giants started the year 6-2 but lost five of six to fall to 7-7 on the year. They’d salvage the season with back-to-back wins.

A victory over rival Dallas in the finale secured a division title and postseason berth. New York got the No. 4 seed in the NFC.

The Giants won their first two games over Atlanta and top-seeded Green Bay in convincing fashion, outscoring their opponents a combined 61-24. They then beat the 49ers by a field goal before a come from behind Super Bowl win over the Patriots.

Washington Redskins (1982)

Washington was a No. 1 seed in the 1982 NFL Playoff field. They are also the Super Bowl champion with the least amount of regular season wins in league history.

That was due to the players’ strike that cut the year short. The NFL campaign was shortened from 16 games to just nine. Washington went 8-1.

The playoff setup was impacted, too. The league eliminated divisions to select the top eight teams in each conference.

Washington won four games, all by double digits, to secure a Super Bowl crown. They took down Miami in the final championship game, 27-17.