Best NFL team records, by winning percentage and total wins

ByKeith Jenkins ESPN logo

Thursday, September 4, 2025

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls famously embraced the mantra "72-10 don't mean a thing without the ring." The message was clear: A great regular season means nothing without also winning the championship.

The 2007 New England Patriots began their postseason run with a similar mindset after wrapping up the regular season with an unblemished 16-0 record.

Led by Tom Brady, the 2007 Patriots scored an NFL-best 36.8 points per game and compiled a point differential of plus-315, the highest in NFL history. Brady threw for 4,806 yards and a then-single-season record 50 touchdowns en route to winning his first of three NFL MVP awards.

The 2007 Patriots became the first NFL team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (14-0) to complete a regular season undefeated. New England remains the only team to complete a 16-game regular season unbeaten, as the NFL switched to a 17-game slate in 2021. But unlike the '72 Dolphins and the '95-96 Bulls, the '07 Patriots were unable to win it all. New England was upset by the New York Giants 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

Here is a look at the teams with the best winning percentage in a single regular season in the Super Bowl era (since 1966):

2007 New England Patriots - 1.000 (16-0)

1972 Miami Dolphins - 1.000 (14-0)

2015 Carolina Panthers-.938 (15-1)

2011 Green Bay Packers-.938 (15-1)

2004 Pittsburgh Steelers-.938 (15-1)

1998 Minnesota Vikings- .938 (15-1)

1985 Chicago Bears-.938 (15-1)

1984 San Francisco 49ers-.938 (15-1)

Best winning percentage in a single regular season in NFL history

2007 New England Patriots - 1.000 (16-0)

1972 Miami Dolphins - 1.000 (14-0)