MY 25 BEST WILD-CARD TEAMS OF ALL TIME, RANKED

The NFL has four more wild-card teams preparing to upset their respective conferences' seeding hierarchies this week. Here are the teams the 2018 qualifiers are trying to join. These are the best wild-card teams since the AFL-NFL merger.

25. 1984 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Although the 1983 Seahawks advanced to the AFC Championship Game, their '84 edition was better. At 12-4 with the NFL's No. 5 offense and defense, Seattle had its best team until at least 2005. This came without standout running back Curt Warner, lost for the season in Week 1. Steve Largent added a career-high 11 TDs, and Kenny Easley and Dave Brown combined for 18 INTs. The Seahawks beat the defending-champion Raiders twice, the second in a 13-7 wild-card win, but could not eliminate the Dolphins. After losing to the Seahawks in the previous playoffs, Dan Marino torched them in the divisional round.

24. 1979 HOUSTON OILERS

The Steelers' last AFC challenger during their 1970s reign, the Oilers provided a threat in 1979. Bum Phillips' team beat Pittsburgh in the Astrodome and topped the Broncos in the wild-card round. Despite missing Earl Campbell and quarterback Dan Pastorini in Round 2 in San Diego, the Oilers stunned Air Coryell — thanks in large part to Vernon Perry's four-interception game — to book a Steelers rubber match. Campbell and Pastorini returned in Pittsburgh, but the Oilers saw a key call go against them. The favorites may have won anyway, but the 27-13 loss ended the Oilers' best Super Bowl hope.

23. 1998 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

In Steve Young's final year as the 49ers' full-time starter, the two-time MVP threw a career-high 36 touchdown passes. Many of those went to Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens, though J.J. Stokes added eight TDs. The end-of-an-era team went 12-4, beat the Jets on Garrison Hearst's tremendous walk-off run and split with the NFC champion Falcons. This team is known for Young's all-time throw to Owens that beat the Packers in a wild-card classic. The Falcons eliminated the 49ers the next week. The following September, a vicious hit forced Young to retire. The Young-Joe Montana 49ers made 15 playoff berths in 16 years.

22. 2010 NEW YORK JETS

In two seasons, Rex Ryan's Jets defense stopped Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the playoffs. The 2010 team outperformed the '09 outfit, finishing 11-5 and beating the Patriots and Steelers in the regular season. Manning's Colts tenure ended at the Jets' hands in the wild-card round, and in Round 2 Gang Green exacted revenge on a 14-2 Pats team that beat them 45-3 in the rivals' December rematch. The Jets sacked Brady five times, and Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes. The Steelers prevailed in the ensuing "Can't Wait" game, however, swiftly slamming the door on this brief era.

21. 1989 LOS ANGELES RAMS

Despite trading Eric Dickerson during the 1987 season, the retooled Rams soon made it back to the NFC Championship Game. Los Angeles went 11-5 behind the NFL's No. 2 offense, with Jim Everett throwing for 4,310 yards and wideouts Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson each clearing 1,100. The Rams beat the 49ers in September and upset the Eagles and Giants in the playoffs, the latter via an Anderson walk-off. But the NFC's 1980s landscape featured some of the greatest teams ever; the '89 49ers may be the best of those. The NFC title game rout ended this Rams nucleus' road; they didn't make the playoffs again until Kurt Warner arrived.

20. 1987 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The one team that did crack the late-1980s 49ers did not have a great regular season. Part of the Vikings' 8-7 record can be attributed to their replacement players going 0-3 during the strike. Minnesota's regulars ran into the 49ers for three straight years in the divisional playoffs, and the NFC's lowest 1987 seed stunned San Francisco to the point Bill Walsh benched Joe Montana. After the Vikings' 44-10 romp over a 12-3 Saints team, Anthony Carter shredded the 49ers for 227 yards. The Vikings could not get past the Redskins in the NFC title game and could not navigate the 49ers the next two years, ending this underrated run.

19. 1985 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

This team did, in fact, reach Super Bowl XX, but its place in history is denying a Dan Marino-Bears rematch. Raymond Berry's Patriots carried a top-10 offense and defense. They won six straight midseason, split with the Dolphins and were not obliterated in Chicago (a 20-7 loss). Tony Eason was off the pace of his legendary 1983 draft peers, but he did start in playoff wins over the Jets, Raiders and Dolphins, throwing three TDs in the AFC title game. Then, well, you've seen the highlights. The '85 Bears: pretty good. Eason went 0-for-6 before seemingly 25-year Patriot cog Steve Grogan replaced him.

18. 1976 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

An interesting what-if on multiple fronts: The Patriots were the only team to beat the Raiders in 1976, doing so in a 48-17 Week 4 stunner. When the teams reconvened, 11-3 New England had Oakland facing elimination when a friendly roughing-the-passer call revived the eventual Super Bowl champs. This denied the Patriots — the No. 2 offense behind a Sam Cunningham- and Steve Grogan-fueled ground game — a chance to face a depleted Steelers team and denied the Steel Curtain a home game amid a three-peat bid. While the Chuck Fairbanks-era Pats produced more solid teams, this one had the best chance.

17. 2005 CAROLINA PANTHERS

Rarely has a wide receiver dominated a playoff game to the degree Steve Smith did in the 2005 divisional round. The emerging pass-catcher tagged the Bears for 12 catches, 218 yards and two touchdowns to send the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game. Carolina went 11-5 that year, but Tampa Bay held the NFC South tiebreaker. Smith dominated Jake Delhomme's target share, going for 1,563 yards while no other Panther exceeded 500. After the Panthers barely let the Giants cross midfield in a 23-0 Round 1 win, their Smith reliance caught up to them. The Seahawks' blanketed him, cooling off a dangerous team.

16. 1980 DALLAS COWBOYS

Tom Landry's first post-Roger Staubach team kept his famed system operating in high gear. Backup Danny White took over, and the Cowboys ended the year with the NFL's No. 1 offense. White and Drew Pearson hooked up twice to save Dallas in a divisional-round comeback win in Atlanta. But the Cowboys could not push through to a Super Bowl behind White. The 1980 team went down to the Eagles, who handled the Cowboys easier than either the Super Bowl champion '81 49ers or '82 Redskins did in the ensuing two conference championship games.

15. 2008 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Although immortalized in the movie "Silver Linings Playbook," the 2008 Eagles had stand-alone potency. Football Outsiders' DVOA metric had a 9-6-1 Eagles team that squeaked into the playoffs at No. 1. Brian Dawkins' tour de force effort keyed the underachieving Eagles' Week 17 romp past Dallas, and Philadelphia didn't have much trouble with Tarvaris Jackson or the No. 1-seeded (and sans-Plaxico Burress) Giants in the playoffs. But the subsequent duel in Arizona, a rare conference title game between nine-win teams, went the Cardinals' way. The Eagles did not win another playoff game under Andy Reid.

14. 1971 BALTIMORE COLTS

Johnny Unitas' playoff swan song came for these defending Super Bowl champions. The Colts outscored opponents by 173 points, and the NFL's No. 2 defense produced four Pro Bowlers (including All-Pros Ted Hendricks and Rick Volk). Baltimore pitched three shutouts and held three other teams to three points, including the AFC Central champion Browns in a 20-3 divisional playoff win. Unitas and Earl Morrall saw a fair share of snaps, with a 38-year-old Unitas seeing the postseason starts. He threw three interceptions to Miami's Jake Scott in a 21-0 defeat in the conference title game. 

13. 2012 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

While the aughts Seahawks mostly preyed on weak NFC West opposition, this group faced steady rivals. Russell Wilson supplanted supposed starter Matt Flynn in training camp, and although Robert Griffin III was 2012's top rookie, the Seahawks made one of the greatest draft picks ever in grabbing Wilson in Round 3. This was the Legion of Boom's breakout, too, as you may recall. The Seahawks began a four-year run as the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense. Seattle (11-5) won its final five games, ended RG3's season and had No. 1-seeded Atlanta reeling before Matt Bryant's game-winner. Bigger conquests were ahead.

12. 2013 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

After seeing the Seahawks pry the NFC West away after back-to-back 49ers titles, the 2013 iteration nearly made it back to the Super Bowl. With Alex Smith gone, Colin Kaepernick received the keys; he led the defending NFC champs to a 12-4 record and accounted for a career-high 25 touchdowns. The 49ers remained a defensively oriented team, pairing Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman for a final season. Jim Harbaugh's group beat the Packers and Panthers before a classic NFC Championship Game went the Seahawks' way, effectively ending an out-of-nowhere 49er resurgence.

11. 2008 BALTIMORE RAVENS

The AFC North's top rivalry crested in 2008. The Ravens' No. 3-ranked defense had three Defensive Players of the Year on the roster; the Steelers' No. 1 unit had two. Ed Reed catalyzed the first John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco team, totaling an unfathomable 340 interception return yards and three TDs (counting the playoffs). While Troy Polamalu's INT return sealed Pittsburgh's Super Bowl bid and third win over Baltimore that year, the Ravens (11-5, No. 2 DVOA) — who upset the No. 1-seeded Titans in Round 2 — re-established themselves in '08, starting a surge that ended with the Super Bowl XLVII championship in 2013.

10. 1999 TENNESSEE TITANS

Known mostly for the Music City Miracle and a failed goal-line extension, these Titans went 13-3 and were the only team to beat the AFC's top seed that year. The 14-2 Jaguars committed six turnovers in a 33-14 loss in the conference championship game, which came in the Titans' first year after their Oilers transition. Jevon Kearse also set the NFL's still-standing rookie sack record, with 14.5. The Titans scored 16 straight points to tie the Rams in the now-underrated Super Bowl XXXIV. Jeff Fisher's teams earned future byes but were never as close to a title as these Titans were.

9. 1992 BUFFALO BILLS

Frank Reich may be more known for his coaching when his career ends; 1992 was his playing days' apex. Jim Kelly started 16 games for the 11-5 Bills, whose run of four straight AFC East crowns ceased in '92 when the Dolphins usurped them. A Kelly Week 17 injury created Reich's opportunity, and the Oilers — who beat the Kelly-led Bills the week prior — never recovered. After leading the 32-point comeback, Reich powered Buffalo past No. 2-seeded Pittsburgh. Kelly returned to help the Bills reassert command over the Dolphins in the AFC title game. Matters did not go as well in Buffalo's next outing.

8. 1977 OAKLAND RAIDERS

After five straight years with a Steelers playoff matchup, the Raiders in 1977 encountered new challenges. The defending Super Bowl champions had to play on the road twice in the playoffs, losing their perennial AFC West crown to the 12-2 Broncos. The Raiders boasted a plus-131 point differential — better than all three Silver and Black Super Bowl seasons — and bested the Colts in the "Ghost to the Post"divisional-round classic. Aided by a no-call on a goal-line fumble, the Broncos beat the Raiders in Denver for the Super Bowl XII bid. John Madden retired a year later.

7. 1975 DALLAS COWBOYS

Not the Cowboys' best work, but it is one of the finest in wild-card history. The Cardinals won the NFC East. Five Roger Staubach offenses were statistically superior to 1975's; almost every other "Doomsday" defense was, too. Dallas (10-4) lost to three non-playoff teams and was on the cusp of losing its opening-round game in Minnesota. Staubach's deified game-winner to Drew Pearson thrust the term "Hail Mary" into the football vernacular. The Cowboys bludgeoned the Rams 37-7 in the NFC Championship Game, leading to the Steelers' first victory in the Super Bowl's most common matchup. 

6. 1980 OAKLAND RAIDERS

The Chargers ran the AFC West at this point, and the 11-5 Raiders (No. 7 in points, 10th defensively) were not as statistically impressive. This season also provided Jim Plunkett's rebirth stage, the former No. 1 overall pick replacing an injured Dan Pastorini. Oh, and cornerback Lester Hayes (with some aid) intercepted 18 passes in Oakland's 20 games. Tom Flores' first title is not as revered as John Madden's, but this team was the first wild-card champion. The Raiders ended the Oilers' Luv Ya Blue spurt, spoiled a Browns uprising and denied the Bolts. Their 27-10 Super Bowl XV win over the Eagles came easy. 

5. 2010 GREEN BAY PACKERS

Super Bowl XLV is now known more as Aaron Rodgers' only title than for the Packers' actual achievement. The NFC's sixth seed became a lethal operation, with Rodgers' dismantling of the No. 1-slotted Falcons doubling as one of this generation's most forgotten masterpieces. Green Bay went 10-6 but outscored opponents by 148 points. Unlike many of Mike McCarthy's final Packer teams, this one carried a dynamic defense (ranked second). Green Bay beat a weaker No. 2 seed in Chicago to get to the Super Bowl but led Pittsburgh throughout in one of Rodgers' finest hours.

4. 2007 NEW YORK GIANTS

Eli Manning's Hall of Fame case hinges on eight playoff games. He delivered the first four of these salvos in his fourth year. The Giants rallied from 0-2 to 10-6, Manning throwing an NFL-most 20 interceptions. Tom Coughlin's team beat the Buccaneers, No. 1-seeded Cowboys and ended Brett Favre's Packers career before Super Bowl XLII. The Justin Tuck-Michael Strahan-Osi Umenyiora crew halted the Patriots' record-setting march, setting up heroics from David Tyree and Plaxico Burress in one of the NFL's most celebrated games. The Giants beating this set of opponents in the fashion they did masks an underwhelming regular season.

3. 2000 BALTIMORE RAVENS

Joining the 1976 Steelers, 1985 Bears, 2015 Broncos and select others in the best-defense-ever conversation, these Ravens reached intergalactic status by the time they were done. Baltimore slipped to 5-4, pivoted from Tony Banks to Trent Dilfer and won its final 11 games. The Ravens' 165 points allowed remain a 16-game-season record. They won each playoff tilt by at least 13 points and Super Bowl XXXV by 27 on a night the defense did not cede a point to a Giants team that scored 41 in the NFC title game. Ray Lewis and Co. held the AFC's top two seeds (the Titans and Raiders) to 13 combined points. 

2. 1997 DENVER BRONCOS

Finally giving John Elway sufficient help, in the form of Terrell Davis and a then-new-age zone-blocking scheme, the Broncos soared early. But they stumbled late, losing three times in five games — one of those on a last-second field goal in Kansas City. This gave the Chiefs the No. 1 seed, despite the 12-4 Broncos' NFL-best plus-185 differential. Denver won four straight, including a 14-10 divisional-round game in Kansas City and upsetting Green Bay — a double-digit favorite — in Super Bowl XXXII for its first Super Bowl title. An even better Bronco team repeated as champs in Elway's final season.

1. 2005 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

None of the Steelers' six championships involved a defense ranked outside the top five. In 2005, Pittsburgh rode the No. 3 defense and a blossoming star quarterback to give Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis their long-sought-after rings. Ben Roethlisberger missed four games in a year when it took 11 wins to make the AFC playoffs. Charlie Batch filled in for two big victories. Big Ben, a three-Pro Bowler defense, multiple trick plays and one of the worst field goal tries ever helped the Steelers win their final eight games. The AFC's No. 6 seed beat the Bengals, Broncos and Seahawks by double digits.