[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by BringBackJoeT

I have mixed feelings about this, basically because the question necessarily brings the '83 team into the debate, which, outside of the 2007 Pats, is, in my opinion, the best SB team to have lost the big game. That team went into the game having won (including playoff games) 28 of its previous 31 games, put up the most regular season points in the history of the league, and outscored its NFC playoff competition 73-7 through the first seven quarters of play. What happened to the team in the following five quarters was an absolute disaster, but was just as much an absolute fluke. It's been said by many that the team's confidence got a shake in that 4th quarter against the Niners that it simply couldn't recover from going into the big game. Maybe so--it makes sense, given that the team they lost to in the SB was a team they beat in the regular season. Regardless, I know that any SB loss leaves bitterness for any fan, but I think that's the team we're talking about as the franchise's best-ever if they hadn't lost that game.

Man, what a way to cast a shadow over an otherwise positive thread.

Great post and arguments for it though. Wish I had been around to see it.