The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only unbeaten team in the 100-year history of the NFL, a feat they preserved when the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks Monday night. The 49ers were the league's final unbeaten team with an 8-0 record prior to the loss, getting only halfway to the historic milestone, not counting the playoffs.
While the Dolphins are the only team to be perfect, they aren't the only team to have a perfect regular season. The 2007 New England Patriots finished the regular season with a 16-0 record, but they are not the only team other than the Dolphins to have a perfect regular season in the NFL. The 1942 Chicago Bears started the season 11-0, but lost the NFL Championship Game to the Washington Redskins. Interesting enough, the 1934 Bears started the year 13-0 with a perfect regular season, but fell to the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game.
There are a few teams that finished a season without a loss: The 1920 Akron Pros (8-0-3), the 1922 Canton Bulldogs (10-0-2), 1923 Canton Bulldogs (11-0-1), and the 1929 Green Bay Packers (12-0-1). Those teams also had a tie on their resume, unlike the 1972 Dolphins. Five teams finished a season without a loss, but only one remained perfect.
How impressive was the feat the 1972 Dolphins accomplished? Take a look at all 32 NFL teams and their best unbeaten starts to the season, proving why matching the feat of the 1972 Dolphins appears unparalleled:
| Team | Best unbeaten start to a season |
|---|---|
7-0 (1974) | |
8-0 (2012) | |
4-0 (2006) | |
9-0 (1964) | |
14-0 (2015) | |
Chicago Bears | 13-0 (1934) *Lost NFL Championship |
6-0 (1988) | |
14-0 (1948, perfect season in All-American Football Conference), 11-0 (1953, NFL) | |
8-0 (1977) | |
13-0 (1998) | |
10-0 (1934) | |
Green Bay Packers | 13-0 (2011) |
5-0 (2012) | |
14-0 (2009) | |
5-0 (1998) | |
9-0 (2003, 2013) | |
11-0 (1961) | |
11-0 (1969) | |
Miami Dolphins | 17-0 (1972) *Perfect Season |
10-0 (1975) | |
New England Patriots | 18-0 (2007) *Lost Super Bowl |
13-0 (2009) | |
New York Giants | 10-0 (1990) |
3-0 (2009) | |
4-0 (1968, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1990, 2002) | |
7-0 (2004) | |
7-0 (1978) | |
San Francisco 49ers | 10-0 (1990) |
Seattle Seahawks | 4-0 (2013) |
5-0 (1979) | |
10-0 (2008) | |
Washington Redskins | 11-0 (1991) |
The 1948 Cleveland Browns did finish with a perfect season, but in the All-American Football Conference, two years before the NFL merged with those teams. The first year the Browns competed in the NFL was 1950.
The Dolphins accomplishment what may be the most impressive feat in NFL history. Maybe one NFL team will finish with a perfect record in the next 100 years.
