The 10 Best NFL Teams of the Last Decade
9. 2012 New England Patriots
nERD: 11.45
Record: 12-4, lost AFC Championship
Get used to seeing this name a lot on this list.
There is no team that’s won more in the last decade than the downright dynastic New England Patriots, and they can back it up with analytics. This season would become the 10th consecutive year the Patriots had finished with a double-digit win total; they were only the second team in history to achieve this feat, and have a chance to tie the record at the conclusion of the 2016 season.
The 2012 Patriots, of course, rode the offense all the way through the season, setting the ninth-best mark since 2000 in Adjusted Offensive NEP per play. Quarterback Tom Brady, slot wide receiver Wes Welker, running back Danny Woodhead, and tight end Rob Gronkowski were all in the top-10 of their positions in Total NEP this year, with Brady pacing the quarterback pack in Passing NEP. Welker himself soaked up a ridiculous 175 targets. Woodhead ranked second among running backs in Total NEP, but teammates Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley also ranked in the top-30 at the position.
The Patriots just ranked 14th in Adjusted Defensive NEP per play, however, and this mediocre showing on the other side of the ball would prove to be their undoing in the postseason. After giving up an average 20.69 points per game in the regular season, the Patriots gave up 28 in back-to-back rounds against the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, finally falling to the eventual Super Bowl champions, Baltimore.
