Seattle Seahawks grab two spots on ESPN’s best NFL teams since 2000

It’s an impressive list, and an impressive project from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. To date, there have been 25 seasons this century. Barnwell ranked the Top 25 clubs over that span using his own statistical criteria. At the No. 1 spot, there are the nearly-perfect 2007 New England Patriots. That’s a debate within itself since their only loss that season came to the New York Giants, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII at Arizona.

At No. 2 just behind the 2007 Pats are Pete Carroll’s 2013 Seahawks—who humbled the Denver Broncos, 43-8, in Super Bowl XLVIII. “From the second half of 2012 through the end of the 2014 season,” said Barnwell, “the Seahawks were the league’s best team. They turned that run into one title and came within a yard of a second. They were the first example of how a team could build a Super Bowl contender by nailing their picks in the rookie scale era…”

“You can’t poke many holes in what this team accomplished,” added Barnwell, “The run to the Super Bowl required a fourth-quarter comeback against the 49ers and a late interception by Malcolm Smith (via Richard Sherman) to send them to the title game. There, the Seahawks delivered a performance every bit as dominant as the one we saw from the Eagles earlier this year, manhandling a Broncos team that came into the game off a 606-point regular season…”

Seahawks made a bid to repeat, but…

Despite coming up short against New England , 28-24, in Super Bowl XLIX, Barnwell put the 2014 Seahawks at No. 23 on his list.

“Although they lost by the narrowest of margins to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, I’d argue the Seahawks were the better team across the full season than their eventual conquerors. This team led the league in DVOA, thanks to a late-season surge…”

Seattle allowed the fewest total yards and fewest points in the league in 2014. They knocked off the Panthers in the divisional playoffs, and rallied to beat the Packers in overtime in the NFC title game.

“The Super Bowl was obviously a tight affair…,” said Barnwell, “The Pats made defensive adjustments as the game went on, and with Cliff Avril sidelined by a midgame concussion, the pass rush eventually wore out, allowing Tom Brady to go 13-of-15 and score twice on New England’s final two drives of the game. (Jermaine) Kearse’s miraculous catch gave the Seahawks life, but after Dont’a Hightower made a title-saving tackle on Marshawn Lynch at the one-yard line, Malcolm Butler became a household name. The Legion of Boom-era Seahawks never challenged for a title again…”