The New England Patriots have won three Super Bowl championships this decade, but only one of those title squads made NFL.com's list of the 10 greatest teams of this decade.
The 2016 Patriots, who went 14-2 and pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history by overcoming a 28-3 second-half deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, were the lone New England team on this top 10 ranking.
The surprising omission? The 2014 Patriots.
Few people would argue the 2018 Patriots are one of the best teams of the decade. However, the 2014 squad is one of the most talented teams in recent memory, and maybe, from top to bottom, the deepest and most talented Patriots roster of all time.
The 2014 Patriots beat the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX. The Seahawks had one of the greatest defenses in league history, but led by quarterback Tom Brady (with a little help from Malcolm Butler), the Patriots became the first team ever to win a Super Bowl when trailing by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter.
So, the absence of the 2014 Patriots on this list is tough to accept for fans across New England. In fairness, these lists are hard to pin down.
Here's the full ranking, compiled by NFL Media's Tom Blair. Blair notes he limited himself to one representative per franchise, but even with that stipulation, the 2014 Patriots still should be on this list.
New England Patriots
1. 2013 Seattle Seahawks
2. 2015 Carolina Panthers
3. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles
4. 2016 New England Patriots
5. 2013 Denver Broncos
6. 2015 Arizona Cardinals
7. 2012 San Francisco 49ers
8. 2011 Green Bay Packers
9. 2018 Kansas City Chiefs
10. 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars
There's still one more season left in this decade, and regardless of how the 2019 campaign plays out, we have a feeling that the definitive best teams of the decade ranking will look quite different than the one above.
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