Top Ten of the 2010’s: NFL Seasons

That’s right, we here at BroSports are hopping on the bandwagon, summing up the best of the last decade. We’re going to be talking everything from quarterbacks to hip hop albums to video games, ranking the top ten of the 2010’s. Today, Ryan takes on a challenging task, ranking all ten of the NFL seasons from this decade.

Top Ten of the 2010’s: NFL Seasons

Just a brief disclaimer here, this isn’t a list we put together on our own. We got together, determined what made a season great, and then made a mathematical equation. It’s a super secret equation that I’ve dubbed the “Bushi Method” and if you disagree with my rankings, you’ll have to take it up with him. Or the ancient Greeks, who invented math.

10. 2019

This is a bit of a cop-out but uh… the 2019 season won’t end in 2019. We won’t see the end of this season until 2020, and an article about the 2010’s will be kinda pointless by then. This season will be missing a couple weeks of regular season football, as well as the entire post-season so, sorry 2019, you’re disqualified.

9. 2015

Cam Newton had a monster season in 2015, and that’s just about the only memorable thing that happened. Peyton Manning’s ghost split time with Brock Osweiler and only won the Super Bowl because Von Miller is superhero, the lame-duck Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs, only to get promptly smacked home, and essentially the entire post-season was nap-worthy.

8. 2016

I personally really enjoyed 2016 because the Raiders were good! They won 12 games, Khalil Mack (still a Raider at the time) took home Defensive Player of the Year, and Derek Carr was a bonafide MVP candidate before breaking his fibula. Unfortunately, the super-secret formula we created to rank the seasons didn’t feel the same way.

It’s partially because I think the wrong man won MVP. Tom Brady went on a tear in his 12 games after suspension, and ended up winning just as many games as Ryan did, not even mentioning the Super Bowl. The playoff teams in 2016 weren’t great either. The Texans basically got a bye because the Raiders lost their Carr, and Ryan Tannehill’s Dolphins made a post-season cameo.

A great Super Bowl wasn’t enough to save a season that was ultimately pretty underwhelming.

7. 2018

2018 was just missing something. It saw Patrick Mahomes rise to iconic status overnight, it saw the return of Jon Gruden, it saw the Patriots tie the Steelers with their sixth Lombardi Trophy, and that’s about it. The Super Bowl was a snoozefest, and then in the playoffs, we saw the Chiefs blow out the Colts, the Chargers blow out the Ravens, the Patriots blow out the Chargers, and then Patrick Mahomes watch the AFC Championship slip away in overtime without getting a chance to play.

This season was a chainsaw without the chain, a lot of noise, but no action, a lot of buzz, but it didn’t make the cut.

6. 2010

2010 was a very forgettable year. Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets beat Peyton Manning’s Colts and Tom Brady’s Patriots, only to watch Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers claim the AFC. A team with a losing record made the playoffs for the first time in NFL history, and actually upset the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints thanks to an amazing run by Marshawn Lynch. The Super Bowl was back-and-forth but ultimately, the Steelers didn’t have an answer for Jordy Nelson.

5. 2011

2011 was a funny year. An 8-8 team made the playoffs, lead by their quarterback-not-quarterback, Tim Tebow, and he actually made a decent run of it. We also saw the arrival of Colin Kaepernick. I think this season would be a lot higher if either of those guys were still in the NFL. The Giants and Patriots faced off in a Super Bowl rematch, but it lacked the star power of the 2007 showdown. Aaron Rodgers won MVP because he was really, really careful with the ball, but ultimately, the only memorable thing about 2011 was how annoying Tebow Time was, especially as a Raiders fan.

4. 2013

This year was something else. Peyton Manning shredded the record books, but couldn’t make a dent against Russell Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs had a bonkers wild-card game where Andrew Luck (remember him?) turned into Superman. And maybe, my favorite moment from that season, Richard Sherman cut a wrestling promo on Michael Crabtree. I was at that game! What a great year.

3. 2014

2014 was the year that saw Tom Brady’s New England Patriots win their first Super Bowl in a decade. After ten years of close calls, including two Super losses to Eli Manning’s New York Giants, Brady claimed his fourth Super Bowl ring in an instant-classic against the same Seahawks that stifled his rival the year before. This is also the year that Aaron Rodgers won the MVP that J.J. Watt deserved, and frankly, it’s a testament to how much good football there was that I was able to overlook that.

2. 2017

Who doesn’t love the story of the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles? Carson Wentz, coming into his own as a starting quarterback, pilots the Eagles to the best record in football… only to get hurt and knocked out for the year. Nick Foles, a former Eagles starting quarterback that went elsewhere and bombed, redeems himself like the prodigal son, and wins the Super Bowl by beating league MVP Tom Brady and the Patriot dynasty in a shootout. Beautiful.

This is the same year where Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown to himself against the Chiefs in the playoffs, we had the Miracle in Minnesota, and I shit you not, Nathan Peterman took more playoff snaps than Derek Carr has. What a great year.

Nathan Freakin’ Peterman.

1. 2012

Of all ten teams that I punched into my super-secret cheat sheet, the 2012 season was the only one to grab a perfect score. You want intrigue? This season had intrigue. We were introduced to Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin the Third, who all looked like quarterbacks of the future, a running back won MVP, and for the only time in NFL history, two brothers faced off as head coaches in the Super Bowl. Ray Lewis announced his retirement from the NFL, J.J. Watt had 20.5 sacks, and stud linebacker Luke Kuechly made his NFL debut.

Not to mention, the Super Bowl was a barnburner that year. The Ravens were up 28-6 minutes into the third quarter, but the 49ers fought back to make the game interesting, scoring 17 unanswered points. After a power outage, the two teams went back and forth until ultimately, the Ravens were able to secure the win.