Why are the '91 Redskins, who were within a Hail Mary and a dropped touchdown catch by a lineman in a meaningless Week 17 game of being undefeated, so overlooked - easily the most underrated team in NFL history? Is it because they were basically a one-hit wonder? Sure, this was the third of three champions under Joe Gibbs but because each of those had a different quarterback, running back and other various cast members, there's no frame of reference with which to remember this team. They're not the Walsh/Montana 49ers or the Belichick/Brady Patriots. With dynasties made up of a single coach and quarterback, you more remember the era, not the specific team. (Quick, who was the better 49ers team - '88 or '89? It's tough. They all blend together making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Because these Redskins were different than the '87 team and the '82 team before that, they feel like a placeholder between Niners Super Bowls, follow-ups to titles and an appetizer for the great Dallas dynasty of the '90s. Throw in the fact that Mark Rypien was their quarterback and it's easy to see why they aren't remembered as fondly as other great teams of the Super Bowl era.

You can throw out any number of stats to prove the point (the playoff margin of victory - 102-27 in competitive, non-garbage time play - is a good one) but the most telling is the +43 sack ratio. Rypien was sacked seven times in the season and it wasn't like Gibbs was running the quick-drop, West Coast offense.

Surely you'll disagree. How can a Rypien team be better than those QB'd by Montana, Brady or Manning? How can a defense that wasn't on the level of Buddy Ryan's 4-6 in Chicago or the dominant Marvin Lewis units in Baltimore be half of the best champion ever? (Remember, best champion. The 2007 Patriots are the greatest team ever but don't qualify for this list for obvious reasons.) How can a team as unmemorable as the '91 Redskins be listed above Cowboys, Steelers, 49ers and Patriots teams that played in more famous playoff games and featured better-known players?

It's exactly because of how unmemorable they were. The greatest make it look easy.