This past Super Bowl Sunday saw the Chiefs defeat the 49ers 25-22 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. With 58 Super Bowls now having come and gone, it poses an interesting thought.

When looking at how each respective champion fared on their path to becoming champions, ESPN recently ranked every Super Bowl-winning team. These rankings were done based on DVOA ratings that account for play-by-play efficiency.

Below is where the two victorious Bucs’ squads of 2002 and 2020 slot in.

2020 Bucs Squad Slots In Top Half Of Rankings

The first Bucs Super Bowl champion team ESPN ranked is at No. 20 with the 2020 roster that beat the Chiefs 31-9. Here is what ESPN’s Aaron Schatz had to say of the Tom Brady-led crew that kept the Lombardi Trophy in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers were fourth in total DVOA for 2020 although they would have been No. 1 without a single game, a 38-3 stomping at the hands of the Saints in Week 9. Overall, the Bucs were third on offense and fifth on defense.

Things didn’t look so good when the Bucs were 7-5 at their bye week, but they won their final four games of the regular season and then another four games in the playoffs. First came a wild-card victory over Washington 31-23, then revenge in New Orleans with a 30-20 score. They beat the Packers 31-26 in a Brady-Rodgers NFC Championship Game, and their biggest playoff win was 31-9 over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

As former head coach Bruce Arians recently told Pewter Report, this victory looks all the more sweet when considering that it meant defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who look well on their way to becoming the next NFL dynasty.

“I think it’s gaining a little more traction that we were a pretty good football team that year,” Arians said. “We take a lot of pride in it, and especially the way we did it.”

The Chiefs were not the only challenger Tampa Bay had to overcome. It also meant going into New Orleans to beat Drew Brees and the Saints in his final NFL game and then heading up to Lambeau Field in late January to win against Aaron Rodgers at the peak of his MVP powers.

All told, this Buccaneers’ team had to beat three of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, and did so after going just 7-9 the previous season. It was a team effort that got them there, as the high-scoring offense paired with a dominant defense led by the likes of Lavonte David, Devin White, Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaquil Barrett, a rookie Antoine Winfield Jr., and many others.

The 2002 Bucs Rank Well Thanks To A Historic Defense

While the 2020 team ranked highly, one other Bucs’ team ranked higher, and that is the 2002 team which ranked at No. 14. Although this group did not have the best offense, the defense was historic. Here is what Schatz had to say about this Buccaneers’ squad:

Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden and owner Malcom Glazer – Photo by: USA Today

This team ranked only 22nd in offensive DVOA. But the Bucs had the best pass defense DVOA ever put up in a full nonstrike season, and the third-best total defense in DVOA history behind the 1991 Eagles and 1986 Bears. Both sides of the ball worked together well once the Bucs got to the postseason, as they won by an average margin of 23.0 points per game.

The divisional game was a 31-6 beatdown of the 49ers. In the NFC Championship Game, they got 27-10 revenge against an Eagles team that had beaten them in Week 7. And in Super Bowl XXXVII, Dwight Smith had two pick-sixes off Rich Gannon, and Keenan McCardell caught two touchdown passes from Brad Johnson as the Buccaneers easily won, 48-21.

On offense, Brad Johnson did enough to put points on the scoreboard to support his defense. It helped that the other side of the ball only allowed 12.3 points per game.

When one thinks of the best defenses in NFL history, the 1985 Bears and 2000 Ravens are often the first that come to mind. But the 2002 group is not far behind as it boasted the likes of Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch. Those four all have gold jackets, and perhaps Simeon Rice could someday make it five just from one defense. Besides that group of stars, they were supported that season by co-stars like Brian Kelly, Dwight Smith, and Dexter Jackson.

With the 2023 season having ended and all eyes fixated on 2024, it is worth remembering the two best Bucs teams in team history and how they were able to reach the pinnacle of success.

Where would you rank these teams? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.