Rank all ten 1920s NFL champions, #1-to-#10

[74_75_78_79_]

Yes, the current G-men thread, mention of the ’27 team in-particular, inspires this!

Quite a handful of dominant teams to shuffle-up...

’20 Akron Pros, 8-0-3
’21 Chicago Staleys, 9-1-1
’22 Canton Bulldogs, 10-0-1
’23 Canton Bulldogs, 11-0-1
’24 Cleveland Bulldogs, 7-1-1
’25 Chicago Cardinals, 11-2-1
’26 Frankford Yellow Jackets, 14-1-2
’27 New York Giants, 11-1-1
’28 Providence Steam Roller, 8-1-2
’29 Green Bay Packers, 12-0-1

Yes, you may expand it to more than ten spots, if you like, to include ’20 Staleys, ’20 & ’21 All-Americans, ’25 Maroons, etc.

[ChrisBabcock]

Do you even have the correct champ listed for '25?

[74_75_78_79_]

Do you even have the correct champ listed for '25?

Technically, yes (TECHNICALLY).

If I do extend this to 14 (letting those others in), are the Cards #14??

[TanksAndSpartans]

I'm not including added 1920 teams, Akron won it in my opinion. I'll still have 13 though, would have been less fun with 10, thanks for opening the door on extras (I threw in the '26 AFL team for completeness)

’25 Pottsville
’26 Frankford
’29 Green Bay
’27 New York
’23 Canton
’20 Akron
’22 Canton
’21 Decatur
’21 Buffalo
’24 Cleveland
’28 Providence
’25 Chicago
’26 Philadelphia

[Todd Pence]

1. 1920 Pros (only 7 points allowed ALL SEASON!)
2. 1923 Bulldogs
3. 1927 Giants
4. 1929 Packers
5. 1924 Bulldogs
6. 1922 Bulldogs
7. 1926 Yellowjackets
8. 1928 Steamroller
9. 1921 Staleys
10. 1925 Cardinals

[TanksAndSpartans]

I really like the '20 Pros. I wish they hadn't had to shuffle the lineup for the last two games and the weather had been more conducive to Pollard's running. I somehow (Abe's Books) got a hold of Phil Dietrich's book and really enjoyed it.

[rhickok1109]

Of course, I'm biased, but it seems to me the 1929 Packers were the best of the bunch and it's not even close.

They outscored the opposition, 198-22, and basically the same team also won the next 2 NFL championships.

[74_75_78_79_]

Of course, I'm biased, but it seems to me the 1929 Packers were the best of the bunch and it's not even close.

They outscored the opposition, 198-22, and basically the same team also won the next 2 NFL championships.

Yes. Though the league had ways to go in '29, it certainly matured in the past nine years. And Curly was at helm!

With that said, here are mine...

1) '29 Packers
2) '23 Bulldogs
3a) '25 Maroons
3b) '26 Yellow Jackets
5) '22 Bulldogs
6) '27 Giants
7) '20 Pros
8 - tie) '21 Staleys & '21 All-Americans
10) '28 Steam Roller
11) '24 Bulldogs
12) '25 Cardinals

Cards were a very good team in '25, but IMO not as good as any of the eleven I place above them; and clearly weren't as good as the Maroons! Looking at Pottsville's body-of-work the following year, '26 (just look at it), could they have possibly been even better than they were in '25 - as well as better than Frankford themselves?? Looks very much like the answer is yes to both! Maybe I should have included them on this list as well (they vs '23 Bulldogs or '29 Pack would be a good ones)!

And looking at '21...Pros looked to repeat early on (7-0/7-0-1 start and yet to be scored on); but then a collapse happened.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Looking at Pottsville's body-of-work the following year, '26 (just look at it), could they have possibly been even better than they were in '25 - as well as better than Frankford themselves?? Looks very much like the answer is yes to both! Maybe I should have included them on this list as well (they vs '23 Bulldogs or '29 Pack would be a good ones)!

Really enjoy talking about this stuff. Frankford was also very good from '24 to '26. Pottsville may have been a little better on paper in '26, but I think the '25 team had some intangibles that really worked - a role player like Walter French for example.

[74_75_78_79_]

Looking at Pottsville's body-of-work the following year, '26 (just look at it), could they have possibly been even better than they were in '25 - as well as better than Frankford themselves?? Looks very much like the answer is yes to both! Maybe I should have included them on this list as well (they vs '23 Bulldogs or '29 Pack would be a good ones)!

Really enjoy talking about this stuff. Frankford was also very good from '24 to '26. Pottsville may have been a little better on paper in '26, but I think the '25 team had some intangibles that really worked - a role player like Walter French for example.

Big apology to Halas's Bears for they should be no less mentioned! My mistake! Though Bears lost to Frankfort whereas Pottsville tied them at least (0-0 in the season finale), the Bears did beat Maroons in their match at Wrigley, 9-7. Just the same, looking at those three teams that year, '26 (like other seasons prior to '33; make that prior to '32 actually) really called for some playoffs! Or more-so a 'round-robin' between the trio.

Change-of-subject, contrary to what some may say about the two back-to-back Dallas Cowboy teams exactly 70 years later (calling them 'twins' as I, myself, lean towards), I think there's enough of a difference between the '22 and '23 Bulldogs (enough to, IMO, squeeze two other '20s champs in between both as I did). If Miami in '73 would have somehow flipped around that early defeat to Oakland and also that late-season upset to Colts into wins (with all other games still playing out as they did), then those very back-to-back Dolphins squads would be seen in the very same way as those two back-to-back Bulldog squads exactly a half-century earlier - the latter unbeaten team being even more, noticeably superior.

Back to '26 - funny, look at G-men's schedule on wiki from that year and it'll show no game vs Pottsville but if you look at Pottsville's '26 schedule, it says that the Maroons beat them, 3-0, in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Oct 29? That would mean G-men finished 8-5-1 instead. Or was that, possibly, a mid-season 'exhibition' game?