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New England Patriots One Win Away from Best Team in American Sports Since Robert Kraft Bought the Franchise

The Patriots are one win away from being the best team in American sports.

By Rich Hill
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots need to beat the Dallas Cowboys in week 5 to a claim a title that would make owner Robert Kraft pretty happy.

Since Kraft purchased the franchise in 1994, the Patriots have posted a 232-107 regular season record, with 14 of a possible 21 division titles, 10 AFC Conference Championship appearances, seven Super Bowl appearances, and four Super Bowl titles. They have undeniably been the best team in football under Kraft's ownership.

But they haven't been the best team in all of American sports. That crown belongs to the San Antonio Spurs, with their 1146-528 record, 13 division titles, 10 Western Conference Finals appearances, six NBA Finals appearances, and five NBA Championships.

At this point in time, the Spurs are the only team in American sports with a better winning record than the Patriots and it's down to fractions of a point. With a victory over the Cowboys, the Patriots will jump the Spurs to hold the best winning record in American sports since 1994. Below is a list of the top 50.

Rk Franchise League GP W L T WP Consec. Wins from 1st
1 San Antonio Spurs NBA 1674 1146 528 0 68.5% -
2 New England Patriots NFL 339 232 107 0 68.4% 1
3 Green Bay Packers NFL 338 218 119 1 64.6% 41
4 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL 339 213 125 1 63.0% 59
5 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1572 922 549 101 61.9% 329
6 Los Angeles Lakers NBA 1674 1027 647 0 61.4% 378
7 Indianapolis Colts NFL 339 206 133 0 60.8% 83
8 Denver Broncos NFL 339 206 133 0 60.8% 83
9 New York Yankees MLB 3502 2056 1446 0 58.7% 1083
10 Utah Jazz NBA 1674 973 701 0 58.1% 549
11 Dallas Mavericks NBA 1674 961 713 0 57.4% 587
12 Phoenix Suns NBA 1674 953 721 0 56.9% 612
13 Oklahoma City Thunder NBA 1674 952 722 0 56.9% 616
14 Miami Heat NBA 1674 949 725 0 56.7% 625
15 New Jersey Devils NHL 1572 834 631 107 56.5% 599
16 Atlanta Braves MLB 3502 1967 1535 0 56.2% 1365
17 Houston Rockets NBA 1674 938 736 0 56.0% 660
18 Indiana Pacers NBA 1673 928 745 0 55.5% 689
19 Philadelphia Eagles NFL 339 187 150 2 55.5% 140
20 Dallas Stars NHL 1572 813 647 112 55.3% 657
21 Colorado Avalanche NHL 1572 814 652 106 55.2% 664
22 Baltimore Ravens NFL 307 168 138 1 54.9% 133
23 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1572 798 653 121 54.6% 691
24 San Francisco 49ers NFL 339 184 154 1 54.4% 151
25 Dallas Cowboys NFL 339 184 155 0 54.3% 153
26 Boston Red Sox MLB 3502 1900 1602 0 54.3% 1578
27 St. Louis Cardinals MLB 3502 1896 1606 0 54.1% 1590
28 Portland Blazers NBA 1674 906 768 0 54.1% 761
29 St. Louis Blues NHL 1572 783 683 106 53.2% 762
30 Los Angeles Dodgers MLB 3502 1857 1645 0 53.0% 1714
31 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1572 789 697 86 52.9% 775
32 Seattle Seahawks NFL 339 179 160 0 52.8% 169
33 Anaheim Angels MLB 3502 1846 1656 0 52.7% 1749
34 Minnesota Vikings NFL 339 178 160 1 52.7% 170
35 Vancouver Canucks NHL 1572 768 688 116 52.5% 794
36 San Jose Sharks NHL 1572 776 698 98 52.5% 797
37 Chicago Bulls NBA 1674 876 798 0 52.3% 857
38 San Francisco Giants MLB 3502 1827 1675 0 52.2% 1809
39 Boston Bruins NHL 1572 766 698 108 52.2% 813
40 Cleveland Indians MLB 3502 1824 1678 0 52.1% 1819
41 New York Giants NFL 339 175 163 1 51.8% 180
42 Orlando Magic NBA 1674 866 808 0 51.7% 888
43 Oakland Athletics MLB 3502 1810 1692 0 51.7% 1863
44 Ottawa Senators NHL 1572 760 710 102 51.6% 841
45 Detroit Pistons NBA 1674 863 811 0 51.6% 898
46 San Diego Chargers NFL 339 173 166 0 51.0% 188
47 Washington Capitals NHL 1572 752 723 97 50.9% 875
48 Chicago White Sox MLB 3502 1773 1729 0 50.6% 1980
49 Texas Rangers MLB 3502 1773 1729 0 50.6% 1980
50 Miami Dolphins NFL 339 171 168 0 50.4% 194

While it isn't another Super Bowl title, which is the obvious goal for the franchise, taking over for the team with the winningest record ain't a bad midseason milestone.

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