This weekend the New England Patriots will attempt to cap off their quest to match the unbeaten mark set by the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who not only ran the table during the regular season, but also went on to win Super Bowl VII over the Washington Redskins. That particular season put the Dolphins on a pedestal, and thrust them squarely in the middle of the debate over the greatest teams in NFL history. However, as time has passed and athletes have grown bigger, faster, and stronger, it becomes more and more difficult each year to keep suggesting that they belong in the same category as some of the great teams of more recent years.

Regardless of how they stack up to today's teams, the historic significance of their accomplishment can't be denied. It's taken 35 years for a single team to make it into the post-season with an unblemished record, and there's certainly no guarantee the Patriots will complete the deal this time around.

If New England does, in fact, accomplish the ultimate goal and win Super Bowl XLII, however, it will be tough to not place them at the top of the NFL's all-time greatest teams. And not just because of the wins, but because of the way they thoroughly dominated so many opponents this year.

Even though their margin of victory was no more than 10 points in four of their last six games, they ended the season averaging nearly 20 points per game more than they surrendered. Only six times all year did they win by less than three touchdowns, and they outscored their opposition by a whopping 315 points.

That's about as dominating as it gets in the NFL!