Personally I liked 2002. Almost the whole nfl was 7-9, 8-8 9-7 and the raiders/bucs and maybe the titans had 10-12 wins. It was a tight race for like 13 teams up to week 17. The patriots missed the playoffs the year after winning their first Super Bowl.
That postseason was also the Browns/Steelers comeback game. The jets blew out the colts 41-0. Michael Vick surprised everyone and beat the packers in lambeau. The 49ers beat the giants and TO had almost a career day and the game came down to a botched field goal.
the divisional round came and the eagles beat the falcons easily. The bucaneers destroyed the 49ers so badly I think I remember the cannons they fired in Raymond James stopped working because they scored so much. The Steelers lost a close game to the titans in overtime I believe. The titans kicked a field goal in ot to win and the fireworks went off for the victory but bill cowher called a time out. Del Grecco then made the kick again. The raiders toasted the jets. Tim brown, jerry rice and jerry porter were all a freakishly good trio.
Then conference championship round came around. the bucs beat the eagles badly in the 2nd half. The first half of the game you could tell the eagles were in a “here we go again” state. They were perennial championship losers. In the afc the raiders beat the titans handily.
The 2002 Super Bowl between the buccaneers and raiders was the last super bowl until 2019 that did not include one of Tom Brady, Ben roethlisbeger Or Peyton Manning.