We cross the nation today on NFL Thursday miniseries, moving west to the Best Coast (offense?). The first team to reach five Super Bowl victories, the San Francisco 49ers have been one of the better NFL franchises since waking up from the dead in the early 1980s. Overall, the organization has won 54.5 percent of its regular-season games—in addition to those five Super Bowls, albeit none since 1994’s dawn of free agency.

With 29 playoff appearances in 77 seasons dating back to the team’s inception in 1946 for the All-America Football Conference (along with the Cleveland Browns), the 49ers haven’t struck gold as often as people might think. However, S.F. has won 22 division titles along the way—and those five NFL titles, three of which are not on the list below (1981, 1988, 1989). The first two of those teams are way down the list, actually.

No. 5: 1994 San Francisco 49ers

This is the 49ers’ most recent championship team, and it comes with an asterisk, sadly. But the team went 13-3 to win the NFC West while finishing with the No. 1 offense, the No. 6 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. San Francisco had little trouble beating Chicago in the division round, 44-15, and the 49ers finally vanquished their nemesis in the conference championship before winning the Super Bowl pretty easily.

The roster was big on star power: quarterback Steve Young (22 Approximate Value), wide receiver Jerry Rice (21), cornerback Deion Sanders (18), and running back Ricky Watters (18) led the way, as Young was voted the MVP. Beating the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC title game, 38-28, was the big accomplishment here (see below), and the 49-26 Super Bowl win over the helpless San Diego Chargers was really an afterthought.

No. 4: 1992 San Francisco 49ers

After missing the playoffs in 1991, the 49ers came back big with a 14-2 record and another NFC West title. They had the No. 1 offense, the No. 3 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. Alas, they came up short in the playoffs, losing on their home field in the NFC Championship Game to the Cowboys, who went on to win the Super Bowl. No one really remembers S.F.’s 20-13 playoff win over the defending champs, though.

Seven players posted at least 15 AV on this team, led again by Young (22), who won the MVP vote for the first time. Only one of those seven players, defensive end Pierce Holt (15), was on defense, strangely. The 49ers were up 17-3 on the Washington Redskins at halftime in the divisional round before hanging on in the second half. Then the Cowboys came into town and dominated the second half to eliminate San Francisco.

No. 3: 1995 San Francisco 49ers

This is a surprise entry to us, since we remember this team as being so flawed. The 11-5 record could be the reason, despite the NFC West crown. But the offense was No. 1, the defense was No. 2, and the No. 1 SRS ranking overall reminds us of things forgotten. Of course, the SOS was third worst in the NFC, so it was a mirage of sorts—as the Green Bay Packers revealed in a 27-17 victory on the road in S.F. during the playoffs.

Rice (19) led the team in what was his greatest season ever, but no other players topped 15 AV. Maybe that’s another reason the team’s high rank here surprises us. Ten players overall registered double-digit AV, however. But the playoff game against voted league MVP Brett Favre and the Packers was a disaster: Green Bay jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back against the defending champs.

No. 2: 1984 San Francisco 49ers

We are surprised this team is not tops on the list, as it came just 3 points from undefeated season on the way to the Super Bowl title. With a 15-1 record (only losing 20-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home), San Francisco won the NFC West with the No. 2 offense, the No. 1 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. They won three playoff games by a combined 82-26 score, including wins over the next two SB champs.

The roster mixed interesting top players: CB Eric Wright (18 AV), tackle Keith Fahnhorst (17), QB Joe Montana (16), and guard Randy Cross (15). The defense shutout the New York Giants in the second half of the NFC Divisional (21-10); in the NFC title tilt, the offense outgained the Chicago Bears by more than 200 yards in a 23-0 win. The 38-16 Super Bowl victory over MVP Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins was firm.

No. 1: 1987 San Francisco 49ers

This was the replacement-player season, so three of the victories in a 13-2 campaign were the direct result of the player strike. It’s weird to put this team at the top, therefore, but math is math. These Niners won the NFC West and finished with the No. 1 offense, the No. 3 defense, and the No. 1 overall SRS ranking. S.F. won its last three games by a combined 124-7 score, and then after a playoff bye, the 49ers laid the hugest egg.

Nose tackle Michael Carter (17 AV), free safety Ronnie Lott (16), Montana (16), and Rice (15) were the studs this time around the block. Interestingly enough, the playoff opponent—Minnesota—went 0-3 in replacement-player games, so its 8-7 record was deceiving. This was more like a 10-2 team facing an 8-4 team in the playoffs, as the Vikings went up 20-3 at halftime in a 36-24 victory that saw Montana benched.