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BY IRA KAUFMAN

Great, yes. Historic? Not quite.

The 2020 Bucs closed with a rush, outscoring opponents by an average of 15 points during an 8-game winning streak that also featured a plus-9 turnover margin. Tom Brady found his stride in the stretch run while a relentless pass rush hounded some iconic quarterbacks.

Finding their place

The Arians Gang will be remembered as one of the premier teams of the Super Bowl era, but last season’s club doesn’t quite stack up to the best of the best.

A young secondary had its ups and downs and the Bucs found themselves at 7-5 heading into the bye week, in real danger of extending the NFC’s longest playoff drought to 13 years. That didn’t happen because Tampa Bay peaked at the right time, with Brady throwing 22 TD passes and only four picks in those final eight games.

Here, in chronological order, are 10 Super Bowl champs who were more dominant in their time.

1966 PACKERS: League MVP Bart Starr was one of eight Pro Bowlers who made Vince Lombardi proud as Green Bay routed the Chiefs in the second half of Super Bowl I.

1972 DOLPHINS: Still the only perfect team in the NFL’s 100-year history. Miami defeated all 17 opponents with incredible self-discipline and football smarts demanded by Don Shula.

1973 DOLPHINS: Averaged 234 rushing yards in the postseason while posting an 85-33 scoring advantage. The backfield of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Mercury Morris proved unstoppable.

1978 STEELERS: Nine Hall of Fame players and a head coach (Chuck Noll) also represented by a bust in Canton. This marauding defense registered a staggering 62 takeaways in 19 games.

1984 49ERS: A year before Jerry Rice came aboard, Joe Montana and versatile Roger Craig guided San Francisco to a 15-1 mark before dismantling Dan Marino’s Dolphins on the NFL’s biggest stage.

1985 BEARS: You can’t help but marvel at Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense, a terrifying unit that overwhelmed opponents. That 91-10 scoring margin in the postseason says it all.

1989 49ERS: Montana and Rice at the peak of their powers, highlighted by three postseason blowouts en route to back-to-back titles.

1991 REDSKINS: Perhaps the most overlooked Super Bowl champion, Washington’s only two setbacks came by a combined 5-point margin. The Gibbs Gang boasted an average scoring differential of 16 points and a startling sack differential of plus-43.

1993 COWBOYS: Opened 0-2 without contract holdout Emmitt Smith, who would go on to win league MVP honors. Jimmy Johnson’s final year in Big D featured 11 Pro Bowl players.

2013 SEAHAWKS: Powered by the Legion of Boom, Seattle’s defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and takeaways. Facing a Denver attack that still holds the NFL record for most points scored in a season, the Seahawks manhandled Peyton Manning in a 43-8 Super Bowl rout.

I’ve got the 2020 Bucs sitting at 12-15 in this pantheon of Super Bowl stalwarts.

In Year 3 under Arians, the Bucs will have every opportunity to crack the Top 10.

The league’s most talented and deepest roster figures to be bolstered by the return of Vita Vea and O.J. Howard from major injuries. If Tampa Bay pulls off a championship repeat, the 2021 Bucs would merit serious consideration for this list.

You have to believe that Brady’s already thinking about a 20-0 season.

That’s called perfection — and that’s perfectly fine with Buc Nation.