USATSI “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote came to mind when compiling the list of the NFL’s best teams of the 21st century. Far too often, the end result is the only thing looked at when reviewing history. Yes, the ring is the thing when it comes to legitimizing a season or even a career, but it’s not everything. Sometimes, the best team isn’t the one that is celebrating under a confetti blizzard. That brings us to our list of the NFL ‘s greatest teams of the 21st century. While the majority did win the Lombardi Trophy, several failed to win a world title. But we didn’t let their lack of postseason success cloud our judgment. Among our criteria when making the list was: who do we think would win a game between a particular team and the other great squads of the 21st century? For example, would the 2000 Ravens or 2002 Buccaneers defeat the 2007 Patriots? As great as Baltimore and Tampa’s defenses were, it’s hard to fathom Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson playing well enough to defeat New England’s defense, given how Matt Ryan fell short in his quest of doing so…