Super Bowl power rankings: Who’s the best loser?
By John Buhler
42. 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX
The 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers went 11-5 to win the AFC Central. Under head coach Bill Cowher, the Steelers would defeat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round and the Indianapolis Colts in the 1995 AFC Championship, making it to their first Super Bowl appearance in 16 seasons.
At the time, the AFC had lost 11 straight Super Bowls and the conference was in a bit of flux, as the Bills dynasty was on the decline. Frankly, neither the Steelers or Colts were going to do much against the Dallas Cowboys in 1995, so it was almost like they were playing against a loaded deck.
Super Bowl XXX was played in the Arizona desert in Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona and Pittsburgh entered the game as a 13.5-point underdog. While the Steelers would go on to lose Super Bowl XXX to Dallas by only 10 points, 27-17, it was still a game that many in Steelers Nation would like to forget.
Many point to starting quarterback Neil O’Donnell’s three interceptions as the reason why Pittsburgh didn’t come away with the shocking upset of the favored Cowboys. The Steelers had not lost a Super Bowl in their previous four chances to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, so losing one wasn’t something that fans were used to.
It would take Cowher 10 more seasons to win his lone Super Bowl as head coach of the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks. Though Pittsburgh covered the spread in this game, their 11-5 regular season record, coming from a perceived weaker AFC, and being 13.5-point underdogs makes the 1995 Steelers as one of the worst teams to play for a Super Bowl.
Next: 41. 2008 Arizona Cardinals