With Super Bowl LII closing in, here’s a ranking of the 51 teams who ended up losing the Super Bowl.
Just because one’s team is fortunate enough to play in a Super Bowl doesn’t mean that their favorite team to come away victorious. In fact, in the first 51 years that the AFC has played the NFC in the Super Bowl, 24 different organizations have experienced what it is like to lose the most watched game on television each year.
Some teams like the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles have been to multiple Super Bowls and have never once hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Other organizations like, the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, had to lose a few times before winning their first Super Bowl.
However in some years, there were certainly teams that were good enough to win a Super Bowl, but ultimately came up short. Some could suggest that a few of those unfortunate losers could have possibly won a Super Bowl had just a few things gone their way instead of against them. Not every team that lost a Super Bowl did so because of a few unlucky bounces or calls, as every team lost the biggest game of their season for a reason.
Not all losing teams are categorically losers, though. By comparing season win/loss records, each Super Bowl point spread, and the number of points each loser lost by, it can be determined which Super Bowl loser was the best, which was the worst, and every space in between.
51. Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl 50
Even though they managed to go 15-1, no one took the Carolina Panthers seriously. Cam Newton was on his way to being an MVP, the defense was a stout unit — yet there was always a fear that the other shoe would drop.
That happened in Super Bowl 50 when the Panthers were obliterated by a Denver Broncos defense that shredded Newton and his offensive attack. It wasn’t much of an attack, as the receiving corps for the Panthers was about as sad as the end result of the Super Bowl. It was a fantastic run for Carolina but it was one of the worst Super Bowl teams we’ve ever seen.
50. 2017 Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl LI
Everything seemed to line up perfectly for the Atlanta Falcons. For once in the history of the franchise, a winning team was in place with an MVP quarterback throwing to a franchise wide receiver. Dan Quinn had crafted a defense that could fly from sideline to sideline, stifling offenses and forcing them to be one-dimensional.
All the Falcons needed to do was make sure they avoided shooting themselves in the foot. When they amassed a 28-3 lead on the New England Patriots it looked like nothing could go wrong.
Then it did.
No team can be taken seriously if it has the type of talent the Falcons did that year and find a way to blow a 24-point lead. Not only that but they blew it in the biggest game of their season and the biggest game of those players careers. Not running the ball as much as they could have in the second half exposed the Falcons flaws that take them from being a really good team to one of the worst Super Bowl teams we’ve ever seen. Really good teams actually win the Super Bowl, they do not blow a 28-3 lead.
49. 1989 Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXIV
The 1989 Denver Broncos won the AFC West with an 11-5 record and made their fourth trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. This was the third Super Bowl that quarterback John Elway got to play in. Denver’s head coach in 1989 was Dan Reeves, Chan Gailey was the offensive coordinator, and interestingly Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator.
The AFC had lost the five previous Super Bowls, including Super Bowls XXI and XXII by the same Elway-led Broncos. Denver was one of three really good teams in the AFC in the 1980s to not win a Super Bowl, along with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins. Though Denver was talented and was well-coached, it was starting to become a running joke that Elway couldn’t lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.
Their opponent in Super Bowl XXIV at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans was a San Francisco 49ers team that had already won three Super Bowls with Joe Montana as their quarterback, Super Bowls XVI, XIX, and XXIII played on the year before.
Denver entered Super Bowl XXIV as a 12-point underdog to the 49ers and were destroyed by San Francisco, 55-10. The Broncos’ 45-point loss to the 49ers is the most lopsided loss in Super Bowl history. An 11-5 1989 NFL season record is respectable for a Super Bowl team, but losing by nearly four times the point spread makes the 1989 Broncos the weakest team to play in a Super Bowl to date.
Next: 48. 1994 San Diego Chargers
48. 1994 San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XXIX
In 1994, Steve Young was on a mission to prove that he could win a Super Bowl after spending a good part of his NFL career as Joe Montana’s backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Young went out in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida in Super Bowl XXIX and laid on the AFC Champion San Diego Chargers the best performance ever by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. Young threw six touchdown passes against the Chargers’ defense in a 49-26 laugher.
The 1994 Chargers were coached by former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Bobby Ross and featured the late Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau. San Diego went 11-5 in 1994 to win the AFC West. They won two close games over the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers to get to Super Bowl XXIX.
In what goes down as likely the biggest discrepancy at the quarterback position in a Super Bowl, with San Diego’s Stan Humphries trying his best to compete with a future Hall of Famer in San Francisco’s Young, San Diego hardly stood a chance in this game.
San Diego entered Super Bowl XXIX as an 18.5-point underdog to San Francisco, which is the largest point spread in any Super Bowl, edging out the famous 18-point underdog 1968 New York Jets who won Super Bowl III over the goliath Baltimore Colts.
Being the biggest underdog in Super Bowl history, having just an okay 11-5 record for a Super Bowl team, and losing by 23 points makes the 1994 Chargers the second-worst team to have played in a Super Bowl.
Next: 47. 1985 New England Patriots
47. 1985 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XX
The 1985 New England Patriots finished the regular season in third place in the AFC East with an 11-5 record. New England went on a strong playoff run under head coach Raymond Berry in defeating the New York Jets in the Wild Card round, the Los Angeles Raiders in the Divisional round, and the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship.
Unfortunately, that momentum the Patriots received from the AFC Playoffs was no match for arguably one of the best single-season teams ever assembled in Super Bowl history: the historic 1985 Chicago Bears.
New England entered Super Bowl XX, its first ever trip to the Super Bowl, as a 10-point underdog to the Bears and their vaunted defense. The Patriots and third-year quarterback Tony Eason had almost no shot against the Bears, losing by 36 points to Chicago, 46-10.
The Patriots would struggle to find consistency the next few years before returning to relevancy under head coach Bill Parcells in the late 1990s. Their true dominance was’t realized until Bill Belichick took over things in the early 2000s. New England may have played in eight Super Bowls to date, splitting their wins and losses right down the middle, but their first one was certainly a rude awaking. Luckily for them, things got better as the years went on.
Next: 46. 1992 Buffalo Bills
46. 1992 Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVII
The early 1990s Buffalo Bills was one of the best almost-dynasties in NFL history. However despite winning for straight AFC Championships under head coach Marv Levy from 1990 through 1993, the Bills would fail to win a single Lombardi Trophy in their four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl.
Buffalo’s most lopsided loss came in Super Bowl XXVII, as the ’92 Bills were hopelessly crushed by Troy Aikman’s Dallas Cowboys, 52-17 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. While Buffalo had its own set of triplets in quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, and wide receiver Andre Reed, the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII were no match for Dallas famous Triplets of Aikman at quarterback, Emmitt Smith at running back, and Michael Irvin at wide receiver.
Buffalo was an 11-5 team that finished in second place in the AFC East that managed to navigate the AFC Playoffs perfectly for the third year in a row. The Bills knocked off the Houston Oilers in the Wild Card round in what is known as “The Comeback Game”, topped the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round, and got past the rival Miami Dolphins in the 1992 AFC Championship.
The Bills were a 6.5 point underdog to the Cowboys and ended up losing to Dallas by 35 points. Combined with losing a third straight Super Bowl, this goes down as the most lopsided loss out of Buffalo’s four trips to the Super Bowl.
Next: 45. 1986 Denver Broncos
45. 1986 Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXI
The 1986 Denver Broncos finished the regular season with an 11-5 record to win the AFC West. Under fourth-year starting quarterback John Elway’s leadership, the Broncos would play in their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Denver defeated the New England Patriots in the Divisional round and the Cleveland Browns in the 1986 AFC Championship Game with a little moment known as The Drive.
Elway orchestrated one of the greatest drives in NFL history in his first run to the Super Bowl in crushing the Browns’ hopes in Cleveland, Ohio. There had not been a more exciting quarterback to play in the NFL before Elway, whose arm strength, mobility, and intellect made him a one-of-a-kind franchise passer for the Broncos.
Unfortunately, the Broncos had to face a truly complete team in Bill Parcells’ 1986 New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI. The terrific Giants defense, headlined by linebacker Lawrence Taylor, wreaked havoc all over Elway as Denver fell to New York, 39-20.
The 1986 Broncos’ 11-5 record, being 9.5-point underdogs to the Giants, and losing to New York by 19 points all work against tis Broncos team being remembered for anything positive. Elway would eventually win Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII in his final two seasons with the Broncos, but it would follow a decade of struggle. Elway was great, but as we learned in Super Bowl XXI, he couldn’t do it alone.
Next: 44. 1979 Los Angeles Rams
44. 1979 Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl XIV
The 1979 Los Angeles Rams were the only team that made it to a Super Bowl while the franchise has been in Southern California. Their two other trips to the Super Bowl came after the team had relocated to St. Louis — but the recent return to Los Angeles means the SoCal Super Bowl drought might soon end.
Los Angeles finished the ’79 regular season with a mediocre 9-7 record, but still managed to win the NFC West. They would defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round and would shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1979 NFC Championship before getting to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV.
Perhaps it was facing the last great team of the Steelers’ dynasty in the 1970s or maybe it was their utter lack of having done anything outstanding that year, but the Rams entered Super Bowl XIV as a 10.5-point underdogs. They ultimately lost by 12 points to the vastly superior Steelers, 31-19.
The Rams get a little credit for not getting totally crushed, but losing by 12 points in a Super Bowl still isn’t great and neither is a 9-7 record.
Perhaps a return to Southern California for LA’s original NFL franchise will help the Rams get back to another Super Bowl in the not-so-distant future.
Next: 43. 1996 New England Patriots
43. 1996 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXI
After getting embarrassed 11 years before in Super Bowl XX by the 1985 Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots put together a strong football team that was able to win the AFC under head coach Bill Parcells and franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
The 1996 Patriots went 11-5 to win the AFC East. They would beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1996 AFC Championship in Foxboro. New England would then face Brett Favre and the NFC Champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI, where they were stopped in their tracks in the same building they lost Super Bowl XX to another NFC Central team.
New England would enter the game as a 14-point underdog and would lose to the Packers by exactly that 14-point margin, 35-21. The game is remembered for Favre running around like a little kid after winning the Packers’ third ever Lombardi Trophy. There was also 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard’s electrifying Super Bowl MVP performance as a kick returner.
The Parcells era of the Patriots was a good one, but ultimately short-lived. He would coach an AFC East rival — the Jets — in the late 1990s and then the Dallas Cowboys in the early 2000s before going into NFL front office jobs. New England had talent, but Green Bay was better that Super Bowl Sunday. What also hurts this Patriots team is how much better the two other Super Bowl losing Patriots teams ended up being close to ten years later.
Next: 42. 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers
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
41. 2008 Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl XLIII
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals won a weak NFC West with a 9-7 record, but they got hot at the right time. The end result was the franchise’s lone trip to the Super Bowl. Arizona, with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and quarterback Kurt Warner, beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round, the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional round, and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2008 NFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl XLIII.
Arizona would face a team that had many of the same pieces in place that won Super Bowl XL three years previous: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though Bill Cowher had retired from coaching, head coach Mike Tomlin still had quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, safety Troy Polalmalu, and linebacker James Harrison on his team to more than complete an already solid roster.
Under then head coach Ken Whisenhunt, the Cardinals would enter Super Bowl XLIII as a seven-point underdog to the favorite Steelers. Though this game went down to the wire with Pittsburgh winning Super Bowl XLIII, 27-23, Arizona would end up covering the spread losing by only four points to a superior Steelers team.
This 2008 Cardinals team didn’t have the feel of an NFC Champion during the regular season, but did a marvelous job to almost win the Super Bowl. Arizona had a great season in 2015 playing the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship this season, but just didn’t have the momentum that their 2008 team did.
That Cardinals team was one of the bigger overachievers in modern Super Bowl history. Though they didn’t win the Super Bowl in Tampa in 2009, it’s pretty surprising that they even made it as far as they did.
Next: 40. 1971 Miami Dolphins
40. 1971 Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl VI
The 1971 Miami Dolphins went 10-3-1 en route to their first trip to the Super Bowl. The Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs in double overtime in the AFC Divisional round and knocked off the Baltimore Colts in the 1971 AFC Championship to get there.
In Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, the Dolphins would face a Dallas Cowboys team that had played in the previous Super Bowl, but came up three points short of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V, 16-13. Dallas would use its Super Bowl experience the previous year to handle the Dolphins, 24-3, in Super Bowl VI.
Miami wasn’t a major underdog to the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, with Dallas laying only six points. However, losing to Dallas by 21 points and not getting in the end zone seriously hurts the 1971 Dolphins in these rankings. In fact, they are the only team in Super Bowl history to not score a touchdown in 49 years.
Miami wasn’t ready for the big stage in Super Bowl VI and head coach Don Shula did everything to make sure that his team was ready for the 1972 NFL season. Miami would go 14-0 in 1972 and win the Super Bowl over the Washington Redskins the very next season. No team since the 1972 Dolphins has gone undefeated and went on to win a Super Bowl.
The loss to the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI was ugly, but it stood as the necessary groundwork for Shula and the 1972 Dolphins to put together the only perfect season in professional football.
Next: 39. 1974 Minnesota Vikings
39. 1974 Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IX
The 1974 Minnesota Vikings went 10-4 under legendary head coach Bud Grant and won the NFC Central. This would stand as the Vikings’ third trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history, but it would go down as the ugliest of their franchise’s four losses.
The Vikings would defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFC Divisional round and the Los Angeles Rams in the 1974 NFC Championship before having to face the AFC-champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl IX. Minnesota had lost the previous Super Bowl to the Miami Dolphins, trailing throughout the game before falling 24-7.
At that time, Pittsburgh had not been a competent football team. Super Bowl IX was the Steelers’ first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. Even so, the Steelers were a three-point favorite over the 1974 Vikings and ended up beating Minnesota 16-6 in Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium.
This was the Vikings’ closest margin of defeat in any of their four trips to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl IX was the Vikings’ best chance to win a Super Bowl they played in since the AFL/NFL merger, as Pittsburgh wasn’t yet an AFC dynasty under head coach Chuck Noll.
Minnesota definitely had stronger teams that made it to Super Bowls under Grant, but this was the one that because of previous Super Bowl experience, the Vikings shouldn’t have let slip away.
Next: 38. 1970 Dallas Cowboys
38. 1970 Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl V
The 1970 Dallas Cowboys made it to their first Super Bowl in franchise history under head coach Tom Landry, winning the NFC East with a 10-4 record. Dallas would defeat the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional round and the San Francisco 49ers in the 1970 NFC Championship to get the opportunity to play the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V.
The Colts were a 2.5-point favorite over Landry’s Cowboys in Super Bowl V being played at the Orange Bowl in downtown Miami. Dallas would lose by a field goal, 16-13, just barely missing a chance at covering the point spread.
Baltimore had been embarrassed two years prior when their juggernaut 1968 team lost to the inferior AFL-champion New York Jets, thus altering football history by showcasing that the AFL was not going to be overwhelmed when the leagues merged in 1970.
Dallas was a team on the rise under Landry, but needed that necessary Super Bowl experience at the time to ultimately win the big game. The Cowboys would return the following year and defeat the 1971 Miami Dolphins to win its first Super Bowl in franchise history. Dallas was close, but wasn’t quite ready to win it all in 1970.
Next: 37. 1975 Dallas Cowboys
37. 1975 Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl X
The 1975 Dallas Cowboys would go 10-4 during the regular season and finish second in the NFC East. They would beat the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional round and clobber the Los Angeles Rams in the 1975 NFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl X, Dallas’ third Super Bowl in franchise history.
Though Dallas had won a Super Bowl four years prior in Super Bowl VI, Dallas entered Super Bowl X against the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers dynasty picked up right where the Miami Dolphins’ left off, as the NFC had lost the three previous Super Bowls since Dallas’ victory in Super Bowl VI.
Dallas entered Super Bowl X in the Orange Bowl as a seven-point underdog to the defending-champion Steelers. While the Cowboys managed to cover the spread, they still lost to the Steelers by four points, 21-17.
The Cowboys would go on to win Super Bowl XII two years later over the Denver Broncos, but this was a time in the NFL where the AFC dominated the NFC. Dallas’ Super Bowl teams under head coach Tom Landry would go 2-3. Though Dallas became America’s Team around this team, nobody was beating the AFC, especially the Steel Curtain of Pittsburgh.
Next: 36. 1966 Kansas City Chiefs
36. 1966 Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl I
In what is now known as Super Bowl I, the AFL-champion Kansas City Chiefs would play the NFL-champion Green Bay Packers in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 15, 1967.
Kansas City won the AFL Western Division with an 11-2-1 regular season record. This was its second AFL championship in franchise history, as its previous one came in 1962 as the Dallas Texans. Kansas City would defeat the AFL Eastern Division-champion Buffalo Bills, 31-7, to play in the first ever Super Bowl, then known as the AFL-NFL Championship.
The NFC-champion Packers were a 14-point favorite over Kansas City, and the Chiefs would go on to lose to the Packers by 25 points, 35-10.
The first two Super Bowls were very lopsided affairs, as the Packers were far superior to what the AFL could present in a championship game. Super Bowl III changed everything when the New York Jets knocked off the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, hastening an AFL/NFL merger in two years.
Kansas City would use its experience in Super Bowl I to help catapult the Chiefs to victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, the only Super Bowl win for Kansas City to date, as well as their last trip to a Super Bowl. It’s hard to believe it has been over 45 years since the Chiefs even played in a Super Bowl.
Next: 35. 1976 Minnesota Vikings
35. 1976 Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl XI
The 1976 Minnesota Vikings would go 11-2-1, win the NFC Central, and play in its fourth Super Bowl. While the Vikings would defeat the Washington Redskins in the NFC Divisional round and the Los Angeles Rams in the 1976 NFC Championship, their fourth trip to the Super Bowl would end the same way as the others did; with a Vikings’ loss.
The 1976 Vikings had won their third NFC Championship in four years and were desperate to win a Super Bowl with Bud Grant as its head coach and Fran Tarkenton as its quarterback. The Vikings met the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl, hoping to change their Super Bowl luck.
Minnesota was a four-point underdog to the Raiders and ended up losing to Oakland by 18 points, 32-14 in Super Bowl XI. It seemed that playing very well in the NFC and an unprecedented fourth trip to the Super Bowl would possibly get the Vikings over the top.
However, the Vikings’ tortured history remained intact as they couldn’t defeat the Raiders in Super Bowl XI. This was the last time that the Vikings played in a Super Bowl. Brutal losses in the 1998 NFC Championship to the Atlanta Falcons and in the 2009 NFC Championship to the New Orleans Saints compound on this Super Bowl XI loss to make the Vikings one of the NFL’s most championship starved organizations. Only the Buffalo Bills have been to four Super Bowls and lost them all like the Vikings have.
Next: 34. 1977 Denver Broncos
34. 1977 Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XII
The 1977 Denver Broncos had their best season up to that point in its then 18-year history. Denver went 12-2 and won the AFC West. The Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Round and the Oakland Raiders in the 1977 AFC Championship at Mile High to make it to their first Super Bowl in team history.
As excited as the Broncos were to get to their first Super Bowl in franchise history, they were going up against a Dallas Cowboys team that had already played in three Super Bowls before these two teams met in the Louisiana Superdome for Super Bowl XII.
The Cowboys were a six-point favorite over the Broncos and the Dallas defense ended up smothering the Broncos’ offense in Super Bowl XII, by beating the Broncos by 17 points, 27-10. This was a game that featured former teammates at quarterback in Roger Staubach of the Cowboys and Craig Morton of the Broncos. It also featured the Dallas Doomsday Defense versus the Orange Crush defense of Denver.
Experience in big games, particularly at the quarterback position, helped the Cowboys defeat the Broncos in their Super Bowl XII meeting in New Orleans. The Orange Crush Defense of the Broncos was an iconic one, but the lack of firepower on offense ultimately kept them from winning their first Super Bowl.
It would take 20 years, but the Broncos would finally win a Super Bowl with John Elway as quarterback in Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers. Dallas would win all five of its Super Bowls before Denver would win its first during the 1997 NFL season.
Next: 33. 1993 Buffalo Bills
33. 1993 Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVIII
The 1993 Buffalo Bills would go 12-4, win the AFC East, and make their fourth straight and final Super Bowl appearance to date. Buffalo had lost horribly the year before to the same Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII, but that didn’t matter, as Buffalo was going to finally win a Super Bowl.
The same two teams in Super Bowl XXVII met for Super Bowl XXVII in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and largely the same result happened. Dallas went on to beat the Bills, 30-13, giving Buffalo its fourth straight loss in a Super Bowl.
It didn’t matter that the Bills were a 10.5-point underdog, the team still came up 17 points short of the Cowboys. The losing finally got to the Bills and the team has yet to make it back to a Super Bowl in 22 years.
This wasn’t the worst team that the Bills sent to a Super Bowl, but those watching the game could tell that the team was also-ran from their three previous Super Bowl defeats to the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, and the Cowboys respectively.
The Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era in Buffalo came and went without the Bills hoisting a Lombardi Trophy proudly for Western New York. Buffalo coincidentally hasn’t made the NFL Playoffs since losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Tennessee Titans in the Music City Miracle in the 1999 AFC Playoffs.
Next: 32. 1973 Minnesota Vikings
32. 1973 Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl VIII
The 1973 Minnesota Vikings would go 12-2 and win the NFC Central. They would beat the Washington Redskins in the NFC Divisional round and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1973 NFC Championship to go to Super Bowl VIII.
This was a dominant team in the NFC that started the year out 9-0 and after narrowly defeating the also undefeated Los Angeles Rams, it seemed that the Vikings had a favorable shot at winning its first Super Bowl under head coach Bud Grant.
Unfortunately, the best team in football at that time played in the AFC in Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins. Since losing Super VI to the Cowboys, the Dolphins would go undefeated in 1972 and beat the Redskins in Super VII. Miami would have its opportunity to repeat as Super Bowl Champions the following year versus the Vikings.
Minnesota was a 6.5-point underdog to the Dolphins and would go on to lose Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston by 17 points, 24-7. The Dolphins crushed the Vikings and perhaps in a different year, the Vikings could have won a Super Bowl with that 1973 roster of theirs.
As impressive as the Vikings were in the NFC during the 1973 regular season with their 12-2 record, losing by 17 points to the reigning Super Bowl c+hampion does help this Vikings team stand the test of time as one of the best teams to lose a Super Bowl.
Next: 31. 1967 Oakland Raiders
31. 1967 Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl II
The 1967 Oakland Raiders may not have won the second-annual AFL-NFL Championship (Super Bowl II), but this team was as good as the AFL had to offer to compete against the NFL champion. The 1967 Raiders went 13-1, winning the AFL Western Division, and clobbered the Houston Oilers in the AFL Championship, 40-7, en route to its first trip to the Super Bowl.
Oakland’s lone loss that 1967 AFL season was to the New York Jets on the road in Week 4. Leading up to Super Bowl II, the Raiders had rattled off 11 straight wins for head coach Jon Rauch, playing at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the same facility they play at today.
The Raiders would play the first ever Super Bowl winner in Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. These two football powerhouses met in the Orange Bowl in Miami for Super Bowl II with the hopes of having a closer game than the previous AFL-NFL Championship between the Packers and the AFL-champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Oakland was a 13.5-point underdog and lost to the Packers by 19 points, instead of the 25 points the rival Chiefs lost to Green Bay the year before. Slowly but surely, the AFL was figuring out how to compete against the superior NFL.
The New York Jets would end up winning Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts the next year and Oakland would go on to win its first Super Bowl nine years later in Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings. The 1967 Raiders at least proved that the upper echelon of the AFL could compete with best team the NFL had to offer.
Next: 30. 1987 Denver Broncos
30. 1987 Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXII
The 1987 Denver Broncos went 10-4-1 to win the AFC West. They defeated the Houston Oilers in the Divisional round and the Cleveland Browns at Mile High in the 1987 AFC Championship to make it to the franchise’s third Super Bowl.
Quarterback John Elway was the league MVP and had already tasted playing in a Super Bowl the year before in Super Bowl XXI, losing that game to the Giants.
Denver was actually a three-point favorite in this game over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII. Of the early part of Elway’s Broncos career, this was probably his best team capable of winning a Super Bowl.
What transpired in Super Bowl XXII was both improbable and historic. Redskins quarterback Doug Williams eviscerated the Broncos’ defense, leading Washington to a convincing 42-10 victory over the Broncos. Many had thought that Williams’ best years were behind him, as he starred for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in his career. Willams’ magnificent performance made him the first African-American quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP.
Elway and the Broncos would get annihilated a few years later by the San Francisco 49ers in the worst Super Bowl defeat in the game’s history. He would finally win a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXXII by defeating Brett Favre and the reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.
Next: 29. 2013 Denver Broncos
29. 2013 Denver Broncos, Super XLVIII
Quarterback Peyton Manning would win MVP and throw for a boat load of touchdowns in the Broncos’ 2013 NFL campaign, but it wouldn’t end with a Super Bowl win. Denver won the AFC West, beat the division rival San Diego Chargers in the Divisional round, and topped Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in the 2013 AFC Championship en route to Denver’s seventh trip to the Super Bowl.
Denver would enter Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium as a slight two-point favorite over Seattle. People were thinking that Seattle wasn’t going to generate enough offense to keep up with Manning in the Broncos.
Instead the Seahawks laid out soul-crushing defeat and dominated the Broncos, 43-8. Manning took his first snap of Super Bowl XLVIII off the noggin, allowing a safety. That was the game in a nutshell when all was said and done.
It wasn’t as bad as some of the losses experienced when John Elway was quarterbacking the team, but Denver looked lost in this Super Bowl defeat.
Next: 28. 2002 Oakland Raiders
28. 2002 Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII
The 2002 Oakland Raiders went 11-5 and won the AFC West under head coach Bill Callahan. Oakland had a great offense centered around quarterback Rich Gannon and wide receiver Jerry Rice. The Raiders defeated the New York Jets in the Divisional round and knocked off Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans in the 2002 AFC Championship in Oakland.
Oakland would face former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. The Raiders were four-point favorites over the Buccaneers, citing the offense of Oakland would prove strong enough against defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 Defense. Between Pro Bowl starting center Barret Robbins disappearing before the big game and all the crushing blows Gannon faced from a Hall of Fame defense featuring Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, and Ronde Barber, Oakland fell to Tampa Bay, 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Since losing to the Buccaneers by 27 points, the Raiders have yet to make the AFC Playoffs. Only the Buffalo Bills have a longer playoff drought in the AFC. The Raiders have been a dysfunctional franchise pretty much ever since losings Super Bowl XXXVII, which was their last truly great team.
Next: 27. 2012 San Francisco 49ers
27. 2012 San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XLVII
The 2012 San Francisco 49ers went 11-4-1 under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Starting quarterback Alex Smith went down with an injury and in came his explosive replacement: Colin Kaepernick.
San Francisco would run all over the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round at Candlestick Park and would overcome a 17-0 halftime deficit in the 2012 NFC Championship versus the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome to reach Super Bowl XLVII. They would finally come crashing back to earth when they faced the Baltimore Ravens in the ‘Harbaugh Bowl’, which pitted Jim and John Harbaugh against one another.
The Niners offense wasn’t the same unit it had been all season, but to their credit they came within yards of winning the Super Bowl despite their shortcomings.
The 49ers were a four-point favorite to beat the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. However, San Francisco would lose by a field goal, 34-31. Super Bowl XLVII was about which scorching hot team was hotter and that proved to be Baltimore. Being that it is the 49ers only Super Bowl loss to date (they won in their other five appearances) and that they only had an 11-4-1 record holds this team back from being a truly great team that could have won a Super Bowl.
Next: 26. 2000 New York Giants
26. 2000 New York Giants, Super Bowl XXXV
The 2000 New York Giants went 12-4 and won the NFC West under head coach Jim Fassel. Headlining the Giants that year was quarterback Kerry Collins, running back Tiki Barber, safety Jason Sehorn, wide receiver Amani Toomer, and future Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan.
New York would beat its arch rival in the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional round and shutout the Minnesota Vikings in the 2000 NFC Championship to make its third trip to the Super Bowl ever; the first post-Bill Parcells.
The Giants were a three-point underdog to the vaunted defensive-minded Baltimore Ravens. Despite this, New York had the better offense and people weren’t sure that Ravens starting quarterback Trent Dilfer could lead a mediocre offense to a Lombardi Trophy.
New York imploded under pressure, losing by 27 points to the Ravens, 34-7. Similar to the 2008 Arizona Cardinals, this 2000 Giants team largely overachieved given the lack of star power on its roster.
This team was truly greater than the sum of its individual parts, but wasn’t good enough to stand a chance against one of the best single-season defenses ever assembled in NFL history in the 2000 Ravens.
Next: 25. 2005 Seattle Seahawks
25. 2005 Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XL
The Seattle Seahawks first joined the NFL as a member of the AFC in 1976. It took 29 years and moving to the NFC in 2002 to help set up Mike Holgrem’s club to make their first Super Bowl appearance ever in Super Bowl XL.
Seattle had quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in his prime and an All-Pro at running back in Shaun Alexander. Holmgren had won a Super Bowl and been to another as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Many thought that his system in place in Seattle would help give the Pacific Northwest its first Lombardi Trophy.
The Seahawks went 13-3 in 2005, winning the NFC West in the process. They won by double digits in both the Divisional round over the Washington Redskins and the Carolina Panthers in the 2005 NFC Championship at then Qwest Field.
Despite dominating the NFC, Seattle was a four-point underdog to the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. In what was Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis’ final NFL game ever in his native Detroit, the Steelers won their fifth Lombardi Trophy, beating the Seahawks by 11 points, 21-10.
The Steelers defense was the difference maker in Super Bowl XL. In other years, maybe the 2005 Seahawks would have won a Super Bowl. The Pacific Northwest would get its first Lombardi Trophy eight years later with an entirely new regime at the helm in head coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Russell Wilson, and the Legion of Boom secondary.
Next: 24. 1991 Buffalo Bills
24. 1991 Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVI
The 1991 Buffalo Bills responded well after one of the most heartbreaking losses in Super Bowl history the year before by again winning the AFC East with a 13-3 en route to back-to-back AFC Championships.
Buffalo would easily beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round, and won a low-scoring game against John Elway’s Denver Broncos in the 1990 AFC Championship.
Awaiting the Bills in Super Bowl XXVI were the Washington Redskins, using its third different starting quarterback to win an NFC Championship in the Joe Gibbs era with Canadian Mark Rypien.
In a neutral, indoor site at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Redskins were be a seven-point favorite over the Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. After losing Super Bowl XXVI by the slimmest of margins (a single point), the Bills would fall to the Redskins by 13 points, 37-24.
This was the second straight Super Bowl loss for Marv Levy’s Bills and it wouldn’t be the last. The first two of four straight Super Bowl losses by the Bills were probably the two that Buffalo could have won. They should have won in Super Bowl XXV and stood a good chance against the Redskins. However, they had no shot against either of the Jimmy Johnson coached Dallas Cowboys teams they would play in the next two Super Bowls.
Next: 23. 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers
23. 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLV
The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers were only two years removed from winning their NFL-best sixth Super Bowl in franchise history when they knocked off the 2008 Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
In 2010, Pittsburgh went 12-4 and won the AFC North. They beat their arch rival in the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round and the New York Jets in the 2010 AFC Championship, both by less than 10 points.
Pittsburgh still had Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback — who had already won two Super Bowls — and Mike Tomlin who won Super Bowl XLIII only two years prior. Much of the Steelers defense remained intact from the 2008 NFL season.
Unfortunately, they ran into the hottest team in football in the Green Bay Packer who were absolutely on fire with new franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay was a three-point favorite over Pittsburgh and ended up beating the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in Cowboys Stadium by six points, 31-25.
Pittsburgh was good enough to win Super Bowl XLV, but they couldn’t stop Aaron Rodgers from arriving as an elite quarterback on their watch. No one thinks of the Steelers as a horrible franchise, and this Super Bowl loss is proof of the fact that even when they lose, they still look good enough to have won.
Next: 22. 1978 Dallas Cowboys
22. 1978 Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XIII
The 1978 Dallas Cowboys went 12-4 and won the NFC East. The Doomsday Defense got the best of Steve Bartkowski’s Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional round and shut out the Los Angeles Rams to get to their fifth and final Super Bowl of the Tom Landry era in Dallas.
Dallas would end up facing an AFC behemoth in the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII in the Miami Orange Bowl. The Cowboys lost to the same Steelers in the same Orange Bowl in Super Bowl X by the same four point margin. Do you believe in deja vu?
This time Dallas was the reigning Super Bowl Champion, but that didn’t seem to affect the spread, as the Steelers were a 3.5-point favorite over the Cowboys.
During the 1970s, the two best teams in the NFC were the Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, accounting for the eight of the conference’s 10 NFC Champions. Though Dallas would end up winning two Super Bowls in the 1970s with Roger Staubach as its quarterback (Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII), they could not get the best of the Steelers in a Super Bowl. It was a great, albeit one-sided rivalry between the Steelers and Cowboys in the 1970s.
Next: 21. 1988 Cincinnati Bengals
21. 1988 Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XXIII
The 1988 Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC Central with a 12-4 record under innovative head coach Sam Wyche. Cincinnati would beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round and the Buffalo Bills in the 1988 AFC Championship to the last Super Bowl the team has been in since.
Awaiting the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII was the same team that beat them seven years before in Super Bowl XVI in the San Francisco 49ers. The Bengals and 49ers would face off in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, with the 49ers as a seven-point favorite over the Bengals.
Cincinnati, like in Super Bowl XVI, gave the 49ers everything they had in this Super Bowl, but ultimately came up four points short, losing to San Francisco 20-16.
The Bengals were leading in the final minute of the game before 49ers quarterback Joe Montana deliver the game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left, devastating the Bengals faithful. Cincinnati’s lone touchdown in Super Bowl XXIII came on a 93-yard kickoff return by Stanford Jennings in the second half.
The no-huddle offense of the Bengals couldn’t manage a touchdown for Wyche and it ultimately cost the Bengals another chance at winning a Super Bowl. That’s all it might have taken to give Ohio its first and only Super Bowl to date.
Next: 20. 2003 Carolina Panthers
20. 2003 Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The 2003 Carolina Panthers were a team certainly capable of winning a Super Bowl, but a late-game special teams gaff by kicker John Kasay, who missed the entire field on a kickoff, helped give the New England Patriots improved field position to set up another heroic game-winning field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri.
The Panthers went 11-5 that year and won the NFC South. They would defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card round, the St. Louis Rams in the Divisional Round, and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2003 NFC Championship.
Carolina would enter Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston against the AFC-champion New England Patriots. New England missed the AFC Playoffs the year before, but had won Super Bowl XXXVI two years prior. The Patriots weren’t yet a dynasty, but were a touchdown favorite over John Fox’s Panthers in the Super Bowl.
Carolina would cover the spread, but would end up losing 32-29. This was the Panthers’ first ever trip to the Super Bowl and it took 12 years for the young NFL franchise to get back. They again will face another Hall of Fame quarterback in Peyton Manning in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Could the 2003 Panthers have won Super Bowl XXXVIII? Yes, but even though they covered the spread, their 11-5 record will end up making this the second-most important trip to the Super Bowl in Carolina history. It’s hard to top a 15-1 regular season and being nearly a touchdown favorite over Denver in Super Bowl 50.
Next: 19. 1984 Miami Dolphins
19. 1984 Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XIX
The 1984 Miami Dolphins were the last team that head coach Don Shula sent to a Super Bowl. It would also be the only team quarterbacked by Hall of Famer Dan Marino that would play for a Lombardi Trophy. It’s kind of shocking this was only his second season in the NFL after being drafted in the late first round of the legendary 1983 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh.
The 1984 Dolphins cruised during the regular season, going 14-2 and winning the AFC East. They would easily beat the Seattle Seahawks in the AFC Divisional Round and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1984 AFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl XIX in Palo Alto, Calif. in Stanford Stadium.
This was Marino’s finest season as a passer, throwing for then records of 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. Those two passing records would stand for well over 20 years until broken by Drew Brees and Tom Brady, respectively.
Despite dominating the AFC, 1984 Dolphins were a 3.5-point underdog to the NFC-champion San Francisco 49ers. Miami would go on to lose Super Bowl XIX by 22 points, 38-16. It wasn’t a close game against the 49ers by any means, but the 1984 Dolphins would stand the test of time as one of the first teams in NFL history to move the football aerially this well. Maybe not complete, but one that had enough firepower offensively to win a Super Bowl had they not played Joe Montana and the 49ers.
Next: 18. 2006 Chicago Bears
18. 2006 Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XLI
The 2006 Chicago Bears had themselves a fantastic defense centered around All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher in head coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa-2 defense. Chicago wasn’t great offensively, but teams just didn’t score on the 2006 Bears, going 13-3 to win the NFC North.
The Bears would defeat reigning NFC-champion Seattle Seahawks in overtime in the NFC Divisional round and handle the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFC Championship to make it to Chicago’s second ever trip to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately they had to play the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning in his prime. Quarterback Rex Grossman had a career year, but that was a huge discrepancy between the position that heavily-favored the Colts.
The Bears would enter Super Bowl XLI in Dolphin Stadium in Miami as a seven-point underdog to the Colts and would go on to lose Super Bowl XLI by 12 points, 29-17.
Had the 2006 Bears’ defense have played probably any other quarterback out of the AFC that year, Chicago could have won its second Lombardi Trophy. Of course, this wasn’t the 1985 Bears, but the 2006 Bears were a talented team that came up a tad short of being Super Bowl champions.
Next: 17. 1982 Miami Dolphins
17. 1982 Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XVII
The 1982 Miami Dolphins went 7-2 in a strike-shortened 1982 NFL season. They would finish in second place in the AFC that year, beating the New England Patriots in the first round, the San Diego Chargers in the second and the New York Jets in the 1982 AFC Championship to make it to Super Bowl XVII.
Miami would face Joe Gibbs’ Washington Redskins that featured quarterback Joe Theismann and running back John Riggins. These two teams would meet in Super Bowl XVII in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. with the Dolphins being a three-point favorite over Washington.
Miami would go on to lose Super Bowl XVII in an upset by 10 points, 27-17. That would stand as the second loss in a Super Bowl for Don Shula’s Dolphins. Though it was a strike-shortened year, it was impressive that the Dolphins made it to a Super Bowl with only one Hall of Fame player on their roster in Dwight Stephenson.
The Dolphins would go on to draft franchise quarterback Dan Marino later that spring and would get back to a Super Bowl only two years later with Marino under center. Just getting to the Super Bowl that season is a testament to how great of head coach Shula was when he was leading the Dolphins.
Next: 16. 1998 Atlanta Falcons
16. 1998 Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII
The 1998 Atlanta Falcons put together a surprisingly strong team under head coach Dan Reeves. At that point in time, the Falcons had never played in an NFC Championship Game or for that matter have consecutive winning seasons.
Atlanta would go 14-2 and win the NFC West, but didn’t finish with the best record in the NFC, as they were a game worse than the 15-1 1998 Minnesota Vikings under head coach Dennis Green. Atlanta would beat divisional rival San Francisco, 20-18 in the NFC Divisional round to face Minnesota in Minneapolis for the 1998 NFC Championship Game.
Atlanta would advance to its only trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history on a Morten Andersen field goal in the Metrodome, 30-27. The Falcons would have to face John Elway’s Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII at Pro Player Stadium in Miami and would be a seven-point underdog to the Broncos.
The Falcons had a ton of momentum after beating arguably the best team to never play in a Super Bowl in the 1998 Vikings. So being a seven-point underdog to the Broncos in the Super Bowl wasn’t as arduous as one would think. Atlanta would have to deal with a major distraction the night before Super Bowl XXXIII when star safety Eugene Robinson was arrested Saturday night in Miami. The Falcons came out flat in Super Bowl XXXIII, falling to the Broncos 34-19.
The Dirty Birds had both a dynamic defense led by Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Tuggle and All-Pro running back Jamal Anderson. They had the right makeup to contend for a Super Bowl in any era. Quarterback Chris Chandler was good, but nowhere near as great as Elway. The 1998 Falcons could have won a Super Bowl with that roster under different circumstances.
Next: 15. 1999 Tennessee Titans
15. 1999 Tennessee Titans, Super Bowl XXXIV
The 1999 Tennessee Titans literally came up a yard short of winning Super Bowl XXXIV at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, when St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones stopped Titans wideout Kevin Dyson at the goal line. Tennessee would lose to St. Louis, 23-16 in one of the best games in Super Bowl history.
This was the first year of the Titans moniker in Nashville, as they had been the Tennessee Oilers their first two seasons since leaving Houston for the Music City. The Titans went 13-3, but did not end up winning the AFC Central. That year the Jacksonville Jaguars were a ridiculous 14-2 under head coach Tom Coughlin. In fact, all three of the Jaguars’ losses in 1999 came to Jeff Fisher’s Titans, including the 1999 AFC Championship in Jacksonville.
Tennessee defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Music City Miracle in the Wild Card round, Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional round, and Coughlin’s Jaguars in the AFC Championship. The Titans would have to face Kurt Warner’s Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV as a seven-point underdog in Atlanta.
The mix of quarterback Steve McNair, running back Eddie George, and frankly a team of destiny made the Titans one of the better teams to come out of the AFC in the 1990s. What was ultimately the difference in Super Bowl XXXIV was that the Greatest Show on Turf Rams had a bit more offensive firepower than what Fisher’s Music City Miracle Titans had to counter.
The 1999 Titans were a team that had the right makeup to win a Super Bowl, but came up a yard short. Tennessee would have a few more great years under Fisher, but the Titans haven’t been to a Super Bowl since.
Next: 14. 2004 Philadelphia Eagles
14. 2004 Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XXXIX
The 2004 Philadelphia Eagles finally got to the Super Bowl in the Andy Reid era. They had lost previous two NFC Championships and many wondered if this incarnation of the Eagles franchise could win a Super Bowl.
Philadelphia went 13-3 and won the NFC East in 2004. They would defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional round and the Atlanta Falcons in the 2004 NFC Championship to make it to the Eagles’ second ever trip to the Super Bowl.
It had been 24 years since Dick Vermeil’s 1980 Eagles team played in Super Bowl XV with Ron Jaworski as its quarterback. With the newly-acquired superstar wideout Terrell Owens, quarterback Donovan McNabb had his playmaker on the outside that could hopefully get Philadelphia over the top because the Eagles already had a ferocious defense in that era of the franchise.
The Eagles would face the reigning Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Philadelphia would enter Super Bowl XXXIX as a seven-point underdog to New England, but played a close game with the Patriots, losing by only three points, 24-21.
This was the best Andy Reid era team in Philadelphia. They took the Patriots to the wire in Super Bowl XXXIX. It’s hard to rationalize that the Reid/McNabb era in Philadelphia was only able to win one NFC Championship. Covering the spread against the biggest football dynasty in the last 15 years speaks highly of the 2004 Eagles. That era of Eagles football will go down as one of the greatest eras to not win a Super Bowl.
Next: 13. 1981 Cincinnati Bengals
13. 1981 Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI had two emerging teams playing in their first ever Super Bowls: the AFC-champion Cincinnati Bengals of Forrest Gregg and the NFC-champion San Francisco 49ers of Bill Walsh. This game would go down to the wire with the 49ers defeating the Bengals, 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit.
The Bengals went 12-4 and won the AFC Central. They beat the Buffalo Bills 28-21 in the Divisional round and the San Diego Chargers in what is now known as the “Freezer Bowl” in the AFC Championship, 27-7, one of the coldest games ever played in NFL history.
Quarterback Ken Anderson of the Bengals was the NFL MVP and Cincinnati was a one-point underdog to the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI. Cincinnati would do its best to overcome a 20-0 deficit at halftime, outscoring the 49ers 21-6 in the second half. However, that deficit proved too great, as the Bengals would go on to lose Super Bowl XVI, 26-21.
The 49ers were not a dynasty at the time and frankly Anderson was the better quarterback that year over Joe Montana of San Francisco, who would go on to win Super Bowl XVI MVP. These same two teams would meet seven years later in Miami for Super Bowl XXIII, with the 49ers winning again.
By that time, the 49ers had already won two of its five Lombardi Trophies en route to becoming one of the proudest franchises in NFL history. Had the 1981 Bengals been able to generate any offensive in the first half of Super Bowl XVI, then maybe the Bengals wouldn’t still be chasing its first Lombardi Trophy. It was close between these two teams, but the Bengals came up a touchdown short.
Next: 12. 1980 Philadelphia Eagles
12. 1980 Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XV
The 1980 Philadelphia Eagles came out with a bang, winning 11 of their first 12 games. Though Dick Vermeil’s Eagles would lose three of their final four regular-season games, their 12-4 regular season record was strong enough to win the NFC East.
Philadelphia would win both of its games in the NFC Playoffs, defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional round, 31-16, and the rival Dallas Cowboys in the 1980 NFC Championship at Veterans Stadium, 20-7.
The 1980 Eagles would face former Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett’s Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV and Philadelphia would enter the game as a three-point favorite. Vermeil’s Eagles largely overachieved that year as the only Hall of Famer on that roster was defensive end Claude Humphrey, who spent most of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons.
Still, the Eagles were a sound team that were greater than the some of its individual parts. Philadelphia couldn’t stop Super Bowl XV MVP Plunkett, as his Raiders would defeat the Eagles by 17 points, 27-10, for Oakland’s second Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
It would be 19 years before Vermeil would get back to a Super Bowl, winning Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams. In 2004, the Eagles finally got back to a Super Bowl under then head coach Andy Reid in Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, only to lose the New England Patriots by a field goal. The 1980 Eagles may not have been the most talented team to play in a Super Bowl, but their togetherness set them apart from some of the other teams to play for a Lombardi Trophy.
Next: 11. 1972 Washington Redskins
11. 1972 Washington Redskins, Super Bowl VII
The 1972 Washington Redskins would go 11-3 and win the NFC East that year. They would limit their opponents in the NFC Playoffs to a combined six points, defeating the Green Bay Packers, 16-3, in the Divisional round and the Dallas Cowboys, 26-3, in the 1972 NFC Championship.
This was Washington’s first ever trip to the Super Bowl, led by coach George Allen. They would play the loser of the previous Super Bowl in the Miami Dolphins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
While the 1972 Redskins defense was certainly a crushing one, they had to play a Dolphins team that hadn’t lost a game since Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. This is the undefeated 1972 Dolphins we’re talking about!
Washington was actually a one-point favorite over the undefeated Dolphins in Super Bowl VII, but only managed to score seven points, falling to the Dolphins, 14-7. The 1972 Dolphins remain the last team to orchestrate a perfect season, going 14-0 in the regular season en route to a Super Bowl title.
Because of who they had to play in Super Bowl VII, the 1972 Redskins could have easily won a Super Bowl had they been fortunate to have played anybody else. Their 11-3 record is strong. Being a one-point favorite helps. Losing by only seven points isn’t bad either.
What ultimately keeps the 1972 Redskins out of the top 10 for greatest Super Bowl loser is that they only scored seven points in Super Bowl VII. It’s hard to say if this team would be able to win a Super Bowl across different eras on account of its issues on offense.
Next: 10. 1969 Minnesota Vikings
10. 1969 Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IV
Of all the teams Bud Grant had with the Minnesota Vikings, his 1969 squad was probably the one most capable of winning a Super Bowl. The 1969 Vikings went 12-2 to win the NFC Central. They beat the Los Angeles Rams by three points, 23-20, in the Divisional round and won decisively over the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship, 27-7.
At that time, the AFL and the NFL had not yet merged. Even though the AFL Champion New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III the year before, the Vikings would stand as a 12-point favorite over the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City had played in the first ever Super Bowl three years before, and that crushing loss they suffered to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers undoubtedly fueled quarterback Len Dawson and his teammates’ motivation. The Chiefs would upset the Vikings, 23-7, in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans in Super Bowl IV.
Minnesota would go on to play in three more Super Bowls under Coach Grant. However, the Vikings would go on to lose them all, as the Vikings are one of two teams in NFL history to go 0-4 in Super Bowls along with the AFC’s Buffalo Bills.
The Vikings may not have had the big game experience at that time to win a Super Bowl, but it was the only time that the national perception favored the Vikings in the big game. Kansas City was a great team in their own right, but the Vikings choked in Super Bowl IV. This would become a common theme for Grant and quarterback Fran Tarkenton, as they could never get over the hump in the big game.
Next: 9. 1983 Washington Redskins
9. 1983 Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XVIII
The 1983 Washington Redskins were riding high after their first ever Super Bowl victory the year before over the 1982 Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. Joe Gibbs’ team went 14-2 in 1983 and dominated its competition in the NFC.
They clobbered the Los Angeles Rams, 51-7, in the Divisional round and beat the San Francisco 49ers by a field goal, 24-21, to get to their third Super Bowl in franchise history. Washington was a three-point favorite over the AFC Champion Los Angeles Raiders.
When it was time for the game, Marcus Allen would run all over the Redskins’ defense in Super Bowl XVIII at Tampa Stadium, routing Washington, 38-9. The defending Super Bowl Champion and had only lost twice that 1983 NFL season, but in this game were simply outclassed.
While Washington would go on to win two more Super Bowls with Gibbs as head coach, Super Bowl XVIII was the last Super Bowl quarterback Joe Theismann would play in.
Washington had somewhat of a dynasty under Gibbs, but a win over the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII would have no doubt solidified that notion and may have put Theismann in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s hard to deny a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback in Canton.
Next: 8. 2009 Indianapolis Colts
8. 2009 Indianapolis Colts, Super Bowl XLIV
The 2009 Indianapolis Colts went 14-2, crushing opponents with quarterback Peyton Manning in the backend of his prime. The Colts would handle the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round, 20-3, and would top Rex Ryan’s New York Jets, 30-17, in the 2009 AFC Championship.
Even though head coach Tony Dungy retired the year before, the Colts continued on as if nothing happened under then-head coach Jim Caldwell. Nobody could match the Colts in the AFC that year.
Indianapolis would face Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV in Sun Life Stadium in Miami. The Colts had won a Super Bowl three years before over the Chicago Bears and between that and their dominant record were five-point favorites over the Saints.
An onside kick perfectly executed by the Saints to start the second half helped catapult New Orleans to an upset over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17, as the Colts fell by 14. That day Brees elevated his status to that of Manning’s as one of the NFL’s elite passers. The better quarterback and team won that day.
Manning would play only one more year for the Colts before having to sit out the entire 2011 season due to neck surgery. The Colts would go 2-14 in 2011 and would draft Manning’s replacement, Stanford’s Andrew Luck, No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Manning would sign with the Denver Broncos and would lead Denver to two more Super Bowls (XLVIII and 50).
It didn’t seem like the Indianapolis dynasty under Manning was going to ever come to an end. Had his Colts defeated the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, then maybe they decide not to part ways with Manning. Indianapolis hasn’t been back to a Super Bowl since losing it in 2010.
Next: 7. 2014 Seattle Seahawks
7. 2014 Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XLIX
Last season was one of the most spectacular Super Bowls of all-time, as the New England Patriots were able to defeat the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks by picking off quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line thanks to a heads-up play by cornerback Malcolm Butler.
The Super Bowl hangover didn’t affect the 2014 Seahawks who went 12-4 to win the NFC West again. They beat the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional round, 31-17, and the Green Bay Packers in overtime in the 2014 NFC Championship at Century Link Field, 28-22.
Seattle still had the Legion of Boom secondary, an All-Pro running back in Marshawn Lynch, and a blossoming star in Wilson. Since the Patriots clobbered the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship, now known for Deflategate, it was the first ever pick ’em in Super Bowl history.
If Seattle head coach Pete Carroll opted to pound the rock with Lynch in that late fourth quarter goal line situation, we could be talking about the Seahawks as a potential NFC dynasty, as they would have won two-straight Super Bowls.
Instead, they dealt with a Super Bowl hangover after that painstaking fourth quarter loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Both the 2014 Patriots and 2014 Seahawks rosters could have won a Super Bowl in most years, however on that night it was New England who was fortunate enough to come out on top by winning, 28-24 over Seattle.
Next: 6. 1997 Green Bay Packers
6. 1997 Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XXXII
The 1997 Green Bay Packers went 13-3 to win the NFC Central under head coach Mike Holmgren. The Packers had an NFL MVP at quarterback in Brett Favre and had won Super Bowl XXXI the previous year over the New England Patriots, 35-21, in the Louisiana Superdome.
Green Bay was in the midst of putting together their own dynasty of a football team with Holmgren and Favre, as they cruised through the NFC Playoffs. The Packers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-7, in the Divisional round and the San Francisco 49ers, 23-10, in the 1997 NFC Championship to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Packers would enter Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego as an 11-point favorite over John Elway, Terrell Davis, and the Denver Broncos. Keep in mind that Elway’s Broncos had gone 0-4 in the franchise’s four previous trips to the Super Bowl. Elway went 0-3 in Super Bowls himself, so he was definitely carrying with him the stigma of not being able to win the big one.
What Green Bay didn’t account for was Davis, the piece Elway needed to get over the top. The former running back for the Georgia Bulldogs would run all over the Packers defense en route to winning Super Bowl MVP and bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Colorado for the first time, winning Super Bowl XXXII, 31-24, over Green Bay.
Holmgren would start to lose coordinators and position coaches around this time. Even with Favre under center through the 2007 NFL season, the Packers wouldn’t get back to the Super Bowl until 2010 when Aaron Rodgers took over the franchise to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in Cowboys Stadium.
Though Green Bay won a Super Bowl with Holmgren and Favre, this was the Packers’ opportunity to become a dynasty in the NFC and it took them 13 years to play in another Super Bowl. Green Bay was great, but it was finally John Elway’s time in the sun.
Next: 5. 2011 New England Patriots
5. 2011 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLVI
The 2011 New England Patriots went 13-3 to win the AFC East. They sent eight players to the Pro Bowl and marched through the AFC Playoffs en route to their seventh trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history.
New England crushed the Denver Broncos, 45-10, in the Divisional round and outdueled the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 AFC Championship, 23-20, to face a familiar foe in the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.
New England had lost a brutal game to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII four years ago (more on that in a bit) and people were beginning to question the legitimacy of New England’s three previous Super Bowl victories during the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era in Foxboro. The Patriots hadn’t won a Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXXIX over the Philadelphia Eagles, only a few years before the Spygate Scandal.
Regardless of the previous outcome between these two northeastern teams, the Patriots were a 2.5-point favorite over the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI. As it was in Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots would again fall to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, 21-17, in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
New England would redeem itself in Super Bowl XLIX three years later to reaffirm its 15-year dynasty in the NFL, but that second Super Bowl loss to the Giants temporarily hurt Brady and Belichick’s legacy as two of the NFL’s all-time greats, painting them as guys who were unable to close out big games – a marked difference from their earlier runs of success.
Next: 4. 1968 Baltimore Colts
4. 1968 Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl III
The 1968 Baltimore Colts were going to win Super Bowl III. They had Don Shula as head coach and Earl Morrall playing fantastically at quarterback in place of the injured Johnny Unitas. The Colts went 13-1 winning the NFC Coastal. They beat the Minnesota Vikings, 24-14, in the Western Conference Championship and shutout the Cleveland Browns, 34-0, in the 1968 NFL Championship.
Baltimore would enter Super Bowl III as a staggering 18-point favorite over the AFL Champion New York Jets. Only the 1994 San Francisco 49ers would be a bigger favorite in a Super Bowl, as they were 18.5-point favorites over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
The goliath Colts would go on to lose to Broadway Joe Namath and the Jets in Super Bowl III, 16-7, after Namath had guaranteed a victory in the days leading up to the event. This loss by the Colts changed football forever, as it proved to the world that the AFL and NFL were not so vastly different in competition.
Seeing the NFL Champion Minnesota Vikings lose Super Bowl IV to the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs ushered in the AFL/NFL merger before the start of the 1970 NFL season. Ironically, the Colts would win Super Bowl V as a member of the AFC over the Dallas Cowboys two years later, as the Colts, the Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were asked to join the 10 teams coming to the NFL from the AFL.
The Colts may have won Super Bowl V, but this was the better of the teams Shula had in Baltimore that played in Super Bowls. Could the 1968 Colts have gone undefeated had Unitas been healthy that season? No disrespect to Morrall, but Unitas was the best quarterback of his era, not to mention one of the greatest of all-time.
Next: 3. 1990 Buffalo Bills
3. 1990 Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV
The 1990 Buffalo Bills made their first ever trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. The Bills would go 13-3 and win the AFC East. They put up a ton of points in the AFC Playoffs, scoring 44 points on the rival Miami Dolphins in the Divisional round and blowing out the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3, in the 1990 AFC Championship.
Though Buffalo had never played in a Super Bowl before, the Bills were a seven-point favorite over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV in Tampa Stadium. Fate would have it that the Bills would have a chance to win a Super Bowl as time expired with a field goal. Unfortunately, kicker Scott Norwood would miss the potential game-winning field goal, as it went “Wide Right.”
The Giants would go on to win their second Lombardi Trophy on that missed field goal by Norwood, 20-19. It would turn out to be the Bills’ best chance to win any of their four straight trips to the Super Bowl. They were slightly outmatched by the 1991 Washington Redskins and had absolutely no chance against the 1992-93 Dallas Cowboys.
The Bills go down as the greatest era of a team to have not won a Super Bowl. Nobody has ever made it to four straight Super Bowls except for them. One could only think what would have become of this potential dynasty had Norwood’s kick been a few feet to the left.
Next: 2. 2001 St. Louis Rams
2. 2001 St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl XXXVI
The 2001 St. Louis Rams were still in the midst of The Greatest Show on Turf era in the Arch City. Though Super Bowl XXXIV winning head coach Dick Vermeil was in Kansas City, his great offensive coordinator Mike Martz was now running the show for the Rams.
The Rams would win the NFC West with a 14-2 record and had two MVPs and future Hall of Famers on their roster in quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk. St. Louis torched the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round, 45-17, in the NFC Playoffs. They would outplay the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2001 NFC Championship, 29-24, to get to Super Bowl XXXVI.
St. Louis was an overwhelming favorite over the AFC Champion New England Patriots, as Las Vegas believe that the Rams were 14 points better than the Patriots. People thought that young starting quarterback Tom Brady would crack under the pressure of playing in a Super Bowl. At that time, he was really just a game manager for Bill Belichick, as it was the defense that got ultimately got the Patriots to the franchise’s third Super Bowl to date.
Kicker Adam Vinatieri’s leg would become legendary in this game, as his right foot upset the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI in Houston by sinking the game-winning field goal to make it 20-17 Patriots. The Rams would part ways with Warner and opt to go with his backup Marc Bulger the next few seasons.
St. Louis would stay relevant in the NFC up until 2004, their last trip to the NFC Playoffs. Warner would go on to lead the 2008 Arizona Cardinals to their lone Super Bowl appearance to date. In the franchise history of the Rams, both in Los Angeles and St. Louis, this 2001 team was arguably their best team.
Not knowing what the Patriots would become under Brady and Belichick the next 15 years, this devastating Super Bowl XXXVI loss by the Rams was the biggest upset in Super Bowl history at that time, topping the Baltimore Colts’ gaff in Super Bowl. It was only out done six years later.
The Greatest Show on Turf had a fantastic four-to-five year run in St. Louis, but futility since 2004, shaky ownership, and a city that cares more about Major League Baseball allowed current owner Stan Kroenke to move the Rams back to Los Angeles after being in St. Louis for 20 years.
Next: 1. 2007 New England Patriots
1. 2007 New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLII
Was there any doubt who would be No. 1 on this list? Of course not. Not since the 1972 Miami Dolphins had an NFL team been able to orchestrate an undefeated regular season and play for a Super Bowl. The 2007 New England Patriots were the best team to never win a Super Bowl. Period.
New England went 16-0 that year and won both AFC Playoff game by two scores over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional round and the San Diego Chargers in the 2007 AFC Championship. 2007 was the year that quarterback Tom Brady finally had an elite offensive weapon to throw the football to in one of the most physically gifted wide receivers of all-time, Randy Moss.
The Patriots were juggernauts in 2007. The only team that seemed to not cower beneath them was the eventual NFC Champion New York Giants. These two teams would meet in Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season with Patriots holding on by three points to defeat the Giants, 38-35, in Giants Stadium.
Super Bowl XLII was played at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, with the Patriots being a 12-point favorite over the Giants. Somehow, someway Giants quarterback Eli Manning helped lead New York to an improbable, 17-14, victory in Super Bowl XLII to upend the undefeated Patriots.
Next: Top 25 Super Bowl moments of all-time
Manning’s fourth down completion to never-used wide receiver David Tyree, who had to use his helmet to bring in the catch, will go down as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Manning successfully evaded the vaunted New England pass rush to pull off the 32-yard completion.
Admittedly, the Giants were a venerable matchup for the Patriots in their two Super Bowl matchups, given their dominant pass rush at the time. That seemed to have an effect on Brady’s ability to move the ball, and really stifled New England’s top-flight offense.
Manning’s performance in this game trumps anything his father Archie or older brother Peyton did at the quarterback position. This was the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, plain and simple.