New England lost 41-14 at Kansas City back in Week 4, and that sure seems like a long time ago now. They’ve rallied, righted the ship and developed into a possible Super Bowl champion.
But it’s rare to see a team so soundly beaten in the regular season, then emerge as the No. 1 team in the end.
In this century, only seven teams have lost games by 20-plus points, than gone on to win Super Bowls. The Patriots back in 2003 lost their opener 31-0 at Buffalo, but came around and developed into a solid champion (ending that regular season by flipping that 31-0 score against the Bills).
The Patriots also lost their first game decisively, 33-20 at Miami.
The Seahawks, in contrast, haven’t lost any games by double-digit points the last two years.
The Giants are the all-time kings in this category, losing four games by double-digit points in both 2007 and 2011 (before winning the Super Bowl in each of those seasons).
| SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS LOSING BY 10-PLUS POINTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Margin |
| 2003 | at Buffalo 31, New England 0 | 31 |
| 2012 | at Houston 43, Baltimore 13 | 30 |
| 2006 | at Jacksonville 44, Indianapolis 17 | 27 |
| 2011 | at New Orleans 49, NY Giants 24 | 25 |
| 2007 | Minnesota 41, at NY Giants 17 | 24 |
| 2007 | Green Bay 35, at NY Giants 13 | 22 |
| 2001 | at Miami 30, New England 10 | 20 |
| 2005 | at Indianapolis 26, Pittsburgh 7 | 19 |
| 2008 | at Tennessee 31, Pittsburgh 14 | 17 |
| 2012 | Denver 34, at Baltimore 17 | 17 |
| 2004 | at Pittsburgh 34, New England 20 | 14 |
| 2011 | at Washington 28, NY Giants 14 | 14 |
| 2009 | at Carolina 23, New Orleans | 13 |
| 2011 | Washington 23, at NY Giants 10 | 13 |
| 2007 | Washington 22, at NY Giants 10 | 12 |
| 2001 | at Denver 31, New England 20 | 11 |
| 2011 | Seattle 36, at NY Giants 25 | 11 |
| 2002 | at Philadelphia 20, Tampa Bay 10 | 10 |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh 17, at Tampa Bay 7 | 10 |
| 2007 | at Dallas 45, NY Giants 35 | 10 |
—Ian Allan