The Atlanta Falcons were a worthy NFC representative. They've got an MVP quarterback, maybe the league's best wide receiver and tandem of running backs, and an underrated defense. But after losing Super Bowl LI, they're facing considerable odds to get back there again a year from now.
It's been almost 25 years since a Super Bowl loser got back to the game one year later -- since the Bills did it three years in a row. The last 23 Super Bowl losers haven't made it back to the Super Bowl. Only two of those teams even made it to the Conference Championship game. The majority either missed the playoffs entirely (like the Falcons themselves after their other Super Bowl loss) or lost their opening-round playoff game.
Maybe the Falcons will beat the odds, but there's a lot of history against them.
The table below shows how Super Bowl losers have fared one year later since the Bills four-year run.
SUPER BOWL LOSERS, ONE YEAR LATER | ||
---|---|---|
Super Bowl | Losing Team | One Year Later? |
XXIX | San Diego | Lost in Wild Card |
XXX | Pittsburgh | Lost in Divisional Round |
XXXI | New England | Lost in Divisional Round |
XXXII | Green Bay | Lost in Wild Card |
XXXIII | Atlanta | Missed Playoffs |
XXXIV | Tennessee | Lost in Divisional Round |
XXXV | NY Giants | Missed Playoffs |
XXXVI | St. Louis | Missed Playoffs |
XXXVII | Oakland | Missed Playoffs |
XXXVIII | Carolina | Missed Playoffs |
XXXIX | Philadelphia | Missed Playoffs |
XL | Seattle | Lost in Divisional Round |
XLI | Chicago | Missed Playoffs |
XLII | New England | Missed Playoffs |
XLIII | Arizona | Lost in Divisional Round |
XLIV | Indianapolis | Lost in Wild Card |
XLV | Pittsburgh | Lost in Wild Card |
XLVI | New England | Lost in Championship Game |
XLVII | San Francisco | Lost in Championship Game |
XLVIII | Denver | Lost in Divisional Round |
XLIX | Seattle | Lost in Divisional Round |
50 | Carolina | Missed Playoffs |
LI | Atlanta | ??? |
--Andy Richardson