Poking around with the numbers some, I see that the Saints and Packers in recent years have done something no other team has been able to do. They’ve been able to pile up a whole bunch of wins while simultaneously not making it to a Super Bowl.

The Saints went 13-3 in both 2018 and 2019, yet fell short of appearing in the Super Bowl in either of those seasons (losing home playoff games against the Rams and Vikings).

With the Packers, they’ve gone 13-3 in each of the last two years but then lost in the NFC Championship in both seasons.

Since the NFL moved to 16 games in the late ‘70s, nine other teams have won at least 13 games in back-to-back seasons. All of those teams appeared in at least one Super Bowl game during their hot streaks.

13-PLUS WINS IN BACK-TO-BACK SEASONS
YearsTeamFirstSecondSuper Bowls
1985-86Chicago Bears15-114-21 win
1989-90San Francisco 49ers14-214-21 win
2003-04New England Patriots14-214-22 wins
2010-11New England Patriots14-213-31 loss
2016-17New England Patriots14-213-3win, loss
1990-91Buffalo Bills13-313-32 losses
1996-97Green Bay Packers13-313-3win, loss
1999-00Tennessee Titans13-313-31 loss
2012-13Denver Broncos13-313-31 loss
2018-19New Orleans Saints13-313-3none
2019-20Green Bay Packers13-313-3none

—Ian Allan