The Broncos had the NFL's top-ranked defense this season. That's in terms of total yards allowed, which is how the league determines such things. How have other top-ranked defenses done in the Super Bowl?

Over the past 20 years, the league's No. 1 ranked defense has made it to the biggest game on five other occasions. They've won the Super Bowl four times, with the lone exception being Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. Most believe that's a game they'd have won had they elected to run the ball with Marshawn Lynch in the final seconds.

Carolina, of course, had a pretty good defense this season too. It ranked 6th in total defense. Merely having the higher-ranked defense in the game doesn't mean a whole lot. In those 20 previous Super Bowls, the higher-ranked defense during the regular season went only 11-9. So it's a good track record for top-ranked defenses, but no big deal to merely have the superior (again, statistically) group.

HIGHER-RANKED DEFENSE IN SUPER BOWLS, 1995-2014
SeasonHigher ranked DRankLower-ranked DRankHigher ranked D…
1995Pittsburgh3Dallas9Lost Super Bowl
1996Green Bay1New England19Won Super Bowl
1997Denver5Green Bay7Won Super Bowl
1998Atlanta8Denver11Lost Super Bowl
1999St. Louis6Tennessee17Won Super Bowl
2000Baltimore2N.Y. Giants5Won Super Bowl
2001St. Louis3New England24Lost Super Bowl
2002Tampa Bay1Oakland11Won Super Bowl
2003New England7Carolina8Won Super Bowl
2004New England9Philadelphia10Won Super Bowl
2005Pittsburgh4Seattle16Won Super Bowl
2006Chicago5Indianapolis21Lost Super Bowl
2007New England4N.Y. Giants8Lost Super Bowl
2008Pittsburgh1Arizona18Won Super Bowl
2009Indianapolis18New Orleans25Lost Super Bowl
2010Pittsburgh2Green Bay5Lost Super Bowl
2011N.Y. Giants27New England31Won Super Bowl
2012San Francisco2Baltimore17Lost Super Bowl
2013Seattle1Denver19Won Super Bowl
2014Seattle1New England13Lost Super Bowl
2015Denver1Carolina6???

--Andy Richardson