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 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Higher ranked D | Rank | Lower-ranked D | Rank | Higher ranked D… |
1995 | Pittsburgh | 3 | Dallas | 9 | Lost Super Bowl |
1996 | Green Bay | 1 | New England | 19 | Won Super Bowl |
1997 | Denver | 5 | Green Bay | 7 | Won Super Bowl |
1998 | Atlanta | 8 | Denver | 11 | Lost Super Bowl |
1999 | St. Louis | 6 | Tennessee | 17 | Won Super Bowl |
2000 | Baltimore | 2 | N.Y. Giants | 5 | Won Super Bowl |
2001 | St. Louis | 3 | New England | 24 | Lost Super Bowl |
2002 | Tampa Bay | 1 | Oakland | 11 | Won Super Bowl |
2003 | New England | 7 | Carolina | 8 | Won Super Bowl |
2004 | New England | 9 | Philadelphia | 10 | Won Super Bowl |
2005 | Pittsburgh | 4 | Seattle | 16 | Won Super Bowl |
2006 | Chicago | 5 | Indianapolis | 21 | Lost Super Bowl |
2007 | New England | 4 | N.Y. Giants | 8 | Lost Super Bowl |
2008 | Pittsburgh | 1 | Arizona | 18 | Won Super Bowl |
2009 | Indianapolis | 18 | New Orleans | 25 | Lost Super Bowl |
2010 | Pittsburgh | 2 | Green Bay | 5 | Lost Super Bowl |
2011 | N.Y. Giants | 27 | New England | 31 | Won Super Bowl |
2012 | San Francisco | 2 | Baltimore | 17 | Lost Super Bowl |
2013 | Seattle | 1 | Denver | 19 | Won Super Bowl |
2014 | Seattle | 1 | New England | 13 | Lost Super Bowl |
2015 | Denver | 1 | Carolina | 6 | ??? |
--Andy Richardson