The way the Panthers slapped around Arizona (and also took that 31-0 lead against Seattle) it’s awfully tempting to assume they’ll come out on Sunday and do something similar against the Broncos. They look really strong right now, while the Broncos look pretty ordinary. But history indicates that counting on a team to replicate what it did in its previous game is usually a pretty dumb idea.
In the Super Bowl Era, in fact, 20 times a team has moved into the championship game after winning by 20-plus points. But those teams are surprisingly just 7-13 in the ensuing game for all the marbles.
The Bills, most famously, clobbered the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 in 1990, then came up a point short in the Super Bowl. The Giants smoked the Vikings 41-0 in 2000, then got blown out by the Ravens in the championship game.
In 49 years, only three teams have won their conference championship by 20-plus points, then come back and also won the Super Bowl by 20-plus points. It happened three times in the ’80s, with the 49ers twice and the 1985 Chicago Bears.
ENDING YEAR WITH TWO BLOWOUTS | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | Conference | Super Bowl |
1966 | Kansas City | 31-7 at Bills | L 35-10 vs. Packers |
1967 | Oakland | 40-7 vs. Oilers | L 33-14 vs. Packers |
1968 | Baltimore | 34-0 at Browns | L 16-7 vs. Jets |
1969 | Minnesota | 27-7 vs. Browns | L 23-7 vs. Chiefs |
1971 | Miami | 21-0 vs. Colts | L 24-3 vs. Cowboys |
1972 | Washington | 26-3 vs. Cowboys | L 14-7 vs. Dolphins |
1975 | Dallas | 37-7 at Rams | L 21-17 vs. Steelers |
1978 | Pittsburgh | 34-5 vs. Oilers | W 35-31 vs. Cowboys |
1978 | Dallas | 28-0 at Rams | L 35-31 vs. Steelers |
1981 | Cincinnati | 27-7 vs. Chargers | L 26-21 vs. 49ers |
1984 | San Francisco | 23-0 vs. Bears | W 38-16 vs. Dolphins |
1985 | Chicago | 24-0 vs. Rams | W 46-10 vs. Patriots |
1988 | San Francisco | 28-3 at Bears | W 20-16 vs. Bengals |
1989 | San Francisco | 30-3 vs. Rams | W 55-10 vs. Broncos |
1990 | Buffalo | 51-3 vs. Raiders | L 20-19 vs. Giants |
1991 | Washington | 41-10 vs. Lions | W 37-24 vs. Bills |
2000 | N.Y. Giants | 41-0 vs. Vikings | L 34-7 vs. Ravens |
2005 | Seattle | 34-14 vs. Panthers | L 21-10 vs. Steelers |
2006 | Chicago | 39-14 vs. Saints | L 29-17 vs. Colts |
2014 | New England | 45-7 vs. Colts | W 28-24 vs. Seahawks |
2015 | Carolina | 49-15 vs. Cardinals | ??? |
But you can play around with whatever numbers you want. My gut still tells me that the Panthers are going to win, and that it will be one-sided. Denver’s defense is very solid, but Carolina’s offensive versatility, along with the potential of defensive touchdowns, I think the Panthers have a chance to maybe win this game by 20 points.
—Ian Allan