The Carolina Panthers are young and talented at many positions, so there's a tendency to think they'll be right back in the Super Bowl next season. To do that, though, they'll need to overcome a couple of decades of history working against them.
The last Super Bowl loser to get back to the big game a year later was the Buffalo Bills, who famously went to four straight in the early 1990s. Since then, teams have struck out more than 20 years in a row.
That's not to say the Panthers will fall apart next season. Note that four straight Super Bowl losers have made it to at least the Divisional Round of the playoffs one year later, while seven straight have qualified for the playoffs. That's a big change from the previous 10 years, where eight of 10 Super Bowl losers didn't even get back to the playoffs the next season.
Also, two of the last four Super Bowl losers (New England and Denver) came back and won the Super Bowl within the next three years. So it's not all over for Cam Newton and company.
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 | ??? |
--Andy Richardson