Super Bowl Super Study Says Patriots, Broncos Built Like Champs

4. Avoid the Big Losing Streak

To go one step beyond the preceding part of this study, it should hold true that championship games never struggle for an extended period of time. Sure, the struggles look worse when they come early in the season, and they loom fresher in the minds of fans when they come late in the season. However, any extended losing streak shows a sign of a team that quite simply isn’t up to snuff in the postseason.

The table below examines each Super Bowl combatant’s longest losing streak.

Winners				Losers
SB	Team	Count			SB	Team	Count
I	66 Packers	1			I	66 Chiefs	1
II	67 Packers	2			II	67 Raiders	1
III	68 Jets	1			III	68 Colts	1
IV	69 Chiefs	1			IV	69 Vikings	1
V	70 Colts	1			V	70 Cowboys	2
VI	71 Cowboys	1			VI	71 Dolphins	2
VII	72 Dolphins	0			VII	72 Redskins	2
VIII	73 Dolphins	1			VIII	73 Vikings	1
IX	74 Steelers	1			IX	74 Vikings	2
X	75 Steelers	1			X	75 Cowboys	2
XI	76 Raiders	1			XI	76 Vikings	1
XII	77 Cowboys	2			XII	77 Broncos	1
XIII	78 Steelers	1			XIII	78 Cowboys	2
XIV	79 Steelers	1			XIV	79 Rams	3
XV	80 Raiders	2			XV	80 Eagles	2
XVI	81 49ers	1			XVI	81 Bengals	1
XVII	82 Redskins	1			XVII	82 Dolphins	1
XVIII	83 Raiders	1			XVIII	83 Redskins	1
XIX	84 49ers	1			XIX	84 Dolphins	1
XX	85 Bears	1			XX	85 Patriots	2
XXI	86 Giants	1			XXI	86 Broncos	1
XXII	87 Redskins	1			XXII	87 Broncos	1
XXIII	88 49ers	2			XXIII	88 Bengals	1
XXIV	89 49ers	1			XXIV	89 Broncos	2
XXV	90 Giants	2			XXV	90 Bills	1
XXVI	91 Redskins	1			XXVI	91 Bills	1
XXVII	92 Cowboys	1			XXVII	92 Bills	2
XXVIII	93 Cowboys	2			XXVIII	93 Bills	2
XXIX	94 49ers	1			XXIX	94 Chargers	2
XXX	95 Cowboys	2			XXX	95 Steelers	2
XXXI	96 Packers	2			XXXI	96 Patriots	2
XXXII	97 Broncos	2			XXXII	97 Packers	1
XXXIII	98 Broncos	2			XXXIII	98 Falcons	1
XXXIV	99 Rams	2			XXXIV	99 Titans	1
XXXV	00 Ravens	3			XXXV	00 Giants	2
XXXVI	01 Patriots	2			XXXVI	01 Rams	1
XXXVII	02 Bucs	1			XXXVII	02 Raiders	4
XXXVIII	03 Patriots	1			XXXVIII	03 Panthers	3
XXXIX	04 Patriots	1			XXXIX	04 Eagles	2
XL	05 Steelers	3			XL	05 Seahawks	1
XLI	06 Colts	2			XLI	06 Bears	1
XLII	07 Giants	2			XLII	07 Patriots	0
XLIII	08 Steelers	1			XLIII	08 Cardinals	2
XLIV	09 Saints	3			XLIV	09 Colts	2
XLV	10 Packers	2			XLV	10 Steelers	1
XLVI	11 Giants	4			XLVI	11 Patriots	2

Perhaps we’re seeing one of the many arguments that support league parity, of course which contradict the many arguments that support the lack of league parity. Who know these days what the answer is, other than that the recently higher scoring league creating higher peaks and lower valleys. When a team struggles, opponents now have more than enough offense to take advantage. No matter how you slice it, this still illustrates an outlier.

The beltway won’t have many fans of this precedent. Both the 2012 Ravens (Weeks 13-15) and 2012 Redskins (Weeks 7-9) lost three consecutive games. At least for Washington, they followed up the losing streak with a seven-game winning streak to close the regular season. Of course, that falls short of the four-game losing streak the 2012 Bengals suffered in Weeks 5-9. The Bengals continue to look like the long shot of all long shots.

 

 

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