The Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl Losing Trend
Mike Mady
September 07, 2006
Last year the Seattle Seahawks made the jump from playoff failures to NFC champions. That success has dramatically raised expectations for the team this year however, those expecting much from the Seahawks may be left with much to desire.
Many look at the reigning NFC champions as the powerhouse of their conference, some look at them as one of the best teams in the league and most everyone sees them as the class of their division (NFC West). This thinking is logical. The Seahawks have a Pro Bowl quarterback, an MVP running back and a Super Bowl winning coach. They are coming off an 11-win season and a Super Bowl appearance. Also, the NFC West is considered to be one of the weakest divisions in all of football. By this logic the Seahawks should steamroll their way to another division crown, and perhaps more.
So, why won’t they?
Simply put, because they lost in the Super Bowl.
Over the last half decade, dating back to the 2000 season, the team that has lost in the Super Bowl has failed to reach the playoffs the next season. The losing teams (The New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles) combined for a 61-19 record the year they made the Super Bowl. They combined for a 31-49 record the years following their Super Bowl loss. So basically, the last five Super Bowl losers averaged 12.2 wins the year they went to the Super Bowl and only averaged 6.2 the following year.
When looking at the Seahawks’ roster some weaknesses jump out. The lack of quality backups at quarterback, running back and wide receiver are major concerns. The Eagles lacked depth at those positions last season and eventually paid for it. The loss of Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson will hurt the left side of the offensive line, which was dominant last season. On defense, the left cornerback position doesn’t look good. After the team released CB Andre Dyson this offseason they were left with CB Kelly Herndon to take his place. Herndon is coming off left knee surgery that caused him to miss the final four games of last season. Outside of the injury concerns surrounding Herndon there are concerns about his skill. Some suggests he is better suited as a nickel cornerback covering the slot receiver, rather than an every-down cornerback covering a starter from the opposing team – especially in a division loaded with talent at wide receiver.
Many people point out the futility of the Seahawks’ division foes when claiming they will not take a step backwards this year. However, they fail to recognize the many improvements the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals have made to their rosters this offseason. Also, this same argument could have been made for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Eagles division, the NFC East, was considered to be one of the worst in football at the time. The year the Eagles went to the Super Bowl, 2004, the rest of the division had a combined record of 18-30. That is comparable to the NFC West, which had a combined record of 15-33, minus Seattle, last season. The following year the NFC East was much more competitive as the same teams that combined for an 18-30 record the previous year flipped the record to 30-18 the next. Will the NFC West follow suit? It is possible.
So for those of you declaring the Seahawks NFC West, NFC or even Super Bowl favorites you may want to quiet yourself briefly. The past is the best way to predict the future and the combined records of 31-49 speak volumes.
Many look at the reigning NFC champions as the powerhouse of their conference, some look at them as one of the best teams in the league and most everyone sees them as the class of their division (NFC West). This thinking is logical. The Seahawks have a Pro Bowl quarterback, an MVP running back and a Super Bowl winning coach. They are coming off an 11-win season and a Super Bowl appearance. Also, the NFC West is considered to be one of the weakest divisions in all of football. By this logic the Seahawks should steamroll their way to another division crown, and perhaps more.
So, why won’t they?
Simply put, because they lost in the Super Bowl.
Over the last half decade, dating back to the 2000 season, the team that has lost in the Super Bowl has failed to reach the playoffs the next season. The losing teams (The New York Giants, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles) combined for a 61-19 record the year they made the Super Bowl. They combined for a 31-49 record the years following their Super Bowl loss. So basically, the last five Super Bowl losers averaged 12.2 wins the year they went to the Super Bowl and only averaged 6.2 the following year.
When looking at the Seahawks’ roster some weaknesses jump out. The lack of quality backups at quarterback, running back and wide receiver are major concerns. The Eagles lacked depth at those positions last season and eventually paid for it. The loss of Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson will hurt the left side of the offensive line, which was dominant last season. On defense, the left cornerback position doesn’t look good. After the team released CB Andre Dyson this offseason they were left with CB Kelly Herndon to take his place. Herndon is coming off left knee surgery that caused him to miss the final four games of last season. Outside of the injury concerns surrounding Herndon there are concerns about his skill. Some suggests he is better suited as a nickel cornerback covering the slot receiver, rather than an every-down cornerback covering a starter from the opposing team – especially in a division loaded with talent at wide receiver.
Many people point out the futility of the Seahawks’ division foes when claiming they will not take a step backwards this year. However, they fail to recognize the many improvements the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals have made to their rosters this offseason. Also, this same argument could have been made for the Philadelphia Eagles last season. The Eagles division, the NFC East, was considered to be one of the worst in football at the time. The year the Eagles went to the Super Bowl, 2004, the rest of the division had a combined record of 18-30. That is comparable to the NFC West, which had a combined record of 15-33, minus Seattle, last season. The following year the NFC East was much more competitive as the same teams that combined for an 18-30 record the previous year flipped the record to 30-18 the next. Will the NFC West follow suit? It is possible.
So for those of you declaring the Seahawks NFC West, NFC or even Super Bowl favorites you may want to quiet yourself briefly. The past is the best way to predict the future and the combined records of 31-49 speak volumes.
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