Few NFL teams have had excellent seasons but the Lombardi Trophy still eluded them
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts after the losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Generally speaking, one would not be wrong to believe that a team with the best record, and one that has won a minimum of 15 games throughout the regular season would go on to win the Super Bowl. However, there seems to be some kind of curse going on in the league.
To date, there have been nine teams that have won at least 15 games in the regular season, but seven of those teams have failed to lift the Lombardi Trophy at the end. Let us take a look at how each of these teams got to 15 regular season wins before crumbling at various stages in the postseason.
Teams That Won 15 Games But Not The Super Bowl
1998 Minnesota Vikings (15-1) – Lost NFC Championship Game
We start off this list with the 1998 Minnesota Vikings’ team which featured an established WR1 in Chris Carter and the rookie Randy Moss who went on to win that year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Both receivers had over 1,000 yards receiving each and hauled in 29 touchdowns between the two.
The Vikings ran through the opposition dropping just 1 game against Tampa Bay in week 9. In the Divisional Round, they routed the Arizona Cardinals 41-21 but eventually fell in the NFC Championship game to the Atlanta Falcons in an overtime 27-30 loss.
2004 Pittsburgh Steelers (15 – 1) – Lost AFC Championship Game
The 2004 season from the Pittsburgh Steelers was quite a surprising one given that they were coming off a terrible 6-10 one the previous year. Furthermore, they started their rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who ended up winning all 13 games that he started. The team had the most number of Pro Bowlers in the AFC with 9 including defensive stalwart Troy Polamalu and cornerback Joey Porter.
After losing the second game of the season, the Steelers went on a 14-0 run and marched into the playoffs. However, it was in the postseason that their steam ran out. They squeaked by the New York Jets in a 20-17 overtime win but lost the AFC Championship Game 27-41 against the New England Patriots.
2011 Green Bay Packers (15-1) – Lost Divisional Round
The 2011 Green Bay Packers season was one to remember. Not only did they go 15-1 but quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,643 yards and had 45 passing touchdowns against only 6 interceptions. He also had 257 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns to cap off his first MVP win. Unfortunately, the Packers couldn’t carry the same momentum into the playoffs and they were easily dispatched 37-20 by the New York Giants in the Divisional Round itself.
2015 Carolina Panthers (15-1) – Lost Super Bowl
The 2015 Carolina Panthers also finished 15-1 en route to a stellar season. They made it all the way to the Super Bowl that year and were just one game away from a memorable season. They started the regular season going undefeated in 14 games and only suffered their one loss in week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Cam Newton won both the NFL MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year.
They took care of business in the Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks and then trounced the Arizona Cardinals 49-15, but couldn’t get the job done in Super Bowl 50 against the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos. The Broncos’ defense which limited the Panthers to just 10 points was the story of the game.
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2024 Detroit Lions (15-2) – Lost Divisional Round
In 2024, the Detroit Lions had their best season in franchise history earning the number one spot in the conference for the first time in the Super Bowl era. With a 15-2 record, it looked like they would steamroll the opposition, especially with their offensive play. They put up the most points throughout the regular season and looked destined to make it to their first Super Bowl.
However, the Washington Commanders led by rookie signal caller Jayden Daniels had other ideas. They matched the Lions blow for blow, eventually defeating Detroit in the Divisional Round by a score of 45-31.
2024 Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) – Lost Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs were the other team in 2024 to win 15 games in the regular season. The Chiefs got by winning close one-score margin games for most of the season. While they had a good defense, the offense wasn’t putting up many points on the board. However, they were able to win games in a variety of ways. In the playoffs, they defeated the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills but had no answers to the dominant defensive display from the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
2007 New England Patriots (16-0) – Lost Super Bowl
This 2007 season by the New England Patriots is the most memorable one of all as they went undefeated winning all 16 games in the regular season. Led by Tom Brady at quarterback and legendary coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots had their shot at history as they were one win away from an entirely undefeated season.
New England defeated Jacksonville and San Diego in the Divisional Round and the AFC Championship Game respectively before setting up a clash with the New York Giants. In a highly defense-oriented Super Bowl, the Giants prevailed, winning the game 17-14 and ending the hopes of New England in its quest to create history.
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Teams That Won The Super Bowl With 15 Regular Season Wins
As we have seen above, the 15-win curse has hit several teams, but two teams were able to rise above this and still went on to win the Super Bowl. These teams were the 1984 San Francisco 49ers (15-1), and the 1985 Chicago Bears (15-1). Incidentally, these results occurred in back-to-back years.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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