The first round of this season’s NFL play-offs was a brutal affair for those hoping to see the wild card teams spring a surprise.
Of the six teams to qualify for the post-season via a wild card spot, only the San Francisco 49ers survived with several of the franchises sent packing with their tails between their legs.
However, the Niners then proved a further point by defeating the Green Bay Packers 13-10 to reach the NFC Championship game.
We shouldn’t be too surprised at the plight of wild card teams though, with only 11 having made it to the Super Bowl since the play-off system was changed to include them back in 1970.
Of those 11, seven have gone on to lift the Lombardi trophy, with the Oakland Raiders breaking the wild card duck in the 1980 season.
Raiders Paint Super Bowl Silver and Black
The defence was the star of the show for the Raiders as they led the league in interceptions and takeaways to go 11-5 during the regular season, before knocking off the Houston Oilers, Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers on the road in the play-offs.
In the Super Bowl, the Raiders jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and never looked back as they beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title.
Broncos end barren run
The NFL had to wait 17 years for the next wild card winner in the form of John Elway’s Denver Broncos, who banished the nightmare of three previous Super Bowl losses by beating the Packers.
The Broncos stormed through the season, going 12-4, which was their fifth-best season in franchise history at the time.
They missed out on top spot in the AFC West to the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs but, having knocked off the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild card round, edged out the Chiefs at Arrowhead 14-10 in the divisional round.
The Pittsburgh Steelers couldn’t stop Denver in the AFC Championship game as the Broncos went on to become the first team from the conference since 1983 to win the Super Bowl.
Ravens and Steelers Rule the Roost
The turn of the millennium brought about the next wild card triumph as the Baltimore Ravens, in their first post-season appearance in franchise history, flew to Super Bowl success in 2000.
Often scoffed at for their uninspiring style of play, this Ravens team was one of the greatest defensive units in NFL history, setting a league record for fewest points conceded.
They rode that defence all the way to the Lombardi trophy, shutting down the Broncos, Titans and Raiders on route to squashing the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, not giving up a single point to Big Blue’s offence – who got their only score came from a kick-off return.
Five years later, another AFC North side battled through the wild card route to win the Super Bowl, becoming the first sixth seed to win the Lombardi in the process.
The Steelers had been unremarkable during the regular season, recovering from 7-5 to sneak into the play-offs.
However, they got hot once the post-season started, knocking off the AFC’s top three seeds, all on the road, and becoming just the third franchise in NFL history to win the Super Bowl without playing a home play-off game.
In the big game itself, they had few issues defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 to claim the team’s fifth Super Bowl crown.
Giants and Tampa Bay Earn the Big Bucs
When people think of wild card teams to win the Super Bowl, top of the list are the 2007 New York Giants.
Big Blue had looked nothing special during the regular season and quarterback Eli Manning was being spoken of as a draft bust. Head coach Tom Coughlin was also under mounting pressure, but what followed was one of the great underdog stories in sport.
The Giants would go 10-6 during the regular season, giving a hint at what was to come with six straight road wins heading into the post-season.
In the play-offs, they upset the Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys on the road before heading to Green Bay for the third coldest game in NFL history.
On the night, it was the Packers that froze as the Giants advanced to the Super Bowl, where they would meet the New England Patriots.
The Pats were 16-0 entering the game and double-digit favourites to win the Super Bowl, only for Tom Brady and co to be mauled by the Giants defence.
Manning was named Super Bowl MVP for a clutch showing, which included the pass for the now infamous helmet catch in the 17-14 win.
The last entry on the list is our reigning Super Bowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Adding Brady and Rob Gronkowski to their squad ahead of the 2020 season, the Bucs became instant Super Bowl contenders and after some early hiccups, it all came together.
Going 11-5 in the regular season, the Buccaneers would beat Washington, the Saints and the Packers on the road in the play-offs, before a one-sided victory over the Chiefs in a Super Bowl played in their home stadium.
