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Have streak, will travel

Most Super teams end season on winning streak

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By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com

If a team has hopes of playing in the Super Bowl, ending the regular season with a victory is practically a must.

Down the Stretch How the 12 playoff teams finished the 2000 regular season Team  Rec.  Finish  Baltimore  12-4  Won 7  N.Y. Giants  12-4  Won 5  Tennessee  13-3  Won 4  Indianapolis  10-6  Won 3  Philadelphia  11-5  Won 2  Oakland  12-4  Won 1  Miami  11-5  Won 1  Denver  11-5  Won 1  St. Louis  10-6  Won 1  New Orleans  10-6  Lost 1  Tampa Bay  10-6  Lost 1  Minnesota  11-5  Lost 3

Of the 68 teams to have participated in the first 34 Super Bowls, 50 finished the regular season with a victory. Forty of those teams won at least two games in a row, and 24 of them won at least at four consecutive games.

Of course, the undefeated '72 Dolphins are the kings of this statistic, winning all 14 of their regular-season games before going on to win Super Bowl XII.

Of the 18 Super Bowl teams which finished a season with a loss, only two lost back-to-back games to end the season ('72 Redskins; '67 Packers). But even some of those teams did play well toward the end of the season. For example, the '75 Steelers reeled off 11 victories in a row before losing the finale; the '94 Niners lost their last game after winning 10 consecutive contests; and the '69 Vikings had a 12-game winning streak going before losing their last game.

Only three of this year's playoff teams lost in Week 17 -- the Saints, Bucs and Vikings. Of those three, only the Vikings have a multiple-game losing skid, having dropped three straight.

The Ravens have the league's longest active winning streak at seven, while the Giants are second with a five-game stretch of victories.

Finishing Strong
The majority of the 68 Super Bowl participants ended the regular season on a winning streak.
Season-Ending Winning Streak	Number of Teams
14 Games	1: '72 Dolphins
10 Games	2: '76 Raiders; '67 Raiders;
9 Games	4: '98 Falcons; '86 Giants; '84 49ers; '83 Redskins
8 Games	1: '68 Colts
7 Games	1: '71 Cowboys
6 Games	2: '78 Cowboys; '68 Jets
5 Games	8: '97 Packers; '96 Packers; '93 Cowboys; '89 49ers; '81 49ers; '78 Steelers; '70 Cowboys; '66 Packers
4 Games	5: '99 Titans; '93 Bills; '82 Redskins; '77 Cowboys; '70 Colts
3 Games	4: '85 Bears; '82 Dolphins; '74 Vikings; '66 Chiefs
2 Games	12: '95 Cowboys; '94 Chargers; '92 Cowboys; '90 Giants; '87 Broncos; '84 Dolphins; '81 Bengals; '80 Raiders; '76 Vikings; '75 Cowboys; '74 Steelers; '73 Vikings
Note: Ten other Super Bowl teams finished the season with a single victory ('98 Broncos; '97 Broncos; '96 Patriots; '88 Bengals; '87 Redskins; '85 Patriots; '83 Raiders; '79 Steelers; '73 Dolphins; '71 Dolphins)

 

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