An uncomfortably thin line separates a dynasty from a footnote in history. Although New England Patriots fans will cry loudly at the notion their cherished 2011 Patriots were the worst team to ever reach the Super Bowl, someone has to be the worst.
The case for why the Patriots were the worst conference champion, despite a 13 and 3 record, is the fact that during the regular season New England did not beat a single team with a winning record.
Due to what turned out to be a powder-puff schedule, the Patriots only faced two teams that ended the year with winning records: Pittsburgh and the New York Giants. New England lost both games.
In the post season the Patriots did beat a winning team, Baltimore. But that win was more of a giveaway by the Ravens. A dropped pass in the end zone and then a shanked field goal was the final difference.
Still, there is no need to nit pick the Baltimore game. At the end of the season the Patriots were 1 and 3 against teams with winning records. The one win is the worst showing of any team to ever reach the Super Bowl.
In New England’s defense they were not responsible for their schedule. They did face numerous teams finishing with .500 records: Denver (twice), New York Jets (twice), Dallas, Philadelphia, Oakland and San Diego. And a good argument can be made that those teams would have had winning records if not for the fact they faced the Patriots.
Other notable bad Super Bowl teams included:
The team the Patriots faced in the Super Bowl, the New York Giants. The Giants are the only team to only win 9 games during the regular season to be crowned champions. During the regular season the Giants were 1 and 3 against teams with winning records. Their one win was against the Patriots. But in the post-season the Giants stepped up and won four more games against teams with winning records. That leaves the Giants with 5 overall victories against winning teams during the year compared to the Patriots one win.
The 2008 Arizona Cardinals also only won 9 games and reached the Super Bowl. But along the way they beat two winning teams during the regular season, plus three more in the playoffs.
The 1979 Los Angeles Rams also only won 9 games before losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. The Rams only beat two teams during the regular season sporting winning records, and then beat two more during the playoffs.
Of course some will remember that the undefeated 1972 Dolphins had an easy regular season schedule and only faced two teams with winning records. But after rolling through the playoffs they ended the year 5 and 0 against winning teams.
New England seems to be the only Super Bowl participant to finish with only one win against a winning team. Someone has to be the worst Super Bowl participant.