NFL
How often do regular season divisional top seeds reach Super Bowl?
As we prepare ourselves for the 2023 Super Bowl, what were the chances that the number one teams reached the showpiece?
Are you ready? Another season of the National Football League has reached its conclusion as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles face off in Super Bowl LVII. We cannot wait!
But as part of our preparations for the big game, we pondered if divisional top dogs Chiefs and the Eagles meeting in the showpiece final was rare. How often do the first seeds across the regular season end up making it to the Super Bowl. And when we wonder, we go looking...
How often division number 1s make Super Bowl
Our collective digging turned up an answer that may surprise you. It turns out, the team that comes in first during the regular season only makes it to the Super Bowl about 50% of the time. That’s right, it’s a coin toss.
But why is that? I hear you ask. Well, there are a few reasons. For starters, the NFL is a league where any team can beat any other team on any given day - you can thank the draft system for that. It’s a league of parity, where the difference between the best team and the worst team, especially in the postseason, is often razor thin. This means that a team that comes in first during the regular season is by no means guaranteed to make it to the Super Bowl.
Another reason is that the playoffs are a whole different animal. The regular season is a grind, with teams playing nearly 20 games over the course of as many weeks. But the playoffs are a sprint, with only 12 teams competing over a four week period. And in the playoffs, anything can happen. One bad game, one bad call, one bad bounce of the ball can be the difference between a team making it to the Super Bowl or going home. Just ask the Cowboys fans!
But even with all that said, there’s still something special about being the first seed. It means that you’ve been the best team in the league over the course of the regular season, and that’s no small feat. It means that you’ve earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, which can be a huge advantage. And it means that you’ve earned yourself a little extra rest, which can be crucial in the playoffs.
So, while the odds may not be particularly in your favour, being the first seed is still a huge accomplishment. And who knows, maybe this will be the year that the team that comes in first during the regular season will make it all the way to the Super Bowl. And even if they don’t, there’s always next year. The NFL is a league of constant change, with new teams rising to the top every season.
But for now, let’s sit back, relax and enjoy the playoffs. As always, it’s gonna be a ride...