Today’s number is 12
12
Exclusive analysis
Of the 60 Super Bowl champions in NFL history, 12 lost their opening game that season, by up to 31 points.
A quarter of those teams did it in the last decade, including this year’s Seattle Seahawks.
The full list includes:
San Francisco 49ers, lost Week 1, 1981 against Detroit 17-24, won Super Bowl XVI (1982)
New York Giants, lost Week 1, 1986 against Dallas 28-31, won Super Bowl XXI (1987)
Dallas Cowboys, lost Week 1, 1993 against Washington 16-35, won Super Bowl XXVIII (1994)
New England Patriots, lost Week 1, 2001 against Cincinnati 17-23, won Super Bowl XXXVI (2002)
Tom Brady played quarterback for the first time the following week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lost Week 1, 2002 against New Orleans 20-26, won Super Bowl XXXVII (2003)
New England Patriots, lost Week 1, 2003 against Buffalo 0-31, won Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004)
New York Giants, lost Week 1, 2007 against Dallas 35-45, won Super Bowl XLII (2008)
New York Giants, lost Week 1, 2011 against Washington 14-28, won Super Bowl XLVI (2012)
New England Patriots, lost Week 1, 2014 against Miami 20-33, won Super Bowl XLIX (2015)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lost Week 1, 2020 against New Orleans 23-34, won Super Bowl LV (2021)
Kansas City Chiefs, lost Week 1, 2023 against Detroit 20-21, won Super Bowl LVIII (2024)
Seattle Seahawks, lost Week 1, 2025 against San Francisco 13-17, won Super Bowl LX (2026)
