49ers will not be Victims of the Dreaded Super Bowl Hangover
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for fans as of recent -- unfortunately.
A Super Bowl hangover is not a myth by any means and some from the national media are attempting to mark the 49ers as victims of the dreaded Super Bowl hangover.
From 2000 to 2008, only two of nine teams made the playoffs the following year after losing the Super Bowl, including a stretch of five consecutive seasons that the Super Bowl loser did not make the playoffs.
Now let’s keep an eye on some more recent years from 2009 to 2019 -- nine of eleven teams made the playoffs the following year with a stretch of seven straight making the playoffs.
In 2016 the Carolina Panthers failed to reach after a 15-1 season and Cam Newton won the MVP. To be fair Newton wasn’t healthy or efficient seeing a decline in all passing & rushing categories
| Cam Newton | Comp % | Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Rating | Attemps | Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 59.8 | 3837 | 35 | 10 | 99.4 | 132 | 636 | 10 |
2016 | 52.9 | 3509 | 19 | 14 | 75.8 | 90 | 359 | 5 |
Even with the poor quarterback play, the 2016 Panthers weren’t just a rollover 6-10 football team. They lost six games by three points or fewer. Newton didn’t need his MVP play from 2015 to get Carolina in the playoffs. But, a little better play and they could’ve easily been 10-6 instead of 6-10.
Fortunately, the 49ers are not quarterback dependent like Carolina was and that’s what drastically separates the 2020 49ers and the 2016 Panthers.
The second team to miss the playoffs over the last eleven years was the Los Angeles Rams. They were still an above .500 team despite a turnover of seven starters along with all the in-season injuries, especially to the offensive line.
Since this was just last season, an important reminder is that there will now be seven playoff teams. If that was the case last season then the Rams would’ve made the playoffs because they finished the 2019 season as the 7th seed.
The road to the playoffs won’t be easy and that’s why I love the “Revenge Tour” mentality. The 49ers have received negative comments just for talking about getting back to the Super Bowl. That is foolish as they should absolutely want to get back and every season should be looked at Super Bowl or bust. Why even play on Sundays if that’s not the mentality?
Unlike Los Angeles, San Francisco is returning 19 of 22 starters. Most importantly, the 49ers are returning the depth they had last season when their starters had to miss time due to injury.
This team was considered a year away from being playoff contenders last season. They arrived a year early in 2019. So why would they miss the playoffs when this year was expected to be their year to contend for a playoff spot?
Not only do they have the best roster in the NFC West on paper but, from everything we hear, they have the more hunger and drive than anyone else in the NFC West.
Looking at the trend of the past eleven years, the Super Bowl defeated made the playoffs 81% of the time. So I’d expect the 49ers to win the West again and continue their “Revenge Tour” into the playoffs.
