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Right now the Colts are the top dog, the defending Super Bowl champions. Does that accomplishment and the confidence it builds carry them through the next season, or is the bulls eye on their back simply too big to overcome. The message from Head Coach Tony Dungy and President Bill Polian is that the focus is on winning in 2007, not defending their Super Bowl Championship. That sounds good, but we know, in the back of their minds they’re thinking repeat. That being said, what are the Colts odds of playing in Phoenix next February?
Through all 41 Super Bowls since its inception in 1967, the winning team has made a return trip to the big game on only 11 occasions. That means that 73 percent of the time there has not been a repeat champion. Of those 11 returning champions just eight had what it takes to win back-to-back titles, with only Pittsburgh accomplishing it twice. That means that only 19.5 percent of the time did the defending Super Bowl Champion repeat the following season.
Let’s see how the Colts stack up with the past Super Bowl repeat offenders.
1967 Green Bay Packers – Super Bowl 1 featured coaching greats Vince Lombardi and Hank Stram. MVP Bart Starr led the Packers to a 35-10 win over Len Dawson and his Kansas City Chiefs.
1968 Green Bay Packers – Bart Starr was named MVP once again as he led the Packers to a 33-14 win over the Oakland Raiders in what would be Vince Lombardi’s last of a long list of championships.
1973 Miami Dolphins – Don Shula, Bob Griese and the rest of the Dolphins put their perfect season on the line in Super Bowl 7. The Dolphins held on for a 14-7 win over Billy Kilmer and the Washington Redskins.
1974 Miami Dolphins – Bob Griese, Mercury Morris and Larry Csonka were more than Bud Grant, Fran Tarkenton and the “Purple People Eaters” could handle. Miami defeated Minnesota 24-7 in Super Bowl 8.
1975 Pittsburgh Steelers – The “Purple People Eaters” were back for another shot at the title but Chuck Noll’s “The Steel Curtain” dominated this game as the Steelers held on for a 16-6 win behind 158 rushing yards from MVP Franco Harris in Super Bowl 9.
1976 Pittsburgh Steelers – Dallas was making their third Super Bowl appearance and the Steelers were playing in their second. Terry Bradshaw connected with MVP Lynn Swan four times for a Super Bowl record 161 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers hung on for a 27-17 Super Bowl 10 victory.
1979 Pittsburgh Steelers – Dallas couldn’t contain Super Bowl 13 MVP Terry Bradshaw as he threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys 35-31 for their third Super Bowl victory. Note: Tony Dungy delivered a viscous blow to Randy White on special teams to force a fumble.
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers – Terry Bradshaw would repeat as MVP as the Steelers defeated the LA Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl 14. With this win the Steelers became the first team to win four Super Bowls and remain the only team to win back-to-back Super Bowls twice.
1989 San Francisco 49ers – Jerry Rice set a Super Bowl record with 215 yards receiving and Joe Montana threw for a record 357 yards. But it would take an 11 play, 92 yard, game winning drive that ended with a 10 yard touchdown pass from Montana to John Taylor with 34 seconds remaining to seal the deal. Super Bowl 23 final score San Francisco 20 and Cincinnati 16.
1990 San Francisco 49ers – Although they had a new Head Coach, it was the same old story for San Francisco. In George Seifert’s first season as HC the 49ers blew out the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl 24. MVP Joe Montana threw for a record breaking 5 touchdowns as San Fran tied the Steelers with four Super Bowl victories.
1993 Dallas Cowboys – Super Bowl 27 saw the resurgence of the Dallas Cowboys. After a 13 year absence Jimmy Johnson restored the glory for America’s team. It was a combination of four interceptions and five lost fumbles by Buffalo along with four, MVP Troy Aikman touchdown passes that lead to an easy 52-17 Dallas triumph.
1994 Dallas Cowboys – Rematch! Super Bowl 28 was a rematch of Super Bowl 27. Unfortunately for the Bills they would lose their fourth straight. This game marked the 10th consecutive time the NFC defeated the AFC in the Super Bowl. Emmitt Smith earned the MVP honors with 156 total yards while Thurman Thomas only managed 37 yards rushing for the Bills. The Cowboys 30-13 win would make them the fifth team in history to repeat as champions.
1998 Denver Broncos – In Super Bowl 32 John Elway and the Denver Broncos would ride the coat tails of MVP Terrel Davis and his 157 yards rushing and record three touchdowns to a 31-24 win over Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. In their fifth trip to the Super Bowl the Broncos finally took home the Lombardi Trophy.
1999 Denver Broncos – Super Bowl 33 would be John Elway’s final game. He went out in style throwing an 80 yard touchdown to Rod Smith, while earning MVP honors. Dan Reeves watched his new team the Atlanta Falcons fall 34-19 to his old club, Denver.
2004 New England Patriots – With under a minute to play Carolina tied the game at 29. That minute was more than Super Bowl 38 MVP Tom Brady needed. He let the Patriots to the 23 yard line where Adam Vinatieri kicked a 41 yard field goal to give the Patriots a 32-29 win over Carolina.
2005 New England Patriots – The Patriots won Super Bowl 39 with a team effort. MVP Deion Branch let the game with 133 yards while Brady threw for two touchdowns. McNabb was outstanding for the Eagles throwing three touchdowns but in the end his three interceptions were more than they could overcome. The Patriots repeated as Super Bowl champions with a 24-21 win over Philadelphia.
In case you’re curious the three teams to win a Super Bowl and then lose it the following season are the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins, and the Green Bay Packers. Dallas defeated Denver 27-10 in Super Bowl 12 then lost to Pittsburgh 35-31 the following season. Washington defeated Miami 27-17 in Super Bowl 17 then lost to the LA Raiders 38-9 the next season. Finally, Green Bay defeated New England 35-21 in Super Bowl 31 only to lose to Denver 31-24 one year later.
So how do the Colts stack up against this list of the NFL elite? There are several constants with every team that has repeated. First, they have a great head coach. Second, they have a marquee quarterback and game breakers in the backfield and at receiver. Finally, they have a defense that can win ballgames. The Colts have Tony Dungy at head coach and they have the best quarterback in the NFL in Peyton Manning. They have one of the groups of receivers in the league and it doesn’t seem to matter who they have running the ball. Bottom line is that they excel offensively. The only mark against the Colts is their defense and unfortunately for the rest of the league they are improving.
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