Repeating as Super Bowl champions is hard. In fact, only eight teams have won back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
With injuries, free agency, a salary cap and other hurdles, the climb to the NFL mountaintop can be taxing. So much so that many Super Bowl champions have failed to make it to the playoffs the following season.
The most recent team to miss out was the 2022 Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions in a blockbuster trade in January 2021, sending Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick in return. The move resulted in Stafford and the Rams finishing the 2021 season with a 12-5 record and defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
The Rams, however, struggled to recapture the magic in 2022, trudging their way to a 5-12 mark, their first losing campaign under coach Sean McVay. Significant injuries to Stafford and Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp, a leaky and constantly changing offensive line, and overall offensive struggles led to the Rams finishing third in the NFC West and falling short of the playoffs.
Here is a look at the teams that missed the playoffs the season after winning the Super Bowl:
2022 Los Angeles Rams
2016 Denver Broncos
2013 Baltimore Ravens
2012 New York Giants
2009 Pittsburgh Steelers
2006 Pittsburgh Steelers
2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2002 New England Patriots
1999 Denver Broncos
1991 New York Giants
1988 Washington
1987 New York Giants
1982 San Francisco 49ers
1981 Oakland Raiders
1980 Pittsburgh Steelers
1970 Kansas City Chiefs
1968 Green Bay Packers
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