Six #4 Seeds Have Won the Super Bowl Since 1975

Published on January 4th, 2023 6:54 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It goes without saying that earning the #1 seed is a big, big advantage for NFL teams.

Since the seeding system started in 1975, the #1 seed has won a total of 25 Super Bowls.

The #2 seed has also done well since 1975, winning a total of 10 Super Bowls.

After that, the story gets interesting.

If you are assuming that the #3 seed does better than the #4 seed, you'd be wrong.

In fact, the #4 seed has done SURPRISINGLY well since 1975, winning a total of six Super Bowls.

This includes the 2011 Giants (NFC), 2022 Rams (NFC), 1980 Raiders (AFC), 1997 Broncos (AFC), 2000 Ravens (AFC) and 2012 Ravens (2012).

The #4 seeds have won TRIPLE the number of Super Bowls compared to the #3 seeds since 1975, as the 2006 Colts and 1987 Redskins were the only #3 seeds to win.

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Since 1975, the #3 seed has only won 4.3% of the Super Bowls, compared to 12.8% by the #4 seed.

Since 1975, the #3 seed has also won the same number of Super Bowls as the #5 and even #6 seeds - the #3, #5 and #6 seeds have all won two Super Bowls.

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If you are happy because your favorite team managed to slide into the #3 seed, history is not exactly on your side.

On the other hand, if your team managed to earn the #4 seed, you are looking pretty good, especially when compared to the #3, #5 and #6 seeds.

Source: Super Bowl Winners By Seed