The Super Bowl curse is a phrase that refers to phenomena that may occur in the National Football League (NFL) where the team whose stadium will host the upcoming Super Bowl either misses the playoffs or suffers early postseason elimination.
The next year, the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in a home game during Super Bowl LVI.
[4] Casserly also noted that "once the season starts, you become the biggest game on everybody's schedule," suggesting that pressure from fans and spectators may also affect a team's performance.
The Super Bowl host stadium is selected several years before the game is played, regardless of the teams that qualify.
The only franchise to reach more than three straight title games was the Buffalo Bills who lost four Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993.
[6] Between the 2004 and 2022 season, no incumbent holder had managed to successfully defend their title until the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs with wins in Super Bowl LVII and LVIII.
There are many speculations made about potential causal factors for this trend, including the team having a shorter offseason due to their extended postseason play, difficulty settling contracts,[7] more pressure on the players, and an increase in visibility, which could contribute to nervous playing.