Since the Super Bowl era began after the 1966 season, only three NFL teams have won 14 or more regular-season games and gone winless in the playoffs.
It’s happened twice in the last three years.
With their season-ending 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the San Diego Chargers joined the 2005 Indianapolis Colts and the 1986 Chicago Bears as the only 14-win clubs to go 0-1 in the postseason.
But those three teams are hardly the only ones to suffer head-scratching defeats at the end of a magical season.
Here are the top 10 teams who failed to reach the Super Bowl.
There is one catch to qualify for the list – teams must not have reached or won a Super Bowl in the same era. For example, clubs like the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers (15-1), 1994 Dallas Cowboys (12-4) and 1974 Oakland Raiders (12-2) cannot make the list because they appeared in or won Super Bowls within a year or two of their playoff disappointments.
Although they might not have made it to the big game, here are 10 teams who probably could beat almost any Super Bowl champion:
1. 1998 Minnesota Vikings (15-1)
They scored more points than any team in league history (556). They tied for the most regular-season wins in a 16-game season. They had the league MVP in resurgent quarterback Randall Cunningham, nine Pro Bowlers, the league’s sixth-ranked scoring defense and won games by scores like 31-7, 29-6, 41-7, 34-13, 24-3, 48-22, 50-10 and 41-21.
Cunningham was at the controls of an eye-popping offense that saw receivers Randy Moss (17 touchdowns) and Cris Carter (12) combine for 2,324 yards receiving.
Cunningham’s backups were Super Bowl XXXVII champion Brad Johnson and future Miami Dolphins starter Jay Fiedler. The running backs were Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard, who combined for 2,155 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns.
The defense was led by tackle John Randle (10.5 sacks) and cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock (seven interceptions, 242 yards, three TDs).
Special teams?
No problem there. Kicker Gary Anderson didn’t miss all season on his way to 164 points and punter Mitch Berger, who had to boot the ball only 55 times all year, averaged 44.7 yards and had none blocked.
By the way, that team’s offensive coordinator was Brian Billick, who has led the Ravens to the playoffs four times and won Super Bowl XXXV since becoming their head coach in 1999.
The only problem was that the Vikings ran into an underdog 14-2 team – you don’t see that often – in the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC title game. Gary Anderson missed a potential game-winning field goal only to have Atlanta kicker Morten Anderson send Minnesota packing with a shocking 30-27 overtime loss.
2. 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars (14-2)
They lost to only one team all year.
Problem was, the eventual AFC champion Tennessee Titans pounded the Jaguars 41-14 in Week 16 before coming away with an easy 33-14 win in the AFC title game in Jacksonville.
This was the best season of offensive tackle Tony Boselli’s short-lived career. He helped pave the way for running backs James Stewart and Fred Taylor, who combined to ramble for 19 touchdowns. Receiver Jimmy Smith hauled in 116 passes for 1,636 yards.
The league’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense boasted three players with double-digit sack totals.
They had the league’s best special-teams unit with kick returner Alvis Whitted (23.4 average, one TD), punt returner Reggie Barlow (10.9 average, one TD) and field-goal kicker Mike Hollis (31 for 38).
Not to mention, they beat the Dolphins 62-7 – yes, 62-7 – in Dan Marino’s last game.
3. 2006 San Diego Chargers (14-2)
You know the story.
The league’s leader in points scored (492) was built around MVP running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who scored a record 31 touchdowns and threw for two more.
Ten players will play in the Pro Bowl.
To illustrate how overwhelming and diversified their offense was, Tomlinson’s backup, Michael Turner, rushed for 502 yards.
And despite missing four games with a mysterious steroid suspension, Shawne Merriman rang up 17 sacks while leading the NFL’s seventh-ranked scoring defense.
Former Cal Poly receiver and current Chargers Pro Bowl special teamer Kassim Osgood was part of a unit that included Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding (26 for 29) and punter Mike Scifres, who landed 35 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
4. 2005 Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
They could be removed from this list if they win Sunday.
But for now, a 13-0 start will always be remembered as a waste because they lost three of their last four games.
They were No. 2 in both points scored and fewest points allowed and sent seven players to the Pro Bowl.
But kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who was 23 for 25 during the regular season, shanked a 46-yarder against the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers in the divisional round.
5. 1990 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
They are unfairly forgotten because all six of their regular-season losses came by seven or fewer points, including three by a field goal or less.
Buddy Ryan was head coach and architect of a defense featuring Reggie White, Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons, who combined for 29 sacks. Cornerback Eric Allen was in the prime of his career.
Led by Cunningham, the offense was No. 2 in the NFL in total yardage. Then known as “Starship 12,” Cunningham had a touchdown-interception ratio of 30-13 and rushed for 942 yards.
This team was haunted by a poor kicking game – kicker Roger Ruzek was 21 for 29, missed three extra points and punter Jeff Feagles had two punts blocked.
A team that could have ran the table instead wound up 10-6 and was bounced at home in the divisional round, 20-6 by the Washington Redskins.
6. 1979 Houston Oilers (11-5)
Two words – Earl Campbell.
Campbell rushed for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns, leading Houston to the AFC title game, where it fell 27-13 at Pittsburgh.
Mike Reinfeldt had one of the finest seasons ever for a defensive back, picking off 12 passes for 205 yards.
7. 1993 Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
Joe Montana and Marcus Allen lined up in the same backfield. Both went to the Pro Bowl.
Allen scored 15 total touchdowns, but the story was the defense – Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas combined for 23 sacks and the unit picked off 20 passes.
The Chiefs eventually lost at the three-time defending AFC champion Buffalo Bills, 30-10 in the conference title game.
8. 1990 Los Angeles Raiders (12-4)
Allen and Bo Jackson rotated at running back.
Yikes.
The two combined for 18 total touchdowns and Jackson went to the Pro Bowl with a 5.6-yards-per-carry average.
As maligned as he was, quarterback Jay Schroeder had a touchdown-interception ratio of 19-9 and guided an offense that had major big-play capability – the Raiders led the NFL with an average of 8.59 yards per pass attempt and both starting wideouts averaged more than 16 yards per catch.
Howie Long was the emotional core of the league’s fourth-ranked yardage defense, which rolled up 48 sacks.
And you know you’re good when Tim Brown’s primary role is to return punts.
But Jackson suffered a season-ending hip injury in the divisional round, and the Raiders’ six-game winning streak was emphatically stopped when they ran into a buzz saw in the AFC title game. That’s when the Bills, using what was then a revolutionary no-huddle offense, hammered the Silver and Black 51-3 in the snow on the way to the first of four straight Super Bowl appearances.
9. 1991 Detroit Lions (12-4)
The only legitimate Super Bowl contender of Barry Sanders’ career.
One of six Pro Bowlers, Sanders zigged and zagged his way to 1,548 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing.
Pro Bowl linebacker Chris Spielman led a defense that included cornerback Ray Crockett, who picked off six passes for 141 yards and a score.
Mel Gray went to the Pro Bowl after averaging 25.8 yards per kick return and 15.4 per punt return.
The most interesting aspect is that this team demolished the Dallas Cowboys – one year before they won the Super Bowl 52-17 – by a score of 38-6 in the divisional round at the Pontiac Silverdome. They then got rolled 41-10 at eventual Super Bowl champion Washington.
Similar to Marino going to the Super Bowl in his second season (1984), Sanders was one game away in his third year. Neither got close ever again.
10. 1998 New York Jets (12-4)
How many teams can say they were No. 5 in the league in points scored and No. 2 in fewest points allowed?
Vinny Testaverde threw for 29 touchdowns, Curtis Martin (1,652 total yards) led a deep backfield and wideouts Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet each surpassed 1,000 yards receiving.
In the prime of his career, cornerback Aaron Glenn (six picks) led head coach Bill Parcells’ defense, which included Pro Bowler Mo Lewis and Bryan Cox.
Problem was, they had to go to Mile High Stadium for the AFC title game and lost 23-10 to the Broncos, who started the season 13-0 on the way to their second straight Vince Lombardi trophy.