- There have been seven teams to make the postseason as a wild card and win the Super Bowl.
- The most recent wild-card Super Bowl winner was the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- The 1999 Tennessee Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV as a wild-card team but lost to the St. Louis Rams 23-16.
While the NFL odds for teams that make the playoffs to win the Super Bowl tend to be lower than those with higher seedings, that doesn’t mean a wild-card team has never had postseason success.
Below, I’ll examine whether a wild-card team has ever won a Super Bowl and, if so, examine the most recent example.
Has a Wild-Card Team Ever Won the Super Bowl?
Yes. There have been seven wild-card teams to win a Super Bowl. The list includes the following:
- 1980: Oakland Raiders (No. 4 seed) defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10.
- 1997: Denver Broncos (No. 4 seed) defeat the Green Bay Packers, 31-24.
- 2000: Baltimore Ravens (No. 4 seed) defeat the New York Giants, 34-7.
- 2005: Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 6 seed) defeat the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10.
- 2007: New York Giants (No. 5 seed) defeat the New England Patriots, 17-14.
- 2010: Green Bay Packers (No. 6 seed) defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25.
- 2020: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5 seed) defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9.
The Giants were the biggest underdogs of these teams upon examining football odds. The Patriots were -12.5 and seeking an undefeated season.
Most Iconic Plays in #SuperBowl History: Super Bowl 15
The #Raiders would win their 2nd Super Bowl, this one over the Eagles, becoming the first Wild Card team to do so. SB MVP Jim Plunkett made many great plays, none bigger than this pass to Kenny King.(Video via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/BIBLezf5vn
— Twin Sports Media (@SportsTwin) February 10, 2024
When Was the Last Time a Wild-Card Team Won the Super Bowl?
The most recent example of a wild-card team winning the Super Bowl was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 at Super Bowl LV.
Other teams that made it to the Super Bowl as a wild card but lost include the Dallas Cowboys at Super Bowl X, the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XX, the Buffalo Bills at Super Bowl XXVII, and, most recently, the Tennessee Titans at Super Bowl XXXIV.
Super Bowl XXXIV included the goal-line tackle that prevented the Titans from scoring a touchdown at the end of regulation, which gave the St. Louis Rams a 23-16 victory.
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