The NFL has had wild card playoff teams since 1970 and expanded the wild card to three teams per conference in 2020 but despite the league’s best efforts to give more teams a chance to win the Super Bowl, very few wild cards have made it that far. If the Los Angeles Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday to win the NFC Championship, they will join an exclusive group of teams to win three road games in the same playoffs.
Only five teams have won three road playoff games in a season and the last four won the Super Bowl:
- 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 2010 Green Bay Packers
- 2007 New York Giants
- 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1985 New England Patriots
The Rams, who have already won road games in Carolina and Chicago, can become just the 12th wild. card team in history to reach the Super Bowl if they beat the Seahawks this weekend.
The Bucs with Tom Brady are the only wild card team to reach the Super Bowl in the past 15 years. Division winners have been dominant in the playoffs, especially in recent years, despite superficial edits by the league to make it seem like more teams have a chance to win the Super Bowl than ever. The Rams can be the team that bucks the trend and reaches the Super Bowl as a wild card team that had to go on the road in every round if they can avenge their loss in Seattle last month.
The Rams could also become the first team since the AFL-NFL merger to be an indoor team that wins a conference championship game in an outdoor stadium with the previous attempts going 0-15:
The Bucs went 11-5 in 2020 and won close playoff games against Washington, New Orleans, and Green Bay en route to reaching the Super Bowl and beating the Chiefs.
The Packers went 10-6 in 2010 and beat the Eagles, Falcons, and Bears in their home stadiums to reach Aaron Rodgers’ first and only Super Bowl.
The Giants went into the playoffs at 10-6 in 2007 and beat the Bucs, Cowboys, and Packers to reach the Super Bowl and upset Brady’s undefeated Patriots.
The Steelers, the only AFC team to go 3-0 on the road in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, went 11-5 in 2005 and beat the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos to reach the Super Bowl and beat the Seahawks.
And in 1985, the Patriots beat Jets, Raiders, and Dolphins after an 11-5 season to reach the Super Bowl, where they got whomped by the legendary ‘85 Bears.
Several teams have won two road games and fallen short of in the conference championship game. Some teams win 2 road games but don’t get an opportunity to win a third. The Rams have the chance in front of them on Sunday and the opponent is someone they know well.
One more win and the Rams can make history. One more win and the Rams will be in Sean McVay’s third Super Bowl since 2018.
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