The Last 10 NFL Super Bowl Losers, Ranked Worst To Best

When you think of the greatest NFLteams who never won the Super Bowl, the 1983 Washington squad, 1998 Minnesota Vikings and 2007 New England Patriots certainly come to mind.

RELATED: 5 Winners & 5 Losers Of The 2022 NFL Offseason So Far

Some of the most star-studded and well-balanced teams in NFL history do reach the big game, but they fall short of their ultimate goal. The last 10 Super Bowl losers looked destined to win the big game at some point(s), but it just wasn't meant to be.

Let's rank the last 10 Super Bowl winners from worst to first, based on the roster talent and regular season performances.

10 2021 Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals simply got hot at the right time and fell within a few plays of winning Super Bowl 56. But make no mistake, this was a very flawed team in many aspects.

Cincinnati ranked seventh in points for and 17th in points against. Including the postseason, Joe Burrow was sacked 70 times. And if Lamar Jackson didn't miss five games for the Baltimore Ravens, there's a good chance the Bengals would have missed out on the AFC North and the postseason altogether.

It's quite miraculous that Burrow got the Bengals this far behind that o-line.

9 2016 Atlanta Falcons

This was a very flawed football team that had the fortunes of playing in a very weak NFC. Heavyweights like the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, whom Atlanta eliminated in the postseason, were decimated by injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

Matt Ryan won the MVP award after leading the league's best scoring unit (33.8 points per game). But Atlanta was 27th in scoring defense, and the o-line allowed Ryan to take 37 regular season sacks. The Falcons' lackluster defense was exposed by the New England Patriots in their Super Bowl 51 meltdown.

They overachieved mightily and the dream ended with a heartbreaking loss.

8 2012 San Francisco 49ers

The 2012 49ers were better than what their regular season record (11-4-1) indicated. Colin Kaepernick took over as the starter midseason and dominated defenses with his electrifying dual-threat style of play, adding another element to the offense that was limited by Alex Smith's solid-but-not-elite play.

RELATED:10 Teams You Forgot These NFL Players Were On

Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree each had over 1,000 yards of offense. The 49ers ranked second in scoring, and Aldon Smith led the star-studded group with 19.5 sacks. After running through the NFC side of the bracket, the 49ers lost a close back-and-forth affair 34-31 to the Ravens in Super Bowl 47.

7 2019 San Francisco 49ers

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n"">

The 2019 49ers were one of the most balanced NFL teams of the 2010s decade. Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't an elite quarterback by any means, but the 49ers' high-powered rushing game led to them fielding the league's second-best scoring offense.

The ultra-talented defense, led by Richard Sherman, Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, gave up the second fewest yards and the eighth fewest points. The 49ers were half a quarter away from a Super Bowl 54 championship, but the offense and defense imploded in a meltdown against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco allowed 31 unanswered points and fell 31-20.

6 2014 Seattle Seahawks

The defending Super Bowl champions were once again led by the "Legion of Boom" defense that allowed a league-low 15.9 points per game. Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin led an offense that finished 10th in scoring.

As everyone knows, these Seahawks were half a yard away from repeating as Super Bowl champions. But Pete Carroll made the ill-fated decision to have Wilson throw a slant from the one-yard line instead of handing the ball off to Lynch. Seattle would never make the Super Bowl with the Wilson, Lynch or Legion of Boom core again.

5 2018 Los Angeles Rams

In the 2018 offseason, the Rams went all-in by acquiring Pro Bowl cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib in trades. They signed veteran defensive tackle Ndamokung Suh and traded for 1,000-yard receiver Brandin Cooks.

The Rams more than lived up to their sky-high potential. The offense finished second in scoring. Todd Gurley had 1,831 total yards of offense and 21 touchdowns. Cooks and Robert Woods each hit over 1,000 receiving yards.

Los Angeles, of course, was fortunate to reach Super Bowl 53 thanks to the whole "NOLA No-Call" controversy. But the magic ended against the dynastic Patriots, who held the high-powered L.A. offense to three points.

4 2020 Kansas City Chiefs

The defending Super Bowl champions finished with the NFL's best regular season record at 14-2, though their second loss was a meaningless Week 17 bout against the Los Angeles Chargers.

RELATED: The Last 10 Super Bowl Champions, Ranked From Worst To Best

Kansas City ranked sixth in points for and 10th in points against. Mahomes tossed 4,740 passing yards and had 38 touchdowns against only six picks. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Clyde Edwards-Helaire each had over 1,000 yards of offense. Simply put, Kansas City looked poised to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

But the banged-up offensive line, which greatly missed stalwarts Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, was absolutely annihilated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' front seven in a 31-9 blowout loss. It was the first game of Mahomes' career in which he failed to score a touchdown.

3 2013 Denver Broncos

The Broncos' defense was lackluster at best in 2013, but it didn't matter in the regular season. Peyton Manning won the MVP award after tossing 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both single-season records. The Broncos also put up 606 points, which smashed the record previously set by the 2007 New England Patriots.

But the one-dimensional Broncos were exposed big time by the Seahawks in Super Bowl 48. Seattle held the explosive Denver offense to eight points, and they forced the league's greatest offense ever into four turnovers. It all added up to a humiliating 43-8 loss for the Broncos.

2 2017 New England Patriots

After a surprisingly sluggish 2-2 start, the Patriots went on to win 11 of their final 12 regular season games. New England had the No. 2 scoring offense and the No. 5 scoring defense. Tom Brady won his third MVP award and both Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving marks.

New England got through a relatively weak AFC to reach its second straight Super Bowl. But the Nick Foles-led Philadelphia Eagles put together a clinical performance, racking up 41 points and 538 yards of offense in a 41-33 victory. Brandon Graham's late strip-sack on Brady helped the Eagles bleed the clock and essentially seal the deal.

1 2015 Carolina Panthers

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n"">

These Panthers didn't lose until Week 16 of the season. They had a +192 point differential, ranking first in scoring (31.3 points per game) and sixth in scoring defense. Luke Kuechly and All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman led a physical and punishing defense that steamrolled opponents throughout the regular seaason.

Cam Newton won the MVP award and led Carolina to its second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Despite a strong outing by the Carolina defense (two turnovers and five sacks), the Panthers were unable to get past the Broncos. Von Miller had 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles on "Super Cam", leading Denver to a 24-10 victory.