Advertisement

How important is No. 1 seed historically in the NFL playoffs? A 50-50 shot at a Super Bowl appearance

nick gray, nashville tennessean
·2 min read

Derrick Henry and the No. 1 seed in the AFC have been the talk of the town ahead of the Tennessee Titans' regular season finale on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

For good reason.

Henry is important, and he could get an extra week of preparation ahead of the Titans' playoff run if the Titans earn the No. 1 seed Sunday.

How important is that extra week historically for the teams that earn the top seed, which comes with a bye week and home field advantage?

The Tennessean went back to 1990, when the postseason expanded to 12 teams, six per conference, and logged all the No. 1 seed's results. It turns out No. 1 seeds are good teams!

Of the 62 No. 1 seeds since 1990, 32 earned a Super Bowl appearance. Of that group, 14 won it.

COY? Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel has strong case for NFL coach of the year. Here's why

RISING STAR AT LB: 'Emotional leader': How the passion of David Long Jr. inspires Tennessee Titans' revamped defense

Titans fans are well aware of the other end of that history. 16 No. 1 seeds have gone one-and-done in the Divisional round. Tennessee is one of four franchises to have lost twice as a No. 1 seed in the Divisional round. (Baltimore in Jan. 2001, Baltimore again in Jan. 2009)

Let's take a look at the full layout of the numbers.

The history of the No. 1 seed, by the numbers

Since 1990 playoffs, when postseason expanded to 12 teams/6 per conference

  • Lost Divisional round: 16 times (25.8%)

  • Lost Championship Game: 14 times (22.6%)

  • Lost Super Bowl: 18 times (29.0%)

  • Won Super Bowl: 14 times (22.6%)

  • 32 of the last 62 Super Bowl participants were No. 1 seeds

  • 14 of the last 31 Super Bowl champions were No. 1 seeds (45.1%)

  • Tennessee is among four franchises to suffer Divisional round losses twice as a No. 1 seed in this time (Kansas City, Denver and Dallas are the other three, and all three franchises have won Super Bowls in the time period)

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Importance of No. 1 seed in NFL playoffs? 50-50 shot at Super Bowl berth