The San Francisco 49ers are currently recovering from a tough Super Bowl LVIII loss. Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to get the best of them in overtime when it mattered most. Believe it or not, the 49ers were favorites to win this football game.
San Francisco being favorites in this game is notable. That is because they were part of NFL betting history due to their Super Bowl loss. Read below to find out more about that.
San Francisco 49ers Favorites Every Game This Season
The San Francisco 49ers were favorites in every regular season game that they played this season. Not only that but they were also favorites to win the Super Bowl heading into the playoffs. Plus, San Francisco was still the favorite when the Super Bowl came around against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Why is this significant? Because the 49ers are just the fourth team since 2000 to lose the Super Bowl despite having this betting pattern. It is almost like a horse coming up just short of going wire-to-wire.
Some of you may be curious as to which three other teams did this since 2000. These three teams are the 2001-02 St. Louis Rams, 2007-08 New England Patriots, and 2017-18 New England Patriots respectively. Let’s take a closer look at these three teams.
Looking Back at the Other Three Teams
What do some of these other teams have in common? Well, the 2017-18 Patriots were defending Super Bowl champions. As a result, those Patriots were favored to make another serious run at back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The 2007-08 Patriots are a more unique story.
That is because a lot was going on around that team at the time. Two of the most notable things were acquiring WR Randy Moss and the Spygate scandal. Despite New England facing a lot of scrutiny during this season, they dominated nearly every team they played. As a result, the Patriots finished undefeated in the regular season and were heavy favorites in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants. Well, we all know how that one played out.
As for the Rams, they had won the Super Bowl two years prior. Still known as the “Greatest Show on Turf,” St. Louis still had high expectations going into that season that they nearly lived up to. Ironically, the Rams ended up getting upset by Tom Brady and the Patriots. It would be the first of six Super Bowl titles for New England.
San Francisco 49ers Moving Forward
Unfortunately, for the 49ers, history does not favor them here. Two of the three teams mentioned above failed to win the Super Bowl the next season. Now, San Francisco will attempt to be the second team to get redemption from this group in 2024.
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