If the New England Patriots are able to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday to advance to their fourth Super Bowl in five years, they will have overcome some serious odds.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, only two of the 104 teams to play in a Super Bowl had a losing record on the road during the regular season the year they got there. The Patriots were 3-5 away from New England this year.
Patriots went 3-5 on the road this season, which doesn't bode well for their chances today. Out of the 104 teams to reach the Super Bowl, only 2 of them (1.9%) had a losing record on the road in that regular season (2008 Cardinals, 2010 Packers).
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2019
It’s worth noting that the two teams to accomplish the feat did so within the past decade, so perhaps that is an indication of how the NFL has changed. Patriots fans could also argue that the team they watched dominate the Los Angeles Chargers last week has not shown up all season either at home or on the road, meaning anything that happened during the regular season has no bearing on Sunday’s game.
We already saw the Philadelphia Eagles overcome similar odds when they beat the Chicago Bears two weeks ago, and stats usually get thrown out the window when Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are leading the way. Andy Reid and the Chiefs are undoubtedly aware of that.
