If only the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers had all done this one thing, the NFL history books might read a bit differently. Sure, having Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan and Patrick Mahomes under center is a massive help in winning a Super Bowl ring, but in recent years, the coin flip has determined the loser of the NFL's big game, so much so that the Super Bowl coin flip curse, is becoming very scary.
A Coin Flip of Destiny on the NFL's Biggest Stage
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
It happens at the start of every NFL game with very little fanfare. More often than not, it's not even a part of the broadcast. I'm talking about the coin toss to determine how the game will begin. Typically, the captains from both teams meet at midfield, where the referee will ask the visiting team to choose heads or tails after showing both teams the coin that will be used. After the coin lands, decisions are made regarding who will be kicking and in which direction, and away they go. Pretty uneventful, unless you happen to be the coin toss winner in the Super Bowl.
Of course, when it comes to the Super Bowl, rarely is ANYTHING uneventful. Especially with the ever-growing popularity of prop bets, and the continuing legalization of sports betting, the coin toss prop bet is among the favorites of bettors and sportsbooks across the country. Don't believe me? Just go ahead and plug the phrase "Super Bowl Coin Toss" and take a gander at the endless number of articles that pop up regarding the coin toss odds. But I digress - I'm not talking about this in the context of wagering. Indeed, there's a trend of late that might have both teams concerned when it comes to the coin toss.
That's right - in the previous eight Super Bowls, the team that has won the coin toss has gone on to lose the game. You have to go back to 2014, when the Seahawks won the coin toss and then went on to trounce the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII in MetLife Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs are the visiting team for Super Bowl LVII, so it will be their call to make. You have to wonder if the team captains will have this streak in the backs of their minds as they walk to the center of the field. Will it impact their decision at all? Is there even anything to this trend, especially given the increasing propensity of teams to defer at the start of games these days. Hopefully, Mahomes will become not just the NFL's MVP, but also the Super Bowl's MVCTC, or "most valuable coin toss caller."
In the previous 48 Super Bowls, it was 50/50 as to whether or not the Super Bowl coin toss results predicted the winner. But eight straight losses since then might make the Chiefs think twice about what they'd like to do. After all, Kansas City had a front-row seat to Cincinnati's playoff run to Super Bowl LVI last year, only to see their luck run out before kickoff and way before halftime. But still, there are exceptions to the rule. But the Chiefs also know first-hand what it's like to win the toss, as they did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.
During the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl runs, America's Team won two of their three coin tosses. The Bills split their coin tosses in the Upstate New York franchises' four consecutive Super Bowl trips.. The New Orleans Saints won their coin toss ahead of their battle with the Indianapolis colts, as did the Green Bay Packers when they took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Don't worry too much about the Steelers, they lost their coin toss against the Arizona Cardinals, but Big Ben still got his Super Bowl ring. Even Eli Manning split his coin toss wins each time the Giants took down the Patriots.
As if the pressure of playing for the NFL Championship in arguably the biggest sporting event in the United States wasn't enough, I don't envy whichever player has to choose between heads or tails. Of course, they may not put much stock in the streak, choosing instead to rely on what got them to the game in the first place - exceptional play once the game actually kicks off. We'll have to wait and see whether the trend continues in Super Bowl 57 when the Chiefs matchup against the NFC's Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona.
