Every year around this time, the phrase “Super Bowl hangover” gets tossed around in NFL conversations. Losing in the big game is devastating, of course, and many believe those emotions can have a lasting, negative impact on a franchise.
There are certainly reasons to believe in such a phenomenon. No one since the 1992-93 Buffalo Bills have made it back to a Super Bowl a year after falling short in one; the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off a magical 15-1 campaign, earned a 6-10 record this year.
Nevertheless, there are reasons to believe the so-called hangover is overstated.