It is no secret that San Francisco 49ers fans have been subjected to a lot of heartbreak in the playoffs this millennium. A graphic shows just how soul-crushing it has been to see the 49ers get so close to the Super Bowl without winning it.
The graphic depicts all NFL teams with the most playoff wins since 2010 and how many Super Bowls they have won in that time. It can be viewed below:
The Kansas City Chiefs lead the way with 18 playoff wins and three Super Bowls (two against San Francisco) and the New England Patriots have 16 playoff wins and three Lombardi Trophies. The 49ers are in third with 13 playoff wins and no Super Bowl wins to show for it.
After San Francisco, the Green Bay Packers have 12 playoff wins and one Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles have 10 playoff victories and two rings, Baltimore has 10 wins as well with one Super Bowl win which came against the 49ers. Then, two NFC West rivals round things out with the Seattle Seahawks having 10 playoff wins and one Super Bowl while the Los Angeles Rams have eight playoff wins and one Super Bowl.
The great irony is that since 2010, the 49ers have only lost playoff games in either the NFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl. The fact that all of the losses have occurred so deep in the playoffs has only heightened the heartbreak.
It stings even more knowing that hated teams like the Eagles, Seahawks, and Rams have all been able to reach the promised land despite not having as many playoff wins as San Francisco. It hurts doubly so knowing that both Seattle and Los Angeles beat the Niners in the NFC Championship Game on the way to their Super Bowl victories.
While heartbreak has defined San Francisco's fate in the playoffs so far this millennium, that does not necessarily mean it will define their future. It seems like the team still has a window to compete for a Super Bowl with their key players on offense and defense locked up for at least the next few seasons.
These next few years may represent the team's last, best chance to win it all before there will be an inevitable decline after so many years of being a contender in the NFC. The pessimist would say that decline already began last season, but only time will tell whether the 49ers are destined to reclaim the Lombardi Trophy again after so many years of disappointment and heartbreak.
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