History says Super Bowl a virtual certainty for 49ers if they beat Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers celebrate a touchdown Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

History says Super Bowl trip a virtual certainty for 49ers if they beat Cowboys

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 10/4/23

It’s tough to make the case that a singular Sunday night matchup as early as Week 5 could have Super Bowl ramifications.

However, that’s exactly what could be at stake this week when the San Francisco 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”

The 49ers have won their last 14 consecutive regular-season games dating back to Week 8 last year and a win over Dallas this week would make them just the 14th team in NFL history to win at least 15 straight regular-season games.

That’s noteworthy because each of the previous 13 teams that did so over the course of two seasons (like the 49ers) played in a Super Bowl or NFL/AFL championship game (pre-merger) in one of those seasons. The 49ers haven’t played in a Super Bowl since 2019, meaning if history holds up, this would be their year.

The @49ers are the new favorite to win the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/SmTFJOELc8
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2023

The last team to accomplish the feat was the 2014-15 Carolina Panthers, who won 18 straight regular-season games over two seasons and lost in Super Bowl 50.

Seven teams have reeled off a regular-season win streak of 15 games or more since 2000 and three of them won a Super Bowl – the 2010-11 Green Bay Packers (won 15 straight, won Super Bowl XLV), the 2004-05 Pittsburgh Steelers (won 16 straight, won Super Bowl XL) and the 2003-04 New England Patriots (won 18 straight, won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX).

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated on Tuesday that the 49ers were the likely Super Bowl favorites this year, especially if they beat Dallas on Sunday. Perhaps, Jones knew San Francisco could potentially have 90 years of NFL history on its side.

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