How Super Bowl winners follow up their championship seasons

The 2018 NFL season kicks off tonight when the reigning Super Bowl Champion Eagles take on the Atlanta Falcons in Philadelphia.

The Eagles have won their last two Week 1 games and six of their past seven. But can they do it again and accomplish that feat with Nick Foles at quarterback? Carson Wentz has already been ruled out from the game as he continues his ACL recovery.

Foles shined in the Super Bowl, en route to being named Super Bowl MVP. But will the Eagles get that version of Foles tonight? Or will they see the version that went 6 of 26 for 171 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the preseason? Or how about the version that was 4 of 11 for 39 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in the Eagles’ regular season finale last year against the Cowboys?

Foles’ play will surely impact how the Eagles fare in their regular-season debut as they begin to defend the championship. But how do teams typically do in Week 1 after winning the Super Bowl? And what’s the recent history of how teams perform in the regular season following their Super Bowl victory?

We took a look back at the Super Bowl winners from the 2000-2016 NFL seasons to see how they followed up their championship seasons.

Ten of those 18 teams made the playoffs the next year and all but three won their Week 1 matchup to start the following season. Last year, the Patriots got demolished by the Chiefs in Week 1 on Thursday night as Kansas City took control with three touchdowns in the final quarter of the game, finishing off the Patriots with a 42-27 victory.

But the Patriots ended up doing just fine last season, making it all the way to the Super Bowl before falling to the Eagles. The other two teams since 2000 to lose their Week 1 games following Super Bowl victories were the Ravens (2013 season) and Giants (2012 season), neither of whom made the playoffs that year.

If the Eagles lose tonight, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about, especially if Wentz returns to action soon. And if they win tonight, they’ll join the majority of other recent Super Bowl champions as Week 1 victors in the first meaningful game following hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

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