Football’s preseason is creeping into view, pads are popping again, and the first real 2027 Super Bowl markets have opened. 

This is the annual moment where every fanbase convinces itself this is the year and every bookmaker pretends they know something the projection models don't. 

The twist in 2027 is that it's not who sits on top of the board. It's how far apart the betting markets and analytics have drifted on a couple of the favorites, with the Bills and Rams making the most noise so far. 

Some teams are priced like juggernauts by the best online sportsbook operators, others like question marks by the algorithms, and the gap between vibes and spreadsheets has never been wider.

Which makes this the perfect time to revisit a timeless NFL truth. Every season produces a team that feels inevitable. 

Sometimes it dominates the regular season. Sometimes it's brilliant enough to keep running deep into January before hitting the wrong opponent at the wrong moment. Being great is never enough. 

One bad quarter, one dropped pass, one impossible catch eventually becomes the entire story. 

Some of the greatest teams ever assembled never lifted the Lombardi. That tension, that heartbreak, is exactly what makes this year's contenders so fascinating.

With that in mind, we look back at five of the greatest teams to fall short of Super Bowl glory, from dominant regular-season juggernauts to sides that came within a single play of history.

2007 New England Patriots: The Perfect Season That Wasn't

The Patriots won every game they played for four months, then lost the only one that mattered. 

Tom Brady was at the peak of his powers, throwing to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth. Moss was nearly unguardable. Brady was ruthless. 

The offense scored 589 points, more than any team before them. The defense had veterans like Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Junior Seau setting the tone.

New England arrived at Super Bowl XLII at 18-0. Then came David Tyree's helmet catch, Eli Manning escaping pressure in the pocket, Plaxico Burress stepping into the end zone. The Patriots lost 17-14. 

They didn't lose because they were exposed over a long season. They lost because the Giants found one night when impossible things kept happening. The 2007 Patriots are remembered more for their one failure than for everything they did right. That distinction defines why they remain the gold standard for football's almost-immortals.

2006 San Diego Chargers: Most Talent, Wrong Timing

San Diego finished 14-2 and secured the AFC's top seed. LaDainian Tomlinson set records for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. 

Philip Rivers was still young but competent. Antonio Gates gave them a nightmare matchup at tight end.. The Chargers looked like a team with answers everywhere.

Then came the divisional round against New England. Rivers played through a torn ACL. The Chargers committed costly mistakes. The Patriots won 24-21. 

San Diego never reached the AFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl. They lost before the real stage even arrived. The cruelty is specific. 

The 2006 Chargers had the best record in football, the league's most terrifying running back, and a defense that could suffocate entire games. They still spent January watching someone else make the trip to Miami.

1990 Buffalo Bills: One Yard Away, Four Years of Pain

While they might be the favourites in the betting odds for this year, Buffalo's early-1990s run was perhaps the best in franchise history. Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, and Bruce Smith led the Bills into Super Bowl XXV against New York. 

Buffalo had the ball late with a chance to win. Scott Norwood lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt. The kick drifted wide right. That miss became one of the most famous images in NFL history.

The Bills would return to the Super Bowl three more times, losing each one. The 1990 team belongs above the later Buffalo squads because it came closest to winning the first one. 

It also established the core that would carry the franchise through an era of extraordinary heartbreak. They didn't lose in a blowout. They lost by the width of a football. That sliver of space became the beginning of a four-year nightmare.

2014 Seattle Seahawks: The Goal-Line Call That Changed Everything

Seattle had already won Super Bowl XLVIII, so this franchise has tasted victory. But the 2014 version may have been the best team of the Pete Carroll-Russell Wilson era. 

The Legion of Boom was still dominant. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor set the tone. Marshawn Lynch gave them a physical identity. Wilson created plays when structure collapsed.

Seattle came back from a 10-point deficit against New England in Super Bowl XLIX. With the Seahawks at the Patriots' 1-yard line, Pete Carroll decided to throw instead of hand the ball to Lynch. Malcolm Butler intercepted Wilson's pass. 

The Seahawks went from the edge of a repeat championship to one of the most painful defeats ever suffered by a defending champion. They were one yard away from becoming a dynasty. Instead, one goal-line call turned them into the answer to a trivia question nobody in Seattle wants to hear.

There’s plenty of reason to believe they can do it again. The Seahawks head into 2026 with most of the roster that delivered last season's Super Bowl LX triumph still in place, giving them a level of continuity that many defending champions don't get. 

There is also a new voice calling the plays in Brian Fleury, while the franchise continues to work on a contract extension for star cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

That combination gives Seattle a strong foundation, but repeating as champions is notoriously difficult.

2021 Cincinnati Bengals: Too Young, Too Soon

Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and a fearless young core changed the Bengals expectations almost overnight. 

That whole 2022 season felt like a fever dream. They won the AFC North, survived Tennessee, then stunned Kansas City in overtime in the AFC Championship Game. 

Burrow played with veteran calm. Chase looked like a future superstar. The offensive line remained an obvious weakness, but Cincinnati kept surviving.

In Super Bowl LVI, the Bengals led late and had a chance to complete one of the most dramatic rises in recent NFL history. Aaron Donald wrecked the final drive. Los Angeles won 23-20. Cincinnati's case differs from the others. 

This wasn't a dominant team that collapsed. This was a young team that reached the summit while still being built. They weren't finished. That was the point. They had arrived at the Super Bowl carrying the feel of a project, and they came within a few plays of completing the whole renovation.

The Pats Remain the Standard

Many franchises have spent decades chasing the Lombardi Trophy. Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, and Jacksonville remain the only teams that have never reached the Super Bowl. Buffalo and Minnesota have each lost four times. But when the question is about the greatest single team, the 2007 Patriots are the strongest answer. 

They went 16-0 in the regular season, scored more points than any team before them, and were 12 minutes from completing the first perfect season since 1972.

The 2007 Patriots weren't merely a great team that lost a Super Bowl. They were a perfect team that lost the final game. That distinction is why they remain the gold standard for football's almost-immortals.

Final Thoughts

As the 2027 Super Bowl markets settle and projection models update with preseason data, remember that the favorites on the board won't include any of these teams.

Dominance in September and October means nothing if you can't finish in February. The teams that never won the Super Bowl serve as reminders that being great is just the first step.

Regular visitors of notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. We will eventually do the same for major NCAA schools. As such, it is important to us that Texas Tech has announced the eight new members of its Athletic Hall of Fame Class.

The event will take place on September 26.

The eight new members are:

Bradley Adkins, Men’s Track & Field, 2013-16.  Adkins is one of the most successful high jumpers in school history and has five top-ten national finishes, including a second-place finish in both the 2015 Indoor and Outdoor Championships.  He later represented the United States in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Hannah Carson, Women’s Track & Field, 2013-16.  Carson was a three-time First Team All-American who finished second in the Javelin at both the 2015 and 2016 Outdoor Championships.  She also won two Big 12 Championships in the outdoor meet, capturing first in the Javelin and Discus. 

Joel Filani, Football, 2003-06.  Filani became a star in his junior and senior seasons, accumulating a combined 2,307 Yards and 21 TDs in that time span.  A huge part of the Red Raiders’ comeback win in the 2006 Insight Bowl, Filani was on six different off-season/practice squads (Tennessee, Minnesota, Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis and Tampa Bay) but never played in the regular season.

Eric Gutierrez, Baseball, 2013-16.  Playing at First Base, Gutierrez helped Texas Tech reach two College World Series, and in his senior year, was a First Team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year.  With the Red Raiders, he batted .302 with 36 Home Runs and an OPS of .928.

Jaelene Hinkle, Women’s Soccer, 2011-14.  Hinkle helped lead Texas Tech to their first NCAA Tournament and was also the second All-American in program history.  The defender played seven seasons in the NWSL.

Ashley Parker, Softball, 2004-07.  A four-time All-Big 12 Selection, Parker batted .312 with 78 Stolen Bases over her college career.

Louis Vasquez, Football, 2003-08.  Vasquez was a successful Offensive Lineman who helped take Texas Tech to three straight bowl games and was a Third-Team All-American in his senior year.  He played seven seasons in the NFL, the first four with San Diego, and the final three in Denver, where he won a Super Bowl.

Rayford Young, Men’s Basketball, 1996-2000.  Playing at Guard, Young was a three-time All-Big 12 Selection and scored 1,525 Points as a Red Raider.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Chris Johnson for his upcoming accolade.

1999 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1998.

For “1999,” a Preliminary Vote with nearly 100 players whose playing career ended by 1993. We also follow the structure in which players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will choose five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process every week until we catch up to the current year.

31 votes were cast, with the top 15 advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals: 

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

We will post the Class of 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

As the MLB season enters its closing weeks, every start carries greater significance for pitchers chasing awards, postseason positioning, and statistical milestones. That urgency naturally influences how individual performances are evaluated, particularly when strikeout totals become a major focal point. 

Consistent frontline starters often establish expectations that extend well beyond a single outing. Four pitchers, in particular, have separated themselves in 2026, demonstrating the type of sustained excellence that continues shaping conversations surrounding strikeout performances across the league.

Elite Pitching Reshapes Late-Season Props

Strikeout expectations tend to evolve as the season progresses. Early projections often rely on preseason evaluations, but by late summer, recent performance, opponent tendencies, and workload provide a much clearer picture of what to expect from frontline starters. Every outing contributes another layer of evidence.

Modern MLB strikeout props reflect far more than raw strikeout totals. Pitch counts, innings management, opposing lineups, and current form all influence expectations before first pitch. Late in the season, these variables become even more significant as clubs balance postseason ambitions with pitcher health.

Consistency also changes perception. Pitchers who repeatedly work deep into games while maintaining elite strikeout rates naturally command greater confidence than those whose performances fluctuate from start to start. Sustained excellence shapes expectations as much as individual highlights.

Advanced metrics help explain why. Earned Run Average, Fielding Independent Pitching, strikeout percentage, and swinging-strike rate provide additional context that traditional statistics cannot capture. Those measurements establish the framework for evaluating several standout pitchers who continue defining strikeout conversations entering the final weeks.

Misiorowski Anchors the National League Strikeout Conversation

Jacob Misiorowski has emerged as the National League's dominant strikeout pitcher in 2026. Entering August with 185 strikeouts and a remarkable 1.58 ERA, he has consistently overwhelmed opposing hitters while limiting scoring opportunities throughout the season.

Those numbers naturally place him at the forefront of the Cy Young conversation. Recognition as the leading candidate reflects more than impressive statistics. It acknowledges a season defined by sustained dominance, efficiency, and remarkable consistency from one outing to the next.

National analysts have taken notice as well. FOX Sports recently identified Misiorowski as a significant Cy Young favorite, illustrating the growing separation between his campaign and those of many other National League starters. Such recognition reflects the respect his performances continue earning across baseball.

Every start now arrives with elevated expectations. Opposing hitters understand the challenge awaiting them, yet Misiorowski continues generating swings and misses at an elite rate. That combination of dominance and consistency has made him one of baseball's defining pitching stories late in the season.

Sánchez Proves Durability and Dominance

Cristopher Sánchez has quietly developed into one of baseball's most dependable frontline starters. Across 144.2 innings, he has compiled 168 strikeouts while maintaining an outstanding 2.61 ERA, demonstrating the rare combination of durability and effectiveness throughout the season.

His continued success has prompted broader recognition around the league, with MLB’s latest Cy Young poll placing Sánchez second in the National League after another season of frontline production. 

Workload matters when evaluating late-season pitching. Sánchez has consistently handled substantial innings while maintaining his strikeout production, allowing him to remain effective even as the season places greater demands on starting rotations.

That reliability continues shaping expectations before each appearance. Rather than relying on isolated dominant outings, Sánchez has established a pattern of steady production that reinforces confidence in his ability to generate strikeouts while limiting offensive opportunities deep into the season.

Schlittler Leads the American League Cy Young Race

Cam Schlittler has positioned himself among the American League's elite pitchers through a season defined by consistency and advanced statistical excellence. His 2.04 ERA and league-leading 0.91 WHIP highlight just how effectively he has controlled games throughout the year. 

FIP has become one of baseball's most respected evaluation tools because it isolates factors largely controlled by the pitcher. It’s noteworthy that Schlittler's league-leading performance in that category reinforces what traditional statistics already suggest: he has consistently limited damaging contact while generating high-quality outings.

That statistical profile has strengthened his standing in the American League Cy Young race. Recognition at that level reflects sustained performance across multiple months rather than isolated stretches of dominance, highlighting his ability to deliver quality starts throughout the season.

As indicated by MLB  analysis, strikeout expectations naturally rise when pitchers combine elite run prevention with swing-and-miss ability. Schlittler continues doing both, making every appearance another opportunity to reinforce his standing among baseball's premier starters entering the final weeks of 2026.

Cease Paces the American League Strikeout Leaderboard

Dylan Cease continues setting the standard for strikeout production in the American League. His league-leading 174 strikeouts reflect a season built on overpowering stuff, consistent execution, and the ability to generate swings and misses against a wide variety of opponents.

Strikeout success has always been central to Cease's profile, but his overall efficiency has elevated his performances even further this season. By combining bat-missing ability with improved run prevention, he has consistently limited opportunities for opposing offenses to build sustained momentum.

Advanced metrics reinforce that impression. Strong underlying numbers continue supporting his effectiveness, demonstrating that his production reflects repeatable performance rather than short-term fluctuations. Those indicators help explain why expectations surrounding his outings remain consistently high.

As the regular season approaches its conclusion, Cease remains one of baseball's premier strikeout pitchers. His sustained production has kept him near the top of the American League leaderboard while ensuring every late-season appearance attracts considerable attention from analysts focused on pitching trends.

Strikeout Excellence Continues Defining the Stretch Run

Late-season baseball places greater emphasis on consistency, endurance, and the ability to deliver under increasing pressure. Misiorowski, Sánchez, Schlittler, and Cease have distinguished themselves by combining elite strikeout production with advanced metrics that reinforce their sustained excellence.

That sustained quality also gives teams confidence when planning rotations, bullpen usage, and postseason matchups against the league's strongest lineups.

Their performances continue shaping expectations surrounding individual pitching matchups while highlighting how dominant starting pitching remains one of baseball's defining competitive advantages. As the regular season unfolds, these four arms will remain central to every discussion surrounding strikeout trends.