Going in, the Patriots were 12 1/2 point favorites to win the Superbowl and finish a perfect 19-0 season. One disastrous game later, they might not even make it to the championship next year. That is, if history is any indication.

If you take a look at the past fifteen losers of the Superbowl, not a one of them even made it back to their conference championship game the following season.

Perhaps more telling, only three of a whopping eighteen AFC teams and a paltry two of the eighteen NFC teams even made it back to the championship game the following year.

There have been many reasons the loser hasn't been back: injuries are most common, but just the mental exhaustion of being that close to winning it all takes its toll. It may be even worse for the Patriots, who were playing for the first perfect season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

The Buffalo Bills went four seasons in a row, losing every time, and would have gone another time were it not for the Music City Miracle. If it's any consolation for the Patriots, they certainly have the talent to go back next year, but they face some serious historical challenges.

And the Patriots--especially their defense--aren't getting any younger.