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Will Bucs extend wild-card teams' incredible run in Super Bowls?

Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Of all of the things Tom Brady has done in his illustrious career, he had never played on a wild-card team before this season. Now, he's helped carry one to the Super Bowl, and recent history is on his side against the Chiefs (-3.5).

Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, 10 wild-card teams had advanced to the Super Bowl prior to the fifth-seeded Buccaneers' run this season. Despite being favored in just three of those games, the clubs went 6-4 straight up with a stellar 7-2-1 record against the spread.

Here's the full list of squads to reach the Super Bowl as a wild-card team:

Super Bowl (Year) Matchup Result SU ATS
XLV (2011) Packers (-3) vs. Steelers 31-25 W W
XLII (2008) Giants (+12) vs. Patriots 17-14 W W
XL (2006) Steelers (-4) vs. Seahawks 21-10 W W
XXXV (2001) Ravens (-3) vs. Giants 34-7 W W
XXXIV (2000) Titans (+7) vs. Rams 16-23 L P
XXXII (1998) Broncos (+11) vs. Packers 31-24 W W
XXVII (1993) Bills (+6.5) vs. Cowboys 17-52 L L
XX (1986) Patriots (+10) vs. Bears 10-46 L L
XV (1981) Raiders (+3) vs. Eagles 27-10 W W
X (1976) Cowboys (+7) vs. Steelers 17-21 L W

A wild-card team hasn't gone to the Super Bowl since 2011, when Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on a storybook run for his lone championship. That win extended an excellent streak for wild-card teams, which have gone 5-0-1 ATS in the Super Bowl since 1998 while winning four straight by a combined 47 points.

Oddsmakers' confidence in Tampa Bay bodes well for the Bucs in this one. Among the 10 wild-card teams to reach the Super Bowl, the six clubs catching at least 6.5 points went 2-4 SU and 3-2-1 ATS. The other four - all priced between +3 to -4 - went 4-0 SU/ATS, winning by an average of 15.3 points per game.

Those 2010-11 Packers were one of just five teams - including this year's Buccaneers - to win three road playoff games en route to a Super Bowl berth. The previous four went 3-1 SU/ATS, with only the 1985-86 Patriots falling short against the juggernaut Bears (-10).

The irony, of course, is that Tampa Bay is rewarded for its road success with a home game in Super Bowl LV, which has never happened before. It could be the bump the Buccaneers need to keep an impressive wild-card streak alive.

C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.

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