A loss in a Super Bowl can become a curse for some quarterbacks, especially for younger ones who play for the first time in a Super Bowl and usually never return to a big game. The Rams won Super Bowl LVI but they had already lost in 2018 with a different starting quarterback.
The curse of the Super Bowl debut has affected a number of quarterbacks in the 21st century and several others in the 20th century. But some quarterbacks, who never played a big game again, were lucky to even make it to a Super Bowl since many were carried by their teams and never had a natural talent to break that curse.
The worst scenario for a rookie is to lose his first Super Bowl after a good regular season as an underdog. It's much worse if a big game debutant had to go all the way to the playoffs: Wild Card, Divisional and Conference.
5 Quarterbacks who lost their first Super Bowl and have never played another big game (as starter):
1. Matt Ryan: The Falcons have had a big quarterback since 2008, but Ryan lost his Super Bowl debut in 2016 against the Patriots in one of the worst possible ways. He led 28-3 but the Patriots crushed the defense. of the Falcons to win 34-28.
2. Jared Goff: 2018 was a tough year for the Rams as they lost the Super Bowl to the Patriots in what was a tough, highly defensive game against Tom Brady. The Rams lost 3-13 and Goff hasn't been the same since.
3. Cam Newton: The Panthers had a top-ranked offense in 2015 that led them to Super Bowl 50 against Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos. But Cam Newton wasn't good enough to win and the Panthers lost 24-10.
4. Jimmy Garappolo: The case of Jimmy G is particular, he has 2 super bowl rings but both rings were as Tom Brady's backup. But Jimmy played in and lost his only Super Bowl as a starter for the 49ers in 2019 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
5. Joe Burrow: A rookie underdog with an underdog team accomplished a feat almost impossible for most, making it to the Super Bowl and playing against big time favorite who was built specifically to win a ring. Despite having the lead in the game, the Bengals lost to the Rams in 2022.
