Does Carson Palmer’s injury continue a string of freaky setbacks to Super Bowl host teams?
Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals were flying high at 7-1, but with one pop, that optimism has all but disappeared.
MRI and X-ray tests confirmed Monday at Palmer tore his left ACL, the ligament in the same knee he injured in 2006 while playing for the Bengals.
But Palmer knew his fate Sunday. “I didn’t need an MRI or an X-ray. I felt a pop so I knew it was my last time on the field this year,” he said after the Cardinals, now 8-1, wrapped up a 31-14 win over the Rams.
This season’s Super Bowl will be hosted by the Cardinals and played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in February.
For the last several years, teams that have hosted the Super Bowl at the end of a particular season have suffered setbacks that they couldn’t rebound from. Most were in the form of a season-ending injury to the starting quarterback who had previously led the team to success. Reading through the fates of these Super Bowl host teams, it’s hard not to wonder if there’s a curse on teams that host the Big Game.
Here’s how the curse has manifested the past 7 years:
2014-2015 season: Super Bowl XLIX is set to be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona Cardinals QB Carson Palmer suffers a season-ending injury in November.
2013-2014 season: Super Bowl XLVII was held at MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. Jets QB Mark Sanchez suffers a season-ending shoulder injury in preseason.
2012-2013 season: Super Bowl XLVII was played in New Orleans. Saints coach Sean Payton is suspended for the entire season for the Bountygate scandal.
2011-2012 season: Super Bowl XLVI was played in Indianapolis. Colts QB Peyton Manning has season-ending neck surgery and is out for the season.
2010-2011 season: Super Bowl XLV was played at Cowboys Stadium. Cowboys QB Tony Romo breaks his collarbone during a Monday Night Football game against the Giants in October, and does not play again the rest of the season.
2009-2010 season: Super Bowl XLIV was played in Miami. Chad Pennington is named the starter for a November game against the Titans. On his first play, he suffers a season-ending shoulder injury.
2008-2009 season: Super Bowl XLIII was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. QB Jeff Garcia suffers a leg injury in the preseason, and while he does return later in the season, the Buccaneers go from 1st in the NFC South to worst as they lose their last four games and miss the postseason.
If this curse continues, that’s bad news for 49ers, Texans, and Vikings fans. Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco hosts next year’s Super Bowl, followed by NRG Stadium in Houston and then the brand-new Vikings Stadium in Minneapolis in 2018.
Coincidence? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
With reporting from the Associated Press.
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