Super Bowl Sunday is my favorite day of the year. Bar none. The week-long buildup, the media coverage, the anticipation, the pageantry, the flyover, the fireworks, the opening kickoff, the commercials, the halftime show, and–oh yeah!–the game itself: All of it contributes to the Super Bowl being the greatest sporting event in, at a minimum, North America. It certainly has a case to the be the greatest event in the world as well.
With that said, some Super Bowls have been better than others. A lot of this, of course, has to do with the quality of the game. However, if you’re a fan of one of the respective teams, then this discussion changes a bit. For instance, Seahawks fans had the time of their lives watching their team destroy the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. The rest of the country…well, they probably weren’t as enthused.
In my case, Super Bowl Sundays tend to be very nerve-wracking. I, along with the rest of Patriots nation, have been very fortunate to have these experiences. But, honestly, it was kind of nice to enjoy last year’s Super Bowl between Denver and Carolina in peace. Because everything changes when the Patriots play in the game. Two February’s ago, I was ready to hurl myself off the top deck of University of Phoenix Stadium after Jermaine Kearse came down with that circus catch. Jesus Christ…it’s happening again. Minutes later, though, I leaped into my dad’s arms, displaying an odd-mix of screaming, crying, and, ultimately, confusion as I tried to figure out who the hell Malcolm Butler was.
Of course, this same sequence occurred seven years earlier–only in reverse. I jumped for joy when Randy Moss hauled in a go-ahead touchdown with a little over two minutes to play in Super Bowl XLII. But about thirty minutes later, as thousands of Giants fans poured out of the very same stadium so giddy with excitement that you would’ve thought they had just successfully robbed a casino, I sat in shock, still processing how Eli Manning pulled off such a Houdini-esque escape and how a no-name like David Tyree could make the greatest play in Super Bowl history.
Simply put, when it comes to assessing which Super Bowl is the greatest of all-time, as I’d like to determine in this article, it’s difficult for anyone to be truly objective. We all have our team preferences. Giants fans will probably think more highly not only of Super Bowl XLII, but Super Bowl XXV as well (also known as “the Scott Norwood game”). 49ers fans will show stronger preferences for Joe Montana’s game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII. And Jets fans are more likely to defend Super Bowl III as the greatest–and most important–one of them all.
With this in mind, I’ll be as objective as I can. In terms of excitement, drama, memorability, and historical importance, here is my ranking of the ten greatest Super Bowls of all-time.
10 Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 MVP: Jerry Rice
Super Bowl XXIII served as the defining moment for both Joe Montana and Jerry Rice’s careers. To their credit, they were never tested in a Super Bowl quite like they were in this matchup, as Cincinnati used a kickoff return for a touchdown to take a 13-6 lead entering the fourth quarter. Led by Rice, who set reception and receiving yard records in this game, the 49ers would fight back to tie things up. Yet they were still down by three and ninety-two yards away from the endzone when they got the ball back for one last drive with roughly three minutes to play.
Time for Joe-Cool to work his magic. Montana marched the 49ers down the field, making clutch passes, like the one to Jerry Rice on a crucial second-and-20, to set San Francisco up deep in Bengals territory. He ultimately found John Taylor on a skinny-post in the back of the endzone to seal the 49ers’ third championship.
Montana’s drive will live on in football immortality, as will Rice’s spectacular performance. The rest of the game wasn’t quite as great, with the first half producing only two field goals. It’s higher on many other people’s lists, but here it settles at ten.
9 Super Bowl III
New York 16, Baltimore 7 MVP: Joe Namath
Super Bowl III is the most important Super Bowl to ever have taken place. After Vince Lombardi’s Packers had dominated in the first two title clashes between the old NFL and the upstart American Football League, the AFL’s hopes of ever merging with their more-established counterpart were bleak.
Enter Joe Namath and the New York Jets. Broadway Joe’s famous poolside guarantee propelled New York to one of the more improbable wins in sports history; and while it’s difficult to assess what exactly would have transpired if the AFL got blown out for the third straight Super Bowl, you could easily argue that without New York’s win, the NFL would look different today. After all, who would have consistently watched the AFL if it was such an inferior product?
Super Bowl III’s importance aside, the game itself wasn’t very entertaining. For a team favored by a staggering 18 points, the Colts were helpless, as they turned the ball over five times. They even switched quarterbacks, going from Earl Morrall, who had thrown three interceptions on the day, to Johnny Unitas, who didn’t do a whole lot better. The Jets, meanwhile, scored a touchdown in the second quarter and then went on cruise-control the rest of the game, settling for three second-half field goals to build a 16-0 fourth quarter lead.
In terms of excitement, this game was a dud. And, for the record, I’ve watched the full replay of it on NFL Network before, so don’t give me the whole “but you weren’t even there!” argument. However, the historical importance of this game, along with the fact that it was arguably the NFL’s greatest upset, means it’s absolutely necessary to include it in the top ten.
8 Super Bowl XXXII
Denver 31, Green Bay 24 MVP: Terrell Davis
This game between John Elway’s Broncos and Brett Favre’s Packers seems to get left off some people’s lists, but it’s absolutely one of the greatest Super Bowl’s of all-time. Look at everything it had going for it! Green Bay came in as heavy favorites looking to defend their title while the Broncos were looking to finally break through after enduring two decades of Super Bowl misery. Denver, for the record, was 0-4 in Super Bowls at the time, and had been blown out in each contest.
The game was a back-and-forth struggle throughout. Denver jumped out to a 17-7 lead midway through the second quarter behind league MVP Terrell Davis. Only problem for the Broncos was that Davis began suffering migraine headaches during the first half, which partly contributed to Green Bay clawing back to tie the game at 17, and then again at 24. Davis, however, would return to spark the Broncos in the second half, finishing with 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns, the last of which gave the Broncos a 31-24 lead with under two minutes to play. Denver’s defense then went on to make a final stand against Favre and the Packers in the game’s final moments.
As outstanding as Davis’ performance was, this game will always be remembered for Elway and his famed helicopter play. The future Hall of Famer had always been known for falling short when it mattered most, and you can get a sense of his desperation for that elusive first title on that play, where he leaped into three Packers defenders in order to pick up the first down.
Simply put, this game checks off all the boxes to be considered an unbelievable Super Bowl.
7 Super Bowl XXXVIII
New England 32, Carolina 29 MVP: Tom Brady
How crazy was Super Bowl XXXVIII? For starters, this turned out to be one of the highest scoring Super Bowls ever despite both teams being held scoreless for the entire first and third quarters. In fact, this game was tied at zero for the longest amount of time in Super Bowl history until a Tom Brady touchdown pass to Deion Branch put New England up with just over three minutes to play before halftime.
Oh my…halftime. I’ll get to that in a moment. But before then, both teams, each of which had seemingly forgotten how to play offense for most of the first half, traded scores three more times in the first half’s final minute. Then the lights went down, and America got to enjoy what was certainly not the best halftime show. However, it was quite possibly the most memorable, thanks to the grand finale featuring Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, where he sorted of…well…freed the nipple…literally!
The absurd halftime show was an indication of what was to come. The Patriots took a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, only to see Carolina respond with two scores–including a Super Bowl record 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Mushin Muhammad–to take a one-point lead with under seven minutes to play. New England answered with a score of their own on a touchdown pass from Brady to Mike “no, he doesn’t just play linebacker” Vrabel, only to see Carolina then tie it up with a little over a minute remaining. That led to John Kasay’s infamous kick out of bounds to give Brady more than enough time and space to set up another Adam Vinatieri game-winner with four ticks left.
This Super Bowl shouldn’t slip people’s minds, even if doesn’t have a true moment for the ages on par with other great Super Bowls. It was one of the most exciting games in NFL history.
6 Super Bowl XXXVI
New England 20, St. Louis 17 MVP: Tom Brady
The Patriots weren’t expected to have a chance, particularly with a first-year starting quarterback against MVP Kurt Warner, future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, and the rest of the “Greatest Show on Turf.” But in one of the more surprising performances in Super Bowl history, it was the New England defense that dictated the game. They punished the explosive Rams on every occasion, which led to three turnovers, including a pick-six by Ty Law that gave the Patriots an early lead. A two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough to keep the Rams down, though. St. Louis finally gained momentum and tied the game with a minute and a half to play.
Play for overtime. That’s what John Madden, along with many others, were saying when Tom Brady and the Patriots offense took the field with 1:21 remaining at their own 17-yard line. But in the first of many legendary moments in his career, Brady nickeled and dimed the Rams’ defense to set up Adam Vinatieri for the game’s winning field goal.
Super Bowl XXXVI’s unexpected outcome–it is the second largest upset in Super Bowl history in terms of the spread (14 points)–and thrilling fourth quarter, replete with the only game-winning score as time expired in Super Bowl history, make it a lock for a top ten spot on this list. The Patriots’ success in the aftermath of this game has allowed Super Bowl XXXVI to stand the test of time, as New England’s improbable win will always serve as a launching point for their success.
5 Super Bowl XXXIV
St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16 MVP: Kurt Warner
On paper, this game didn’t look to be all that intriguing. A matchup between two of the NFL’s more anonymous franchises? Eh, that’s not that great. Then again, I suppose it helps when a game dramatically surpasses expectations, as this one did.
For starters, you had a clear Cinderella team. After a 4-12 season, the Rams’ Super Bowl odds before the season were 300-1. And that was before they lost their starting quarterback, Trent Green, to a season-ending injury in the preseason and had to turn to an unknown, Kurt Warner, whose only true experience came in NFL Europe. Miraculously, St. Louis somehow went on to be one of the highest scoring offenses in NFL history and finished 13-3.
Could the Rams close the deal? For a while, it looked like they were going to with ease, as St. Louis held a 16-0 lead midway through the third quarter. But that was before Tennessee marched back behind running back Eddie George to tie the game with just over two minutes to play. However, the Titans saw their hearts ripped out immediately on the very first play of St. Louis’ next drive, when Kurt Warner went up top and found Issac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown to regain the lead.
McNair and the Titans couldn’t be denied that easily, though. He led Tennessee on one of the greatest “drives that never was,” which featured some unbelievable escapes from the elusive McNair. Yet everything ultimately came down to what was, at the time, the most dramatic finish to a game in Super Bowl history, as Kevin Dyson’s outstetched arm fell one-yard short of the goal line thanks to Mike Jones’ game-saving tackle. The final minutes to the game alone secures its spot in the top five.
4 Super Bowl XXV
New York 20, Buffalo 19 MVP: Otis Anderson
Remember how I said that Super Bowl XXXII between the Broncos and Packers had everything going for it? This game was similar, only with a more dramatic ending.
The Bills and their league-best offense entered the game as 6.5 point favorites against a Giants team that continued to surprise the NFL despite having a backup quarterback, Jeff Hostetler, under center in place of an injured Phil Simms. But in order to win, Bill Parcells carved out a brilliant game plan that relied less on Hostetler and more on running back Otis Anderson and the Giants’ run game to control the clock in order to keep Buffalo’s dominant offense off the field for as much as possible.
It worked. Buffalo may have managed to jump to a 12-3 lead in the second quarter, but over the course of the game, New York’s offense was able to sustain long drives and capitalize on scoring opportunities enough to secure a five-point lead entering the fourth. Thurman Thomas, however, quickly responded early by scoring on a 31-yard run to give the Bills the lead once again. That didn’t deter the Giants, though. They stuck to their game plan, continuing to grind out their possessions enough to regain a 20-19 lead.
Starting from their own ten-yard line with just over two minutes to play, Jim Kelly and the Bills famously drove the length of the field, landing in Giants territory with under a minute to play. But this drive would also go down as one of the great moments that never was, as Scott Norwood unfortunately hooked the potential winning field goal wide right to give New York the upset win.
Criticisms of Norwood are unfair. A 47-yarder was no chip-shot back then, particularly on grass. Nonetheless, his miss, combined with the drama and physicality that this game delivered, make Super Bowl XXV one for the ages.
3 Super Bowl XLIII
Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23 MVP: Santonio Holmes
You want excitement? You could make a case for Super Bowl XLIII being the most exciting NFL game ever. However, what’s ironic is that this game wasn’t projected to be much of a contest. The Steelers, by all accounts, were the superior team, mainly because the 9-7 Cardinals weren’t seen as much of a threat despite their surprising postseason run.
This certainly looked to be the case for most of the first half, as Pittsburgh jumped to an early 10-0 lead. It wasn’t until the very end of the half when this game started to transform into one of the most thrilling Super Bowls of all-time. Arizona was practically on the Pittsburgh goal line ready to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room. But then Kurt Warner badly misread the coverage, throwing a pass right into the waiting arms of James Harrison. Surely a linebacker couldn’t produce much of a return, right? Wrong! Harrison was in the center of a Steelers motorcade, rumbling down the sidelines as Cardinals receivers desperately tried to bring him down. All they had to do was tackle him since the second half clock had already hit 0:00, but Harrison kept chugging along, continuing to advance down the sideline until he half-dove, half-collapsed out of exhaustion into the endzone to put the Steelers up 17-7.
Harrison’s 100-yard pick-six is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensive plays–and biggest momentum turners–in NFL history. Yet, speaking of momentum, the Cardinals would rebound from a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit to take a sudden lead on a quick safety followed by a 64-yard touchdown from Warner to Larry Fitzgerald to take a 23-20 lead. Keep in mind that this all happened in a 21-second span with under three minutes to play!
If that result held, Arizona would’ve completed the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Unfortunately they left a little too much time for Ben Roethlisberger, as he produced a career-defining drive that capped with Santonio Holmes’ tightrope touchdown catch to secure the Steelers’ record sixth Super Bowl title.
Games like this one simply don’t come around too often.
2 Super Bowl XLII
New York 17, New England 14 MVP: Eli Manning
(Deep sigh)….here we go. For the record, I thought that Super Bowl XLII would never be topped. The storylines for this game were unprecedented. It was the ultimate David vs Goliath matchup, the likes of which the NFL hadn’t seen since Super Bowl III. The Patriots, searching for the first-ever 19-0 season and a fourth Super Bowl title in seven years, versus the Giants, a 10-6 wild card team that had struggled to make it into the postseason. Plus, these teams already had a little history with each other, as New England defeated New York 38-35 to conclude their undefeated regular season in a game that was much closer than expected.
Still, the Patriots were thought to be invincible. The Giants, though, made things clear from the start that nothing would come easy for New England’s high-powered offense. The Patriots were able to take a 7-3 lead into halftime, but they still looked out of sorts. After allowing New England to score on their opening drive, the Giants held them to two three-and-outs and forced one turnover.
The game continued to play out in unexpected ways. While facing constant pressure from New York’s front four, featuring Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, New England’s offense looked as uncomfortable as it had all season, even as it drove down the field during their opening drive of the second half. Bill Belichick then elected to go for it on fourth-and-13 from the Giants 31-yard line instead of kicking a field goal, resulting in a turnover on downs. New York later responded with their first touchdown drive of the game, culminating in a pass from Eli Manning to David Tyree. More on that connection later, obviously.
But what would a Patriots Super Bowl be without a response from Brady? Starting from their own 20 with roughly seven minutes to play, New England had its most efficient drive of the day, finding soft pockets in New York’s defense for consistent gains through the air. The drive slowed once the Patriots reached New York’s six, setting up a crucial third down with New England still down three. No matter. Brady found Randy Moss on a quick square-in to give New England a 14-10 lead.
But in a cruel twist of fate, it was the Patriots who had now left too much time on the clock for their worthy opponent. From there, Eli Manning guided the Giants on the greatest drive in Super Bowl history. On a third-and-five, still within their own territory, Manning escaped the clutches of god-knows how many New England lineman and heaved a prayer down field that was answered by the helmet of David Tyree. What people forget, though, is that Manning subsequently went on to complete a big third-and-long conversion with just under forty seconds remaining. That set up the Plaxico Burress touchdown that effectively sealed New England’s fate.
A pregame storyline for the ages coupled with two of the signature plays and drives in Super Bowl history effectively produced one of greatest upsets in sports history. Nothing else left to be said.
1 Super Bowl XLIX
New England 28, Seattle 24 MVP: Tom Brady
Again, I thought that Super Bowl XLII would never be topped. Yet even when compared to the other Super Bowls previously mentioned, Super Bowl XLIX had the strongest mix of all the elements that make a Super Bowl great–excitement, drama, memorability, and historical importance.
Perhaps the storylines entering the game weren’t quite as high for Super Bowl XLIX as they were for Super Bowl XLII, or even for games like Super Bowl XXXII. Nonetheless, there are two factors that led to the unbelievably high stakes leading up to Super Bowl XLIX. The first was Deflategate. No need for a recap there, but having Tom Brady and the Patriots at the center of a national scandal in which their legacy as a franchise was seriously in question led to a compelling buildup in the two weeks leading up to the game.
The second major storyline, which looks even greater in hindsight, was how this battle would play a huge role in determining which team would go down as the defining franchise of the current decade. With a victory, Seattle would’ve all but locked up that honor after defeating Denver the year prior. At that point, they would’ve inserted themselves into a bigger discussion comparing their success to other teams from different eras. One of those teams, of course, would’ve been the Brady/Belichick Patriots teams from the 2000’s, who just so happened to have their sights on carving a similar legacy in the 2010’s.
Super Bowl XLIX not only pitted two of the best franchises of the 21st century against one another, but the two very best teams in 2014 as well. Both finished ranked in the top two of Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, hence why the line was a pick ’em. And the game began as close as the numbers would’ve indicated. In contrast to many of the games mentioned above, Super Bowl XLIX was competitive and exciting from the start, with each team trading touchdowns before going into the half tied at 14.
Seattle pulled away in the third quarter. After opening the second half with a field goal, linebacker Bobby Wagner intercepted Tom Brady deep in New England territory. This set up another Russell Wilson touchdown pass to give the Seahawks a commanding 24-14 lead. It looked like it was going to hold, too. Following the interception, the Patriots went three-and-out on their next two drives.
However, the best games usually feature great comebacks, and this game had the greatest one in Super Bowl history. Down ten early in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady hit Julian Edelman on a crucial third-and-fourteen to prevent a third consecutive three-and-out. Six plays later, the Patriots were within three. But Brady’s best had yet to come. Facing arguably this generation’s premier defense, the Patriots stormed down the length of the field on their next drive, culminating in a Brady-to-Edelman touchdown to give New England the lead with just over two minutes remaining.
Too much time left on the table? Yeah, you could say that. Wilson produced some early heroics, as he immediately hit Marshawn Lynch for a 30+ yard gain to put Seattle in New England territory. After the drive stalled for a couple plays, Wilson threw up another deep ball down the right sideline. Even for people who claim they’ve “seen it all,” I don’t think anyone has seen something quite like the Kearse catch. It was basically Lynn Swann 2.0. And, more importantly, it put the Seahawks in perfect position for the winning score.
First-and-goal with one minute to play, hand off to Lynch. Stopped short at the one-yard line. Normally a timeout would be called at a moment like this when you assume a team is probably going to score. Belichick didn’t make this assumption. He let the clock bleed. Fifty seconds. Forty seconds. Thirty-five seconds. Clock still running. Seattle lines up, perhaps in a bit of a rush, and what ensued was the most shocking moment in NFL history: On the brink of a Super Bowl title, a slant pass from the one-yard line, intercepted by an undrafted rookie from West Alabama.
A clash between two of the best teams of the 21st century turned into an undeniably spectacular event replete with a back-and-forth first half, a ten-point fourth quarter comeback, another signature drive from the game’s greatest quarterback, one of the more improbable catches you’ll ever see, and, most notably, the greatest turn of events in NFL history.
With Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and Falcons officially less than a week away, let’s hope that this game can at least come close to the madness that ensued in Super Bowl XLIX: The Greatest Super Bowl of All-Time.
