Top 10 Best Super Bowls Of All-Time
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1. Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots 28, Seahawks 24)
Super Bowl 49 was the best Super Bowl in recent memory for me personally. The game featured the Patriots and Seahawks from Arizona in 2014 and it had everything that you want from a football game. Seattle was up double digits as they entered the 4th quarter but that didn’t have Tom Brady’s head hanging low as they went on to rack up 14 unanswered points. However, this game is most likely always going to be associated with the Seahawks decision on the 1-yard line with a chance to win the game. Instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the goal line, they decided to throw and Patriots CB Malcolm Butler jumped a slant route and got an interception which all but sealed a Super Bowl for New England.
2. Super Bowl XLII (Giants 17, Patriots 14)
Super Bowl 42 was another game that featured the Patriots, this time taking on the New York Giants in a battle between two teams from the Northeast. New England entered this game undefeated and needed this game to complete their perfect season. Unfortunately for them, Eli Manning was on the other side and was as clutch as they come. The key play from this game was Manning escaping a sack and throwing downfield to David Tyree who completed a catch where he pinned the ball on his helmet to secure the ball. This will always go down as one of the best plays in Super Bowl history. The Giants went on to score and secure a 17-14 win and spoil the Patriots’ chances of a Super Bowl title.
3. Super Bowl XIII (Steelers 35, Cowboys 31)
Going back a little bit we have Super Bowl 13 which featured a game between the Steelers and Cowboys from Miami, Florida. The Steelers were favorites in the game but it wasn’t easy for them to get the win. The Steelers were up 21-17 going into the fourth and scored another 14 unanswered points, so at this time it felt like Pittsburgh would cruise to an easy victory. However this was not the case, Dallas came back to score a touchdown, recover an onside kick, and then score again which made it a 4 point game. The luck stopped there though for the Cowboys and they were not able to recover another onside kick with 22 seconds left. This may be older but it is still memorable to some.
4. Super Bowl LI (Patriots 34, Falcons 28)
Super Bowl 51 is the game that birthed “28-3” jokes that we will hear for years to come. The Falcons were taking on the mighty Patriots and were pretty dominant over the first half of the game, but that turned in the 3rd quarter. The Patriots turned it on and were led by Tom Brady who ended up throwing for 466 yards and James White finished the game with 3 TDs. The Patriots came back to tie the game in regulation and went on to win in overtime. There aren’t any specific plays that come to mind but this was one of the best comebacks wins in the history of the Super Bowl.
5. Super Bowl XXV (Giants 20, Bills 19)
Buffalo Bills fans have been heartbroken in the Super Bowl many times and Super Bowl 25 wasn’t any different. The Bills were taking on the Giants in Tampa, Florida and it was a great game. The game was very tight throughout and came down to a play at the very end. Bills kicker Scott Norwood had a 47-yard field goal to win the game with 8 seconds left but he missed which officially sealed the Giants victory. This was the only Super Bowl potential game-winning kick attempt with under 10 seconds in history. Despite great efforts from Thurman Thomas, the Bills fell short which is a feeling they have felt many times in the history of the NFL.
6. Super Bowl XXXIV (Rams 23, Titans 16)
If you are a fan of Kurt Warner, this is probably one of your favorite Super Bowls. Warner wasn’t expected to be the starter in St. Louis but an injury to Trent Green forced Warner into a starting position and he didn’t disappoint. Warner went on to throw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns en-route to defeat the Titans 23-16 in the big game. Mike Jones made a game-saving tackle as the time expired which ended up being the key point in this game and has gone down as one of the best plays in the history of “the big game”.
7. Super Bowl XLIII (Steelers 27, Cardinals 23)
There were a lot of big moments in this game and it ended up being one of the best Super Bowls to watch in the 2000s. One of the things people remember is James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired at the half, this remains one of the longest INTs in Super Bowl history. That wasn’t all though, Larry Fitzgerald caught a 64-yard touchdown with 3 minutes left to take the lead and all the Cardinals needed was a stop but Big Ben wouldn’t let that happen. With 35 seconds left Big Ben found Santonio Holmes in the back of the endzone for a tip-toe catch to seal the game. There were so many ups and downs and this remains one of the best Super Bowls ever played.
8. Super Bowl XXIII (49ers 20, Bengals 16)
Super Bowl 23 goes all the way back to 1989 and featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals facing off in Miami, Florida. Jerry Rice feasted in this game finishing with 215 yards and a touchdown. This game featured a great ending when the Bengals took a 16-13 with around 3 minutes left. However, that didn’t deter Joe Montana as he led the 49ers on 92-yard drive and ended up scoring a touchdown to take the lead 20-16. That is how the game finished and even with some big injuries on both sides.
9. Super Bowl LII (Eagles 41, Patriots 33)
Super Bowl 52 was another great game for viewers. This was one of the highest-scoring Super Bowls and the game was going back and forth in amazing fashion. Nick Foles was forced to start this game due to an injury to starting QB Carson Wentz but he stepped up to the plate. A big play people will remember in this game is the 4th and goal play at the end of the first half when the Eagles ran what is now known as the “Philly Special” with the QB catching a TD pass. Even as underdogs the Eagles were able to hoist the Super Bowl trophy.
10. Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots 20, Rams 17)
This Super Bowl will always be known as the game that marked the start of the Patriots long-lived dynasty with Tom Brady. This was a lower scoring game but it didn’t lack drama with Adam Vinatieri hitting a 48-yard field goal when the game was tied 17-17 to win the game. This was the first time that there had been won by a scoring play on the final play of the game.
