With the Kansas City Chiefs meeting the Philadelphia Eagles to decide Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs will attempt to make history by being the first team to accomplish three consecutive Super Bowl wins. The contest promises to be exciting no matter the outcome, even if it’s just for the ads and halftime show alone. That said, the NFL’s famous championship game has provided us fans with several truly great games over the years, and here are some of the best.
Super Bowl XXV New York Giants 20-19 Buffalo Bills
In this game, the New York Giants squared off against the Buffalo Bills and their revolutionary “K-Gun” offense. To this day, this is still the only Super Bowl to be decided by a single point, as the Giants strategically dominated time of possession to keep the Bills offense off the field. Despite this, Buffalo still managed to drive into field goal range with eight seconds left. The two words “wide right” would then become immortalized as Scott Norwood missed the attempt, sealing a heartbreaking defeat. The loss has become more devastating over time for Buffalo, as the Bills would reach three more Super Bowls in a row after this, just to fall further short each time. This game also featured Whitney Houston’s legendary performance of the National Anthem at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War, which is probably the single greatest live performance in Super Bowl History.
Super Bowl LVII Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 Philadelphia Eagles
A rematch of this matchup will be held in less than a week, but the first game was a thrilling contest. The most recent selection on this list featured lots of scoring, as the Chiefs battled back from a ten-point halftime deficit with quarterback Patrick Mahomes playing through injury. With the game knotted at 35 a piece, Kansas City drove down to the Philadelphia 15-yard line and faced 3 and 8. Mahomes fired an incomplete pass, and it looked like the Eagles would have the ball back with enough time to try and score again. However, the referee threw a controversial flag, and the Chiefs were given a first down, allowing them to run out the clock and kick the winning field goal. Super Bowl LVII was a great game, but its controversial ending holds it back from a higher placing on this list.
Super Bowl XIII Pittsburgh Steelers 35-31 Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XIII is the oldest game on this list and also the most star-studded contest. Between players, coaches, owners and front-office executives, this game featured 24 future Hall of Famers, the most in Super Bowl history. In the highest-scoring Super Bowl up to that point, the Cowboys and Steelers traded blows until a critical moment in the third quarter. Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw a pass to a wide-open Jackie Smith in the end zone on 3rd and goal. Smith dropped the pass, and the Cowboys settled for a field goal, falling behind 21-17. They would never catch up, eventually losing the game by four points.
Super Bowl XLIII Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
To this day, this is the closest that the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL’s oldest franchise without a Super Bowl win, has come to a title. In a game that featured a famous 100-yard pick-six right before the half, the most memorable play was right at the finish. With Arizona leading 23-20 and the clock running out, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger fired a pass to the corner of the end zone to an outstretched Santonio Holmes, who somehow managed to have two toes down for a winning touchdown with only 35 seconds remaining for an awesome finish.
Super Bowl XXXII Denver Broncos 31-24 Green Bay Packers
Broncos-Packers is not only a great Super Bowl but also one of the most underrated. The Packers were hot off a title win the previous season and had three-time Most Valuable Player, Brett Farve, playing at his peak. The Broncos, on the other hand, were 0-4 in the Super Bowl, and QB John Elway was running out of time to cement his legacy with a championship. In another huge upset, the Packers were favored by 11.5 points going into the contest. In a back-and-forth game, the score was tied 24 a piece with 3:27 remaining. Then Elway willed the Broncos to a win, leading a clutch touchdown drive highlighted by a heroic dive on a third down run later called the “helicopter dive.” Elway was hit by three Packers defenders in mid-air and spun to reach the first-down marker. All-pro running back Terrell Davis punched it in from 1-yard out a few plays later to claim the Broncos’ first Super Bowl title. A great game with a thrilling finish puts Super Bowl XXXII just outside the top five.
Super Bowl XXXIV Saint Louis Rams 23-16 Tennessee Titans
While this game may not have come down to a single point, it did come down to a single yard, making it the closest Super Bowl in some ways. The Saint Louis Rams and their “greatest show on turf” offense squared off with the Tennessee Titans on a Cinderella run. In another classic finish, the Rams led 23-16 with only 1:56 left on the clock. Tennessee got the ball back and reached the Ram’s 10-yard line with five seconds remaining and time for one more play. Titans QB Steve McNair lasered a quick slant pass over the middle to receiver Kevin Dyson, who cut in and ran into Rams defender Mike Jones, only to be tackled out one yard short of the end zone as time expired.
Super Bowl XLII New York Giants 17-14 New England Patriots
Arguably the most shocking loss in NFL history, the New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII a historic 18-0 and looked to become only the second team in NFL history to cap off an undefeated regular season and Super Bowl win. Meanwhile, the New York Giants barely made the playoffs at 10-6 via the wild card, yet they strung together several upsets to reach the big game. As 12.5-point favorites, many saw the Patriots cruising to a perfect season. The Giants had other plans. Trailing 10-7 with little time remaining in the fourth quarter, New England quarterback Tom Brady drove the Patriots down the field and found Randy Moss for a touchdown in what appeared to be a Hollywood ending to the perfect season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning had other plans. Driving the Giants to their 44-yard line and facing 3-and-5, Manning avoided a sack and threw up a prayer to Mario Manningham, who pinned the ball against his helmet for a huge completion. The “helmet catch” is still the greatest play in Super Bowl history and put the Giants in a position to score and take the lead 17-14, ultimately sealing the win. This game featured an all-time upset, a memorable play and a heartbreaking loss for the almost-perfect Patriots. There’s not much more to want from a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LI New England Patriots 34-28 Atlanta Falcons (OT)
Tom Brady and the Patriots would come out on the right end of history in this one, though for much of the game, it didn’t appear that way. With 8:31 left in the third quarter, Atlanta led 28-3 and appeared to be cruising to victory. Then came the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, as the Patriots battled back from being down 25 points to tie the game at 28 going into the first overtime in Super Bowl history. The Patriots won the coin toss and drove down the field to score a touchdown and win the title. The Falcons never touched the ball in overtime. This finish cemented Brady’s status as the GOAT and completed a stunning Patriots title win.
Super Bowl XXIII San Francisco 49ers 20-16 Cincinnati Bengals
Before the days of the Patriots and Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers dominated the NFL during the 1980s. The most famous of their four Super Bowl wins during this era came against the Bengals in what is this list’s second-best title game to date. With time running out and the score tied, the Bengals kicked a clutch field goal to take a 16-13 lead and put them on the cusp of their first Super Bowl win. Enter Joe Montana. Aptly nicknamed “Joe Cool” for his famous clutch performances, he would engineer his most important drive ever to lead the Niners on a 92-yard game-winning touchdown drive. Going 8/9 on the drive, Montana found Jim Taylor for a 10-yard score with 34 seconds remaining to take a 20-16 lead. After a few plays, the Niners were once again champions, cementing their dynasty.
Super Bowl XLIX New England Patriots 28-24 Seattle Seahawks
Not only is this the top-ranked Super Bowl on the list, but it is also the biggest gut-punch loss in NFL history. The Seattle Seahawks won the previous Super Bowl and featured a budding dynasty led by their famous “legion of boom” defense and a powerful running attack spearheaded by Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. The Patriots were looking to reclaim NFL dominance with their Super Bowl drought reaching ten years. What ensued was a back-and-forth heavyweight fight, with the Seahawks seizing a 10-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Patriots managed to score touchdowns on back-to-back drives to take a 28-24 lead, but Seattle had the ball with enough time to make some magic. Facing first and ten from the New England 38-yard line, Seattle QB Russel Wilson heaved a pass into tight coverage, and Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler appeared to break the pass up. However, it fell harmlessly into the hands of Seattle receiver Jermaine Kearse, who juggled the ball several times before completing the catch to set up first and goal. Lynch then rumbled down to the one-yard line, and a winning score seemed inevitable. However, with one of the greatest goal-line running backs in the history of the game in the backfield, the Seahawks controversially elected to throw a pass over the middle. In a moment of redemption, Butler jumped the route and made a stunning interception to seal the win for the Patriots. This single play marked the end of the Seahawk’s dynasty before it had a chance to take off, while the Patriots began a run, winning two more Super Bowls over the next four seasons. Because of its impact on NFL history, insane ending and tight battle between two historically great teams, Super Bowl XLIX comes in at number one.
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