The Top Five Super Bowls of All Time

January 13, 2024

Justin Carter ranks the top five Super Bowls of all-time. What was the best Super Bowl in the history of the NFL?

Another Super Bowl is on the horizon. The biggest game in sports has featured some exciting matchups over its 50-plus-year history, but which games have been the biggest and most exciting of them all?

Obviously, that's up for considerable debate, but let's do our best to answer it. After digging into every Super Bowl matchup, we've come up with a list of the five best Super Bowls.

Let's rank the top five Super Bowls of all time, starting with No. 5 on the list.

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5. Super Bowl XLIX

Patriots 28, Seahawks 24

We all remember how this one ended. The Seahawks drove down the field with a chance to win the game late, but instead of handing the ball off to Marshawn Lynch at the one-yard line, Seattle threw. That pass went right to the hands of Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler, and it was game over. The Patriots won, and Tom Brady tied Joe Montana for career Super Bowl MVP awards with three, a mark Brady would later surpass.

But this game was more than just that final play. It featured a New England comeback in the fourth quarter, as the Seahawks entered the fourth up by 10. Brady threw touchdowns to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman in that final frame to take the lead. New England set records for largest fourth-quarter comeback in a Super Bowl. The team also tied a surprising record, considering they won the game: fewest rushing first downs, with just one total.

4. Super Bowl XXV

Giants 20, Bills 19

This game was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances by the Buffalo Bills back in the 90s. If you don't know about that period of Bills history, here's a spoiler: they didn't win any of them.

But Buffalo came close in Super Bowl XXV, falling by just one point to the New York Giants. In fact, the Bills had a great shot to win this one late, but kicker Scott Norwood's game-winning field goal attempt notably went wide right, handing the Giants the victory in the closest Super Bowl final score ever.

New York dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes. The Giants trailed 12-3 at one point but were able to go on a long touchdown drive that shifted the momentum of the game. Giants running back Otis Anderson was named MVP after his 102 rushing yards and a touchdown.

3. Super Bowl XIII

Steelers 35, Cowboys 31

Way back in 1979, two powerhouse teams met in Super Bowl XIII. On one side was Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterbacked by the legendary Terry Bradshaw. On the other side was Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys with Roger Staubach under center.

It was a back-and-forth game between the two teams, but the Steelers pulled out ahead thanks to a huge game for Bradshaw, who set records for passing yards (318) and passing touchdowns (four) in a Super Bowl.

This game also featured a comeback attempt from Dallas. Two fourth-quarter Pittsburgh touchdowns gave the Steelers a 35-17 advantage, but the Cowboys weren't done. Staubach threw two touchdowns in the final three minutes, but there just wasn't enough time for Dallas to complete the comeback bid.

2. Super Bowl XLII

Giants 17, Patriots 14

The New England Patriots were on their way to perfection. After a 16-0 regular season, the Pats had a shot to be just the second team to finish undefeated and take home the Lombardi Trophy. And then, it just...didn't happen.

New York's defense stifled the brilliant Patriots offense, holding Tom Brady to just one touchdown pass and limiting running back Laurence Maroney to 36 yards. Eli Manning led a fourth-quarter comeback with the Giants trailing 14-10, which included the famous "Helmet Catch" for David Tyree, who caught a 32-yard pass on third down with the help of his helmet to keep a crucial Giants drive alive.

The Giants took the lead with just 35 seconds remaining when Manning found Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard score, and that was that. The Patriots saw their dream of an undefeated season dashed at the last second.

While it's just No. 2 on this list as a game, you can make a good argument that Tyree's catch might be the best individual play ever made in a Super Bowl.

1. Super Bowl LI

Patriots 34, Falcons 28

Only one Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime, so of course, that Super Bowl claims the top spot in our list. Not that the overtime nature of it is the only reason though, as Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons had a little of everything.

Perhaps the biggest thing about Super Bowl LI is the Patriots comeback. New England trailed 28-3 at one point in this game but came back to force overtime and get the walk-off victory.

Atlanta was all over the Pats in the first half of this game, led by MVP quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan helped the Falcons pull out to a 14-0 lead, throwing a touchdown to Austin Hooper. A pick-six then put the Falcons up 21-0. A field goal for New England made it 21-3 at the half.

Hope looked lost for the Patriots after Ryan found Tevin Coleman for a touchdown in the third quarter, but Tom Brady took over from there. He helped the team come back from the huge deficit, with James White eventually scoring a touchdown with under a minute to play. A Brady to Danny Amendola two-point conversion sent it to OT, where James White scored the game-winning touchdown.

The win gave New England its fifth Super Bowl title. The game broke numerous records, including the largest Super Bowl comeback. Tom Brady won his fourth Super Bowl MVP award, further cementing his legacy.

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