24 Best Super Bowls of All Time
The Super Bowl stands as the biggest event on the North American sporting calendar. Even casual fans who enjoy the halftime entertainment and the supersized parties with friends more than the actual game look forward to this early February tradition. Dedicated football people want a good game, though, so it’s time to celebrate the best Super Bowls of all time.
1. Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
The Seahawks were poised to end the Patriots’ dynasty once and for all until a blunder on the one-yard line gave Tom Brady and Bill Belichick new life and more titles. The fourth quarter was close the entire time, and the legacy implications for both of these teams made the game memorable.
2. Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)
Tom Brady and the Patriots executed the greatest comeback in football history by winning a game in which they trailed 28 to three. The game turned Atlanta into a joke on social media for years, and it demonstrated the unshakable trust New England has in its culture and ability to win no matter the circumstances.
3. Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
The Steelers and Cardinals made for an exciting matchup because the former had already won five titles, and the latter was looking for their first. The fourth quarter flipped between both teams taking the baton, and Ben Roethlisberger led the drive of his career to cinch the sixth championship for Pittsburgh.
4. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
New England tried to culminate their perfect season in a championship, but Eli Manning and the Giants found a way to improbably end the Patriots’ historic campaign with plenty of theatrics and a devastating pass rush up the middle.
5. Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
This tight game was focused on defense and ball control, and the result came down to the skills of kicker Scott Norwood. The Bills’ place-kicker missed the potential title-winning kick for an anticlimactic ending.
6. Super Bowl LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33
Nick Foles became the second underdog quarterback to figure out how to out-duel Tom Brady when the lights were the brightest. Trick plays and miraculous catches made Super Bowl LII a thrill ride for football fans who prefer offensive-oriented games.
7. Super Bowl LVI: Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20
A fresh matchup between Matt Stafford and Joe Burrow led to some fantastic clutch drives and novel narratives on game day. Seeing Aaron Donald win his first title on his home field also felt like a storybook ending.
8. Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
The Kurt Warner-led “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams ended one of the best offensive seasons in history with a Super Bowl win. Tennessee fought valiantly and had a chance to tie the game before coming up short in the final seconds.
9. Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35
Patrick Mahomes took home his second ring with the Chiefs and established Kansas City as the best team of its era with this exciting win over the Eagles. Philadelphia nearly won the game on their final drive, a fitting end to a game that stayed close the entire 60 minutes.
10. Super Bowl LIV: Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 20
San Francisco stifled the Chiefs in this matchup of offensive powerhouse versus defensive stalwart until Kansas City turned it up several notches in the final minutes of the game. This game shattered many negative narratives associated with the Chiefs’ coach, Andy Reid.
11. Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31
Beyonce’s halftime performance lit up the stage, but it took the electricity out of the stadium during the second half. This funny moment overshadowed the neck-and-neck competition between the Niners and the Ravens and two overachieving quarterbacks, Joe Flacco and Colin Kaepernick.
12. Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
The Steelers and the Cowboys are mythologized as two of football’s mightiest teams, and Super Bowl games like this one helped create that legend. Terry Bradshaw shook the game manager tag by throwing four touchdown passes and outplaying Roger Staubach.
13. Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
Tom Brady took home his first of seven rings when he upset the heavily favored Rams in 2002. St. Louis’ otherworldly offense almost won them the game in the fourth quarter before Brady and kicker Adam Vinatieri came through with an iconic drive and score at the climax of the contest.
14. Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
John Elway and Brett Favre dueled in the game that finally led to Elway winning his first championship. Other great players like Shannon Sharpe and Reggie White made this an entertaining clash of heavyweights.
15. Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
Sometimes a game can be so chaotic that it’s fun. Baltimore and Dallas didn’t look ready to play on this day over 50 years ago, resembling non-playoff teams more than champions, but the close contest drove home the point that low-scoring football games can be iconic.
16. Super Bowl XLV: Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
Aaron Rodgers put on one of the best quarterback performances of the last 25 years in the Super Bowl with 304 passing yards and three touchdown passes. The matchup of two well-known brands in the NFL made for one of the most-watched games in history.
17. Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
A blowout by the Niners and a comeback by the Bengals turned one of the more boring games in history into a good one. The Bengals and Niners were both novices to the Super Bowl, which always makes proceedings a little more fun.
18. Super Bowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Pittsburgh and Dallas renewed their 1970s tension during the height of the Cowboys’ mid-1990s demolition of the NFL. The famous teams turned in another competitive game that propelled the Cowboys into the upper echelon of sports teams once again.
19. Super Bowl III: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
New York quarterback Joe Namath became the main storyline of this game when he said the Jets would for sure win the game, a promise that turned into reality. The third Super Bowl helped football fans see how entertaining this culminating game was going to be for the rest of time.
20. Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
This Super Bowl was one of the first times fans were exposed to Tom Brady’s relentless greatness as he overwhelmed the Panthers with passing prowess. Carolina made their first appearance in the final game here.
21. Super Bowl XLVI: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17
Eli Manning overcame Tom Brady and the Patriots yet again in a rematch from four years earlier. New York’s plucky defensive style once again threw Bill Belichick’s team into a tailspin.
22. Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17
Drew Brees versus Peyton Manning represents the pinnacle of elite quarterbacks in a Super Bowl. Brees gave New Orleans a fairytale ending after the franchise and fans suffered through Hurricane Katrina.
23. Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos 24, Carolina Panthers 10
Peyton Manning went out on top of the league in a battle of old versus new quarterbacks. Denver limited Cam Newton’s running and throwing skills, something no other team mustered before this game.
24. Super Bowl XIV: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
This Super Bowl would have ranked higher if the Rams wouldn’t have folded at the end of the game. Give credit to Pittsburgh for laying down the hammer during crunch time and separating themselves from Los Angeles.