10 Greatest Super Bowl Games of All-Time

No sporting event in North America tops the Super Bowl, with hundreds of millions of viewers tuning in every year to watch the NFL‘s annual championship game.

Since Super Bowl I between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in 1967, fans have been privy to some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in football history in the 59 editions we’ve had to date.

As we look forward to Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, join us on a trip down memory lane as we rank the greatest Super Bowls of all-time.

10

Super Bowl XXIII (1988) — 49ers 20 – Bengals 16

The San Francisco 49ers were looking for their third Super Bowl title when they met the Cincinnati Bengals in Miami at the pinnacle of the 1988 NFL season.

It turned out to be a defensive battle, with the teams only scoring three touchdowns between them. But the Bengals held a 13-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, thanks to a 93-yard kickoff return by Stanford Jennings.

That’s when Joe Montana and Jerry Rice went to work. Montana found his superstar receiver for a touchdown to tie the game at 13, before the Bengals responded with a field goal to take back the lead.

With just over three minutes left on the clock, Montana proceeded to drive the Niners’ offense 92 yards down the field, culminating in a 10-yard passing touchdown to John Taylor to give San Francisco the lead with 34 seconds to play.

Montana ended the game with 357 yards and two touchdowns, while Rice registered an astounding 215 receiving yards on 11 receptions.

9

Super Bowl XXXVI (2001) — Patriots 20 – Rams 17

The New England Patriots‘ first Super Bowl included one of the most dramatic finishes of all-time.

Tom Brady — in just his second NFL season — and the Patriots were 14-point underdogs against the St. Louis Rams, who were dubbed the “Greatest Show on Turf” at the time, led by star quarterback Kurt Warner.

But New England came out swinging, and held a 17-3 lead after three quarters of play. But Warner and the Rams roared back, tying the game with a minute and a half to play.

The young Brady showed poise beyond his years to drive the Pats down the field and bring them within field-goal range, handing the reigns off to Adam Vinatieri to secure the win with a 48-yard kick.

Vinatieri nailed the field goal as time expired, marking the first time a Super Bowl was decided on the final play of the game.

Brady received Super Bowl MVP honors after putting up 145 passing yards and one touchdown.

8

Super Bowl LVII (2022) — Chiefs 38 – Eagles 35

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eaglesmet in Super Bowl LVII and went on to play a classic that went down as the third-highest scoring game in Super Bowl history.

The Eagles were fastest out of the gate, with Jalen Hurts leading his team to a 24-14 lead at halftime after throwing one touchdown pass and rushing into the endzone twice himself.

But Patrick Mahomes rallied his troops in the second half, and the Chiefs scored three touchdowns of their own to take the lead in the final quarter. Another rushing touchdown by Hurts leveled the score at 35 with a little over five minutes to play.

Playing through a high ankle sprain, Mahomes and the Kansas City offense meticulously ran down the clock and advanced into field-goal range, giving Harrison Butker a layup from 27 yards to seal the Chiefs’ title win.

Mahomes became the second player in NFL history to win both NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season.

7

Super Bowl XIII (1978) — Steelers 35 – Cowboys 31

Super Bowl XIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys was the first-ever rematch in Super Bowl history, after the two teams had met three years earlier in Super Bowl X.

It featured two star-studded teams featuring the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris and Roger Staubach, and the game did not disappoint.

Bradshaw and the Steelers offense were too much to handle for the Cowboys, who were looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Pittsburgh held a 35-17 advantage late in the game, and held on for the win despite a late surge from the Cowboys.

The Steelers became the first team to win three Super Bowls, off the back of Bradshaw’s 318 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning him the Super Bowl MVP.

6

Super Bowl XLIII (2008) — Steelers 27 – Cardinals 23

Super Bowl XLIII is mainly remembered for a number of iconic plays that swung the game in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ favor.

The Steelers ran the show early, and went into the halftime break with a 17-7 lead following a remarkable 100-yard interception return by linebacker James Harrison — the longest play in Super Bowl history.

Pittsburgh took a 20-7 lead into the fourth quarter, with things looking all but over. But Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals weren’t going to lay down and accept defeat, coming back to take the lead after scoring 16 unanswered points.

With time running out, Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers down the field with a eight-play, 78-yard drive down the field that culminated in one of the most famous catches in NFL history by Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes to steal the win.

5

Super Bowl XXXIV (1999) — Rams 23 – Titans 16

Super Bowl XXXIV between the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans has gone down as the “One Yard Short” game because of the dramatic final play.

Warner and his “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams built a 16-0 lead midway through the third quarter, and looked to be running away with the Super Bowl.

But Steve McNair and the Titans mounted a spirited comeback to tie the game with over two minutes left to play, forcing the Rams to put together another drive for the win.

Warner found receiver Isaac Bruce with a 73-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead, but Tennessee still had time to change the outcome of the game.

With six seconds left to play and the ball on the 10-yard line, McNair connected with Kevin Dyson on a pass, but the receiver was stopped on the one-yard line by St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones, ending the game and giving the Rams the win.

4

Super Bowl XXV (1990) — Giants 20 vs Bills 19

Super Bowl XXV remains the only Super Bowl game ever to have been decided by one point, and kicked off the Buffalo Bills‘ heartbreaking run of four consecutive Super Bowl losses.

The New York Giants and Bills each recorded 13-3 records during the regular season, but Buffalo was favored by seven points to win their first ever Super Bowl.

The Giants emphasized possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes and keeping the Bills offense off the field for large chunks of the game. New York running back Ottis Anderson was a force on the night, carrying the ball 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.

The teams went back and forth until the Giants took the lead late in the fourth. The game would end up decided at the foot of Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood, who lined up a potential game-winning field goal from 47 yards out. Norwood’s kick was far enough, but sailed wide right to give the Giants the win.

3

Super Bowl XLII (2007) — Giants 17 – Patriots 14

The Giants’ win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII is arguably the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. New England was looking to complete the first undefeated season in the NFL since 1972, while New York was a Wild Card team that snuck into the championship game.

The teams were locked in a stalemate through the first three quarters, having managed just 10 points between them up to that point. Brady and the Pats took a 14-10 lead with under three minutes to play, and it looked poised to complete their 19-0 season.

But Eli Manning had a different idea, making one of the most clutch plays in league history when he escaped heavy pressure to throw a 44-yard pass to David Tyree, who miraculously pinned the ball against his helmet and held on to secure the catch and a first down.

The Giants continued driving down field, and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress gave New York the win with just 35 seconds left on the clock.

2

Super Bowl XLIX (2014) — Patriots 28 – Seahawks 24

The Patriots and Seattle Seahawks met for Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on Feb. 1, 2015 after each team registered 12-4 records during the regular season.

Tom Brady and the Patriots were looking for their fourth Super Bowl title, while the Seahawks were looking to repeat as champions after securing their crown against the Denver Broncos a year prior.

Brady was at his best, throwing for 328 yards, four touchdowns and a Super Bowl record 37 completions. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, while star running back Marshawn Lynch had 24 carries for 102 yards.

Seattle entered the fourth quarter up 24-14, but the Patriots roared back to score two unanswered touchdowns and take the lead with just over two minutes left on the clock.

The Seahawks’ offense took the field for what would be their final drive of the game, determined to restore their lead and win consecutive Super Bowls. Wilson drove his team down the field, getting into the red zone thanks to an unbelievable juggling catch by Jermaine Kearse.

With just 26 seconds left on the clock and Seattle sitting on the goal line, the Seahawks seemed all but guaranteed to punch it in and win back-to-back Super Bowls.

The Seahawks chose to run a quick passing play instead, but the Patriots were ready. New England corner back Malcolm Butler recognized the play call, jumped the route and intercepted the pass, creating the most dramatic ending to any game in NFL history.

1

Super Bowl LI (2016) — Patriots 34 – Falcons 28 (OT)

Super Bowl LI lives in infamy as the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history — and any sport for that matter.

The Atlanta Falcons were in complete control midway through the game in Houston, up 28-3 over the Patriots at halftime. What happened next was borderline unbelievable.

Tom Brady and the Patriots scored 25 unanswered points to tie the game with less than a minute to play, shocking the Falcons and forcing the first overtime in Super Bowl history.

New England won the coin toss to start the extra frame, and drove down the field 75 yards and capped off their remarkable comeback with a short run into the endzone by James White to win their fifth Super Bowl.

Brady set a record for passing yards in a Super Bowl with 466 yards on 43 completions, earning his fourth Super Bowl MVP.

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