There’s no sporting event better than the Super Bowl when it’s a great game.
NFL fans have been lucky that that’s been the case more often than not since the turn of the century. Fifteen of the last 25 Super Bowls have been decided by one score, while several others were close late in the fourth quarter.
One of those 15 games came two years ago, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. Will we see another one-score game when the two meet again in Super Bowl LIX (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX)?
That remains to be answered. So, for now, let’s rank the 10 best Super Bowls ever.
10 best Super Bowls of all time
10. Super Bowl III (1969): Jets 16, Colts 7
The third Super Bowl might not have provided the greatest display of football ever, but arguably no game in football history was more significant than this one. Preceded by quarterback Joe Namath’s guarantee that the Jets would win, the 18-point underdogs pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
Jets running back Matt Snell’s 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave New York a 7-0 lead, marking the first time an AFL team held the edge in the Super Bowl. That lead ballooned to 16-0 early in the fourth quarter as the Jets picked up a decisive win that led to the AFL-NFL merger.
9. Super Bowl XXXVI (2002): Patriots 20, Rams 17
More than 30 years after the Jets’ Super Bowl victory, the Patriots pulled off an upset that was almost as monumental. Led by second-year quarterback Tom Brady, New England was a two-touchdown underdog to the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” team that had won the Super Bowl two seasons prior.
Yet, the Patriots took a 17-3 lead through the first three quarters, thanks in part to a Ty Law pick-six and a Brady touchdown pass right before halftime. New England nearly went ahead 24-3 early in the fourth quarter, but it had a scoop-and-score wiped out due to a penalty. The Rams eventually tied the game with less than two minutes remaining.
Instead of playing for overtime, the Patriots took a chance to win in regulation with no timeouts remaining. Brady led them on a 53-yard drive, setting Adam Vinatieri up to make a 48-yard field goal at the buzzer to win the Super Bowl.
8. Super Bowl XXV (1991): Giants 20, Bills 19
Super Bowl XXV lived up to all the pageantry surrounding it. Before the game, Whitney Houston sang the national anthem, a rendition many view as the best ever in Super Bowl history. After kickoff, Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick’s game plan to slow down the Bills’ lethal passing attack worked to near perfection.
Still, Buffalo had a chance to win the game in the final seconds. Scott Norwood had the Lombardi Trophy on his foot with a 47-yard field goal attempt, but it sailed wide right — the first of four straight Super Bowl heartbreaks for the Bills.
7. Super Bowl XXXIV (2000): Rams 23, Titans 16
In Super Bowl XXXIV, the Rams held a commanding 16-0 lead by the middle of the third quarter. At that point, it appeared they would easily get their first Super Bowl championship.
That wasn’t the case, though. The Titans scored 16 straight points, with Eddie George rushing for two touchdowns before a field goal tied the game with 2:12 remaining. But on St. Louis’ first play with the ball back, Isaac Bruce took off for a 73-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 23-16 lead with 1:54 left.
Still, Tennessee had another response. It was able to get all the way down to the 10-yard line with six seconds remaining. Steve McNair then found Kevin Dyson on a slant, a few yards short of the end zone. Dyson tried to fight to score the touchdown, extending his arm toward the goal line, but he was tackled a yard short as time expired.
6. Super Bowl XLIX (2015): Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Super Bowl XLIX nearly served as a passing of the torch. The Seahawks were seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Patriots 10 years prior. New England, meanwhile, was looking to keep its dynasty alive with its first Super Bowl win in a decade.
After a back-and-forth affair in the first half, Seattle had New England on the ropes in the second half. It got out to a 24-14 lead and was in control of the game heading into the fourth quarter. However, Tom Brady then had, perhaps, the best quarter of football in his career. He engineered two touchdown drives to give the Patriots a 28-24 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
It appeared that the Patriots were about to be dealt another Super Bowl heartbreak, though. Jermaine Kearse made a juggling catch that brought the Seahawks to the 5-yard line with over a minute left.
But the Seahawks made the most questionable playcall in Super Bowl history two plays later. Sitting at the 1-yard line with just over 20 seconds left, Russell Wilson was intercepted by undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler as star running back Marshawn Lynch didn’t get the ball.
5. Super Bowl XIII (1979): Steelers 35, Cowboys 31
The battle between the NFL’s two top teams of the ‘70s — which featured a combined 26 future Hall of Famers — lived up to the hype.
Both teams traded scores for most of the game until the third quarter. Trailing 21-14, the Cowboys were on the verge of tying the game again in the final minutes of the quarter. However, Roger Staubach’s pass to an open Jackie Smith in the end zone slipped through the tight end’s hands, forcing Dallas to settle for a field goal.
That play wound up being pivotal as Pittsburgh took a 28-17 lead not long after. The Cowboys then fumbled on the ensuing kickoff return, giving the Steelers a 35-17 cushion one play later. The Cowboys were able to score two late touchdowns, but they couldn’t secure an onside kick in the final seconds as Pittsburgh won its third Super Bowl title.
4. Super Bowl XLIII (2009): Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Super Bowl XLIII featured its share of highlight plays. Steelers edge rusher James Harrison, who won NFL Defensive Player of the Year that season, gave Pittsburgh a 17-7 lead at halftime when he returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown as time expired.
The Cardinals responded in the second half, cutting the Steelers’ lead to 20-14 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh gave Arizona even more life when it committed a holding penalty in the end zone, which is a safety by rule. Just three plays later, Larry Fitzgerald ran right past the Steelers defense for a 64-yard touchdown and a 23-20 Cardinals lead with just 2:37 remaining.
But Ben Roethlisberger had the drive of his career in the final minutes. He led Pittsburgh 78 yards down the field before throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes, who remarkably tapped his toes inbounds for the score that put the Steelers up 27-23 with 35 seconds remaining.
3. Super Bowl LVIII (2024): Chiefs 25, 49ers 22
Just last season, the Chiefs and 49ers played in one of the most memorable matchups in Super Bowl history, marking just the second time that overtime was needed to decide the game.
The 49ers jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Chiefs made it a 10-6 game in the middle stages of the third quarter. Then, a muffed punt by the 49ers allowed the Chiefs to take their first lead, 13-10.
From there, both teams traded scores. Brock Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings for a 10-yard touchdown a few minutes into the fourth, but the extra point was blocked. The next three drives all ended in field goals and a 19-19 score at the end of regulation.
San Francisco confusingly opted to receive to start overtime, an ill-advised move considering it gave Kansas City the advantage of knowing what it needed to do in order to tie or win the game under the NFL’s new postseason OT rules. The 49ers kicked a field goal after their drive stalled at the Chiefs 9-yard line.
The 49ers had the Chiefs on the ropes a few times after that, but Kansas City converted two third downs and a fourth down on its corresponding drive. It culminated with Patrick Mahomes throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman and back-to-back championships for the Chiefs.
2. Super Bowl XLII (2008): Giants 17, Patriots 14
In order to end the Patriots’ perfect season, the Giants needed a miraculous effort from someone in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants got it from their defensive front. New York sacked Brady five times and hit him countless other times, making it difficult for New England’s high-powered offense to score.
Nevertheless, the Giants found themselves trailing late after Brady threw a touchdown pass to Randy Moss that gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead with 2:45 remaining.
So, New York needed another miracle to win the game. And once again, the Giants got it. A few plays after converting a fourth-and-1, Eli Manning slipped out of the grasp of New England’s pass rush on third-and-5 before throwing a prayer down the field. David Tyree leaped up and successfully outbattled Rodney Harrison for the ball, sticking it to his own helmet to come down with a 32-yard gain. Following another third-down conversion, Manning lobbed a ball to Plaxico Burress for a touchdown that gave the Giants a 17-14 lead with 35 seconds remaining.
Brady almost connected with Moss on a Hail Mary shot on the ensuing drive, but the Patriots’ hopes for an undefeated season ended there as the Giants completed one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
1. Super Bowl LI (2017): Patriots 34, Falcons 28
The Falcons made Brady look mortal in the first two-plus quarters of Super Bowl LI, with Robert Alford recording an 82-yard pick-six in the closing moments of the first half to help give Atlanta a 21-3 lead at the break. The Falcons eventually extended their lead to 28-3 early on in the third.
From there, Brady essentially turned immortal, helping the Patriots go on a run in which nearly every play went in their favor. After cutting the Falcons’ lead to 28-12, the Patriots got a strip sack that gave them the ball deep in Atlanta territory. Then, they converted a two-point try after scoring a touchdown.
The Falcons seemed like they were about to seal a Super Bowl victory when Julio Jones made a highlight-reel catch that put them at New England’s 22-yard line. But a string of negative plays and penalties pushed the Falcons out of field goal range, giving Brady one last chance.
On their game-tying drive in the final minutes, Brady and the Patriots converted a third-and-10 deep in their own territory before Julian Edelman made a circus grab in the middle of the field for a 23-yard gain. A few plays later, the Patriots scored a touchdown before tying the game on a two-point conversion with just under a minute remaining.
Even the coin toss for overtime went the Patriots’ way. As New England only needed a touchdown to win the game in overtime, it methodically moved the ball down the field. James White then rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to cap off an eight-play, 75-yard drive — and one of the most memorable comebacks in sports history.
HONORABLE MENTION
- Super Bowl X (1976): Steelers 21, Cowboys 17
- Super Bowl XXIII (1989): 49ers 20, Bengals 16
- Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004): Patriots 32, Panthers 29
- Super Bowl XLVI (2012): Giants 21, Patriots 17
- Super Bowl XLVII (2013): Ravens 34, 49ers 31
- Super Bowl LII (2018): Eagles 41, Patriots 33
- Super Bowl LVII (2023): Chiefs 38, Eagles 35
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