Something about a great Super Bowl sticks with you. The moments feel bigger, the players seem more legendary, and the clutch wins are a part of our memories forever. Super Bowl 57 is nearly here as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles each go for their second win in the last five years. But, before we can think about that game, let’s look back at the greatest Super Bowls of all-time.
5. Super Bowl 43:
Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23
The Cardinals trailed by 13 entering the 4th quarter, but Kurt Warner helped them race back with 16 unanswered points which was capped by a 64-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. That seemed to be the final blow. However, you can never count out Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger, in his prime, brought the Steelers all the way down the field with a drive that began with just over a minute left on the clock. In a flash, they were in scoring position and with 42 ticks left, Santonio Holmes toe-tapped his way to a Super Bowl ring.
4. Super Bowl 25:
New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
It may be a fond memory for some, but for Bills fans, this game must still sting in their memory banks. They went to four straight Super Bowls (1990-1993 seasons) and walked away with ZERO rings. However, this game had to hurt the most. The Giants were underdogs but held a 20-19 lead in the final minutes. That was until the Bills stormed down the field and set up for a game-winning field goal. We can all hear the famous words in our heads, “WIDE RIGHT” as Scott Norwood narrowly missed his 47-yard attempt and his team lost by a single point.
3. Super Bowl 49:
New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
There is something about a clutch defensive play to end a Super Bowl that just makes it all that more exciting. The Pats and Hawks fought all the way down to the wire and after Seattle drove to the goal line with less than a minute to play, it felt like this game would come to an end with a Seattle victory. However, coach Pete Carroll inexplicably opted to take the ball out of star RB Marshawn Lynch’s hands and throw a slant pass instead. Malcolm Butler picked it off in the endzone and the rest is history. It was an all-time great finish.
2. Super Bowl 42:
New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
The largest underdog ever in a Super Bowl, and they somehow won. The Giants were given no chance to beat the undefeated Patriots who were playing for history in Glendale, but this vagabond bunch from New York had other plans. Giants WR Plaxico Burress famously said before the game that the score would be 23-17 with NY winning. Tom Brady responded by saying they’d likely score at least 40 points. Plaxico was closer to being right. It took a David Tyree helmet catch and one of the greatest D-line performances of all-time for Eli and the Giants to take down Brady and the Patriots.
1. Super Bowl 51:
New England Patriots 34 Atlanta Falcons 28
This must be number one on any list. The final score is a larger margin than the other games on this list, but it’s how we got there which makes it so special. This is simply the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history and the only Super Bowl to finish in overtime. Tom Brady and his team were trailing Matt Ryan and the Falcons by 25 points midway through the third quarter. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score was 28-9 Atlanta, and the Pats were still down big with just over six minutes to play. Someway, somehow, they found a way to tie it and send the game to overtime for the first time in Super Bowl history. They punched it in on their first possession to pull off the greatest comeback ever.