There is always excitement around the Super Bowl. I mean, it is the most watched TV event of the year, every single year. The game has practically become an American holiday that brings groups together to watch the game, the commercials, halftime show, and celebrities. But sometimes the game itself is a dud, entirely not living up to the hype. Here are the five worst Super Bowls of all time.
5. Super Bowl XXXV, 2000 Season
Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 7
The score alone looks boring in this game and when you really dive into it, it doesn’t get any better. The quarterbacks for this game were two relatively boring signal callers – Trent Dilfer for the Ravens and Kerry Collins for the Giants. The Ravens defense was one of the best to ever suit up in the National Football League so it’s no real surprise that they held the Giants to just seven points. While some football enthusiasts love defense, it doesn’t necessarily make for a good game where casual fans want high scores and lots of explosive plays.
4. Super Bowl LV, 2020 Season
Tampa Bay 31, Kansas City 9
This was shocking because no one picked Tampa to be in the Super Bowl when the season started. The Bucs were huge underdogs in this game, coming in as a Wild Card team. So many big storylines dominated this game circling around Tom Brady and his new team and the epic matchup that was set to be him versus the new great QB in the league, Patrick Mahomes. Well…the shootout never really ensued as the Bucs put their incredible defense to work and made life miserable for Mahomes who managed just nine points.
3. Super Bowl XXVII, 1992 Season
Dallas 52, Buffalo 17
Brutal. The Bills were a team that could never breakthrough in the 90s and win the Big Game and it was no different from their third try at it. While the entire country was hoping the Bills would finally get their win, the exact opposite happened. This game was over before it really started with the Cowboys offensive machine doing the heavy lifting. Jim Kelly was unable to get through the second quarter of the game, leaving with a sprained knee which required Frank Reich to relieve him. Reich didn’t fare any better. The Cowboys were up big by halftime and just piled it on in the second half.
2. Super Bowl Super Bowl XXIV 1989 Season
San Francisco 55, Denver 10
This was one of the biggest butt whippings in NFL history and has a high mark on this list for that reason. It isn’t easy to win any game by 45 points but makes it even worse when you think about it being in the Super Bowl. Bill Walsh was no longer coaching the 49ers, so it felt like the right time for a new franchise to strike, but the Broncos didn’t succeed. While many fans rooted for John Elway to win his first Super Bowl, it wasn’t in the cards for the legendary Broncos QB who was easily outplayed by Joe Montana.
1. Super Bowl XLVIII, 2013 Season
Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver Broncos 8
This was the lowest point of Peyton Manning’s career and it made for the worst Super Bowl in NFL history. The Broncos were the best team in the NFL, and it felt like no one was stopping Peyton Manning from getting back to the top of the mountain. Well…the game began with a safety as the ball was snapped over Manning’s head and it never got better from there. The Broncos couldn’t move the ball to save their lives against the Legion of Boom. It got so bad that Hawks players were asking coach Pete Carroll if they were allowed to score more points or not.