Well we've got the Super Bowl coming up next week and I have a fixation to rank things & do best of lists.
So whatever, here are my Top 15 Favorite Super Bowls of all time. Some of these games occurred long before I was born, but I have seem enough of the footage to grasp the importance of each one. And I would say I've seen every Super Bowl live from XXV til today.
As for my standards, well, I am going to try and keep my biases for and against certain teams out of play as much as possible (though with the Giants involved, that is going to be hard, ha ha). I am judging it mostly on how exciting the individual games are and how significant they were.
So, here we go:
15) SUPER BOWL III: New York Jets -W- Vs. Baltimore Colts -L- (16-7)
Not necessarily one of the greatest games ever from a competition stand point, but certainly one of if not the most significant Super Bowl of them all. Broadway Joe Nameth's guarantee of a victory against the heavily favored Colts led to one of the biggest upsets in sports history and eventually led to shaping the Super Bowl into what it is today.
14) SUPER BOWL XXXIX: New England Patriots -W- Vs. Phiadelphia Eagles -L- (24-21)
A bit of an underrated one in my eyes, but all of the Patriot Super Bowls in the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era have all been pretty exciting games, whether they won or lost. This one was no different as it came down to the very end. Donovan McNabb & Terrell Owens were not enough to prevent the dynasty from being finalized as Brady led the Pats to their 3rd Super Bowl win in 4 years.
(It should also be noted that I didn't quite hate The Pats yet, ha ha)
13) SUPER BOWL V: Baltimore Colts -W- Vs. Dallas Cowboys -L- (16-13)
This one is actually generally disliked, often referred to as "The Blunder Bowl". For me though, I am a fan of defense and a close, low scoring game with a Super Bowl record ELEVEN combined Turnovers is very entertaining to me!
12) SUPER BOWL XLV: Green Bay Packers -W- Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers -L- (31-25)
This was a unique pairing. You had two of the NFL's most celebrated and legendary franchises, but with fresh faces like Aaron Rogers & Clay Matthews. It was fresh & new while also being classic & familiar at the same time. And of course, it was an exciting game that came right down to the wire.
11) SUPER BOWL XLIV: New Orleans Saints -W- Vs. Indianapolis Colts -L- (31-17)
A shocking onside kick at the start of the 2nd half and a costly interception by Peyton Manning led to the Saints winning their first Super Bowl in grand fashion.
10) SUPER BOWL XXXVI: New England Patriots -W- Vs. St Louis Rams -L- (20-17)
Slightly overrated by some (I've seen ranked as high as 2nd or 3rd best all time) but it was still an exciting game with the heavy underdog Patriots team controlling most of the contest. Some late drives of Kurt Warner and "The Greatest Show on Turf" led to a late tie, but the last drive of the game saw Tom Brady come of age and Adam Vinatieri make the winning field goal in the closing seconds.
9) SUPER BOWL XLVI: New York Giants -W- Vs. New England Patriots -L- (21-17)
It was not as exciting, memorable, or significant as the teams' previous encounter in Super Bowl XLII, but it was a worthy sequel that once again saw Eli Manning prove his worth with a drive that gave the Giants' the winning score in the last minute.
8) SUPER BOWL XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers -W- Vs. Arizona Cardinals -L- (27-23)
This is another one that typically gets ranked a tad too high. I've seen it get placed as high as number one on many lists, including the NFL Network's Top Ten. However, I remember thinking there were way too many penalties so it felt like the refs controlled the game, and I kind of felt like the Cardinals got screwed on that last play (That was an incomplete pass, not a fumble). But in any case, this was still an exciting game with the underdog Cardinals fighting their hearts out to win their first Super Bowl, but a great game winning drive led by Big Ben culminated in an amazing catch by Santonio Holmes for the final go ahead score.
7) TIE SUPER BOWL X: Pittsburgh Steelers -W- Vs. Dallas Cowboys -L- (21-17)
SUPER BOWL XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers -W- Vs. Dallas Cowboys -L- (35-31)
I had a hard time picking a favorite out of these two, so I opted to give them the same spot on the count down. To me, these games just embody what the legacy of the NFL is all about. Legends all around with Terry Bradshaw leading the Steeler's dynasty, Roger Staubach with his knack for late game heroics, Lynn Swann with his ballet catch, & defensive greats like Ed "Too Tall" Jones. So many great moments & legends all around, these games are simply classic.
6) SUPER BOWL XXXIV: St. Louis Rams -W- Vs. Tennessee Titans -L- (23-16)
It certainly has one of the Super Bowl's most exciting endings. "The Tackle" easily has to go down as one of the greatest defensive plays in Super Bowl history. With the Rams dominating for 3 quarters, Steve McNair led the Titans on an amazing comeback and fell literally one yard short of tying the game in the closing seconds.
5) SUPER BOWL XXXVIII: New England Patriots -W- Vs. Carolina Panthers -L- (32-29)
Too bad this Super Bowl is remembered for the Janet Jackson incident because it really was a classic. It is my personal favorite of the Super Bowls won by New England. After the longest scoring drought to start any Super Bowl (almost the entire first half), the game suddenly exploded into a shoot out in the 4th quarter. Both teams seemed evenly matched and were left tied at 29 until the Patriots won thanks to yet another Field Goal by Adam Vinatieri in the closing seconds.
4) SUPER BOWL XXIII: San Francisco 49ers -W- Vs. Cincinnati Bengals -L- (20-16)
After a long string of one sided Super Bowls year after year, this game broke the trend and gave football fans around the world an exciting & competitive game. In the end, it was the legends Joe Montana & game MVP Jerry Rice leading a drive for the ages as the Niners offense directed themselves down the field and got the winning touchdown with only 39 seconds left in the game.
3) SUPER BOWL XXXII: Denver Broncos -W- Vs. Green Bay Packers -L- (31-24)
"This one's for John!": That declaration embodied all the long list of struggles before achieving ultimate victory for one John Elway as he had found himself on the losing end of 3 previous Super Bowls, all of those losses coming in convincing fashion. Elway would not be denied on this night as the Broncos & the Brett Favre led the defending champion Packers battled it out in the classic game that ended with the Broncos on top and Elway getting that elusive Super Bowl victory.
2) SUPER BOWL XXV: New York Giants -W- Vs. Buffalo Bills -L- (20-19)
Yeah yeah, I know I'm a Giants fan, but this was one of the best Super Bowls. I would say that even if I wasn't a Giants fan. The high powered offense of the Buffalo Bills made them the heavy favorites, especially against a Giants team led by backup Quarterback Jeff Hostetler. But a brilliant offensive strategy allowed the Giants to dominate time of possession (holding the ball for over 40 minutes) and an infamous missed field goal (Wide Right!) allowed the G-Men to secure the win by the narrowest of margins.
1) SUPER BOWL XLII: New York Giants -W- Vs. New England Patriots -L- (17-14)
OK OK, I am biased as fuck here, but honestly, I think everybody would rank this game fairly high. This Super Bowl wasn't like others. History changing ramifications were at stake. The undefeated juggernaut New England team had the chance to be the first in NFL history to go 19-0 on the season. This victory would have, along with all their other amazing records & accomplishments, secured the 2007 Patriots as unquestionably the greatest NFL team of all time. The Giants were just a scrappy underdog team that were just supposed to be the designated losers as history was made.
What happened took the world by surprise as the Giants' pass rush was able to keep the Patriots off balance for most of the game and hold the highest scoring team of all time to only 14 points. On the other side, Eli Manning came of age and led his team on a game winning miracle drive that also included what I feel is the greatest play in Super Bowl History with Manning's incredible escape and subsequent helmet catch by David Tyree. Perfection had been thwarted and the football world had been treated to one of the most exciting games ever. No Super Bowl game ever had this much on the line, this much atmosphere, and not many had this shocking of a result either.