As Super Bowl 50 gets closer, the reminiscing continues. I can't wait to see what the NFL has in store for the Golden Anniversary party on Sunday. What I've got in store today, though, is another list. Well, two lists actually.
Everyone has their favorite Super Bowl, and selecting the best is a very subjective exercise. Same thing with choosing the worst. Last year's game was great. Two years ago...not so much. And there are a whole bunch that fall somewhere in the middle.
Over the course of the first 49, there were plenty of classic games and plenty of duds. Narrowing it down to the 10 best and 10 worst wasn't easy. Ranking those 10 in any sort of order is virtually impossible. So I decided not to do it. My top 10 and bottom 10 are listed in chronological order instead.
The 10 Best
Super Bowl III: Jets 16, Colts 7-Why is it an all-time great? Because it legitimized the AFL and helped make the Super Bowl what it is. In terms of quality, it's probably not in the top 10. But you can't deny Super Bowl III's impact and importance.
Super Bowl X: Steelers 21, Cowboys 17-This was probably the first real "classic" Super Bowl. It's the one where the NFL Films highlights shows the freeze-frame of Lynn Swann making that diving catch. Steelers-Cowboys II three years later was pretty good, too.
Super Bowl XXIII: 49ers 20, Bengals 16-"Hey guys, ins't that John Candy?" That's how Montana-to-Taylor started. Eight plays and 92 yards later, the 49ers dynasty had its third championship.
Super Bowl XXV: Giants 20, Bills 19-We're also celebrating the 25th anniversary of Super Bowl XXV this year, so we've been hearing a lot about this classic recently. From Whitney Houston's national anthem to Bill Parcells' genius game plan to poor Scott Norwood, Super Bowl XXV had it all. It will always remain the closest Super Bowl ever.
Super Bowl XXXII: Broncos 31, Packers 24-After so many duds during the NFC's 13-year winning streak, Super Bowl XXXII was a refreshing (and at the time, rare) close game. Green Bay let Denver take the lead so they'd get the ball back with more time, but the Broncos' defense came through and clinched the championship. Two lasting images from this game--John Elway flipping head over heels for a first down and Pat Bowlen saying "This one's for John" as soon as he was handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23, Titans 16-One of the most unexpected matchups in Super Bowl history was also one of the best. The Rams took the lead on that 73-yard touchdown pass with like a minute and a half left. It looked like the Titans would tie it and send it to overtime, though...until Mike Jones made that tackle on the 1-yard line as time expired.
Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots 20, Rams 17-Back in 2002, people didn't hate the Patriots yet. We actually thought it was cool that they had the lead on the Greatest Show on Turf. It was tied at 17-17 when Tom Brady did what he always does for the first time, setting up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal. Vinatieri, of course, would kick the winning field goal on the final play of the game again two years later.
Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17, Patriots 14-All anybody could talk about going into Super Bowl XLII was how the 18-0 Patriots would finish off the "greatest season ever" and join the '72 Dolphins as the only undefeated champions in the Super Bowl Era. Somebody forgot to tell the Giants, though. David Tyree invented the helmet catch before Eli hit Plaxico Burress for the game-winner with 35 seconds left. Four years later, they met in another classic, and the Giants did it again.
Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23-Topping Super Bowl XLII wasn't really possible, but Super Bowl XLIII came close to matching it. Pittsburgh had that awesome 100-yard James Harrison interception return touchdown and led 20-7 before the Cardinals scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take the lead. No problem. Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone (again with 35 seconds left) to make the Steelers the first team to win six Lombardi Trophies.
Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24-It was last year. We all remember what happened. The Patriots took the lead, but Seattle had a miracle catch and was on the 1-yard line with two chances to win the game, only to make the stupidest play call ever and lose it instead.
The 10 Worst
Super Bowl V: Colts 16, Cowboys 13-Jim O'Brien kicked one of three last-second game-winning field goals in Super Bowl history (and the only one by someone other than Adam Vinatieri). It was an exciting finish to an otherwise terrible game. There were 11 combined turnovers and people took to calling it the "Blunder Bowl."
Super Bowl VI: Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3-Super Bowl VI wasn't much better than the previous year's. The Dolphins would famously go undefeated the next season, but in Super Bowl VI, the Cowboys held them to just 185 total yards and 10 first downs. Miami scored just a field goal. Of the 98 teams to play in a Super Bowl, 97 have scored a touchdown. Only the '71 Dolphins didn't.
Super Bowl XVIII: Raiders 38, Redskins 9-Marcus Allen breaking through for a 74-yard touchdown is the indelible image of a completely unmemorable game. The Raiders set records (since broken) for points and margin of victory in an absolute beat down of the defending champion Redskins. It was also the AFC's last win until Super Bowl XXXII 14 years later.
Super Bowl XX: Bears 46, Patriots 10-How did the '85 Bears only win one championship? They shut out both the Giants and Rams in the playoffs, so it was something of a minor victory when the Patriots took a 3-0 lead. It wouldn't last, though. The rout was so bad that they let William "Refrigerator" Perry score a Super Bowl touchdown. (Thanks to my dad's VHS tape, this is the first Super Bowl I saw in its entirety. My collection started here. It's currently at 30.)
Super Bowl XXIV: 49ers 55, Broncos 10-Guess what jersey color Denver wore for this one? I can't really blame the Broncos for getting blown out in this one, though. The defending champion 49ers played the absolute perfect game in winning their fourth title in nine years. As painful to watch as it was if you were a Broncos fan, watching the 49ers offense execute the way that it did was a thing of beauty.
Super Bowl XXVII: Cowboys 52, Bills 17-I think this one is the Super Bowl that changed people's perceptions of the Bills, who are finally getting their due as a great team 25 years later. It was Buffalo's third straight loss and by far the worst. Nine turnovers led to 35 Cowboys points, which just happened to be the margin of victory. Dallas would've set a record for points scored if Don Beebe hadn't knocked the ball out of Leon Lett's hand.
Super Bowl XXIX: 49ers 49, Chargers 26-Five years after the 49ers' last title, Joe Montana was gone and Steve Young was the man in San Francisco. He "got the monkey off his back" with as impressive an offensive performance as we've ever seen in a Super Bowl. The rout was on early. Young hit fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for a 44-yard TD on the fourth play from scrimmage, the first of his six touchdown passes in the game.
Super Bowl XXXV: Ravens 34, Giants 7-For all of their memorable trips to the Super Bowl, the Giants would like to have this one back. They played their worst game of the year against a Ravens defense that gave them no shot. Kerry Collins threw five interceptions, and a kickoff return touchdown is the only thing that prevented them from being shutout.
Super Bowl XXXVII: Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21-If you're a fan of a defense, you probably loved Super Bowl XXXVII. Because the Bucs' defense completely dominated the Raiders' No. 1 offense. Rich Gannon threw five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and was sacked five times. It was 34-3 Bucs before the Raiders made it somewhat close, until two defensive touchdowns in the final 1:18 put a ribbon on it for Tampa Bay.
Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks 43, Broncos 8-Denver obviously hopes their Super Bowl experience in San Francisco is vastly different than the one they had two years ago in New York. The opening snap went over Peyton's head for a safety and it only got worse from there. To say the Seahawks beat the Broncos into next week and then some would be an understatement.
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