10 Super Bowl XLVI- Giants over Patriots 21-17
Super Bowl XLVI was take two for the Giants and Patriots in the Super Bowl which had everyone wondering what these two teams could do for an encore after their epic meeting in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants jumped out to an early 9-0 lead, but the Patriots responded to take a 17-9 early in the second half. Just when everyone thought the Patriots would win with ease without any excitement, the Giants slowly and methodically cut the deficit with field goals with only five minutes remaining. A drive to put the Giants away stalled after a crucial incompletion just out of the reach of Wes Welker. From there, an unbelievable reception by Mario Manningham helped the Giants march down the field to set up one of the more stranger plays in NFL history with Ahmad Bradshaw sitting down in the end zone while trying to restrain himself from scoring to give the Giants a 21-17 lead. A final drive by the Patriots fell just short as the Giants claimed their second Super Bowl title in five years.
9 Super Bowl XIII- Steelers over Cowboys 35-31
Coming into the second all time meeting between the Steelers and Cowboys in the Super Bowl, the two teams were one and two in total defense during the regular season, but that would mean nothing in the highest scoring Super Bowl of all time. The game was back and fourth early, but it was marred by miscues of both teams taking advantage of one another. Though the Steelers were known for their Steel Curtain defense, it was their offense that took control of this game early. Lead by Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann, the Steelers took a 21-14 lead into halftime. After a slow start to the third quarter, the Cowboys drove down into Steelers territory and were about to score on a crucial third down when Roger Staubach fired a pass to a wide open Jackie Smith in the back of the end zone who seemed to slip as the ball came to him, falling to the ground and dropping it, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal. It was a sign of things to come for the Cowboys as the Steelers would open up the game, striking twice in the fourth quarter to open the game up to 35-17. But the Cowboys would be resilient, driving down on the vaunted Steelers defense and narrowing the score to 35-31 with little time left to play. But the ensuing onside kick from the Cowboys was unsuccessful, giving the Steelers their third Super Bowl win in a wild game.
8 Super Bowl XXV- Giants over Bills 20-19
Super Bowl XXV ended up being one of the most memorable in history, but it is often overshadowed by one of the more tactful and hard nosed football games in NFL history. The Buffalo Bills were appearing in their first Super Bowl and the reason they got there was there no huddle offensive attack. The Giants were the polar opposite by many accounts; they were built by a stout defense and a running game that set up the passing game. The Giants knew they had to limit the Bills possessions and it was perfectly executed, exemplified by the Giants Super Bowl record for time of possession with just over 40 minutes. But the Bills found ways to strike quickly when they had the ball, opening up a 12-3 lead late in the first half. Jeff Hostetler, the Giants interim quarterback with Phil Simms down to injury, stepped up late in the first half, leading the Giants to a quick strike to bring the score to 12-10 at halftime. The Giants then received the ball to open up the second half where they resumed their original game plan of chewing up the clock and pounding the football down the Buffalo defense's throats. It resulted in an Otis Anderson one yard touchdown run to give the Giants a 17-12 lead. Though Anderson was named the Game's MVP, it was Thurman Thomas who was by all accounts the best player on the field. Thomas kept Buffalo very much in the game, erupting for a big fourth quarter that started with him bursting for a 31 yard touchdown run to give Buffalo the lead once again. But the Giants would counteract with their longest drive of the game; 14 plays and 74 yards, concluding in a Matt Bahr field goal to give New York the lead. New York's defense would step up, forcing Buffalo to punt, allowing the Giants to regain possession and take off some more clock. Buffalo got the ball back with just over two minutes left to play. Jim Kelly would lead the Bills right down the field in a very efficient manner, using short passes and scrambles to keep the Giants defense off balance. The Bills reached the 29 yard line, setting up a field goal attempt by Scott Norwood with eight seconds to play. In one of the more iconic moments in NFL history, the kick sailed wide right of the post, giving the Giants one of the more thrilling victories in Super Bowl history.
7 Super Bowl XXXII- Broncos over Packers 31-24
Super Bowl XXXII was expected to be a relatively easy Packer victory, giving them their second consecutive Super Bowl win. But in game the Denver Broncos, looking to fulfill John Elway's ambition of capturing a Super Bowl. The game featured arguably the game's greatest quarterback matchup with John Elway going up against Brett Favre. Favre got things going early with receiver Antonio Freeman, giving them a 7-0 lead on their first possession. The Broncos responded by giving the ball to Terrell Davis and letting him go to work, tying the score at 7. Denver made the first key defensive play of the game, intercepting Brett Favre to set up a John Elway one yard rushing touchdown to put them up 14-7. With the Broncos leading 17-7 late in the second quarter looking to head into the first half with a convincing two score lead, the Packers were pinned at their own 5 yard line with only five minutes to play. 17 plays later, Favre found tight end Mark Chmura with 12 seconds to play to narrow the score to 17-14. Late in the third quarter came the most iconic play of this game and maybe the defining moment of John Elway's career when on third down, he scrambled to his left and went airborn to pick up the first down on the Helicopter Play. Two plays later, Davis scored another one yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 7 point lead. After a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Elway looked to put away the Packers for good, only to have his endzone pass intercepted by Eugene Robinson to breath life into the Packers hopes. The Packers responded quickly, tying the score on an 85 yard, 4 play drive. Late in the fourth quarter with score still tied at 24, the Broncos capitalized on a facemask penalty to put themselves at second and goal with just over a minute and a half remaining. The Packers elected to take their chances by letting Davis score so they could get the ball back to tie the game. That's exactly what they did, they let Davis score on an 8 yard touchdown run to give Denver the 31-24 lead, but they could not muster a game tying drive, ending one of the most thrilling back and fourth games in NFL history, giving John Elway and Denver their first Super Bowl title.
6 Super Bowl XXIII- 49ers over Bengals 20-16
Super Bowl XXIII was a defensive and special teams affair that featured a first half with the teams tied at 3. Just when the offense would take strides forward, the opposing defense would make the play, like when Bill Romanowski intercepted a Boomer Esiason pass to set up a 49ers field goal to tie the game at 6. On the ensuing kick off, Stanford Jennings field the ball at his 7 yard line and took the ball right up the middle, finding a seam and going the distance to give the Bengals the lead at 13-6. But the 49ers would respond with Montana slicing up the Bengals in four plays, culminating in a touchdown pass to Jerry Rice to tie the game. But the Bengals would hang around, eventually taking a 16-13 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. In the defining moment of Joe Montana and the 49ers dynasty, he took the 49ers from their own 8 yard line on an 11 play, 92 yard drive that ended with a John Taylor touchdown reception in the back of the endzone with around 30 seconds left to play to seal the 49ers third Super Bowl title in one of the more thrilling moments in NFL history.
5 Super Bowl XXXVI- Patriots over Rams 20-17
The Greatest Show on Turf wasn't supposed to have any problems against an 11-5, underdog Patriots team that was lucky by many accounts to be even in the game. But Bill Bellichick had a scheme that would send the Rams stifling for three quarters before they eventually got things going. By pounding and getting physical with the Rams marquee offensive players including Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner, the Patriots dictated the pace early by slowing the Rams down and maintaining ball possession. After a Ty Law pick six to put the Patriots up 7-3, Tom Brady connected with David Patten to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead at the end of the first half, marking the first time all season the Rams were down more than 8 points. The momentum continued in the Patriots favor as they expanded the lead to 17-3 late in the third quarter. A monumental turn of events occurred when a 97 yard fumble return for a touchdown by Tebucky Jones was nullified by a Willie McGinest holding penalty resulted in a one yard touchdown run by Warner on the next play to cut the score to 17-10 with nine minutes to go in the fourth. When the Rams got the ball back on offense later in the fourth, they made the most of it, tying the game on a touchdown pass from Warner to Ricky Prohel. John Madden was calling for the Patriots to kneel on the ball and play for overtime up in the ABC booth, but Tom Brady and the Patriots had other ideas. With 1:21 left to play, the second year quarterback in his first season as a starter methodically lead the Patriots downfield little by little before connecting with Troy Brown to put the Patriots at the 30 yard line with 8 seconds to play. In stepped Adam Vinatieiri, who's kick split the uprights as time expired to give the Patriots one of the most thrilling victories and greatest upsets in NFL history.
4 Super Bowl XXXVIII- Patriots over Panthers 32-29
You wouldn't think that this Super Bowl would've provided some of the biggest fireworks we've seen in Super Bowl history after watching the first quarter. Both teams defenses were stellar through one quarter, with the Patriots having the slight advantage in a game that seemed poised to be a field position and trench battle. But in the second quarter, things picked up and they picked up quickly. Tom Brady led the Patriots down the field for two scoring drives and Jake Delhomme and the Panther offense finally got things going. After the infamous Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson halftime show, another scoreless quarter ensued, but it would only set up the finale to come in the fourth quarter. The Patriots jumped on top with an early fourth quarter touchdown to go up 21-10, but the Panthers would strike back, becoming the third team in Super Bowl history to take the lead on a touchdown run by DeShaun Foster and the longest pass play in Super Bowl history between Delhomme and Mushin Muhammad. But the Patriots responded, with Brady leading the Patriots on an efficient drive down the field, connecting with linebacker Mike Vrabel filling in at the tight end spot to give the Patriots the lead once again. It would not last; Delhomme continued his heroics, leading the Panthers back to tie the game for a final time. The Panthers undoing would come on the ensuing kick off, when John Kasey pushed the ball a little left and out of bounds, giving Brady very good field position along with just enough time to end the game in regulation. Just like he did two Super Bowls prior, Brady was calm and collected as he found Deion Branch and Troy Brown a couple times to put the Patriots in position for another Adam Vinatieri game winning, concluding one of the wilder 4th quarters and games in Super Bowl history.
3 Super Bowl XLIII- Steelers over Cardinals 27-23
The Arizona Cardinals were the classic Cinderella team. They had few notable players and they were led by Kurt Warner, a former league MVP who had submerged into mediocrity before emerging once again. After a 9-7 regular season, they snuck through some of the NFC's best teams to appear in their first ever Super Bowl where they would meet the Pittsburgh Steelers, the polar opposite of the Cardinals in terms of long term consistency and stellar play. Early on, the Steelers appeared to be in control, keeping the Cardinals at bay for much of the first half. But a late momentum swing had the Cardinals in position to take the lead in the waning moments of the first half. But in stepped James Harrison who picked off a Warner pass and went on to rumble and stumble, dodging speedy receivers and diving Cardinals to make it the whole 99 yards and into the endzone for a one of the more remarkable plays in Super Bowl history. Just when the Cardinals seemed down and out, they slowly made their comeback. They picked it up defensively, containing Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense while Warner hooked up with Larry Fitzgerald to narrow the deficit to one possession. In another turn of events, Warner hit Fitzgerald on a slant pattern which Fitzgerald turned into a long touchdown by splitting the defense, giving the Cardinals a lead. But it was just enough time for Ben Roethlisberger, who methodically led the Steelers down the field with under two minutes to go. With just under 40 seconds to play, the game took its final turn where Roethlisberger slung the ball into the corner of the endzone to find a tip toeing Santonio Holmes in the corner between two arm stretched Cardinals to win the game and give the Steelers their second Super Bowl victory in four years.
2 Super Bowl XXXIV- Rams over Titans 23-16
On paper, you wouldn't think that these two teams would engage in one of the most memorable games in NFL history. The St. Louis Rams were a team of destiny, a squad that lost starting quarterback Trent Green to injury before the season even began and in came unproven Kurt Warner, who only months before was working as a cashier in a supermarket. And so began one of the more dominant offensive seasons in NFL history. Their counter part was the Tennessee Titans, an upstart and explosive offensive team as well led by Steve McNair and Eddie George. In a defensive and special teams struggle early on, neither team gathered much momentum. Then all of a sudden, the fireworks began. Warner started putting on a show, connecting with his top receivers Issac Bruce and Torry Holt to give the Rams a lead. Back came the Titans, putting together a long drive that concluded with a touchdown. Then on their first possession on offense, Warner throws a bomb to Bruce for an 80 yard touchdown to give the lead back in the Rams favor. As if the game couldn't get more exciting, the Titans march down the field on a few remarkable plays by Steve McNair, escaping the grasps of the Rams pass rush to find receivers and make plays down field. With under 10 seconds, the Titans had time for one last play from inside the 10 yard line, but a completed slant pattern was cut short at the goal line where Kevin Dyson was dragged down by Mike Jones to conclude one of the greatest fourth quarters and games in NFL history.
1 Super Bowl XLII- Giants over Patriots 17-14
Super Bowl XLII had it all. Enter the 18-0 New England Patriots looking to make history by becoming the first team to finish 19-0 in NFL history, breaking all sorts of team and individual records throughout the way. And then enter the New York Giants, who limped into the postseason at 10-6 only to persevere and win three consecutive road games to appear in Super Bowl XLII. To go along with that, the Patriots defeated the Giants 38-35 in the final regular season game to cap off their 16-0 regular season in a game that saw the Giants push the Patriots further than any other team pushed them that season. The Giants knew that they could play with the Patriots, but yet they still were not expected to pull one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Through physical and hard nosed defensive football, the Patriots were slowed down mightily by a ferocious Giants pass rush. Down 10-7 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots all of a sudden got some momentum. Tom Brady and the Patriots marched down the field where Brady connected with Randy Moss for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead. The thought was, well, there is some time left, but certainly not enough time for Eli Manning to do anything to lead his team back. Well, Manning and the Giants did the unthinkable. On a crucial third down, Manning escaped the grips of three-four Patriots lineman and heaved a deep ball to David Tyree who held on with the ball clinging to his helmet with Rodney Harrison desperately trying to knock the ball away. The Giants fate of destiny would continue, converting on another third down to set up a game winning touchdown reception by Plaxico Burress to shock the Patriots in what was not only the greatest Super Bowl of all time, but a game that also featured the greatest play, the Tyree catch, the greatest game winning drive and the greatest upset. What more can you ask for football fans.
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