Top 10 Super Bowls

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Crazy Packers Fan
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Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by Crazy Packers Fan »

I'm sure this topic has been discussed sometime before, but it's been at least a little while. So, rank the top 10 Super Bowls, factoring in quality of the game and teams, excitement of the game, and importance of the game as it pertains to NFL history.

Here's mine:
1. Super Bowl XLII (Giants 17, Patriots 14)
2. Super Bowl III (Jets 16, Colts 7)
3. Super Bowl LII (Eagles 41, Patriots 33)
4. Super Bowl XXV (Giants 20, Bills 19)
5. Super Bowl XXXII (Broncos 31, Packers 24)
6. Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots 28, Seahawks 24)
7. Super Bowl XLIII (Steelers 27, Cardinals 23)
8. Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots 32, Panthers 29)
9. Super Bowl XIII (Steelers 35, Cowboys 31)
10. Super Bowl LVII (Chiefs 38, Eagles 35)

I will say that the gap between 3 and 10 is razor-thin and those eight games could be ranked in any order. But XLII and III are head-and-shoulders above the rest, due to their role in changing NFL history (18-1, "I guarantee it"). The Patriots are the greatest team ever for all time if they hang on to win; the NFL-AFL merger might have fizzled if Joe Willie Namath didn't come through with his promise. How would you rank them?
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GameBeforeTheMoney
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by GameBeforeTheMoney »

Great list. Really glad to see that someone else remembers how good the Patriots Panthers game turned out to be.

SB 13 will always be one of my favorite childhood memories - I can remember the excitement on game day, the Hegman fumble return, the interview with Staubach about the Jackie Smith play after the game, the next day at school - all of it. Probably cemented me as a lifelong fan.

The other two SBs that aren't on your list that also stand out to me are the second Bengals 49ers SB - the Bengals really held their own throughout the game, they were likely better than the team that made SB 16, and then of course the great Montana drive. The other would be the Patriots Rams SB, that was just really surprising (at least to me) to see the Patriots hold the Rams offense, I really didn't give them much of a chance to win, and they did it with a last second FG after losing a lead. That was our introduction to the future - Brady and Belichick.

Of course, the Rams Titans was crazy also, especially with the last play. But that game from start to finish wasn't as exciting as the others.
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Brian wolf
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by Brian wolf »

Though the Steelers were more in control than the final score indicated, SB X was as close as SB V, which was a great defensive game despite being dubbed The Blunder Bowl.

The 88/89 SB was a great game despite Esiason's arm injury. If he is at full strength, the Bengals may win ... The 1997/98 SB was an exciting game though I feel the Packers took the Broncos for granted.
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GameBeforeTheMoney
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by GameBeforeTheMoney »

Brian wolf wrote:Though the Steelers were more in control than the final score indicated, SB X was as close as SB V, which was a great defensive game despite being dubbed The Blunder Bowl.

The 88/89 SB was a great game despite Esiason's arm injury. If he is at full strength, the Bengals may win ... The 1997/98 SB was an exciting game though I feel the Packers took the Broncos for granted.
Tim Krumrie's injury also affected the Bengals in that Super Bowl. He was an excellent player and an important piece of that defense.

Totally agree with the Packers taking the Broncos for granted. And I've always thought the Broncos kind of played that up before the game. The way I remember it there was a lot of, "Gosh, the Packers. What a great team." in Broncos interviews before the game. I can picture a video interview clip with Elway and he's just not appearing to give any sort of indication that the Packers could lose. And the Packers were heavy favorites, I don't remember the line, but I do remember that it was almost like the lead up to the Bears and Patriots - most everybody I knew thought the Packers should win that game comfortably. Watching the game I remember thinking a few things - I didn't think Holmgren had the Packers prepared for the possibility that the Broncos would play much better than anticipated. Also, GB didn't exploit the middle of the field like they could have with Chumura or Keith Jackson (I can't remember which TE they had that year off the top of my head). And also, just what a great job the Broncos defense did, especially in using Atwater to pressure Favre. A lot of people talk Shanahan and offense, and they had a great offense - but Denver's defense on that day -- not discussed much but when I think of that game I remember how well the Broncos defense played and that was perhaps the biggest part of their win. Just an amazing job all around by Denver that day.
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Cali_Eagle
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by Cali_Eagle »

I thought Super Bowl V for the 1970 season's Championship, was a entertaining game, "Blunder Bowl, Stupor Bowl" or ever else you want to say about it. I am also surprised no one has mentioned (as yet) the Patriots rally from 25 down to the Atlanta Falcons, to win the game. I used to be somewhat of a Raider fan so I enjoyed the 1980, 1983 and 1976 Super Bowls tremendously so that's a biased opinion. I loved John Madden's comment about the 1976 season's game, when asked what the turning point was. He said (paraphrased) "There was no turning point. We had them from the very beginning and that never changed at all" Final score was only 32-14, but if you watched it was MUCH more one-sided than that score indicated.
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by RRMarshall »

I remember a conversation I had with a long-time Steelers' fan who agreed with me that SB X was a much better and more entertaining game than SB XIII. True, not as much scoring, but some spectacular catches by Lynn Swann and Roger Staubach battling the Steel Curtain at their height in power. Unlike three years later Dallas actually did have a chance to win the game on the last 2 plays. If you slow down the film of the second-to-last play Staubach's prayer comes down between two Pittsburgh defenders and lands right on the shoulder pad of Cowboys' WR Percy Howard. How would that have been for an ending???
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JohnR
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by JohnR »

RRMarshall wrote: If you slow down the film of the second-to-last play Staubach's prayer comes down between two Pittsburgh defenders and lands right on the shoulder pad of Cowboys' WR Percy Howard.
I've watched over several times too but I thought it bounced off his helmet.
Crazy Packers Fan
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Re: Top 10 Super Bowls

Post by Crazy Packers Fan »

RRMarshall wrote:I remember a conversation I had with a long-time Steelers' fan who agreed with me that SB X was a much better and more entertaining game than SB XIII. True, not as much scoring, but some spectacular catches by Lynn Swann and Roger Staubach battling the Steel Curtain at their height in power. Unlike three years later Dallas actually did have a chance to win the game on the last 2 plays. If you slow down the film of the second-to-last play Staubach's prayer comes down between two Pittsburgh defenders and lands right on the shoulder pad of Cowboys' WR Percy Howard. How would that have been for an ending???
I can't disagree. Super Bowl X is definitely up there with the best, probably top 15 or at least top 20. And apparently it's very popular to this date, because a post I made about it on the NFL 1970-79 Facebook group got over 300 likes and 100 responses. Chuck Noll's decision to run the ball on fourth-and-nine was mystifying, but not quite as much as Staubach and Preston Pearson both choosing to stay in bounds instead of easily stepping out in the final 2 minutes (and the Cowboys offense moseying around for 20 seconds on each play). Dallas should have had a good shot at a game-winning pass; as it was, they still almost pulled it out.
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