There is always this kind of nostalgia that comes on the cusp of big games. In anticipation of the biggest day of the year in any given sporting event, players, fans and pundits alike take an opportunity to look back on the moments that helped shape the game.
It’s no different leading up to Super Bowl Sunday as the NFL and its fans often observe title games of years past that helped shape the first Sunday in February into the national spectacle it is today.
So, we at Metro put on some of Sam Spence’s legendary compositions from the classic NFL Films and took a look back at all previous 51 Super Bowls and managed to compile a list of the 10 best:
Top-10 Super Bowls of all-time
1. Super Bowl LI: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)
The first overtime game in Super Bowl history was going to be high on this list, but it was the way we got to overtime, which is still fresh in everyone’s mind, that makes this the No. 1 Super Bowl ever. I’ll spare going into details for Falcons fans, but all I’ll say is 28-3.
2. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
Eli Manning and the Giants, who were huge underdogs, spoiled the Patriots’ undefeated season on their final drive that will forever be remembered for “The Helmet Catch,” by David Tyree.
3. Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
Seahawks fans are still probably wondering why they just didn’t hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch as Brady and the Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl thanks to a last-minute interception by Malcolm Butler on the goal line.
4. Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
James Harrison’s ridiculous fumble return and Arizona’s 13-point fourth-quarter comeback headlined by Larry Fitzgerald’s heroics was enough to make this game a classic. But Santonio Holmes’ ridiculous game-winning touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone made this a top-five Super Bowl.
5. Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
The Giants picked the lesser of two evils, allowing Thurman Thomas to run rampant compared to Jim Kelly picking the defense apart. It did the trick, but not by much as Scott Norwood’s missed field goal will forever make “wide right” a painful pair of words in Buffalo.
6. Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Down 16-13 with 3:10 to go, the 49ers had to drive 92 yards to win Super Bowl XXIII. Luckily for them, they had Joe Montana, who hit John Taylor with 34 seconds left to secure their third Super Bowl title.
7. Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
The two teams of the 1970s faced off in the final title game of the decade and put together one of the best offensive shootouts the Super Bowl has ever seen.
8. Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
The Rams’ high-powered offense didn’t necessarily light up the scoreboard in Super Bowl XXXIV, but the game is best known for a single tackle as Mike Jones stopped Kevin Dyson short of the goal line as time expired.
9. Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
These two teams combined for 868 total yards and 61 points as scoring came in short, frantic bursts throughout the night. But in Patriots fashion, they managed to pull it out in the dying seconds thanks to Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard game-winning field goal.
10. Super Bowl III: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
While this was not nearly as entertaining a game as many Super Bowls, Joe Namath’s guarantee will be one of the everlasting examples of what brashness can do in big situations. The Jets victory not only provided one of the biggest upsets in sports history, but brought some much-needed respect to the AFL which helped spark the merger between leagues.
