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Football

Which are the greatest Super Bowls of all time?

Philip Marsh
Which are the greatest Super Bowls of all time?DAZN
From last minute touchdowns to huge upsets, DAZN looks at the best ever Super Bowls.

The Super Bowl is commonly referred to as the greatest show on earth, and while a few have disappointed over the years the vast majority have lived up to the hype.

Super Bowl LVII in February 2023 had a viewership of over 115 million people making it the second most watched of all time, behind one of the games that makes this list.

There are many great matches missing from this list, New York Giants' one-point win over Buffalo Bills in 1991 or Super Bowl LII which is best remembered for the 'Philly Special' just to name a few others.

Everyone will have a favourite, but DAZN looks at five of the greatest Super Bowl matches of all time starting with one of the earliest.

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Super Bowl III - Jets 16-7 Colts - 1969

Super Bowl III was the first to use the trademark name of 'Super Bowl', and was the setting for what is regarded as one of the biggest upset in the history of American Football and sports as a whole.

On January 12, 1969, the Jets and Colts met at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida with Baltimore favourites to win by an astonishing 19.5 points.

The Jets were part of the American Football League (AFL) which was widely considered to be a less talented group of teams than in the National Football League (NFL) where the Colts played.

New York quarterback Joe Namath helped his team to a 16-0 lead before the Colts replaced Earl Morrall with now-Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas in the fourth quarter and rallied with a late touchdown.

However it was not enough, as Matt Snell's four yard touchdown run and three field goals from Jim Turner proved enough for the Jets to secure a famous victory.

The win change perceptions of the AFL, and two years later the leagues would merge into an NFL which more closely resembles what we see today. 

Super Bowl XIII - Steelers 35-31 Cowboys - 1979

To make things even more interesting, both teams were looking to become the first to win three Super Bowls and the Cowboys were the reigning champions.

Future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach led their respective teams and both completed 17 of the 30 pass attempts and had ratings of over 100.

Bradshaw's 318 yards and four passing touchdowns were both Super Bowl records for the time, and his performance helped put the Steelers 21-14 up at half time.

It was a high scoring game for the most part, except for in the third quarter when just three points were added to the total. But as Cowboys fans are too well aware, that should have been seven points.

In a game which was ultimately decided by four points, on third down Staubach had a wide open Jackie Smith in the end zone, but the 38-year-old reserve tight end dropped the pass which would have tied the game.

The drop is remembered as one of the most famous in NFL history, and came in what was Smith's only season with the Cowboys as he retired at the end of the season.

Super Bowl XLII - Giants 17-14 Patriots - 2008

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Just two words are needed to bring back memories of this game. Helmet. Catch.

Super Bowl XLII was another with a massive upset, as the New England Patriots marched in off the back of the first perfect regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

The Giants on the other hand finished the season 10-6, but could take some encouragement from their narrow 38–35 defeat against the Patriots in the final game of the regular season.

Trailing 14-10 with just over two and half minutes left to play, the Giants began what would be the game-winning drive from within their own red zone.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who would be named Super Bowl MVP, marched his team to the New York 44-yard line but on 3rd and 5 found himself under tonnes of pressure from the Patriots defence.

Scrambling to keep the play alive, Manning broke free of three defenders who looked certain to sack him before unleashing a pass to midfield for David Tyree who was well covered by Rodney Harrison.

The pair jumped together, with Tyree rising highest to gain partial control of the ball, and as he fell to the ground the Giants receiver pinned the ball to his helmet and managed to keep it off the grass for one of the most memorable plays in NFL history.

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress would be the one to go on and score the winning touchdown, but the game will always be remembered for that iconic Tyree catch.

Super Bowl XLIX - Patriots 28-24 Seahawks - 2015

Super Bowl XLIX had everything.

Defending champions the Seattle Seahawks were taking on the New England Patriots in what was Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's sixth Super Bowl appearance as a quarterback and head coach partnership.

Both teams had won their respective conferences with 12-4 records and the betting markets could not pick a favourite between the two sides.

After a scoreless first period, both teams scored two touchdowns before half-time as Katy Perry entertained the crowd in Arizona with the score tied at 14-14.

The Seahawks dominated the third period and took a a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, only to watch as Brady quickly turned the tables with touchdown passes to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman.

With New England up 28-24 the Seahawks had one final drive in which to win the game, and they got agonisingly close.

Seattle worked the ball all the way to the Patriots' one-yard line, and with an almost unstoppable force in Marshawn Lynch at running back the whole of State Farm Stadium waiting to see if New England could stop the inevitable.

Instead, in what goes down as one of the most bizarre calls in NFL history, the Seahawks called a pass play to Ricardo Lockette which was read perfectly by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler who made the game-winning interception.

Images of Richard Sherman's heartbreak on one touchline compared to a jubilant Tom Brady across the field summed up the emotion of sport better than any words ever could.

Super Bowl LI - Patriots 34-28 Falcons (OT) - 2017

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had his defence to thank against Seattle, but in February 2017 he was the star of the show as he masterminded the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

The Patriots reached the Super Bowl as the top seeds in the AFC after a 14-2 season, while the Atlanta Falcons' 11-5 record was good enough for second seeds in the NFC.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Season, and he backed that up by posting a 144.1 rating in the Super Bowl, throwing for 284 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

The Falcons stormed into a 21-3 lead at half time and extended it to 28-3 in the third quarter before the seemingly impossible happened.

Brady guided the Patriots back to within eight points, and after James White's second touchdown of the half the Patriots went for two with under a minute remaining and converted with Danny Amendola making the key catch.

That score forced overtime for the first and only time in Super Bowl history, and as soon as the Patriots won the toss the result seemed inevitable.

An 11-minute drive took the Patriots all the way down the field before White ran in from two yards for his third touchdown of the game.

White's performance in any other Super Bowl would have likely seen him named MVP, but Brady's 43 completions for 466 yards - both Super Bowl records - in such a spectacular comeback meant there was only one option.

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