There’s nothing quite like an incredible sporting comeback. They can deliver tension, drama, triumph and disaster as effectively as a Hollywood movie or an HBO box set.
The Super Bowl has had its fair share of comebacks over the years and this season’s encounter between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs appears set to be another close affair. With both teams having several comebacks under their belts already this season, who would be against more drama this time out?
It will, however, have to be a classic if it’s to mix it with the best comebacks in Super Bowl history. Here is a look at the biggest and best come-from-behind victories from the first 57 contests.
5. Super Bowl XXII - Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10
A rare beast - both a comeback win and an absolute blowout. John Elway and the Broncos leapt out to an early 10-0 lead and the future Hall of Famer was looking good for his first Super Bowl ring. And then the second quarter happened, which saw Washington reel off a whopping five touchdowns as they went from a ten-point deficit to a record 25-point halftime advantage. Doug Williams would land MVP honours for his then-record 340 passing yards and four touchdowns.
4. Super Bowl XLIV - New Orleans Saints 31, Chicago Bears 17
While this comeback doesn’t have the last-gasp nature as some of the classics further down this list, Drew Brees was able to dig the Saints out of an early 10-0 hole and take the lead in the third quarter. Peyton Manning had the chance to seal a comeback win of his own, but threw a late pick-six to give the final score more of a one-sided appearance than it deserved.
3. Super Bowl LIV - Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 20
The first of three teams in our list to wipe out a ten-point fourth-quarter deficit. Patrick Mahomes, playing in his first Super Bowl, led his side to 21 straight points in the final 6:13 to leave the shell-shocked 49ers wondering what had gone wrong.
2. Super Bowl XLIX - New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24
In terms of last-minute drama, this one is hard to beat. The Seahawks were chasing a second consecutive Super Bowl title and eyeing up a dynasty tilt when Russell Wilson looked to pass the ball from the one-yard line with 20 seconds left, rather than hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch. Malcolm Butler duly picked it off and the Brady-Belichick era had a fourth title.
But before that, the Pats were trailing by ten points with eight minutes remaining on a night where Brady started slow, but turned it on when it counted.
1. Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (OT)
Quite simply one of the most breathtaking sporting performances you’ll ever see. Tom Brady and pals were 28-3 down in the third quarter before the legendary quarterback put in a legacy-cementing performance that all-but ended the debate over the best QB the game has ever seen. On his way to a Super Bowl-record 446 passing yards, Brady led the Pats on five straight scoring drives to send the game to overtime. And then there was no way they were losing, was there?
A post-script that will no doubt be mentioned this weekend is that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator that day.
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