Here's the new and updated Super Bowl rankings!

SUPER BOWLS...WE’VE SEEN ‘EM ALL!
by Bruce Marshall, THE GOLD SHEET Associate Editor

John Elway puts an exclamation point on a great career and a great night for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII...


It’s been said that time flies when you’re having fun...but this is ridiculous!

Yes, it’s hard to believe that THE GOLD SHEET will be celebrating its 50th season of publishing next autumn. It’s also hard for us to believe that the 40th Super Bowl (XL) will be played February 5 in Detroit. It almost seems like yesterday when they were teeing up the first one at the L.A. Coliseum on January 15, 1967...39 years ago.

And we were there!

So, as the Super Bowl prepares for another renewal, we thought it was time to finally put our knowledge of the event to a new use. Since we’ve been around for all of them, we consider ourselves qualified to rate them, from the best game to the worst game...all 39 of ‘em. We admit, such rankings are highly subjective, and there is no real measurement to help categorize the past games in such an endeavor.

Thus, we simply took matters into our own hands, using our own knowledge and recollections of the games, while considering factors such as late-game drama, overall excitement, big plays, memorable or historic performances, etc., and simply rated them as we remembered them. It turned out to be more tedious than we first expected (how can one seriously differentiate between the merits of Super Bowls IX and XXXI, after all?), but a lot of fun, too. Admittedly, many Super Bowls have been duds, but there have been more good ones than many would believe (some of the best taking place in recent years). For the most part, we tried to rank them on the merits of the games themselves, and should not be taken as all-time rankings of the team(s) involved.

So, for better or worse, here goes. We made attempts to lump the games in groups of nine or ten. The worst games, rated from 31-39, generally had no sustained drama whatsoever, often with one of the teams performing abysmally. The games rated from 21-30 also generally had little drama, but most at least had some highlighted performance by an individual or team. In games 11-20, there was usually something compelling about the game, or individual accomplishments therein. The top ten combined many of the qualities that make up memorable games, and generally offered good to very good excitement and drama.

Enjoy!

The top ten Super Bowls:

1-XXXVIII, New England 32 - Carolina 29 (at Houston)...A rare Super Bowl slugfest with a dramatic finish. Though it took a while for this one to warm up (no scoring until late in 1st half), it turned into a real corker, especially a wild 4th Q (perhaps the best 15 minutes in SB history) that featured three lead changes and a total of 37 points. Carolina, which had rallied to take a 22-21 lead on an 85-yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad with 6:53 to play, fell behind 29-22 on a Tom Brady-Mike Vrabel TD pass and Kevin Faulk 2-point PAT, only to level matters on a Delhomme-Ricky Proehl scoring pass with 1:08 to play. Brady then led a textbook game-winning drive, ending in Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard FG at the final gun. Both defenses were spent by the end of the game, when the last team with the ball looked like it was going to win. And XXXVIII deserves to be remembered for the great game it was, rather than Janet Jackson’s malfunctioning wardrobe at halftime.

2-XIII, Pittsburgh 35 - Dallas 31 (at Miami)...Long considered the standard by which great Super Bowls should be measured, this one featured great teams, great players, and great plays, though the most-enduring memory of XIII might be veteran Cowboys TE Jackie Smith dropping a sure TD pass that would have leveled the score in the 3rd Q. It was also an unofficial title bout for “team of the decade,” as each had won two Super Bowls in the ‘70s prior to kickoff. All it lacked was a real down-to-the-wire finish, as a belated Dallas rally in the final few minutes narrowed a 35-17 Steeler lead to the 35-31 final margin, though the last TD, scored with 22 seconds to play, caused apoplexy for many wagerers and Vegas sports books, with the pointspread having bounced between 3½-4½ for much of the previous two weeks!

3-XXIII, San Francisco 20 - Cincinnati 16 (at Miami)...Lots of drama, as despite being outgained by a near 2-to-1 margin, Cincy hung tough thanks to Stanford Jennings’ 93-yard kickoff return TD late in the 3rd Q and a couple of missed FGs by 49er PK Mike Cofer, and even held a late 16-13 lead thanks to a Jim Breech FG with only 3:20 to play. But the incomparable Joe Montana cemented his place in Canton by authoring perhaps the best winning drive in Super Bowl history, taking the 49ers 92 yards to the title, culminating in a 10-yard TD toss to John Taylor with just :34 to play.

4-XXXIV, St. Louis 23 - Tennessee 16 (at Atlanta)...Any game that ends with the trailing team on the 1-yard line has to rate highly! But Mike Jones hauling down Kevin Dyson just short of the goal qualifies as at least the most-electrifying last-play in SB history. Much of this game didn’t suggest such a dramatic finish, however, as the Rams moved methodically to a 16-0 lead late in the 3rd Q before the Titans started to stir. But this game came alive in the 4th Q, as Tennessee rallied to tie before Kurt Warner’s 73-yard TD bomb to Isaac Bruce with just 1:52 to play proved the winning points–and a prelude to some last-second thrills.

5-XXXVI, New England 20 - St. Louis 17 (at New Orleans)...Any Super Bowl decided on the final play (in this case Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard FG at the gun) merits consideration. Though it took a while for this one to warm up after the underdog Patriots kept the high-powered Rams at bay until the 4th Q, when Kurt Warner rallied St. Louis from 14 points down to a 17-17 tie. Rather, however, than play for overtime (as TV analyst John Madden infamously suggested), New England went for the win in regulation, and Tom Brady led a dramatic drive that resulted in Vinatieri’s game-winning FG.

6-X, Pittsburgh 21 - Dallas 17 (at Miami)...Though generally not regarded as highly as their Titanic battle three years hence, the “bicentennial” Pittsburgh-Dallas clash was a memorable one nonetheless if for no other reason than confirming Steeler WR Lynn Swann’s brilliance with a couple of unforgettable grabs (including a late 64-yard TD catch) en route to a then-SB record 161 receiving yards. No matter Swann’s heroics, this one turned out a bit closer than Pittsburgh fans would have liked due to Roger Staubach’s 34-yard TD pass to Percy Howard (Howard’s only career catch) with 1:48 to play, then, after getting the ball back in the last minute, moving close enough for Staubach to bomb towards the endzone from inside the Steeler 40 in the final seconds, before Glen Edwards’ pick finally sealed the game on the last play.

7-XXXII, Denver 31 - Green Bay 24 (at San Diego)...Breaking a 13-year run of NFC Super Bowl dominance, the underdog Broncos finally prevail after four SB failures in an exciting game that might be best remembered for QB John Elway’s “helicopter” scramble that secured a key 1st down on a 3rd Q Denver TD drive. Though it was RB Terrell Davis who ended up the game’s MVP with 157 yards rushing and 3 TDs, the last of those a game-winning 1-yard blast with only 1:45 to play.

8-XIV, Pittsburgh 31 - L.A. Rams 19 (at Pasadena)...Often overlooked, this game featured plenty of spectacular plays and a gutsy performance by the underdog Rams, who actually led after each of the first 3 quarters of play. A 25-yard HB-option TD pass from Lawrence McCutcheon to Ron Smith gave the Rams their final lead at 19-17, but XIV is remembered for the spectacular play of Steeler wideouts Swann and John Stallworth, the latter catching a73-yard bomb from Bradshaw to put the men of Steel up for good at 24-19 and then effectively sealing the deal with another highlight-reel, 45-yard grab to set up Franco Harris’ late, clinching TD.

9-III, N.Y. Jets 16 - Baltimore 7 (at Miami)...The historical significance of this one (first AFL win after Green Bay wins the previous two years) demands its inclusion in the top ten. It also made Joe Namath famous after his brash “guarantee” of victory before the game. The Jet defense, RB Matt Snell (121 yards rushing and scorer of New York’s lone TD), PK Jim Turner (3 FGs), and Colt sloppiness (5 TOs) also figured prominently in game that seemed almost surreal as it unfolded, since few figured the 18-point underdog Jets had a chance to make things interesting, much less win!

10-XVII, Washington 27 - Miami 17 (at Pasadena)...An entertaining Super Bowl that seems to have been forgotten by many gridiron historians, except perhaps for John Riggins’ exploits that included a then-SB record 166 yards rushing and a memorable, 43-yard TD run on a 4th down play with 10 minutes to play that finally put the Skins ahead for good. Miami didn’t do much offensively (only 176 yards of offense and a mere 4 pass completions combined between QBs David Woodley & Don Strock), but stayed close thanks to Jimmy Cefalo’s 76-yard TD reception and Fulton Walker’s SB-record 98-yard kickoff return TD.

Super Bowls ranked 11-20:

11-V, Baltimore 16 - Dallas 13 (at Miami)...Though perhaps the sloppiest Super Bowl with 11 turnovers, it nonetheless produced the first dramatic finish in SB history when Colts rookie PK Jim O’Brien nailed a 32-yard FG with only 5 seconds to play. Earl Morrall, one of the goats of SB III, relieved John Unitas at QB and performed admirably for the Colts, who still needed a couple of late picks by Rick Volk and, finally, Mike Curtis to set up the tying and winning scores deep in the 4th quarter.

12-XXV, N.Y. Giants 20 - Buffalo 19 (at Tampa)...Drama-wise, this one might deserve to rate a bit higher, as it wasn’t decided until Bills PK Scott Norwood shoved his last-second, 47-yard FG just wide to the right. The Giants’ ball-control tactics were brutally effective (they controlled the ball for over 40 minutes) vs. the high-powered, favored Bills, but didn’t make for particularly entertaining viewing in a rather tedious affair.

13-XVI, San Francisco 26 - Cincinnati 21 (at Pontiac)...The early-version Bill Walsh 49ers didn’t yet have Jerry Rice or Roger Craig, but they did have Joe Montana and an underrated supporting cast that was in control of this entertaining game a bit more than the final score suggests. Credit the Bengals for making it a bit more interesting when rallying from a 20-0 halftime deficit, though a dramatic goal-line stand (and a big tackle on Pete Johnson from unsung 49er LB Dan Bunz) kept Cincy at bay. An unsung hero was 49er PK Ray Wersching, who hit 4 FGs and helped keep the Bengals in bad field position with effective kickoffs.

14-XXX, Dallas 27 - Pittsburgh 17 (at Tempe)...The Steelers made this a more-compelling game than many anticipated, rallying from an early 13-0 deficit to close within 20-17 in the 4th Q, and might have pulled the upset had Cowboy DB (and game MVP) Larry Brown not made the second of his two picks deep in the 4th Q, setting up Dallas’ clinching TD.

15-XXXI, Green Bay 35 - New England 21 (at New Orleans)...Plenty of big plays, including a Super Bowl-record 99-yard kick return TD by Green Bay’s Desmond Howard (game MVP) that effectively ended the upstart Patriots’ upset hopes in the 3rd Q. But the Packers always appeared in control, and the only late drama surrounded Green Bay’s attempts to cover the 14-point spread (a late missed FG by Chris Jacke kept the final margin at 14).

16-I, Green Bay 35 - Kansas City 10 (at Los Angeles)...Historically, perhaps the most-important Super Bowl of them all. No one knew what to expect, and the fact the underdog AFL Chiefs were definitely in the game at halftime, trailing the powerful Packers only 14-10, opened more than a few eyes (we know, we were there!). This one was a lot more interesting than many historians would lead you to believe.

17-IV, Kansas City 23 - Minnesota 7 (at New Orleans)...There was always a delightful symmetry attached to this game, as it evened the AFL-NFL ledger at 2 wins apiece before the merger and shut up the numerous “NFL supremacists” once and for all. Surprisingly one-sided, with the brilliant and creative game plan of Hank Stram immortalized by NFL Films.

18-XXXIX, New England 24 - Philadelphia 21 (at Jacksonvile)...The final score of the most-recent SB suggests it might warrant a better ranking. But the game never had a real flow to it, there were few memorable plays, and indeed the enduring memories of XXXIX are the Eagles taking their sweet time in a late drive that demanded more urgency, and Terrell Owens’ post-game complaints about Donovan McNabb. Hardly a classic.

19-IX, Pittsburgh 16 - Minnesota 6 (at New Orleans)...A taut affair (with a 2-0 halftime score!) dominated by the Steel Curtain defense, which held the Vikes to a SB-low 117 yards. Indeed, Minnesota’s offense didn’t score, but a blocked-punt TD in the 4th Q did get the Vikings within 9-6 and suggested a possible dramatic finish before game MVP Franco Harris (a then-SB record 158 yards rushing) put the game away.

20-VII, Miami 14 - Washington 7 (at Los Angeles)...Added significance because it was the final installment of the Dolphins’ perfect 17-0 season. But the game was mostly a bore after the Dolphins took control in the 1st half, with the “No-Name” defense throttling the Skins for most of the day. Became mildly interesting in the 4th Q after Garo Yepremian’s infamous flubbed FG and Mike Bass’ subsequent TD return, but that was about the only drama of the afternoon.

Super Bowls ranked 21-30:

21-XX, Chicago 46 - New England 10 (at New Orleans)...Although this game was absolutely no contest, it was a bit more entertaining than other Super Bowl blowouts simply because the Bears were such a colorful (and absolutely dominating) bunch.

22-XXIV, San Francisco 55 - Denver 10 (at New Orleans)...The biggest-ever SB blowout lacked any drama whatsoever. But San Francisco’s dominance was so complete, and, indeed, breathtaking, that we felt almost privileged to watch such excellence.

23-XIX, San Francisco 38 - Miami 16 (at Palo Alto)...Unless you were a 49er fan, this one was a disappointment, as it failed to live up to its much-hyped, “shootout” billing. The San Francisco defense, however, made sure there was no drama by muffling Dan Marino and his record-setting Dolphin offense, while Joe Montana & Co. toyed with an overmatched Miami stop unit.

24-XXI, N.Y. Giants 39 - Denver 20 (at Pasadena)...This was a bit more competitive than the Broncos’ other one-sided SB losses, as Denver performed ably in the first half and even led at intermission, 10-9. But the game became a runaway before the 3rd Q ended when the Giants erupted behind Phil Simms’ deadly accuracy (completed 22 of 25 passes!) en route to a then-SB record one half record for points (30 of ‘em!).

25-VIII, Miami 24 - Minnesota 7 (at Houston)...A surprisingly non-competitive game, as most figured the Vikings, with Fran Tarkenton back at the controls, rated a good chance. Instead, the outcome was never in doubt past the 1st Q, with the Dolphins practically disdaining the pass (Bob Griese only threw the ball 7 times!) and instead bludgeoning the Vikes behind Larry Csonka’s 145 yards rushing. A more impressive Miami win than in the Super Bowl vs. the Redskins the previous year.

26-II, Green Bay 33 - Oakland 14 (at Miami)...The Super Bowl concept was still enough of a novelty in January of 1968 that just seeing AFL and NFL teams on the same field was something special. Unlike the previous year, however, Green Bay was in control from the outset and never seriously threatened. This SB would eventually gain more notoriety for being Vince Lombardi’s last game as Packers HC.

27-XVII, L.A. Raiders 38 - Washington 9 (at Tampa)...Another good-looking matchup that failed to materialize, the outcome essentially decided by Jack Squirek’s 5-yard interception return TD off an ill-advised Joe Theismann screen pass just 5 seconds before halftime. Indeed, the Raider dominance was somewhat startling, with CBs Mike Haynes & Lester Hayes blanketing the Skin wideouts. A number of highlight-reel runs by Marcus Allen (en route to a then-SB record 191 yards rushing) provided some excitement after the outcome was decided.

28-XII, Dallas 27 - Denver 10 (at New Orleans)...What shaped up as an intriguing matchup failed to deliver as expected, as Denver self-destructed with 6 turnovers and QB Craig Morton was banished to the bench in the 3rd Q. Although the Broncos rallied briefly behind backup QB Norris Weese, the Cowboys’ arsenal of weapons were too much, with a couple of spectacular TDs (Butch Johnson’s acrobatic 45-yard TD catch from Staubach, and an option pass from RB Robert Newhouse to WR Golden Richards) sealing the outcome in the 2nd half.

29-VI, Dallas 24 - Miami 3 (at New Orleans)...Although the outcome was still in doubt at halftime, when Dallas led only 10-3, the Cowboys quickly took control in the 3rd Q, and Miami didn’t threaten thereafter. The enduring memory of this game was RB Duane Thomas’ famous one-word answer (“evidently”) to a long-winded question from CBS broadcaster Tom Brookshier on the postgame show.

30-XXXVII, Tampa Bay 48 - Oakland 21 (at San Diego)...This game was almost more interesting for its ironies (none greater than HC Jon Gruden, in his first year with the Bucs after leaving Oakland) than any action on the field. The Raiders made it mildly interesting in the 4th Q, cutting a 34-3 deficit to 34-21, before the Bucs capped the game with a pair of exclamation points in the form of two interception TDs in the last two minutes, their 2nd and 3rd such scores of the contest!

Super Bowls ranked 31-39:

31-XXVII, Dallas 30 - Buffalo 13 (at Atlanta)...Even when the favored Cowboys seemed to sleepwalk through the 1st half, trailing 13-6 at intermission, there seemed to be an inevitablity about XXVII that the Bills would again find a way to lose, as they had done in the three previous Super Bowls. It took James Washington’s 46-yard fumble return for a 3rd Q TD to finally turn the tide, and Dallas never seemed in danger thereafter, with Buffalo providing little resistance in the 2nd half and surrendering meekly in the end.

32-XXXIII, Denver 34 - Atlanta 19 (at Miami)...Denver finally got to enjoy an easy Super Bowl win in a contest that lacked any sustained drama, with the Broncos up by as much as 31-6 in the 4th Q. In the aftermath, there would be a nice "feel good" factor as John Elway, in what would be his final game, was named MVP following his 336-yard passing night.

33-XII, Oakland 32 - Minnesota 14 (at Pasadena)...The Vikings were simply manhandled in a battle that lacked much intrigue after the Raiders moved easily to a 16-0 halftime lead and cruised home. Oakland’s dominance was reflected in a then SB-record 266 yards rushing, with vet DB Willie Brown’s 75-yard interception return TD a nice capper in the 4th quarter.

34-XXIX, San Francisco 49 - San Diego 26 (at Miami)...Though the final margin wasn’t as large as some other famous SB beatings, this game was every bit as one-sided as the worst of them, as the 49ers appeared capable of scoring whenever they pleased before easing up in the 2nd half. Complete mismatch.

35-XV, Oakland 27 - Philadelphia 10 (at New Orleans)...A disappointing showing by the Eagles, who were down 14-0 before the 1st Q ended, contributed heavily to an absolute lack of drama in XV. Three TD passes by Jim Plunkett and 3 picks by Raider LB Rod Martin highlighted the surprisingly one-sided proceedings.

36-XXVI, Washington 37 - Buffalo 24 (at Minneapolis)...More one-sided than the final might indicate, as the Redskins enjoyed 24-0 & 37-10 leads before a couple of garbage-time Buffalo TDs made the final more respectable. Thurman Thomas forgetting about his helmet at the start of the game summed up a dispirited Bills effort.

37-XXVII, Dallas 52 - Buffalo 17 (at Pasadena)...The Bills’ capitulation was particularly onerous because they simply didn’t seem so overmatched in this game. But their almost-comical nine turnovers precluded this from becoming the competitive affair most envisioned. Buffalo’s only highlight was WR Don Beebe streaking downfield to slap the ball out of Leon Lett’s hand before the latter would have scored one last TD for the rampant Cowboys.

38-XXII, Washington 42- Denver 10 (at San Diego)...This one ceased to be a competitive affair about midway in the 2nd Q, when the Redskins were in the midst of the most-devastating stanza in SB history. The startling 35 points (including four Doug Williams TD passes) in that period required only 18 plays in the five TD drives and set a one-quarter SB scoring record that will be hard to top, and it was all the more amazing because Denver had looked ready to score an early KO of its own when it jumped to a quick 10-0 lead. When the carnage was complete, Washington had amassed a SB record 602 yards, and heretofore obscure RB Timmy Smith gained a SB-record 204 yards rushing. We still can’t figure out if XXII was simply one of the great efforts by one team in a title game, or, in Denver’s case, one of the most feeble and humiliating.

39-XXXV, Baltimore 34 - N.Y. Giants 7 (at Tampa)...An exceedingly drab game with little or no drama, dominated by the Ravens defense, which rendered the Giants offense helpless while holding it without a score. Indeed, the only fireworks in XXXV came in bang-bang-bang succession in the 3rd Q, with TDs on successive plays by Baltimore’s Duane Starks (interception), New York’s Ron Dixon (kickoff return), and the Ravens’ Jermaine Lewis (yet another kickoff return). Otherwise, XXXV threatened to put Sominex out of business.

(Thanks to Paul DiGiovanni, TGS scout and gridiron historian, for his contributions to this story)