RANKING THE SUPER BOWLS OF THE PAST 25 YEARS
There is a ton of hype going into Super Bowl XLII because of all the storylines intertwined with the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. History can be made with a Patriots win, as a perfect 19-0 season would likely be a record that would not be broken for many years, if at all. A win would also possibly cement a historic sports year for the city of Boston, which has already seen a Red Sox World Series Championship with a possible Celtics NBA Championship on the horizon. Though these two teams aren’t traditional rivals, there is still the whole “New York vs. Boston” angle, a rivalry once dominated by NY until the Red Sox resurgence, the Patriots dynasty and a couple ping pong balls not bouncing the Celtics’ way.
Also involved is Tom Brady’s acecnsion to the top of the list of elite quarterbacks, not only in the NFL today, but in League history. A fourth Super Bowl ring, on top of the statistics that Brady was able to turn in this year, would certainly put him in the conversation with Joe Montana, John Elway, and some of the other greats before him. The final storyline is about Eli Manning, the ugly duckling that has a chance to become a swan. As great as this run to the Super Bowl has been for Eli and for the Giants, you aren’t accepted in New York until you bring home a championship (see: Ewing, Patrick). Who knows if Eli will get another chance after this season.
As great as Ewing was, he never hung a banner and that's all NY fans care about
Anyways, in just a few days, this Super Bowl could become historic. I only wish that we could say that about all Super Bowls. For every Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal there was a Neil O’Donnell interception. For every Joe Montana there was a Kerry Collins. For every Whitney Houston rendition of the National Anthem, there was a Kriss Kross halftime performance. There have been some great Super Bowl memories over the past quarter-century, but there have also been some complete clunkers.
The Shots presents, The worst-to-best Super Bowls of the past 25 years:
NOTE: I was born in 1983 so the details of some of the early Super Bowls on this list are pieced together from old NFL Films archives that I have seen and from Wikipedia. I just wanted to make you all aware of that fact. Let’s continue…
#25 Super Bowl XVIII: Oakland 38, Washington 9
Marcus Allen earned MVP honors by running for a then-record 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ blowout win over the Redskins. Oakland led 21-3 at halftime and was never seriously threatened as they scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams – the only Super Bowl team to ever accomplish that feat. The famous Apple “Mac” commercial directed by Ridley Scott aired during the third quarter. The commercial would change Super Bowl advertising forever.
#24 Super Bowl XXXV: Baltimore 34, NY Giants 7
Just an awful, awful, AWFUL game. First of all, it was a battle between two horrible offenses led by two mediocre quarterbacks in Kerry Collins (NYG) and Trent Dilfer (BAL). The Giants lone touchdown came on a Ron Dixon kick return, which for a moment gave them some life, cutting the Ravens lead to 17-7. On the ensuing kickoff, Jermaine Lewis took that kick back 97 yards for a score and the game was over. Nelly performed at halftime with a hideous half Giants/half Ravens custom made jersey on and Aerosmith embarrassed themselves by singing “Walk this Way” with Britney Spears and N’Sync. That might have been the biggest “sellout” moment in rock and roll history.
This is disgusting on so many levels...
#23 Super Bowl XXIX: San Francisco 49, San Diego 26
I am a ridiculous trivia buff when it comes to the 1994 San Diego Chargers because I was always the Bolts when I played Madden ’95 for Sega Genesis. They were good with: Stan Humphries, Natrone Means (Business), Tony Martin, Mark Seay, Leslie O’Neal, Junior Seau, Stanley Richard and Alfred Pupunu (who pretended the football was a coconut for his touchdown taunt). But, the Chargers were no match for a great Niners team. Steve Young hooked up with Jerry Rice for a 44-yard touchdown pass on the third play and the game was pretty much over before it even started. Young ended up with six scoring strikes in the game as the 49ers jumped out to a 42-10 lead at one point.
#22 Super Bowl XXVII: Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
Do me a favor and print out this column and then put it in a lockbox. Bury that box in your backyard and leave it there. If you are still alive 20 years later, dig up the box and answer these questions:
Who were the quarterbacks for both of these teams?
Who were the head coaches for both of these teams?
Who won the game?
If you can answer even one of those three questions in 2028 then you either have a great memory or are named Howie Schwab. Tampa Bay is the most forgettable Super Bowl winner in NFL history.
#21 Super Bowl XIX: San Francisco 38, Miami 16
Not much to say about this snoozer. Ronald Regan’s inauguration was delayed because of the game, this was Dan Marino’s only Super Bowl appearance, commercials cost a then-record $1 million per minute, oh and Miami’s kicker was named Uwe von Schamann. Why aren’t there any German kickers anymore?
#20 Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas 52, Buffalo 17
This is right about when the whole “Buffalo going to the Super Bowl” thing really started getting annoying. I’m not lying when I say that this Cowboys team was probably the best team of the 1990s. The offense was completely stacked with Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Alvin Harper, Emmitt Smith, Jay Novachek and a sick O-line and a defense forced NINE Buffalo turnovers. This game was also memorable for the Leon Lett premature taunt, and the launch of Crystal Pepsi. Also, OJ was honored during the coin toss. Yeah you heard me, that OJ.
Super Bowl XXVII may have been a blowout, but it certainly gave us a lot of memories
#19 Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 55, Denver 10
Man, before John Elway finally won a ring in ’97, his Broncos teams really got their teeth kicked in a couple of times. This game was no different and featured perhaps the greatest individual performance in Super Bowl history by Joe Montana. Montana was 22-29 on the night with 297 yards passing and five touchdowns.
#18 Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver 33, Atlanta 19
Memorable moments from Super Bowl XXXIII: Jamal Anderson did the “Dirty Bird” dance, Eugene Robinson tried to pick up a hooker the night before the game, Cher sang the national anthem and Chris Chandler was quarterback of the Falcons… <shudder>.
#17 Super Bowl XXI: NY Giants 39, Denver 20
In another hideous performance by Elway and the Broncos, the Giants blew open a close game by outscoring Denver 17-0 in the third quarter. Broncos kicker Rich Karlis couldn’t hit a field goal to save his life, failing to pad Denver’s lead by missing from 23 and 34 yards out in the first half. Phil Simms completed 22 of 25 passes to set a Super Bowl record for completion percentage and was also the first guy to ever say “I’m going to Disney World” afterwards.
#16 Super Bowl XXII: Washington 42, Denver 10
This was an awful Super Bowl but it got a huge bump because of the historical significance of the game. Redskins QB Doug Williams became the first (and to this day the only) African-American quarterback to win the Super Bowl, and he also took home MVP honors. The Skins set Super Bowl records in six offensive categories including total yards (602) and rushing yards (280) and scored FIVE touchdowns in the 2nd quarter after falling behind 7-0. Other notes: the Broncos were actually favored by 3 points, this game had the first instant replay in NFL history, and the Wonder Years premiered after the game on ABC.
Doug Williams made this SB XXII worth remembering
#15 Super Bowl XXVI: Washington 37, Buffalo 24
People forget how dominant the Redskins were during the 1991 season as they started 11-0 and finished up at 14-2 during the regular season. The Skins outscored their opponents 485-224 that year and had a dynamic offense led by QB Mark Rypien (28 touchdown passes in ’91) and the “Hogs” offensive line up front. The game wasn’t really as close as the final score indicated as Washington led 17-0 at halftime and was never seriously threatened. Luckily, Buffalo defeated Denver in the AFC Championship game that year saving us from another Broncos’ blowout Super Bowl loss.
#14 Super Bowl XLI: Indianapolis 29, Chicago 16
There were some fireworks early as Tony Dungy inexplicably kicked off to Devin Hester to start the game, essentially spotting the Bears 7 points. This game, played in the muck of a rainy Dolphin Stadium, was close throughout but you never really got the feeling that the Colts weren’t going to win. Something else worth noting is that Peyton Manning was perhaps the least deserving MVP in Super Bowl history. Manning threw for a modest 247 yards and one touchdown – a lame duck ball that was luckily thrown to a wide open Reggie Wayne who was at least 20 yards behind the coverage – and one interception. The real MVP of that game was Dominic Rhodes who rushed for 113 and a score and did a great job in the horrendous weather conditions.
SB XLI was memorable for Colts fans, but not anyone else
#13 Super Bowl XL: Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10
This game and the Colts/Bears matchup are really interchangeable. Both were relatively close throughout but neither really had any signature moments. Seattle was hamstrung by some egregiously bad officiating and both offenses really struggled. Antwaan Randle El, not Matt Hasslebeck or Ben Roethlisberger, threw the best pass of the night, a 43-yard spiral off a double-reverse to Hines Ward, to put the game away for the Steelers. You could make the argument that this Steelers team, the #6 seed in the AFC and just 11-5 in the regular season, is the worst Super Bowl champion of all time.
#12 Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay 35, New England 21
Two of the biggest one-hit wonders were both featured in this Super Bowl. Desmond Howard, who had a forgettable NFL career, had the game of his life, earning MVP honors after returning a kick for a touchdown and finishing with over 200 return yards for the game. Also, Los Del Rio performed the “Macarena” during the pregame. I think Reggie White had like 50 sacks too.
Which is more memorable: Los Del Rio or Desmond Howard? Trick question: neither
#11 Super Bowl XXX: Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17
Neil O’Donnell threw three interceptions yet somehow that was good enough for the Jets to offer him a hefty free-agent contract that summer. Larry Brown, the cornerback and not the basketball coach, was the MVP for picking him off twice. Like O’Donnell, Brown also cashed in during the offseason but was a huge flop with the Raiders. I don’t remember much from this game but I do know that this Dallas team was easily the worst of their three 90’s Super Bowl teams, and probably would’ve lost to the ’94 team by three touchdowns. Also, I remember something about Barry Switzer trying to take a gun with him on the team airplane? Could you imagine if something like that happened today?
#10 Super Bowl XX: Chicago 46, New England 10
Much like Super Bowl XXII, this game sucked but the historical significance of the 1985 Bears is still felt today. Forever one of the great teams in NFL history, the Bears turned in the most dominant single-season of any team this side of the ’07 Patriots. During their three postseason games, Chicago outscored their opponents 91-10. The “Super Bowl Shuffle” hit #41 on the pop charts and spawned ridiculous rip-offs like “Walk like a Giant” (the Giants rendition after their Super Bowl win the next season based on “Walk like an Egyptian”) and “Fear the Tiger” which the Bengals did in ’05 before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
The '85 Bears live forever in music video infamy... The '05 Bengals? Yeah, not so much
#9 Super Bowl XVII: Washington 27, Miami 17
This game was played at the conclusion of the strike-shortened 1982 season, in which the regular season was only 9 games. The Redskins were able to overcome Miami’s “Killer B’s” defense and a 17-10 halftime deficit. Also, David Woodley was Miami’s quarterback. That’s a good trivia question if you want to stump some friends or impress a girl later on today.
#8 Super Bowl XXVIII: Dallas 30, Buffalo 13
The Bills actually led 13-6 at halftime so the game was closer than the final score would have you believe. Thurman Thomas fumbled on a Buffalo drive 45 seconds into the third quarter and Dallas returned that for a touchdown and never looked back. Thomas had an awful game, running for just 37 yards on 16 carries. In fact, in the last three of the run of four Bills’ Super Bowls, Thomas combined for 69 rushing yards on 37 carries. Now you know who’s to blame for Buffalo’s Super Bowl drought. I also remember falling asleep in the third quarter.
#7 Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24, Philadelphia 21
Remember when I said that even though the Colts/Bears Super Bowl was close that you never really felt like the Colts were going to lose? The same could be said for the Patriots, who won a tight one with Philly, but really seemed in control throughout. Donovan McNabb took a lot of heat for throwing three interceptions and for taking his time during the Eagles’ final scoring drive, a touchdown march that cost them four valuable minutes and gave the Patriots the ball back with under two minutes left.
#6 Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England 32, Carolina 29
This was an outstanding game, but I couldn’t find a spot for it in the top five because it involved the Panthers. This game also featured the infamous “Wardrobe Malfunction” involving Janet Jackson. The Panthers scored on a Ricky Proehl touchdown catch with a minute left and looked to be destined for overtime. But, John Kasay inexplicably kicked the ball out-of-bounds on the kickoff, and Tom Brady needed only two first downs to get the Patriots in field goal range. Adam Vinatieri connected from 42 yards out with 4 seconds left for the victory.
Even more memorable than Ricky Proehl...
#5 Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
Two forgettable teams but an unforgettable game. Titans wideout Kevin Dyson was tackled just short of the goal-line as time expired to give the Rams the Super Bowl victory. The Titans rallied from a 16-0 deficit to tie the score with just two minutes to go but on the ensuing Rams possession, MVP Kurt Warner hooked up with Issac Bruce for a 73-yard scoring strike. The game was also the first Super Bowl available in High Definition and featured a full commercial lineup from the “dot com” boom of late 90’s and early 2000’s.
Dyson came close, but the Titans were just short of sending the Super Bowl into OT
#4 Super Bowl XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17
Unless the Giants somehow pull off a victory on Sunday, this will remain the biggest upset in the modern Super Bowl era (I’m not forgetting about you Joe Namath). The Patriots were 14 point underdogs but used an opportunistic defense to jump out to a 14-3 lead going into halftime. The Pats led 17-3 at one point before the Rams rallied to tie the score on a 23-yard touchdown catch by (guess who) Ricky Proehl! The Patriots were able to drive into field goal range in just over a minute to setup Adam Vinatieri for a memorable 48-yard game-winning field goal. Super Bowl XXXVI is the only game in SB history to end with a score on the final play of the game. “The Greatest Show on Turf” outgained the Patriots 427-267 but committed three costly turnovers. The Rams’ performance is easily the biggest flop in Super Bowl history.
#3 Super Bowl XXXII: Denver 31, Green Bay 24
Many people may not have this game on their Greatest Super Bowls short list, but I believe that this was the most even matchup of any of the Super Bowls of my lifetime. If this Broncos team and this Packers team played 100 times, both would win 50, that’s how evenly matched they were. Anyways, the Packers were huge favorites (11 ½ points) and going for their 2nd of back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Super Bowl flop Denver had crapped their pants on the big stage before (three times to be exact) but an aging John Elway was determined to get his ring. The Packers final attempt at a game-tying drive was ended when John Mobley batted away a Brett Favre pass at the Denver 31 with under a minute left. Terrell Davis earned MVP honors by rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns, essentially handing Elway his first of two Super Bowl rings.
#2 Super Bowl XXV: NY Giants 20, Buffalo 19
This game is widely regarded as the greatest Super Bowl ever, but I slotted it at #2 just out of personal preference. Buffalo was a heavy favorite after scoring 95 points in two playoff games to steamroll their way to the Super Bowl. The Giants upset the 14-2 Niners in San Fran in the NFC Championship game thanks to Matt Bahr’s five field goals. Trailing by one late, Buffalo drove to the Giants’ 29-yard line to set up Scott Norwood for a potential game-winning field goal. Norwood’s kick was about two feet wide of the right goalpost, giving Bill Parcells his second Super Bowl victory as head coach of the Giants. Ottis (OJ) Anderson ran for 102 yards and a score to earn MVP honors and is maybe the most forgotten Super Bowl MVP ever (along with Larry Brown). Also, Whitney Houston sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem and New Kids on the Block performed with Michael Jackson at halftime. Something about “Kids” performing with Michael Jackson makes me a bit squeamish.
Norwood's miss cost the Bills their only legitimate chance at a SB title
#1 Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16
Jerry Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards in the game, but it was John Taylor who caught the game-winning touchdown with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Bengals led 16-13 with 3:20 left and pinned the 49ers back on their own 8-yard line after an illegal block on the kickoff. Joe Montana engineered a 92-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes to lead the Niners to another Super Bowl victory after a so-so 10-6 regular season. The night before the game, Bengals RB Stanley Wilson was caught during a coke binge in his hotel room and suspended for the game. Some Bengal fans to this day believe that if Wilson would’ve played, Cincy would’ve won that game. During the game, Diet Coke handed out 3D glasses and aired a 3D commercial, which apparently was cutting-edge in 1988 just like it was in 1958.
Montana is without a doubt the greatest SB performer in history
SHOOTING THE REST OF THE SPORTS WORLD:
Swish: Purdue
Purdue knocked off Wisconsin 60-56 on Saturday which was easily their biggest win of the 21st century. The "baby" Boilers have now jumped out to a 6-1 start in Big Ten play going into Wednesday night's game against Iowa. The Boilers are young but have talent and good depth and are maybe the best defensive team in the entire Big Ten. I think their ceiling this year is the 2nd round of the Tournament (and if they get that far, Matt Painter should be Coach of the Year nationally), but this team is going to be absolutely scary in the next few years. By the way, keep your eye on Robbie Hummel. That kid can play.
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Purdue's young freshman have grown up quickly during the Big Ten season
Swish: NY Giants
Because I've been crazy busy over the past few weeks, I didn't get to write a column last week to talk about the Giants so I thought I would squeeze this in here. This current Giants run has been one of the fondest sports memories of my lifetime and reminds me a lot of the '99 Knicks improbable journey to the NBA Finals. For the past three years, the Giants have always had talent, if they didn't they wouldn't have made the playoffs the past three seasons, but not until the last month has it all come together for them. Eli Manning has been great, former cast-offs Corey Webster and RW McQuarters have played the best football of their careers and Plaxico Burress has become an elite receiver. Even if the Giants lose the Super Bowl to the heavily-favored Patriots, this has been a great run. This team is young and will compete for championships again in the near future. Living in Indianapolis, it's nice to be able to puff my chest and talk about MY team for a change.
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Oh what a feeling, dancing on the Super Bowl ceiling!
Brick: Indiana
The Hoosiers are ranked 11th in the country but does anyone actually think they are worth of that rating? After Saturday's surprising home loss to UConn, IU has gotten pounded by the only two good teams they've played this season - the other being Xavier. Eric Gordon and DJ White may be the two best players in the Big Ten, an on paper IU may be a top ten team, but they just don't play like it. What's their best win? Illinois State? The Hoosiers played a garbage non-conference schedule and so far as beaten up on the basement teams of the terrible Big Ten. Their hollow 17-2 record means nothing at this point. Bottom line is that Kelvin Sampson has done a horrible job with this team. They run no offensive sets and defensively they are nowhere near where they were last season with Earl Calloway and Rod Wilmont. This notion may have sounded laughable a few weeks ago but you could make the argument that Purdue is better than IU right now. If the Hoosiers defended like the Boilermakers do, they would waltz into the Final Four.
Air Ball: Minnesota Twins
You have the best pitcher of the past decade, a player that both the Yankees AND Red Sox are drooling over, and you pawn him off to the Mets for four "servicable" prospects? I understand that the Twins had no intention of bringing Santana back and wanted to dump him before Spring Training but couldn't they do better than Phil Humber? All in all, the Mets did give up four of their top seven prospects, but were able to hold on to their #1 guy Fernando Martinez. At one point, Minny could've gotten future stars Jacoby Ellsbury or Phillip Hughes, instead they got 40 cents on the dollar for the most dominant pitcher of this era. Oh, and swish to Mets GM Omar Minaya. That Latin All-Star team he talked about building is coming together quite nicely.
The Twins really got hosed by waiting too long on dealing Johan
The Shots FANTASY Update:
FireBobKravitz def. Isiah Groped Me, 6-3
My Baby Bulls def. Isiah Groped Me, 6-3
The injury bug has bit my squad pretty hard over the last two weeks. I lost Grant Hill for awhile due to an appendectomy and Chris Kaman, Raymond Felton and Yao have all been banged up over the past month. The one constant has been the solid play of Caron Butler, who has really been setting the fantasy basketball world on fire lately. Butler is the third ranked fantasy player overall this season. Good thing the Lakers traded him for Kwame Brown two seasons ago. Nice one Mitch Kupchak!
Chuckie Three Stick-Up: 116 points, Fantasy Golf
A decent opening week for me but I still have an uphill battle after signing up late which cost me two weeks of tournament action. The good news is that I had Tiger (86 points). The bad news is that my other three guys (Kim, O’Hair, Crane) all missed the cut. Signing up for this league two weeks late may have been a bad idea.
The Shots What to Watch this week:
Whew, loaded schedule this week…
Dallas at Boston, Thursday
Juicy matchup between two NBA Finals favorites in Beantown. I don’t know why I always put the Celtics in this “Watch to Watch” thing. I never actually watch them because I hate them so very much.
Indiana at Wisconsin, Thursday
I’m not really into conspiracy theories but I swear to you, the only game that I have ever watched which I was absolutely certain was rigged was the 2005 Indiana/Wisconsin game in Madison. If you remember, the Hoosiers were red-hot and had rattled off five straight wins in Big Ten play to get to 10-5 but still lacked a marquee win to give their bubbulicious resume a nice boost. Well, Rich Hartzell was the head referee for that game. Why does it matter? Hartzell was the athletic director (ironically enough, he just resigned last week) for fellow bubble-team Northern Iowa. IU was whistled for a ridiculous delay of game call when Bracey Wright was holding the ball near midcourt with 10 seconds left in the first half waiting for a final shot and was the victim of TWO phantom fouls in the final minute, both of which gave the Badgers critical free throws in a 62-60 victory which killed IU’s at-large chances. Why do I remember all of this? Well, that was my senior year, and no, I will never let that go…never.
Anyways, IU needs this win to wash away that UConn loss and really take a stranglehold of the Big Ten. Since the Hoosiers don’t have to go at Purdue, a win here would likely mean a worse-case scenario 15-3 Big Ten finish (losses @MSU, @Ohio State, @Illinois…and even that is a big-time stretch).
Stanford at Washington State, Saturday
Do yourself a favor and watch these two teams play. They aren’t flashy and aren’t very athletic but they get the job done. Oh, and they both win something called…stay with me here….ROAD games. Yes, they win games away from home. That’s a foreign concept for most top 25 teams.
New England vs. New York Giants – Super Bowl, Sunday
Um, duh.
The Shots YouTube clips this week:
Bo Ryan is about six months too late but still this is hilarious… The only college coach in America that I think would look more ridiculous doing this dance is Rick Majerus, or the corpse formerly known as Eddie Sutton.
I know people that love Guiness and love Jame-O (this dude is using CC) but not as much as this guy does. Maybe I could’ve attempted this back in the glory days of ’03, but now that I go to bed by 11 PM and watch 60 Minutes on Sundays, I’d likely have no chance of pulling this off. I’m 24 going on 60.
The Shots Chick Pick this week: Whitney Wiggins
This one comes from loyal Shots reader Josh in New York City. This chick works as a Bruins Ice Girl and (fun fact!) is also a resident of Fairfield which is the town next to Trumbull where I grew up in Connecticut.
Though I hesitated to put anything Boston-related on here the week of the Giants/Patriots Super Bowl, this is a great selection so I went for it.
See you next week.
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