Super Bowl 51: Top 5 Super Bowls of Past 20 Years

Which five Super Bowl games from the last 20 years stand out as the most memorable?

So far, the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons is shaping up to be an instant classic. 39-year-old quarterback Tom Brady adding to his legacy against 2016’s MVP frontrunner, Matt Ryan. A franchise of stability and high success against one that is just now finding it’s winning formula. The game seems set for a lot of scoring and a wild finish.

With what promises to be an exciting Super Bowl LI, fans always tend to recall the best games that they remember seeing? The first one I can clearly recall watching was at the end of the 1997 season where John Elway finally brought the Lombardi Trophy to Denver. The final score was close, but there was something about the game that made me know the Broncos would win.

Looking back in recent history—the last 20 years to be exact—there have been a number of games that stand out as being both great and memorable. These matchups have been too close to call right until the very end and stand out as some of the better Super Bowl contests of all-time. Yes, it’s slightly New England heavy. Of course, what can you do when the Patriots have been in the Big Game as often as they have in recent history.

With that in mind, these are the five best Super Bowls of the past 20 years, beginning with an iconic ending in Super Bowl XXXIV.

5. St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans (Super Bowl XXXIV)

Final Score: Rams: 23, Titans: 16
MVP: Kurt Warner

This game may have been helped by the circumstances around it. The Titans had just changed their name and completed a miraculous run through the AFC playoffs. The Rams lost their starting quarterback in the preseason and were then forced to turn to a man who just a few years before had been stocking shelves in a supermarket. The stage was huge for two franchises who had not won a title in their history.

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The game started slowly with three field goals from St. Louis and nothing from Tennessee. Halfway through the third quarter, Warner broke the touchdown drought with a pass to Torry Holt. At that point you might think that this game wouldn’t qualify as the Rams were up by 16. The game doesn’t get the nickname “The Longest Yard” without earning it.  The way the Titans made their comeback solidifies this as a top Super Bowl.

Steve McNair created some legendary plays with his legs as well as his arm. He refused to go down behind the line of scrimmage and willed the Titans back into the game. With the game tied at 16, Warner hit Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown with 1:48 left in the game. McNair led his team all the way down to the Rams’ 10-yard line with six seconds left. The ensuing play would become known simply as “the tackle.”

McNair threw to Kevin Dyson on a slant in the middle of the field with about five yards left to run into the end zone. However, linebacker Mike Jones would stop Dyson a yard short of the goal line to win the game. The play would be reviewed extensively but the evidence was clear; Dyson was halted before the end zone and the Rams had won their first title. This play alone gives the game enough to claim the fifth spot on this list.

4. New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl XXXIX)

Final Score: Patriots: 24, Eagles: 21
MVP: Deion Branch

The Philadelphia Eagles had finally broken through the NFC Championship and reached the Super Bowl despite the loss of their star wide receiver for the playoffs. The Patriots relied on exceptional defense in the playoffs to eliminate Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. New England was ready to become a dynasty but the Eagles were equipped for the challenge. Terrell Owens decided to play on his surgically repaired leg despite only having recovered for a few weeks.

It was a defensive struggle for the first quarter including two ugly turnovers by the Eagles offense. Touchdowns by both teams would send the game to halftime with a 7-7 tie. Deion Branch would earn his MVP with his second half performance of six catches for 95 of his 133 receiving yards. The game would go back and forth until two bad drives from Philadelphia gave the Patriots a 10-point lead.

With 5:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles drove 79 yards for a touchdown to bring the game to within a field goal. The only problem, and still a problem with Andy Reid teams, was that the Eagles took nearly four minutes to do so. This left just 1:48 for the Eagles to get the ball back and get into field goal range. The onside kick failed but they did stop the Patriots and took control on their own 4-yard line with 46 seconds left. Yet McNabb, who had been criticized during the previous drive for looking out of shape, threw an interception that ended the game.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots strong safety Malcolm Butler (21) intercepts a pass intended for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette (83) in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

3. New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl XLIX)

Final Score: Patriots: 28, Seahawks: 24
MVP: Tom Brady

This game was booked as a masterpiece from the start. For the most recent game on this list, the Seattle Seahawks brought their Legion of Boom against Bill Belichick’s “on to Cincinnati” Patriots. Many believed that after their rough start, the Patriots were on a mission and would not be stopped.

Russell Wilson of the Seahawks had plenty to say about that, however, as he led two impressive touchdown drives in the second quarter to tie the game before halftime. Marshawn Lynch also carried a heavy load, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown. It was because of his monster day that many people question why Lynch did not get the ball on Seattle’s final play.

In the fourth quarter, Brady led his team down the field for a touchdown that would take the lead 28-24 with just over two minutes remaining in the game. The Seahawks had plenty of time to get downfield to win the game. But despite an amazing catch from Jermaine Kearse and contributions from Lynch, they failed to do so.

Instead of handing the ball off to their bruising running back with two more attempts to get into the end zone they threw the ball. The play was one the Patriots had practiced against during the week, Malcolm Butler knew where to go. He picked the pass intended for Ricardo Lockette and gave the ball back to the Patriots at the 1-yard line. The decision would be talked about for the entire offseason.

2. New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (Super Bowl XLII)

Final Score: Giants: 17, Patriots: 14
MVP: Eli Manning

The third Patriots game on this list is definitely the best, thanks to the “Helmet Catch.” David Tyree was under-the-radar coming into the game and in the seasons after he would fade from memory. For one moment, however, he was the biggest name in sports. His catch that he pinned against his helmet with Rodney Harrison draped all over him is one of the most iconic moments in NFL history now. It continued the game for the Giants and helped them upset the undefeated Patriots.

The Patriots had utterly destroyed every team they had faced up to the Super Bowl. It seemed that all Tom Brady had to do was chuck it deep and Randy Moss would find it in the end zone. Brady also found tremendous success with Wes Welker when neither of his previous teams could. It was assured that the Pats would steamroll the Giants and crush the dreams of the 1972 Dolphins.

But New York had other plans. The Giants found a way to limit Moss to just five catches and one touchdown. They also got after Brady and pressured him throughout the game. So without time in the pocket, Brady couldn’t hit deep throws. The running game of the Patriots was also stuck in the mud.

So it came down to the play that will be most remembered. With 2:39 left and facing a four-point deficit the Giants started a drive on their own 17. On third-and-5 at their own 44-yard line, Manning dropped back to pass and was quickly smothered by defenders. How he managed to escape or how the referee swallowed his whistle we may never know.

Somehow Manning freed himself and fired a pass deep down the middle. There were both Tyree and Harrison vying for the pass. Tyree managed to maintain control with the ball pinned against his helmet. Five plays later, Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone for what would be the winning score.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals (Super Bowl XLIII)

Final Score: Steelers: 27, Cardinals: 23
MVP: Santonio Holmes

The NFL gave their fans a second terrific Super Bowl in a row. This game had just about everything you could possibly want. There was a ridiculous interception return by one of the larger players on the field, an incredible defensive stand by the Cardinals inside their own 10, and of course a fantastic finish.

Arizona had a tough second half to their season, but everything came together in the playoffs. Veteran quarterback Kurt Warner proved to the rest of the league that he wasn’t too old to make one last run. He was helped by a solid receiving corps and an opportunistic defense. Pittsburgh boasted an MVP candidate in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison. They left little doubt in the playoffs and walked into the Super Bowl as heavy favorites.

The first half stayed fairly close. Arizona squandered a chance go into halftime with the lead when Warner’s pass intended for Anquan Boldin was intercepted in the end zone. James Harrison returned the interception 100 yards, busting through many tacklers and tightroping the sideline for a touchdown. It would be the longest play in Super Bowl history until the Ravens and 49ers clashed four years later.

Pittsburgh added a field goal in the third quarter to put them up 20-7 at the start of the fourth. Then, two Warner touchdown passes to Larry Fitzgerald and a holding call on the Steelers in their own endzone gave the Cardinals a 23-20 lead. With 2:37 left in the contest, the Steelers drove 82 yards to the Cardinal 6-yard line. There Roethlisberger found Holmes in the corner of the end zone over three defenders for the go-ahead score. The pass was as perfect as it could have been and the catch by Holmes indisputable.