Top 20 Super Bowl Moments
The NFL ranks the most memorable face-offs.
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The Stuff Football Dreams Are Made Of - Will it be the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers to go down in history as the next NFL Super Bowl champions? Ahead of Sunday’s championship game, take a look back at the top 20 Super Bowl wins from years past, as ranked by NFL.com. — Britt Middleton (Photo: GettyImages)
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20. Super Bowl XXXI (1997) - The Green Bay Packers prevailed over the New England Patriots 35-21 with the help of a Packers defense led by Reggie White and offensive drive pushed by Brett Favre. (Photo: Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images)
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19. Super Bowl XXXIX (2005) - The media took aim at Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who was rumored to have been so out of shape that he puked during this championship game. Nonetheless, the Patriots were the better team that night, prevailing over the Eagles 24-21. (Photo: Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
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18. Super Bowl XVII (1983) - “If there is a Super Bowl that no one remembers, it's Super Bowl XVII,” writes NFL.com, where the Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17. “The Dolphins quite possibly had the worst starters in Super Bowl history at the skill positions, with quarterback David Woodley hitting the immortal Jimmy Cefalo for a touchdown early.”(Photo: Allsport)
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17. Super Bowl XXX (1996) - The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17, winning its fifth Lombardi Trophy. But the road would be tough for the Cowboys ever since, as they have only won two playoff games since Super Bowl XXX. (Photo: Al Bello/ GettyImages)
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16. Super Bowl XLVI (2012) - Last year’s showdown between the New York Giants and New England Patriots settled their longtime rivalry for at least one year. The Giants won 21-17, and quarterback Eli Manning got his second NFL Championship ring. “The lasting memory of this game was Manning's picture perfect throw, dropped perfectly over [Mario] Manningham's shoulder nearly 40 yards down field,” writes NFL.com. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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15. Super Bowl XLV (2011) - The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. The win topped off a tremendous season for the Packers, and helped quarterback Aaron Rodgers step outside the shadow of Brett Favrve as the team’s new leader. (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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14. Super Bowl XLIV (2010) - To a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints' 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts meant much more than just a football game. “Tracy Porter's late pick exemplified true mastery of the cornerback position, jumping the route to Reggie Wayne, and ultimately giving a beleaguered city its first Lombardi Trophy,” writes NFL.com. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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13. Super Bowl XVI (1982) - The San Francisco 49ers trumped the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21. San Francisco wide receiver Mike Wilson helped punctuate the win with a crucial catch on the sideline in the second half. “A solid, if not incredible game, Super Bowl XVI kicked off the 49ers' dynasty,” writes NFL.com. (Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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11. Super Bowl XXXII (1998) - The Denver Broncos were victorious over the Green Bay Packers, 31-24. “Who could forget John Elway getting hammered — upended — in mid-air? This Super Bowl will always be remembered for Elway's heart, and finally winning the big one,” writes NFL.com. (Photo: Jed Jaco/GettyImages)
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10. Super Bowl XXXVI (2002) - While the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17, the win was soured by “spygate,” or the Patriots' videotaping of New York Jets' defensive coaches' signals from a sideline during a September 9, 2007, game. The NFL fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team separately was fined $250,000 and stripped of their original first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft. (Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
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9. Super Bowl XLIII (2009) - “The Santonio Holmes catch in the corner of the end zone to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals is burned in the mind's eye of anyone who recalls this game,” writes NFL.com. (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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8. Super Bowl XXXIV (2000) - The Tennessee Titans came back from a 16-point deficit but were unable to topple the St. Louis Rams. The Rams won with a final score of 23-16. (Photo: Al Bello/GettyImages)
Photo By Photo: Al Bello/GettyImages
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7. Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004) - A close match ended with the New England Patriots on top, beating the Carolina Panthers, 32-29."Neither team could get going in the first half. But in the second, each team exchanged touchdowns and put up a lot of points. And, of course, then the Panthers kicked off and it went out of bounds ...that was a huge play," Gil Brandt, former vice president of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys, tells NFL.com. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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6. Super Bowl XIV (1980) - The Pittsburgh Steelers beat then-Los Angeles Rams 31-19 in a game played in Pasadena, California. “If there's a forgotten great Super Bowl, this is it,” says Brandt. (Photo: Robert Riger/Getty Images)
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5. Super Bowl XXIII (1989) - Fans mostly remember watching in agony as Cincinnati Bengals nose tackle Tim Krumrie’s lower leg was snapped above the joint during a play. His injury and subsequent exit from the game gave the San Francisco 49ers the option to run the ball. The 49ers won the game with a final score of 20-16. (Photo: Rick Stewart /Allsport)
Photo By Photo: Rick Stewart /Allsport
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4. Super Bowl XXV (1991) - The New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19. "The Giants winning on the 'wide right' field goal. They basically played a 2-5 (defense) so as to try to stop the Buffalo offense,” says Brandt. (Photo: George Rose/Getty Images)
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3. Super Bowl III (1969) - This match against the New York Jets and then-Baltimore Colts was certainly one for the history books, according to Brandt. "Super Bowl III has to be one of the best because of what it meant. It changed the perception about the American Football League and the merger. That game was about the impact it had." The score was Jets 16, Colts 7. (Photo: Vernon Biever/Getty Images)
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2. Super Bowl XLII (2008) - Super Bowl XLII was another close game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. "So many small plays in a game can change a game," says Brandt about the game, in which the Giants beat the Patriots 17-14. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)