I don’t know what it is but I have had the wonderful opportunity to be born at the right time and see some of the most amazing Super Bowls ever played, all in my 19 years on this earth. Or is it 20?
The first Super Bowl I remember watching was the Patriots-Rams one and it was brilliant, of course. I guess I remember like a play or two from the Ravens-Giants one but let’s stick to the good ones. It was a huge upset and I was rooting for the Patriots for the last time in my life. The Rams were a great team and the Patriots were a team that probably shouldn’t have been there (Tuck Rule) with a quarterback no one had ever heard of. Needless to say, that game started a dynasty that I, like many others, grew to hate.
I’ve seen some wonderful Super Bowl moments. From being a Packers fan and watching last year’s game while I was losing gallons of blood from cutting open my head after the Nick Collins touchdown, to Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning kicks, to Eli Manning superhumanly breaking tackles and Tyree making the most amazing catch I’ve ever seen. All of these overshadow the lousy and boring Super Bowls I’ve seen. And in fact, those lousy and boring ones weren’t all that unexciting. I am going to talk about every Super Bowl that I’ve had the privilege of seeing and give it a rating out of 10 as far as how good the game was.
Super Bowl XXXVI – Rams 17 vs. Patriots 20
As aforementioned, this was a huge upset. The Rams were the “Greatest Show on Turf” and Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner accounted for 3 MVPs between the two of them. The Rams also had Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, two of the best receivers of their time. But the Patriots had Adam Vinatieri, let’s not forget, though somehow Tom Brady won the SB MVP. I often forget that the Patriots had the lead basically the entire game. The Rams had to score 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come back and tie it. Somehow none of that mattered because it was still a great game.
9/10
Super Bowl XXXVII – Buccaneers 48 vs. Raiders 21
This wasn’t a close game at all but it was an exciting game to watch nonetheless. It was a match between the league’s best defense (Tampa Bay) and the league’s best offense (Oakland); it was exactly what you wanted to see. Plus it was John Gruden against his former team.
The Raiders won by 27 but a few of their scores were garbage defensive touchdowns and stuff, and for a bit it looked like the Raiders had a chance to come back. I remember seeing them go for two and fail miserably, basically ending their chances. This was a fun game to watch, though it was one of the bigger blowouts in Super Bowl history. Plus it was nice to see Jerry Rice, no matter how past his prime he was, playing for the Raiders.
4/10
Super Bowl XXXVIII – Patriots 32 vs. Panthers 29
This is the hardest Super Bowl numeral to write but it turned out to be one hell of a game. I didn’t hate the Patriots at this time, but I was cheering for the Panthers in this one because they had come out of obscurity and Stephen Davis had an absolutely amazing season.
While it was a reasonably high-scoring game, 32-29, all the scoring took place in the 2nd and 4th quarters. Again it was won on a Vinatieri field goal but this was more of Tom Brady’s game than the previous Patriots Super Bowl, earning his MVP honors.
9/10
Super Bowl XXXIX – Patriots 24 vs. Eagles 21
Back when Terrell Owens played for the Eagles and he was injured. This was the one time I ever had respect for him when he played through his injury to my surprise and one very big play that almost certainly would have been a touchdown had it not been for his injury. This was, however, Deion Branch’s game, catching for over 130 yards from Tom Brady.
While I’ve never been a Donovan McNabb fan, I think it’s safe to say his receivers let him down big time in this game. There were so many drops including on their final drive. I’m sure Eagles fans must have been very frustrated.
8/10
Super Bowl XL – Steelers 21 vs. Seahawks 10
Never have I been so angered by a Super Bowl. Literally every single break went Pittsburgh’s way and I’m not certain they were a better team. I remember Roethlisberger trying to sneak it into the endzone on fourth down. It was one of those calls that could have gone either way, but after review it went to Pittsburgh. I didn’t necessarily disagree with the call but had it gone to Seattle, it could have been a whole different game.
I liked Seattle a lot this year. Shaun Alexander was awesome and Matt Hasselbeck just seemed like a great guy. The refs must not have thought so, because they called him for an illegal block when he made a tackle on an interception, the single worst call I’ve ever seen in a game of this stature.
This was a sloppy game to watch. Lots of drops by Seattle receivers and lots of turnovers. Being a classic rock fan, the highlight was the Rolling Stones halftime show. Yeah, I said it.
4/10
Super Bowl XLI – Colts 29 vs. Bears 17
This wasn’t that close of a game but let’s face it: the Bears returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. It seemed over from the start, but in reality the Colts were just that much of a better team. It’s interesting to note that this same year, Ohio State’s Ted Ginn returned the National Championship’s opening kickoff for a touchdown, despite getting killed by Florida.
Peyton Manning had been criticized his entire career for being unable to win the big game and he proved a good deal of his critics wrong by playing pretty well. However, what was surprisingly effective about the Colts’ offense was their one-two punch of Rhodes and Addai at running back. Despite a Rhodes fumble, they were basically flawless.
The Bears were lucky to get there. Really they weren’t a great team. Rex Grossmann was a bad quarterback who somehow had a pretty good year, particularly the first half of the year. Honestly I’ve never seen a quarterback fumble so many snaps; he was just a turnover machine. For the most part it was a pretty boring game, but it was worth it to see the opening kickoff.
6/10
Super Bowl XLII – Giants 17 vs. Patriots 14
For my money, this may not have only been the greatest Super Bowl ever played, but the greatest football game. Maybe not, but considering how big of an upset it was, I’d say it would have to be. The Patriots were undefeated, shattering records all over the place with Tom Brady and Randy Moss. The Giants were lucky to be in the playoffs, and certainly lucky to make it to the Super Bowl. They beat my hometown Packers in a wonderful overtime game in freezing cold Green Bay basically because of Plaxico Burress and Plaxico Burress alone. And their defensive line, I guess.
Nobody believes me now, but I did predict the Giants to win this game. They barely lost to New England in week 17, and whether Belichick admits it or not, the Patriots were going all out to go undefeated in that game. The Giants’ defensive line was basically the first trouble Tom Brady had to face all year, as he was accustomed to leaving every game with a clean jersey.
I mentioned Manning’s miracle throw and Tyree’s miracle catch, but really the Giants D-line is what won this game. Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and the veteran Michael Strahan in his final game gave Tom Brady hell in the backfield all game. I think the Giants are going to have to do the same exact thing if they are to win this year.
10/10
Super Bowl XLIII – Steelers 27 vs. Cardinals 23
Had the Cardinals won the Super Bowl that year, they may have been the worst team ever to win one. Don’t get me wrong; any team with Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin is going to be good, but they barely made the playoffs and it was an uphill battle all season long. The Steelers were already established champions, whether or not Cowher was coach.
This game pissed me off nearly as much as the previous Steelers Super Bowl did. Again, every break went Pittsburgh’s way. The one that stuck out to me was of course the James Harrison 100-yard interception touchdown. I will go to my grave saying he was down a foot shy of the endzone and though it was challenged, it was still ruled a touchdown. John Madden said something during the broadcast kind of jokingly about how “he made it that far; they should just give it to him” in reference to his enormous size as a defensive lineman. However, I think this is the reason why they gave him the touchdown, really. This was the last play of the second quarter and there was no reason to believe that it would be as close a game as it turned out to be. This is the biggest reason why I hate instant replay, by the way.
The Cardinals made a great comeback, led by veteran Kurt Warner and seemingly untackleable Larry Fitzgerald. It was great fun to watch and the fourth quarter was everything anyone could have hoped for. Except for the outcome.
9/10
Super Bowl XLIV – Saints 31 vs. Colts 17
This game was misadvertised as a great opportunity for the city of New Orleans a few years after Katrina. This always bothered me because none of the actual players were really affected by this (for instance, Brees was with San Diego) and it got virtually the entire nation backing New Orleans. Being a Peyton Manning and a Yankees fan, I was bothered by this and couldn’t help but remember how people still hated on the Yankees back in ’01 following September 11.
The Saints and the Colts all season were at the top of the league. However, the Saints were a couple Adrian Peterson fumbles and Brett Favre interceptions away from not making it to the Super Bowl. Once they were there, though, it was clear that they were evenly-matched with Indianapolis.
This was a victory for Sean Payton, whose decision to lead off the second half with an onside kick was one of the most gutsy and ultimately rewarding coaching decisions I’ve witnessed. Drew Brees played well and Peyton Manning played well also, save for his interception which went for a touchdown, being the difference of the game. I think the receiver was just as much to blame as Manning for making a telegraphed cut but whatever.
8/10
Super Bowl XLV – Packers 31 vs. Steelers 25
Next to the Giants’ win, this was the Super Bowl I was most emotionally invested in and I wasn’t disappointed. I was emotionally involved because I was a Packers fan and because I despised the Steelers.
The game was a good one but not one of the better ones in my memory. The highlight was Nick Collins’ interception return for a touchdown, after which I did a celebratory touchdown summersault, cutting open my head and eventually winding up with thirteen stitches or something. But of course, I waited out the rest of the game.
Aaron Rodgers cemented his status as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, which he took well into this season with a 15-1 record and a likely MVP award. Honestly I don’t remember a whole lot about the game; I just remember Christina Aguilera screwing up the National Anthem. And I’m just saying it: the Packers had the most anemic rushing attack to ever win the Super Bowl.
7/10
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