Frankie’s Top 12 Super Bowls of all-time

CINCINNATI — Super Bowl week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The coverage is intense. The game is analyzed from every conceivable angle. Celebrities come from all over the world to watch a game viewed by over 100 million people.

There have many great Super Bowls in history, even though every Super Bowl is compelling in its own way. From close games to the storylines to the great finishes to legendary performances to game-changing plays to the aftermath of the game, those are what make my list of what I think are the top 12 Super Bowls of all time. Agree or disagree, here is how I rank them.

12. Super Bowl XXXIX: New England Patriots 24-Philadephia Eagles 21
Venue: Alltel Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
Network: FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers)
Radio: Westwood One (Marv Albert, Boomer Esaison, John Dockery, Bonnie Bernstein)
MVP: Deion Branch (WR, New England Patriots)
The best performance in Super Bowl XXXIX was by a wide receiver… but not by game MVP Deion Branch. Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens caught nine passes for 122 yards… with two screws and a metal plate in his ankle. It’s such a good and Herculean performance that I would put it in my top five performances in Super Bowl history, even though the Eagles lost the game.

As for the game itself, it was a game filled with intensity, haymakers thrown by both teams and stars all over the field. Not to mention the two head coaches, Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, are the two hallmark head coaches of this generation. And think about what was at stake going in. The Patriots were looking to repeat and win their third Super Bowl in four seasons, cementing themselves as a dynasty. Meanwhile, Philadelphia was looking for its first Super Bowl title and to exorcise recent postseason heartbreak of three straight NFC Championship losses.

In addition to Owens’s Herculean performance, the story of this game to me was the timely plays made by the Patriots defense. That defense has two Pro Football Hall of Famers, Ty Law and Richard Seymour. But it was Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi who made the plays in this game for the Patriots defense, intercepting Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb three times including two by Harrison. What I remember is Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell proclaiming himself the “Freddex” at Super Bowl Media Days the week leading up to the game. He went on to have one catch for 11 yards in Super Bowl XXXIX. The Patriots defense played inspired, as evidenced by Bill Belichick telling the team every day the week leading up to the game about the planned Super Bowl victory parade in Philadelphia.

That’s why, as Eagles play-by-play announcer Merill Reese said on the Eagles Radio Network after the game that it was a “painful, painful defeat” for the Eagles. They overcame so many demons to be in Super Bowl XXXIX only to come up just short. While the Patriots cemented themselves as a dynasty, the Eagles began to decline. They went 6-10 the following season and only made one more NFC Championship game under head coach Andy Reid, eventually bottoming out at 4-12 in Reid’s final season in 2012. But this game epitomized the Patriots dynasty: making timely plays, playing mistake free football and finding any source of motivation to further their greatness.

11. Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City Chiefs 38-Philadephia Eagles 35
Venue: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
Network: FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi, Mike Pereira)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner, Laura Okmin, Mike Golic)
MVP: Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City Chiefs)
My 11th ranked Super Bowl is the most recent Super Bowl. This was a great game for a multitude of reasons. For starters, the game featured the two best teams in the NFL throughout the regular season and postseason. The talent on both teams was incredible. The Chiefs were veteran-laden while the Eagles were young and flashy.

Second, the game featured its highest-profile player, Patrick Mahomes, looking to overcome two obstacles: a high ankle sprain and an Eagle pass rush that racked up 70 sacks during the regular season. Not only did Mahomes play through the injury, even reaggravating it late in the first half, but he wasn’t sacked once and had a key 26-yard run on the Chiefs game winning drive.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts may have been the best player in Super Bowl LVII, even though Philadelphia came up short. He looked so poised, so confident, so good that night. He led the Eagles charge to a 10-point halftime lead and then drove the Eagles down the field in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35-35.

The Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII on a game-winning 27-yard field goal by Harrison Butker, but the ending was not without controversy. A crucial holding call on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock and kick the game-winning field goal with as little time left as possible. Had that penalty not been called, Butker would have had to kick a 33-yard field goal with still over 1:30 to play. And with the way Hurts was playing, it’s likely he would have driven the Eagles down the field for the game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown.

But still, the most recent Super Bowl had drama and stars on both teams, making for a great game. The Chiefs captured their second Super Bowl in four seasons in Super Bowl LVII, igniting talk of a potentially budding dynasty. If they can win Super Bowl LVIII this Sunday, they will be the newest dynasty in the NFL.

10. Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31-Green Bay Packers 24
Venue: Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego, California)
Network: NBC (Dick Enberg, Phil Simms, Paul McGuire, Jim Gray, John Dockery, Randy Cross)
Radio: Westwood One (Howard David, Matt Millen)
MVP: Terrell Davis (RB, Denver Broncos)
This Super Bowl is in my top 12 for a multitude of reasons. The biggest reason, at least the one that stands out to me, is that it snapped the NFC’s streak of 13 straight wins in the Super Bowl. And it wasn’t just 13 straight wins; they were dominant wins. San Francisco, Dallas, the New York Giants and Washington all won multiple Super Bowls and Green Bay and Chicago also each won one.

It seemed like all the best talent in the NFL at the time of Super Bowl XXXII was in the NFC. And not only did the AFC finally end almost a decade and a half of futility, but John Elway and the Denver Broncos finally won the big game they had been utterly dominated in three times prior to Super Bowl XXXII.

The Broncos entered Super Bowl XXXII as an 11-point underdog, with an offensive line that looked like it would get run over by Green Bay’s massive defensive line anchored by future Pro Hall of Famer Reggie White. But games aren’t played on paper, and the Broncos controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game, never loosing a yard on a play that wasn’t a kneel down or called back by a penalty. That dominance in the trenches allowed game MVP Terrell Davis to run for 157 yards and three touchdowns.

The game is also memorable for its back and forth battle that ensued resulting in the score being tied three times. Elway, who was in his 15th season as the Broncos quarterback, ran for a key first down late in the third quarter by helicopter spinning to the line to gain. After being the quarterback for three blowout losses in four seasons in the Super Bowl, Elway led the Broncos on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to put Denver up 31-24. That set the stage for Denver’s defense to make one last stand, stopping Green Bay for no gain on three straight plays from the Denver 31-yard line.

On the Lombardi Trophy Presentation podium, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen held up the trophy and famously proclaimed “This one’s for John!” Elway would lead the Broncos to another Super Bowl title the following season, the sixth team at the time to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Brett Favre would not lead the Packers back to the Super Bowl in his final 10 seasons in Green Bay, denied a chance of their own to repeat by Denver in Super Bowl XXXII.

9. Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England Patriots 32-Carolina Panthers 29
Venue: Reliant Stadium (Houston)
Network: CBS (Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian, Bonnie Bernstein)
Radio: Westwood One (Marv Albert, Boomer Esaison, John Dockery, John Riggins)
MVP: Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
This Super Bowl is underrated. I don’t know why it doesn’t get talked about more when it comes to the greatest Super Bowls of all time.

The Patriots didn’t cement their dynasty until the following season, but they were so dominant in 2003. Mind you, they lost 31-0 to Buffalo in Week 1. After that, they lost one more game all season. And… from Week 13 through the AFC Championship, the Patriots did not trail at any point in any game. Two of those games resulted in shutouts. New England’s defense forced five turnovers in the AFC Championship against NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning and the Colts. That came a week after beating fellow co-MVP Steve McNair and the Titans in the Divisional round. It all resulted in the Patriots being favored by a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Speaking of Carolina, they were truly a David in this Super Bowl. This was only the second time the Panthers were in the Playoffs in franchise history, let alone their first appearance in the Super Bowl. But make no mistake, they were a talented team despite being so young and inexpereinced.

The great thing about Super Bowl XXXVIII was that the first and third quarters were scoreless, but man were the second and fourth quarters good. Twenty four combined points in the final two minutes of the first half and 37 combined points in the fourth quarter. And for every punch New England threw at Carolina, the Panthers had an answer. They went toe-to-toe with the vaunted Patriots, tying the game with just over a minute to play in regulation.

But remember how the game of football can come down to the kicker? Well, in this case, did it ever. If there’s one play the Panthers could have back in franchise history, I would say it would be kicker John Kasay kicking the ball out of bounds after Carolina tied up Super Bowl XXXVIII. That gave the Patriots the ball on their own 40-yard line with 1:08 to go and all three timeouts. And with Tom Brady at quarterback, it all seemed inevitable the Patriots were going to go down and win the game. Adam Vinatieri’s second game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl gave New England its second Super Bowl title in three seasons, igniting conversation of a new dynasty in the NFL. They would ultimately become that the next season with their third Super Bowl title in four seasons, but it would then be 10 more years before they could continue their dynastic run through the 2000s.

8. Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots 28-Seattle Seahawks 24
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
Network: NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esiason, James Lofton, Mark Malone)
MVP: Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
There are games that can alter the course of NFL history. This is one of those games. Super Bowl XLIX rebirthed a dynasty, and it diminished the potential start of another.

Here’s how good Super Bowl XLIX was before it even kicked off. The game was a pick ’em. There was no favorite and no underdog. That’s how evenly matched these two teams were. And man did the game live up to its billing.

Going into this game, it’s hard to believe it had been 10 years since the Patriots last won a Super Bowl. It was still a debate as to whether or not Tom Brady was the greatest quarterback of all time. The Patriots had come up just short in their previous two Super Bowl appearances, including their bid at perfection ending in the final minute of Super Bowl XLII. Meanwhile, Seattle had blown out the highest scoring offense in NFL history the year prior in the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. And their bid to repeat looked strong, entering Super Bowl XLIX on an eight-game winning streak and a defense playing as good as ever.

I knew this game could be a classic when it was tied at the half and Bob Costas told America to remember the names of the teams’ respective kickers. Of course, everybody knows how the game ended, but that’s not what I’m focusing on here.

Tom Brady cemented his legacy in this Super Bowl. Facing the NFL’s number one defense and playing amid the distraction of Deflategate, Brady’s performance is one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. He set a then-record for completions with 37. He threw four touchdowns to four different receivers. And in the fourth quarter, down 10 against the Legion of Boom, Brady was 13 of 15 for 124 yards and two touchdowns with drives covering 68 and 64 yards.

The Patriots overcame demons of Super Bowls past, and they would go on to win two more Super Bowls over the next four seasons. Brady would win a seventh two seasons later with Tampa Bay. But as for Seattle, they didn’t completely fall off the face of the Earth but have yet to get as close as they were at the one-yard line in Super Bowl XLIX. I always wonder how different Pete Carroll would be viewed had the Seahawks won this game. And had New England lost after another amazing catch against them in the Super Bowl, this time by the Seahawks Jermaine Kearse, would they have ever won another Super Bowl with Brady and Belichick? How much longer would Tom Brady have been the quarterback of the Patriots had he not cemented his greatness and won his fourth Super Bowl? Everybody remembers this Super Bowl for its memorable ending, but I think more about how it altered the courses of two franchises and changed the way we view NFL history since that game.

7. Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23-Tennessee Titans 16
Venue: Georgia Dome (Atlanta)
Network: ABC (Al Michaels, Boomer Esiason, Lesley Visser, Lynn Swann)
Radio: Westwood One (Howard David, Matt Millen, John Dockery)
MVP: Kurt Warner (QB, St. Louis Rams)
There have been many great finishes in Super Bowl history. Game-winning field goals. Game-winning touchdowns. Hail Mary’s falling incomplete. But what makes Super Bowl XXXIV the one with the greatest finish ever is that it came down to one play, one shot at the end zone from the ten yard-line, and the game ending on the one-yard line.

Both the Rams and the Titans were both going for their first Super Bowl title in their respective histories, the latest Super Bowl to feature that going in. And even though the Rams went up 16-0 in the third quarter, the two teams finished close in a lot of statistical categories.

Tennessee played an admirable game. Considering they were going up against the Greatest Show on Turf, they had a great game plan. Keep the Rams off the field and shut down Marshall Faulk. It almost worked to perfection.

One of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history happened with just over two minutes to play when Kurt Warner hit Isaac Bruce for a go-ahead 73-yard touchdown. Think about it: with all the momentum on the Titans, who had scored 16 unanswered points to tie the game, Warner struck right back to give the Rams the lead and set the stage for a dramatic finish.

Steve McNair, I think, can be forgotten in terms of how gifted he was athletically. On the final drive of Super Bowl XXXIV, he had his athleticism on full display. Getting the Titans in position to have a chance to tie the game was incredible. The second-to-last play of the game he was dodging Rams defenders before hitting Kevin Dyson on a deep pass down the middle of the field.

One of the more indelible images of Super Bowl XXXIV is of the late Titans tight end Frank Wychek in the end zone wiping the sweat, or likely tears, away from his eyes after the final play. All that sweat and hard work throughout the season to lose the Super Bowl by one yard. Every time I watch a replay of that last play, there’s parts of me that thinks Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson’s knee, arm or shin doesn’t touch before he stretches the ball out across the goal line. Had he scored, this would have been the first Super Bowl to go to overtime. I’m not sure who would have won in overtime because both teams were playing at such a high level when regulation ended. Instead, Super Bowl XXXIV was decided by one yard. One. yard. It’s still the most dramatic ending in Super Bowl history.

6. Super LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41-New England Patriots 33
Venue: U.S. Bank Stadium (Minneapolis)
Network: NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)
Radio: Westwood One (Kevin Harlan, Boomer Esaison, Mike Holmgren, Ed Werder, Tony Boselli)
MVP: Nick Foles (QB, Philadelphia Eagles)
This is my favorite Super Bowl on the list. The storylines were plentiful going in. The game itself was fantastic. And the celebration afterwards was memorable.

This wasn’t just the Eagles and the Patriots meeting in Super Bowl LII. This was another installment of the epic sports rivalry between Philadelphia and Boston. This was Philadelphia looking to exorcise demons going way back. This was New England looking to tie the Steelers with six Super Bowl titles, the most in NFL history.

I get that the Eagles fanbase is the most polarizing fanbase in the NFL. But the way the team and the city adopted the underdog mentality during the Playoffs was fun to watch. It was like them reenacting Rocky on their way to slay Drago and the Patriots. To watch Nick Foles that postseason was special.

Then there was the game itself, with over 1,100 yards combined for the two teams. What gets forgotten, perhaps, in this game is that Tom Brady threw for a Super Bowl-record 505 yards despite being on the short end of this game. New England had three 100-yard receivers and still lost.

But from the start, the Eagles weren’t afraid of the Patriots. They didn’t hold Nick Foles back. He attacked New England’s defense and was masterful on the Eagles game-winning drive.

Head coach Doug Pederson coached this game beautifully. Aggressive. Smart. Fearless. That’s how you out-coach Bill Belichick. And in a game full of offenisve fireworks, it was a play made by Eagles linebacker Brandon Graham that helped seal the Eagles first Super Bowl title, a strip sack of Tom Brady with just over two minutes to play.

The celebration in downtown Philadelphia the next few days were as wild as any postgame celebration. There are always things you see that are special and feel like the first time, and in this case it was Philadelphia winning its first-ever Super Bowl.

5. Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20-St. Louis Rams 17
Venue: Louisiana Superdome (New Orleans)
Network: FOX (Pat Summerall, John Madden, Pam Oliver, Ron Pitts)
Radio: Westwood One (Howard David, Boomer Esaison, Lesley Visser, John Dockery, James Lofton)
MVP: Tom Brady (QB, New England Patriots)
This is the most meaningful Super Bowl in the game’s history. It’s also one of the most important games in NFL history. You think Super Bowl XLIX altered the course of NFL history? This Super Bowl puts that one on a poster.

It’s hard to believe it, but the Patriots were two things in 2001 you wouldn’t think of them as today. Number one, they were underdogs. And number two, they were likable. Everyone loves an underdog, and the whole country was rooting for the underdog Patriots in the aftermath of 9/11.

But the Patriots weren’t just underdogs in Super Bowl XXXVI. They were huge underdogs, by two touchdowns. That’s how good the Rams were, or seemingly were. They were the Greatest Show on Turf, but Bill Belichick knows a thing or two about going up against high-octane offenses. Their gameplan was masterful in Super Bowl XXXVI; beating up Marshall Faulk and hitting the Rams receivers early and often.

But even with the Patriots physical gameplan, the Rams still found a way to tie the game at 17 with less than two minutes to play. For the game the Rams racked up 427 yards, which was nine yards above their season average of yards per game.

My favorite part of this game was the Patriots game-winning drive. In particular, John Madden said on the broadcast the Patriots should play for overtime before the drive began. But after Tom Brady drove the Patriots into field goal range, Madden said that what Brady did on the game-winning drive gave him goose bumps.

Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal is so pure. It’s high, far and right down the middle. Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s speech during the Lombardi Trophy presentation was appropriate and iconic, touching on the conscience of the country. The Patriots dynasty had been born. An ironic moment from this game, however, is Rams wide receiver Ricky Proehl turning to a camera before the game and declaring a dynasty would be born that night. He meant that the Rams would win their second Super Bowl in three seasons. Instead, the Rams would steadily decline after losing this game. They would make the Playoffs in 2003 and 2004 but would miss it in each of their final 11 seasons in St. Louis. As for the Patriots, they would go on to win six Super Bowls in an 18-year span and play in three more.

4. Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20-Buffalo Bills 19
Venue: Tampa Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Network: ABC (Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf, Lynn Swann, Jack Arute)
Radio: CBS Radio (Jack Buck, Hank Stram)
MVP: Otis Anderson (RB, New York Giants)
Super Bowl XXV is the only Super Bowl to be decided by one point. Everybody remembers the ending, but there’s so much more to this game.

As time has passed, I have come to view the Bills four straight Super Bowl appearances through a positive lens. Making four straight Super Bowls is an incredibly hard and well-accomplished feat. It’s impressive to do it, but to do it despite coming up short three straight times? That’s resilience. To keep going back to the world championship game despite getting pounded and embarrassed multiple times in a row is an unbelievable resolve.

But Super Bowl XXV and the 1990 season is the closest the Bills would get towards winning their first Super Bowl championship. That Bills team was special, with five future Pro Football Hall of Fame players as well as future Hall of Fame head coach, general manager and owner. The Bills led the league in scoring and were sixth in scoring defense. They entered Super Bowl XXV with 44 and 51 points scored in their two playoff wins.

The Giants had pulled off an upset win against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. And yet, they were a seven-point underdog to the Bills. But with Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick on the sideline, there was a plan in place. That plan involved a physical defense and keeping the ball away from the Bills offense.

Their plan was executed to a T, as the Giants set a Super Bowl record with over 40 minutes time of possession. Buffalo would have success on offense, though, and that’s what would allow them the opportunity to win the game.

Here’s why Buffalo is one of my favorite fanbases in the NFL. The way Super Bowl XXV ended is a terrible way to lose a game. And with so much on the line, it’s easy to blame the kicker, in this case Scott Norwood. But when the Bills returned home from Tampa, they were greeted to a rally at City Hall. And when kicker Scott Norwood addressed the crowd, he was given a standing ovation. Even though Buffalo lost four straight Super Bowls, making four straight Super Bowls should be viewed as a significant accomplishment. The 30 For 30 “The Four Falls of Buffalo” does a great job of portraying the accomplishment as a positive.

3. Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 49ers 20-Cincinnati Bengals 16
Venue: Joe Robbie Stadium (Miami)
Network: NBC (Dick Enberg, Merlin Olson)
Radio: CBS Radio (Jack Buck, Hank Stram)
MVP: Jerry Rice (WR, San Francisco 49ers)
Being a Bengals fan, this loss is painful. But this is still one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time.

In a time where the NFC, including Joe Montana and the 49ers, were dominating in the Super Bowl, this Super Bowl was a close game and a classic. The setting was perfect, in Miami. The game was what every Super Bowl should be: close, filled with stars and legendary performances and ending with a drive for the ages.

There was no doubting Joe Montana’s greatness after this game. His leadership in driving the 49ers 92 yards for their third Super Bowl title was classic Montana, Joe Cool.

Jerry Rice’s greatness was on full display in Super Bowl XXIII, catching 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown.

But every great Super Bowl has an unsung hero. In this case, wide receiver John Taylor’s only catch in Super Bowl XXIII was the game-winning touchdown.

Montana became just the second quarterback to win three Super Bowls, while the 49ers had won their third in eight years and would win another the next season. They would eventually win a fifth to cap off an incredible 14-year run. The Bengals would get back to the Playoffs in 1990, but we all know how the next three decades went. The good news is that the current Bengals look like perennial Super Bowl contenders, but they’re still waiting for that elusive first Lombardi Trophy in Cincinnati.

2. Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 27-Arizona Cardinals 23
Venue: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Network: NBC (Al Michaels, John Madden, Andrea Kremer, Alex Flanagan)
Radio: Westwood One (Marv Albert, Boomer Esaison, John Dockery, Mark Malone)
MVP: Santonio Holmes (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
What makes a Super Bowl special is when you least expect it to be that way. That’s how Super Bowl XLIII felt, a matchup between the heavily favored Steelers and the underdog Cardinals. It turned out to be one of the best Super Bowls of all time.

Super Bowl XLIII had everything. It had a David vs. Goliath-type matchup. It had star players on both teams. It had game-changing plays. It had a dramatic fourth quarter. And it had an unbelievable finish.

Pittsburgh entered this game as one of the most accomplished franchises in NFL history, looking to become the first NFL franchise to win six Super Bowls. The 2008 Steelers were loaded, especially on defense. Meanwhile the Cardinals were an underdog, having just burst onto the scene in 2008 despite having a roster with experience.

The very definition of a game-changing play happened in this game. James Harrison’s 100-yard pick six at the end of the first half was so many things. First off, it’s just as exhilarating 15 years later as it was watching it live. To watch him rumble down the field and just refuse to go down is sensational. But his play really did change the game. If he doesn’t make that play, if he doesn’t score a touchdown on the interception, Arizona wins the game. Think about it. That’s seven less points for Pittsburgh, and at least three more for the Cardinals because they were on the Pittsburgh one-yard line when Harrison picked off Kurt Warner’s pass. The entire history of the NFL is different today if Arizona had won Super Bowl XLIII because Harrison wouldn’t have made the play.

I’ve never seen a wilder ending, or fourth quarter, than the one in Super Bowl XLIII. It looked like Pittsburgh was going to salt the game away, but then Larry Fitzgerald exploded. Out of nowhere, Arizona took the lead with two Fitzgerald touchdowns. And even though there was so much time left on the clock, there was a sense that Arizona could win the Super Bowl.

Say what you want about Ben Roethlisberger. I have as a Bengals fan. But what he did in engineering the game-winning drive in Super Bowl XLIII was sensational. He put a stamp on his career and legacy in this game. Everyone remembers the catch by Santonio Holmes. But the throw to Holmes by Big Ben over three defenders to the back corner of the end zone was incredible.

Pittsburgh winning this game gave them their sixth Super Bowl title, the first team in NFL history to win six Super Bowls. And at the time, Big Ben was among the elite quarterbacks in the NFL with two Super Bowl wins in five seasons. Roethlisberger and the Steelers would make it back to the Super Bowl two seasons later. As for Arizona, they would win the NFC West the next season, but the core of the team was broken up after 2009. It’s another example of how a crushing loss in the Super Bowl can impact a franchise long-term.

1. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17-New England Patriots 14
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
Network: FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers)
Radio: Westwood One (Marv Albert, Boomer Esaison, John Dockery, Kevin Kiley)
MVP: Eli Manning (QB, New York Giants)
We always dream about seeing something that seems impossible. In this case, I always wondered if there would ever be a team to go undefeated in the NFL. And while the 1972 Dolphins did, I wasn’t alive to see that. But then came the 2007 Patriots, who became the first team to go 16-0 in the regular season NFL history. And we all thought they would win Super Bowl XLII to go 19-0. Instead, we saw something even better in this game that we never thought was possible.

Going into Super Bowl XLII, it felt like it was just great the Giants were there. After all, they were a wild card in the Playoffs. Meaning, they had to win three games on the road to get to the Super Bowl. They did, and they had a quiet confidence they could beat the Patriots. After all, they did only lose to them 38-35 in the last game of the regular season.

How good were the 2007 Patriots? They led the NFL with nearly 37 points per game. Their point differential was +315. Tom Brady threw for 50 touchdowns. Randy Moss caught 23 touchdowns. Wes Welker caught 112 passes to tie for the NFL lead. And their defense only allowed 17.1 points per game.

But games aren’t played on paper. And the Giants, as a 12-point underdog, punched New England in the mouth from the get-go. Nothing was easy for the Patriots. And the longer their offense stalled, the more confident the Giants defense was coming. A 7-3 game, still in favor of the Patriots, going into the fourth quarter? This was how the Giants wanted Super Bowl XLII to unfold.

I think what gets lost in Super Bowl XLII is that there were three lead changes in the fourth quarter. It became a back-and-forth heavyweight, about as heavy as the weight of the pressure on the shoulders of the Patriots.

What’s also lost is on the Giants game-winning drive, one where they had to convert a 4th&1 deep in their own territory before the Helmet Catch and a 3rd&11 after the Tyree Helmet Catch. Now for the Helmet Catch. There aren’t words to do it justice. NFL Films captured it beautifully. Eli Manning. How in the world did he get away from that Patriots defensive line? He was dead to rights, and the next thing you know he’s back to pass. Another piece of major credit goes to Super Bowl XLII referee Mike Carey not blowing his whistle as Manning was being grabbed. To let that play unfold as it did, he does deserve credit.

I’ve heard in sports that your worst loss is more memorable than your best win. This was a painful loss for the Patriots. Their first loss of the season, and their season was over. They couldn’t do anything about it. It’s one thing to lose in the regular season because you can learn from it and carry that into next week. And even though Brady and Belichick would lead the Patriots to many more dramatic wins including three Super Bowls, this loss still has to haunt them.

For the Giants, they proved so much in this game. They proved they were good enough. Eli Manning proved he was good enough. Tom Coughlin proved he was good enough. They showed that heart and confidence can overcome any challenge. It took a miracle and nearly the impossible to beat the 18-0 Patriots, and that’s what makes Super Bowl XLII, in my opinion, the greatest Super Bowl of all time.