Top Five Super Bowls of All Time

Michael Grisso by Contributor Written on January 15, 2008
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Its almost here Super Bowl XLII and here we are again enjoying the history of the NFL and what the Super Bowl means to fans. To some it may just mean checkin' out the funniest new commercials wondering what Bud Light is going to drum up next. Others it may be the excitement of seeing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show, another legend to hit the stage during this event. Then their are approximately 100 million other viewers that will be torn between two teams to root for as they play their Super Bowl Party Games and make some delicious Super Bowl Party Recipes.

How do you narrow down your five favorite Super Bowls? It all starts with your favorite team and well if they've won a Super Bowl since its inception most likely thats your favorite. So I wanted to spice things up a little bit and instead of picking my favorites which would include Denver beating Atlanta 34-19 I wanted to watch all the highlights and back stories of every Super Bowl and then decide which ones I thought deserved to be in the top 5 of all time. Not an easy task to try and accomplish considering each year the Super Bowl is to the decide which team is the best. So basically the pressure is on to decide who is the "best of the best" as they say.

We are talking about a 1972-73 Miami Dolphins team that went undefeated and beat the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII which was in fact the longest drought for a team in Super Bowl history when the Redskins scored with only 2:07 left in the game. Then there is Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts who beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 and was the only time a player on the losing team won the Super Bowl MVP Award. One of my personal favorite stats had to come from Super Bowl XVI when it was the first time in Super Bowl history that the winning team in this case the San Francisco 49ers would wind up with less touchdowns then the losing team the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21.

All great and meaningful Super Bowl moments but still not good enough for Woody to put them in the top 5 of all time. Even if you aren't old enough to remember I'm sure you've seen or heard about the New York Jets old "Broadway" Joe Namath's guaranteed victory in Super Bowl III against the Colts in which the Jets won 16-7. Super Bowl XIII has been considered over the years as the greatest talent ever to play in the Super Bowl with two Hall of Fame coaches in Chuck Noll and Tom Landry, but also 14 players who would later go on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Then of course for you "chowder-heads" Super Bowl XXXIX between New England and Philadelphia which became the first Super Bowl ever to go into the fourth quarter with the score tied. Still however not enough to make the top 5. Even my favorite player of all time John Elway and his win over Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII didn't make Woody's Top 5 Super Bowls of All Time. Time to unveil them........

#5 Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16

You have to remember this Super Bowl with the likes of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana teamed up with Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and Ronnie Lott against Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason, Anthony Munoz, James Brooks, Ickey Woods, and David Fulcher. It was the year that Nose Tackle Tim Kumrie shattered two bones in his left leg turning his ankle almost backwards. It was the worst display of pain and agony since Joe Theismann's leg was broken with bone sticking out. However it was the game that put it in the top 5.

With 3:20 left to play in the game the Bengals had just taken a 16-13 lead before Joe Montana and company would get one more shot. Only problem is a penalty cost the 49ers field position after the kickoff leaving Joe with 92 yards to get in the endzone. Montana's "Joe Cool" presence ended in Super Bowl XXIII with a touchdown pass to John Taylor for 10 yards after a near perfect drive down the field. He would go on later to say that his team was so pumped and anxious heading into the final drive that while in the huddle he stopped and said, "Hey, isn't that John Candy?" just to calm his teammates down.

#4 Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19

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written on January 15, 2008 Sports

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