Top 5 Most Exciting Super Bowls of All Time

Throughout history, there have been many exciting Super Bowls that have come down to the line, much to the dismay of the losers, but to the joy of the winners.

Whether it be a last second field goal, a game-winning drive, or just plain hard fought football, these games never ceased to excite us.

Different people will have different opinions, but no matter what year you were born in or what your favorite team is, these Super Bowls will go down in history as being the ones that kept the fans on the edge of their seats. 

These are the most exciting Super Bowls of all time.

Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys

We're going to start of this list with one a lot of people might not remember, but is still significant and holds precedents for today's games.

This was the first Super Bowl played after the NFL-AFL merger of 1970, so it was especially important for the future of the sport itself. Fun fact: It was also the first Super Bowl to be played on artificial turf.

Super Bowl V is sometimes given the nickname of "Blunder Bowl" or "Stupor Bowl" (my personal favorite) because of the numerous mistakes, turnovers and penalties that each team had. The Colts had seven turnovers (the most of any team to actually win the game) and the Cowboys had 133 yards in penalties.

It would also feature greats such as Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach and John Mackey. All had a significant impact on how the game played out (Staubach not so much, but he did cause some controversy at the QB position as to who should start).

The game was decided by a field goal at the end of the game, which Colt's kicker Jim O'Brien drilled from 32 yards out. This would be a common way that Super Bowls were kept exciting later on (whether or not they made it).

The biggest testament to the sloppiness and intensity of this game? Bubba Smith of the Colts refused to wear the ring because of the poor play, as did the MVP Chuck Howley, who thought it was meaningless since his team had lost.

Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

These two teams have met up two times in the Super Bowl, both with pretty exciting results. But this is the one that is more widely recognized and talked about.

This Super Bowl was full of talent with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Boomer Esiason, Ronnie Lott and Anthony Munoz. All met up in what would be a late bloomer of a rousing game.

This game certainly didn't start out too well, considering that there was a broken ankle and shattered leg bones suffered in the first half. Speaking of the first half, the two teams went into the locker room at halftime tied at three. When the second half started, it got a lot more interesting.

At the start of the third quarter, both teams traded field goals until Bengals returner Stanford Jennings scored the first touchdown of the game by returning a kickoff 93 yards. The 49ers would respond quickly, with a four play drive to tie the game up.

The Bengals would settle for a field goal on the next drive, and then it happened—the stuff legends are made out of.

The 49ers would get the ball back in Montana's hands, and the rest is history. Montana would lead a thrilling 92-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown with just seconds left, defining his nickname "Joe Cool."

Super Bowl XXV: Bills vs. Giants

Sorry if this gets a little stingy for any Bills fans, but it was a very good game.

Some names you might remember from this game are Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor.

This match-up provided opposing game plans. While the Bills were first in the league in points scored, the Giants led the league in fewest point allowed. It was set to be a good game.

The teams traded blows and neither could get a solid lead over the other. The Bills offense wasn't performing as well as it had versus the Giants defense. The Giants offense wasn't exactly explosive either, but took so much time off the clock that the Bills found themselves with the last possession of the game, down by one point.

Scott Norwood was set up for the game-winning field goal to win the Bills' first Super Bowl. Then, the unbelievable happened. The kick sailed wide right and the Bills started their infamous streak of four straight Super Bowls and no wins.

Super Bowl XXXIV: Titans vs. Rams

This one is especially painful for me to talk about because I am a huge Titans fan. I still have McNair's jersey in my closet right now, and I always wear it when I play a pickup game of football (though it is starting to get a little tight around the stomach).

Anyways, this game had two teams that shocked everyone by making it to the Super Bowl. The Rams by escaping the Bucs in the NFC Championship, and the Titans by achieving the Music City Miracle versus the Bills. 

The list of noticeable players is full with Steve McNair, Kurt Warner, Frank Wycheck, Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Eddie George, Bruce Matthews, Jevon Kearse and Derrick Mason.

Like the other ones (I guess this is a staple of exciting games) this game didn't kick into full gear until late in the game. Tennessee rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the third quarter to tie it up. The Rams would strike back in the fourth and lead 23-16. The Titans drove down the field to the Rams' 10-yard line with enough time for one final play.

That play has gone down in history as one of the most heart-stopping moments in NFL history. McNair scrambled and threw to Kevin Dyson, who was stopped one yard short of the touchdown. The Rams had won by a yard.

Alright, enough of this. I can't stand to talk about it anymore. Now onto the most exciting Super Bowl in history...

Super Bowl XLII: Giants vs. Patriots

What else did you expect here? While the current one will probably be good, too, this one will always have more weight to it.

I'll try to fit all the great players here: Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Plaxico Burress, Wes Welker, Jeremy Shockey, Randy Moss, Asante Samuel, Junior Seau, Vince Wilfork, Tedy Bruschi, Brandon Jacobs and Osi Umenyiora. Whew!

Of course, the big story of the game was the undefeated Patriots. They were heavy favorites in the game, and nobody expected the scrappy Giants to beat them. After all, the Giants had just barely sneaked into the playoffs as a wildcard.

At halftime, the score was at 7-3 with the Patriots leading. This shocked some who felt that the Patriots should have been ahead a lot more. The second half got kicking and before you knew it, the Patriots had a 14-10 lead with about two minutes left in the game.

It was time for the Giants to shock the world. Time for Manning to show that he could live up to that first-round pick spent on him.

On the winning drive, the Giants converted on a crucial 4th-and-1, an amazing catch from David Tyree and a game-winning touchdown catch from Burress.

The seemingly unstoppable Patriots had just lost. The Giants had done the impossible. It truly was the most exciting Super Bowl of all time.