Super Bowl XLV: Where Last Night's Game Ranks Amongst the Past 10 Super Bowls

Nothing draws in my more big crowds, buzz and excitement then the Super Bowl. Last night Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers put on a performance to remember as they took down Big Ben and the Steelers. Before you start calling this game the best or worst ever though lets compare it to some of our more recent Super Bowl clashes and see how it stacks up. I will rank the Super Bowls of the last 10 years and let you know which ones were thrillers and which ones were snoozers. As always feel free to give me your comments and let me know what you think.

10. Super Bowl XL Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Seattle Seahawks (2006)

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Steelers Ben Roethlisberger during Super Bowl XL between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5, 2006. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Steelers fans will remember Super Bowl XL as the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl victory or “one for the thumb” as Pittsburgh fans were calling it, but in the grand scheme of things this was a very forgettable game. The Steelers bested Seattle 21-10 in a game in which the two teams committed three turnovers and 90 yards worth of penalties. Ben Roethlisberger captured his first ring, but looked unimpressive during his first Super Bowl going 9-21 for 123 yards and two interceptions. The game was further tainted by talk of poor officiating and poor calls. The officiating controversy was fueled further when Seattle coach Mike Holmgren told Seahawk fans after the game "I knew it was going to be tough going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn't know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts, as well." Referee Bill Leavy would later admit to make some questionable calls during the game. The highlight of Super Bowl XL was getting to see Jerome Bettis finally win a Super Bowl in what would be the final game of his storied 13 year NFL career.

9. Super Bowl XXXVII Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders (2003)

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SAN DIEGO - JANUARY 26: Center Adam Treu #62 of the Oakland Raiders (starting for Barret Robbins) readies to hike the ball as the offense lines up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense during Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium i

Tampa Bay’s vaunted 2002 defense put on a Super Bowl performance to remember in their 48-21 beatdown of Oakland. The Bucs recorded five interceptions and ran three of their picks back for touchdowns. It was great to see players such as Mike Alstott, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks get Super Bowl rings, but this game won’t be remembered for any fourth quarter theatrics. Tampa Bay lead 20-3 at halftime and never looked back in the second half. Even though the aforementioned Super Bowl XL was more tightly contested this game gets the nod over it because of the Bucs awesome defensive effort.

8. Super Bowl XLI Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears (2007)

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INDIANAPOLIS - FEBRUARY 5: (R-L) Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, Head Coach Tony Dungy and Quarterback Peyton Manning lead the celebration of their victory at a rally after the Colts beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI Sunday in Miami at the RCA

Going into Super Bowl XLI a lot of talk centered around Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. People wondered whether Manning would finally be able to win his first career Super Bowl or if the erratic Grossman would make too many costly mistakes on Super Bowl Sunday.  Ultimately we found out that Peyton Manning can win the big game and that Rex Grossman was in fact too undependable a quarterback to win a Super Bowl with. With Chicago driving down 22-17 late in the fourth quarter, the much maligned Grossman threw a 56 yard pick six to Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden to secure the Indy’s Super Bowl victory. Indianapolis Head Coach Tony Dungy and the Colts had developed the reputation of always being one of the top regular season teams in the league, but never being able to put it all together in the postseason. Finally in 2007 Indy broke through and delivered a Lombardi Trophy to an organization who had come close to greatness, but never truly achieved it until ’07.

7. Super Bowl XLIV Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints (2010)

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NEW ORLEANS - FEBRUARY 09: New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees #9 celebrates during the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Victory Parade on February 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Skip Bolen/Getty Images)

Super Bowl XLIV was hyped as the ultimate shootout. The offenses of both Indianapolis and New Orleans were high scoring and featured elite quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. Manning and Brees would combine to throw 84 attempted passes throughout the course of the game and ultimately it was Manning who slipped up in the QB duel. Peyton and the high powered Colts offense were down 24-17 late in the fourth quarter when Manning threw an interception to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter which was returned 74 yards for an interception. This rare and costly Manning mistake would prove to be the final nail in the Colts coffin and New Orleans won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. The victory was made even more special due to the fact that Saints fans and players shared a special relationship due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. This relationship with Saints fans was something that Drew Brees spoke of after the game. "It means everything," Brees said. "We're here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They've given us so much support, so we owe it all to our fans."

6. Super Bowl XXXIX New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles (2005)

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New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick holds The Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on February 6, 2005. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Super Bowl XXXIX served as the peak of the Tom Brady/Bill Belicheck dynasty as the Pats 24-21 win over the Eagles gave New England their third Super Bowl in four years. Tom Brady ran his New England offense with textbook efficiency throwing for 236 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. It was the Patriots lack of mistakes and the Eagles many miscues that would put New England over the top on this Super Bowl Sunday. Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb and wide receiver Terrell Owens played valiantly, but McNabb’s three interceptions really took the wind out of Philly’s sails so to speak. Philly would have opportunities to even up the score late, but nothing ever materialized for the Eagles. Later wide receiver Terrell Owens would insinuate that McNabb tired in the latter stages of Super Bowl XXXIX.

5. Super Bowl XLV Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers (2011)

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ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Clay Matthews #52 and Desmond Bishop #55 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate after winning Super Bowl XLV 31-25 against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox

A lot of Super Bowl XLV’s star power would watch this game from the sidelines. Steelers All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey was ruled out prior to the game due to injury and Packers Donald Driver and Charles Woodson left in the middle of the game due to injury. Despite that Super Bowl XLV was an entertaining game that wasn’t decided until the final minute of regulation. Green Bay denied Pittsburgh their third title in six years behind a memorable performance by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers threw for 304 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions as he truly took his place amongst the league’s elite quarterbacks. Two costly Ben Roethlisberger interceptions in addition to allowing Green Bay to gain 338 yards on offense did in the Steelers. Super Bowl XLV also gave us the first Super Bowl played in the massive new Cowboys Stadium.

4. Super Bowl XXXVIII New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers (2004)

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HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 1: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots throws the ball against the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on February 1, 2004 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots won 32-29 to claim their second

Carolina and New England went back and forth constantly in Super Bowl XXXVIII before Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri finally put the Pats up for good with four seconds to go in the game. Vinatieri’s last second field goal elevated New England to a 32-29 victory over the pesky Panthers. Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme played step for step with Tom Brady throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions but it would prove to not be enough. The buzz was that this was going to be an uneventful Super Bowl with little action, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth as the Panthers and Pats kept the action coming full throttle for 60 minutes. Super Bowl XXXVIII would also mark the final game for Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss and Pats defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Weiss would go on to become the head coach at Notre Dame while Crennel accepted the Cleveland Browns head coaching position. Both Weiss and Crennel had failed head coaching tenures and were both fired by their respective employers.

3. Super Bowl XXXVI New England Patriots Vs. St. Louis Rams (2002)

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03 Feb 2002: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the St.Louis Rams signals against the New England Patriots during Superbowl XXXVI at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Patriots defeated the Rams 20-17. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/Ge

New England entered Super Bowl XXXVI as heavy underdogs to the high powered St. Louis Rams. It should be noted that this game was played before the Belicheck/Brady Pats dynasty really took off. New England slowed down Rams quarterback Kurt Warner and St. Louis by forcing three turnovers and turning those turnovers into 17 points. These turnovers allowed New England to hang around and some late game magic put Pats kicker Adam Vinatieri in a position to seal the deal. Vinatieri would hit his 48 yard game ending field goal to lift New England to a 20-17 victory over St. Louis. Some people called New England’s upset a David and Goliath type of game with the Patriots playing David, unfortunately six years later Belicheck and Brady would learn how it feels to fall as Goliath.

2. Super Bowl XLIII Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals (2009)

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PITTSBURGH - FEBRUARY 03: Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during holds up his MVP trophy during a parade to celebrate winning Super Bowl XLIII on February 3, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The epic Super Bowl XLIII matchup between Arizona and Pittsburgh more than made up for the less dramatic Super Bowl XL. Pittsburgh was playing for their sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history against an Arizona Cardinal franchise that had previously served as one of the doormats of the NFL. The seasoned Steelers raced out to a 17-7 halftime lead that was capped by a 100 yard interception return by Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison that went for a touchdown. The Cardinals battled back and quarterback Kurt Warner connected with star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on a pair of fourth quarter touchdown connections in the second half. The result of this frantic Cardinal comeback was Arizona leading Pittsburgh 23-20 with only 2:37 remaining in the game. A lot can happen in 157 second though and Ben Roethlisberger proved that by leading a 78 yard Steeler scoring drive that was capped off by a phenomenal Santonio Holmes sideline touchdown grab. The end result of all this madness was a 27-23 Steeler victory and a Super Bowl that went down in history.

1. Super Bowl XLII New England Patriots vs. New York Giants (2008)

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WASHINGTON - APRIL 30: New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer (C) presents President George W. Bush (R) with a football jersey during a event to honor the Super bowl XLII Champion New York Giants on the south lawn of the White House, April 30, 2008 in

The New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII with a flawless record of 18-0 and were trying to become the first NFL team to go undefeated since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The Patriots hadn’t just won all of their games either, the Pats had destroyed teams. Some of the scores were so outrageous that media personalities criticized Pats Head Coach Bill Belicheck for running up the score and suggested that he put back ups in more frequently when things get out of hand. The only final hurdle left in front of Belicheck and the Pats was knocking off a New York Giants team whom they had defeated once already. From the very first possession of Super Bowl XLII the Giants played without fear of the Patriot juggernaut and ran it right at the Pats. The result was a knockdown drag out game (not the Patriots style at all) that was 7-3 New England going into the fourth quarter. After both teams traded touchdowns the Giants got the ball with 2:07 seconds left in the game and one final shot to take down the Pats. The final drive included a remarkable catch by the previously unknown David Tyree and a touchdown grab by Plaxico Burress with only 35 seconds remaining. These late game heroics were enough to do in the Patriots and spoil what seemed destined to be a perfect season.