19. Super Bowl V – Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13 – Jan. 17, 1971
Jim O’Brien won a wild nail-biter on a last-second field goal. It was ugly in that there were a Super Bowl-record 11 turnovers between the two teams, which is why it’s often called the “Blunder Bowl.” You know there’s something wrong when a defensive player for the losing team wins MVP, but all of this made Super Bowl V unique and special.
18. Super Bowl XIV – Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19 – Jan. 20, 1980
It was close for three quarters before a slew of Pittsburgh Hall of Famers stepped on the gas pedal and generated a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to secure their fourth championship in six years.
17. Super Bowl XLVII – Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31 – Feb. 3, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jC8ufEqZow
You had that huge early Baltimore lead, a 108-yard Jacoby Jones kickoff return touchdown, a half-hour power outage and a furious comeback attempt in a battle between sibling head coaches. Not bad.
16. Super Bowl IX – Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6 – Jan. 12, 1975
This was a superb defensive battle between two of the best defenses in NFL history, and two Hall of Fame quarterbacks as well. And it might not have given us a ton of memorable plays, but at least the ninth Super Bowl was competitive for four quarters.
15. Super Bowl X – Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17 – Jan. 18, 1976
Down 10-7 entering the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh rallied with four consecutive scores, capped by a 64-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to Lynn Swann. That would stand as the difference, although Roger Staubach and the Cowboys did have a shot at game-winning touchdown on one final drive.
14. Super Bowl XLIV – New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17 – Feb. 7, 2010
When pondering the legacies possessed by Peyton Manning and Drew Brees as they enter the Hall of Fame, we’ll always look first at this game. Brees was nearly perfect in the second half as New Orleans stormed back from an early 10-0 deficit, while Manning threw a game-ending pick-six on a late-fourth-quarter drive that was inevitably going to crown him hero or goat and nothing in between.
Throw in that ballsy New Orleans onside kick to start the second half and this was a pretty great game despite the 14-point margin.
13. Super Bowl XXXII – Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24 – Jan. 25, 1998
This was the ultimate monkey-off-the-back game for John Elway and the Broncos, but it was also competitive throughout while containing several memorable plays. We’ll never forget Elway’s helicopter run, or Terrell Davis scoring the winning touchdown despite hardly being able to see as a result of a migraine. Oh, and don’t forget that the Broncos were sizable underdogs.
12. Super Bowl XXXIX – New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21 – Feb. 6, 2005
Donovan McNabb and the Eagles had a chance to make this a game for the ages, but instead they completely stumbled (and maybe more) over themselves late in the fourth quarter. Still, this was a close and memorable game, with Terrell Owens defying medical logic by playing on what was practically a broken leg.
11. Super Bowl XXXVIII – New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29 – Feb. 1, 2004
This game contained 37 fourth-quarter points. Thirty-seven! Including an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad and a game-winning last-second field goal from Adam Vinatieri. The two quarterbacks had six touchdown passes and just one interception, and the halftime show made a special kind of history.
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