29. Super Bowl XXIX – San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26 – Jan. 29, 1995
I know it wasn’t close, but the highest-scoring game in Super Bowl history was actually a pretty enticing California matchup, and it featured an incredible six touchdown passes from Steve Young.
28. Super Bowl IV – Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7 – Jan. 11, 1970
A big upset and a dominant defensive performance from the Chiefs, who had five takeaways as 12-point underdogs. But there wasn’t much drama here.
27. Super Bowl XXX – Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17 – Jan. 28, 1996
Pittsburgh did make this interesting late, but two second-half interceptions from surprise MVP Larry Brown ultimately did the Steelers in against a heavy favorite. Still, it was a highly-competitive game between two very good teams.
26. Super Bowl XXXIII – Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19 – Jan. 31, 1999
The storyline — John Elway going out on top — is all that keeps this from the bottom of the barrel. It was 31-6 early in the fourth quarter, so only garbage-time points make it look relatively close.
25. Super Bowl XVII – Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17 – Jan. 30, 1983
The Dolphins actually led in the fourth quarter, but then John Riggins put the Redskins on his back as Washington scored 14 unanswered points to lock up the franchise’s first-ever Lombardi Trophy.
24. Super Bowl XXVIII – Dallas Cowboys 30, Buffalo Bills 13 – Jan. 30, 1994
This wasn’t just another Dallas Super Bowl blowout. In fact, Buffalo’s last of four consecutive Super Bowl losses was almost as crushing as its first. The Bills actually led 13-6 at halftime before imploding and giving up 24 unanswered second-half points.
23. Super Bowl XXI – New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20 – Jan. 25, 1987
Denver led 10-9 at halftime before Phil Simms and the Giants used a dominant third-quarter to blow the Broncos out. Ultimately, it was a dazzling performance on both sides of the ball, and Bill Parcells’ Gatorade shower has become iconic.
22. Super Bowl XXII – Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10 – Jan. 31, 1988
This wasn’t close, but it gets extra points for the story. Doug Williams came out of nowhere to put together a marvelous performance in becoming the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Throw in a record 213 yards from scrimmage from Timmy Smith and this a spectacle.
21. Super Bowl XXXI – Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21 – Jan. 26, 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T1D_H-vOSA
This was closer than many expected before Desmond Howard put it away with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown to clinch MVP. Brett Favre was also great and both defenses played well.
20. Super Bowl VII – Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7 – Jan. 13, 1973
Miami’s perfect season was jeopardized when kicker Garo Yepremian coughed up the ball after recovering his own blocked kick, giving the Redskins the ability to make it a one-score game in the final minutes. The quest for perfection makes this a little more interesting, as does the fact it was a stellar defensive battle. It’s the lowest-scoring game in Super Bowl history.
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