The Super Bowl celebrates its 56th anniversary on Sunday when the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals clash at SoFi Stadium in the latest chapter of one of the crown jewels of sports.
The previous 55 editions of The Show have provided plenty of memorable and historic moments and so ahead of the speculator finale to the latest NFL season, what better time to take a trip down memory lane to remind ourselves of some landmark Super Bowls?
The Highest-Scoring Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXIX
The San Francisco 49ers have enjoyed plenty of success at past Super Bowls, winning the Vince Lombardi trophy five times. The most recent of those victories came at the conclusion of the 1994 season when they laid waste to the then-San Diego Chargers. The Niners were expected to enjoy a comfortable win, entering the game as 18.5-point favourites and so it proved as they trashed the Bolts 49-26 in Miami.
The Lowest-Scoring Super Bowl – Super Bowl LIII
Defences were definitely on top in this Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, who combined for just 16 total points in a 13-3 win for the Pats. The sixth and final Super Bowl win of Tom Brady’s run in New England wasn’t his finest moment but at least he came out on the right side of the scoreline, orchestrating the only touchdown drive of the game in the fourth quarter, which ended with Sony Michel running the ball into the endzone.
It was the first Super Bowl in history in which neither team had a touchdown in the first three quarters and if that wasn’t bad enough, the half-time entertainment came from Maroon 5.
The Longest Run in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XLVII
Better known as the ‘Blackout Bowl’ after a power failure halted the game for 34 minutes in New Orleans, the 2012 season-decider also featured the longest run in a Super Bowl. Jacoby Jones was no Devin Hester – the only man to return an opening kick off for a touchdown in a Super Bowl – when it came to kick returns but he didn’t do badly, particularly when breaking a 109-yard run at the start of the second half of Super Bowl XLVII for the Baltimore Ravens. Catching the ball deep in his own endzone, Jones burst past all the members of the San Francisco 49ers special team as he went coast-to-coast. Jones also had 290 total yards in that game, another Super Bowl record.
That was the longest run in Super Bowl history, not to be confused with the longest rush, which came from Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker in Super Bowl XL when he ran for a 75-yard TD against Seattle Seahawks.
The Longest Reception in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Carolina Panthers duo of quarterback Jake Delhomme and wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad hold the distinction of having combined for the longest passing play in Super Bowl history. Trailing in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots, Delhomme uncorked a huge throw from the Panthers’ 12-yard line to Muhammad at the Pats’ 35 before he scampered clear to the end zone. The Panthers would still go on to lose but had at least provided the NFL world with an electric moment.
The Longest Field Goal in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXVIII
The Buffalo Bills may have no championship rings from four previous trips to the Super Bowl but at least they hold the distinction for making the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. Long-time kicker Steve Christie knocked over a 54-yarder in the Georgia Dome against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1993 finale, a game that Cowboys would eventually win 30-13.
The Biggest Margin of Victory in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXIV
The San Francisco 49ers are back again, this time to claim the honours of not only the largest margin of victory seen at a Super Bowl but also the most points scored and most touchdowns. The Niners scored eight TDs at Super Bowl XXIV as they annihilated the poor Denver Broncos 55-10 to win by a massive 45 points in 1990.
The Smallest Margin of Victory in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXV
Buffalo fans may want to skip this next entry. Only one Super Bowl has ever been decided by a single point and it came in January 1991 when the New York Giants, who were seven-point underdogs to win Super Bowl XXV, edged out the Bills 20-19. The game is best remembered for Bills kicker Scott Norwood missing a 47-yard field goal which handed the Giants victory.
Most Interceptions Thrown in a Super Bowl – Super Bowl XXXVII
Rich Gannon had a day to forget at Super Bowl XXXVII when throwing a record five interceptions in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 48-21 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Not only did Gannon give the ball away five times, but he also saw three of those picks returned for touchdowns.
The Raiders are also responsible for the most interceptions by an individual in a Super Bowl with Rod Martin picking off Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski three times in Super Bowl XV.
