Our Top 5 Favorite Super Bowl Moments of All Time
From epic plays to last-minute comebacks, the Super Bowl has produced many memorable moments over the past 53 years. Even the half-time show snafus, such as Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction, have given rise to fond memories of the biggest sporting event of all time. As the Kansas City Chiefs square off to take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, we want to share with you five of our all-time favorite moments.
Scott Norwood’s Missed Field Goal
With the Giants Leading Buffalo 20-19 and just a few seconds left on the clock, Scott Norwood attempted a 47-yard field goal that would give them the win. During that season, he nailed more than 70% of his kicks, but for some reason the one that mattered the most went wide to the right, missing the field goal by a country mile.
As the Giants and their fans erupted in celebration, the Bills stood there stunned by what had just happened. Norwood hung his head and walked dejectedly off the field seemingly unaware that his last name would be brought up every time there was a last-minute field goal failure. Perhaps this was an omen of things to come, as it was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances by the Bills—and they lost each one.
The Worst Play Call in Super Bowl History
The final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX produced arguably the worst play call in the history of the game, as the Seattle Seahawks attempted to secure their victory over the New England Patriots. The Seahawks were at the 1-yard line with just 26 seconds left on the clock.
Instead of handing the ball to running back Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch for a guaranteed touchdown, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson decided to throw a slant pass to Ricardo Lockette—which was intercepted by Malcolm Butler—thereby denying the Seahawks their 2nd straight Super Bowl victory. From then on, both fans and experts alike referred to this moment as the “Worst play-call in Super Bowl history.”
The First Overtime
At a record-breaking 63 minutes and 58 seconds in length, Super Bowl LI gave us the very first overtime in the history of the game. The New England Patriots were tied with the Atlanta Falcons, 28-28 with 60-seconds left in the game. Atlanta went 3 and out and blew their chance to drive the game-winning field goal. As the clock ticked down to the 0:00 mark, the very first overtime occurred in Super Bowl history.
The overtime rules are exactly the same as the regular season, but with one exception: if the first time kicks a field goal, the 2nd team gets a chance on offense. However, if the first team gets a touchdown, they win the game. New England won the overtime coin toss and went 75 yards down the field for a 2-yard touchdown to win the game.
The 1-Yard Fail
The Super Bowl has produced many last-few-seconds dramatic moments over the decades. None are more memorable than the one that occurred during Super Bowl XXXIV—St. Louis Rams vs. the Tennessee Titans. With the score tied at 16-16 just two minutes and 12 seconds remained on the clock.
St. Louis rallied with a 73-yard touchdown pass that put them ahead. The Titans had less than two minutes to move the ball 88 yards down the field. They made their way to the 10-yard line with five seconds left on the clock to try to score a touchdown and tie the game.
As quarterback Steve McNair threw the final pass to Kevin Dyson, St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones took him down just one yard from the end zone—thereby securing the victory for St. Louis—and producing one of the most memorable moments in the history of the game.
The Fridge
Super Bowl XX was a complete blowout. The Chicago Bears were already leading the New England Patriots 37-3 by the third quarter. As they lined up at the 1-yard line, Bears head coach Mike Ditka put in defensive tackle William “The Fridge” Perry to line the backfield. As the quarterback passed him the ball, his 340-pound massive frame easily smashed through Patriots to score yet another touchdown for the Bears.
This move by Ditka proved controversial to many of the fans. Running back Walter Payton had been with the Bears since 1975 and over the next 10 years became the running back with the most yards in NFL history. Fans felt that Ditka should have given Payton the chance to score the touchdown instead of Perry. However, New England had set out to completely shut down Payton and his performance in the game suffered as a result—to the point where he only averaged 2.77 yards per carry.
And there you have it, our top 5 all-time favorite Super Bowl plays.
We know this is just a sampling of all the great plays that have happened over the years during the NFL Super Bowl, and unfortunately, we can’t include them all. But hopefully Super Bowl LIV, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, will provide some more unbelievable plays!