Every Super Bowl Ever, Ranked From Worst to Best

53. Super Bowl LIII, 2019: New England Patriots 13—Los Angeles Rams 3

It might be recency bias, but for now this one has to stay up top. Even though the Patriots have shown they’re the team of modern greatness with a third Super Bowl in five years and a sixth as a franchise, this game wasn’t anything great. The score was 0-0 after the first quarter, 3-0 after the second, 3-3 after the third, and there was only one touchdown. 

Competitiveness: 7 out of 10. Even though the game wasn’t a great one, it actually was pretty close throughout because no one did too much.

Star Power: 3 out of 10. That score is more based on how the stars played and not the stars themselves. Tom Brady was the biggest superstar in this game, and while players like Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, and Jared Goff all have star power, none match Brady—plus none of them stepped up for the Rams in this game. Gurley is the highest-paid RB in the NFL, but he barely got touches in this game. 

Controversy: 1 out of 10. Nothing too controversial happened here. There were a few bad calls in the course of the game as always, but nothing major. 

52. Super Bowl XXIX, 1995: San Francisco 49—San Diego 26

A truly horrible specimen of a football game, this ugly mismatch found the insanely talented 49ers committing a tedious felony assault against a not-very-good Chargers team that had lucked into the Super Bowl with a fluky playoff run. The 49ers went off as 18-and-a-half point favorites, and it was never in question that they would cover. Scoring at will throughout the game, San Francisco led 28-10 at the half and were never threatened. Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young threw six touchdowns for the juggernaut Niners. His counterpart Stan Humphries did not.

Competitiveness: 0 out of 10. No one involved with this game in any way ever thought the Chargers could win. It was 14-0 after five minutes.

Star Power: 5 out of 10. The Niners were absolutely loaded. Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, John Taylor, Richard Dent. Jesus. The Chargers were not.

Controversy: 0 out of 10. Nothing controversial about a glorified exhibition.

Aftermath: 1 out of 10. This was the last gasp of the great 49ers dynasties of the 80’s and 90’s, but man what a gasp. The team was aging and the franchise wouldn’t make it back to a Super Bowl until 2013. Needless to say, the Chargers have not been back.

Aggregate Score: 6 out of 10.

51. Super Bowl XLVIII, 2014: Seattle 43—Denver 8

An ugly mismatch from the start, the 2014 game saw Pete Carroll’s young, hungry Seahawks embarrass an aging Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Despite being two-point favorites, Denver was never in the game, falling behind on the first play from scrimmage and eventually trailing 36-0 before scoring their lone touchdown in the third period. A complete physical mismatch in all three phases, this was one of the worst bloodbaths in Super Bowl history. In a series with as many non-competitive games as this one that’s saying something.

Competitiveness: 0 out of 10. The game was basically out of hand after two minutes.

Star Power: 2 out of 10. Plenty of good players, but not really a showcase for the stars. Journeyman linebacker Malcolm Smith was the game’s MVP.

Controversy/Intrigue: 1 out of 10. Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers admitted to playing with pre-recorded music at halftime. Look, I’m trying!

Aftermath: 4 out of 10. The Seahawks consecrated a mini-dynasty in the NFC. Peyton Manning would eventually win another championship as a highly compromised version of himself, but this was the game that essentially ended the imperial portion of his career.

Aggregate Score: 7 out of 40.

50. Super Bowl XX, 1986: Chicago 46—New England 10

The 1985-’86 Chicago Bears remain one of the legendary defenses in NFL history. Dominant throughout their ’85 campaign, the Buddy Ryan-coached defense wreaked havoc on a league baffled by the balls-out aggression of their scheme. Meanwhile, an opportunistic offense led by quarterback Jim McMahon and legendary back Walter Payton created enough offense to make the Bears unbeatable. The surprise AFC champion Patriots ran into a buzz saw and never had a chance.

Competitiveness: 0 of 10. The irony is that the Patriots actually briefly led 3-0.

Star Power: 5 out of 10. Significant at the time with Jim McMahon, William “Refrigerator” Perry, Mike Singletary and Irving Fryer. Feels less so in retrospect.

Controversy: 1 out of 10. Some officiating confusion?

Aftermath: 2 out of 10. On the brink of an apparent dynasty, the Bears never made another Super Bowl for twenty years.

Aggregate Score: 8 out of 40.

49. Super Bowl XXIV, 1990: San Francisco 55—Denver 10

In an irrational act of inhumane cruelty, the NFL actually allowed this game to take place between the unstoppable 49ers of Joe Montana and whoever their hapless victim might be. In this case, John Elway’s Broncos suffered a truly miserable fate at the hands of what was arguably the most unstoppable offense in league history.

Competitiveness: 0 out of 10. A blowout from the whistle

Star Power: 2 out of 10. Even Montana and Elway can’t redeem this snuff film.

Controversy/Intrigue: 0 out of 10. (No notes.)

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. Both teams would go on to win Super Bowls later in the decade.

Aggregate Score: 8 out of 40.

48. Super Bowl XXXVII, 2003: Tampa Bay 48—Oakland 21

A tantalizing matchup on paper, the underdog Buccaneers annihilated the favored Raiders 48-21 in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated. Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon melted down, throwing five interceptions and taking five sacks as the Bucs physically overwhelmed finesse-heavy Oakland. The Bucs defense scored three touchdowns by themselves and the game became interminable to watch.

Competitiveness: 2 out of 10. The Raiders hung around for a quarter but always looked out of their depth. It was 34-3 before the Bucs somewhat called the dogs off.

Star Power: 2 out of 10. As with any Super Bowl, great players appeared in the game including Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and an aging Jerry Rice. But this was not a venue for household names. Bucs safety Dexter Jackson may be the least well-remembered MVP in history.

Controversy: 3 out of 10. Strange rumblings later emerged that Raiders coach Bill Callahan sabotaged the team with a last-minute change in game plan. This makes absolutely no sense, but that’s what some people said.

Aftermath: 2 out of 10. The game made Bucs coach Jon Gruden a star, but he never won big again and now is entrenched as a broadcaster. The Raiders franchise went into a spiral from which they are just now showing signs of coming out of.

Aggregate Score: 9 out of 40.

47. Super Bowl XVIII, 1984: Oakland 38—Washington 19

The marauding Raiders absolutely massacred the defending champion Redskins in one of the most emphatic and surprising beat downs in Super Bowl history. Oakland scored on offense, defense and special teams in the first half alone, and basically made one of the league’s most prolific offenses look childish.

Competitiveness: 2 out of 10.  From the early blocked kick TD to the late 74-yard rub-it-in TD run by Marcus Allen, this was never close.

Star Power: 3 out of 10. Lots of brilliant, Hall Of Fame players, but only MVP Marcus Allen is memorable in the game itself.

Controversy: 0 out of 10. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs had a talent for keeping things boring.

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. Gibbs would go on to win two of the next eight Super Bowls and establish himself as a legendary coach.

Aggregate Score: 11 out of 40.

46. Super Bowl II, 1968 Green Bay 33—Oakland 14

The second AFL-NFL Championship game, now referred to as Super Bowl II, was much like the first. Representing the preeminent NFL, Vince Lombardi’s Packers demolished the Oakland Raiders 33-14 behind quarterback Bart Starr, an efficient running attack, and a formidable defense. The first two Super Bowls set a trend for bad games and mismatches that would plague the game in perpetuity.

Competitiveness: 2 out of 10. Never really close.

Star Power: 8 out of 10. Al Davis, Vince Lombardi, Willie Davis, Ray Nitschke, Daryle Lamonica and Willie Wood? That works.

Controversy/Intrigue: 0 out of 10. Disappointingly considering the presence of Al Davis there is no compelling record of controversy.

Aftermath: 3 out of 10. In the aftermath, Lombardi temporarily retired from coaching.

Aggregate score: 13 out of 40.

45. Super Bowl XXVII, 1993: Dallas 52—Buffalo 17

The third of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Buffalo Bills, this was the saddest of the entire lot. The Bills committed a staggering nine turnovers while being utterly slaughtered by a supremely gifted Cowboys team who would go on to win two of the next three Super Bowls. The Bills four-game losing streak in the big game is one of modern sport’s abiding tragedies. Certainly, they were a wonderful team that happened to run into better, great ones. In any event, this was a crime scene and hard to watch.

Competitiveness: 1 out of 10. Dallas led 28-10 at the half and never looked in danger of losing, as the Bills hemorrhaged turnovers.

Star Power: 7 out of 10. The actual game sucked, but what talent on the field. Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, Bruce Smith and Cornelius Bennett. That was the losing side. The Cowboys fielded four Hall Of Famers and countless All-Pros.

Controversy/Intrigue: 3 out of 10. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Tempe, Arizona but was moved to the Rose Bowl after the state refused to honor MLK day, which… I just… ugh.

Aftermath: 5 out of 10.This game represented the burgeoning of a new Cowboys’ dynasty and the end of the run for a great Bills team that never reached the top of the mountain.

Aggregate Score: 16 out of 40.

44. Super Bowl IV, 1970: Kansas City 23—Minnesota 7

A second consecutive victory for the AFL and the first in a woeful series of Super Bowl performances by the Vikings, this was 16-0 at the half and never particularly close. The Chiefs dominated under hilarious Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram despite entering the contest as 12-point underdogs. Field conditions were sloppy and Minnesota turned the ball over repeatedly. Doc Severinsen played the National Anthem and the halftime show was a “Tribute To Mardi Gras.” It remains the only Super Bowl championship for the Chiefs.

Competitiveness: 3 out of 10. Legendary Vikings coach Bud Grant fielded many a fine team, but none ever looked prepared in any of their three Super Bowl appearances. The Vikings were badly out-schemed.

Star Power: 5 out of 10. A surfeit of great players, but mostly on defense: Allan Paige, Carl Eller, Willie Lanier and Emmitt Thomas to name just a few.

Controversy/Intrigue: 3 out of 10. In the aftermath of the game, Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson was linked to some unsavory gambling operations in Detroit, but nothing of consequence ever emerged. Other than that, pretty dull.

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. A second consecutive unexpected victory for the AFL further legitimized the competition between the two leagues, essentially settling the question of their parity.

Aggregate Score: 17 out of 40.

43. Super Bowl V, 1971: Baltimore 16—Dallas 13

The first Super Bowl after the official AFL-NFL merger was an unceasing miasma of screw-ups as the teams accounted for 11 turnovers, countless penalties and a general air of both-teams-suck incompetence. By the time of Jim O’Brien’s game-winning, last-second field goal, there was a sense of relief that this horrible thing had ended. The MVP was Chuck Howley, a linebacker for the Cowboys, the only time a losing player has ever won the award.

Competitiveness: 5 out of 10. It was a close game, sure. Dreadful, but close.

Star Power: 7 out of 10. This horrible game did not lack for great players, including Johnny Unitas, Bubba Smith, Bob Lilly, Charlie Waters, and Cowboys coach Tom Landry. This only deepens the enigma.

Controversy/Intrigue: 2 out of 10. The refereeing was generally considered to be as poor as the overall play.

Aftermath: 5 out of 10. Despite their dismal performance, the game marked the ascension of Landry’s Cowboys as an emerging dynasty. They would remain amongst the NFL’s elite for more than a decade.

Aggregate Score: 19 out of 40.

42. Super Bowl XXXV, 2001: Baltimore 34—New York Giants 7

Behind a historically great defense and a very mediocre offense, the Ravens murdered a Giants team who could muster only 152 total yards and a special teams touchdown. The game featured perhaps the worst ever Super Bowl quarterback match up with Trent Dilfer battling Kerry Collins in a hellish mirror image of classic duels like Bradshaw vs. Staubach and Rodgers vs. Roethlisberger. The Ravens of this era thrived by making games aesthetically atrocious, and by that standard this was a masterpiece.

Competitiveness: 3 out of 10. When the Giants scored on a kickoff return to briefly cut their deficit to 17-7 it felt like a fluke. The Ravens scored on the ensuing kickoff return. Terrible.

Star Power: 6 out of 10. Credit where due – this Ravens defense was unreal. Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson were the first ballot Hall of Famers, but Duane Starks, Sam Adams, Michael McCrary, Tony Siragusa, Jamie Sharper and Peter Boulware were all outstanding pros. Throw in Shannon Sharpe, Michael Strahan, Jonathan Ogden, Jamal Lewis and Tiki Barber and the talent in the game was impressive.

Controversy/Intrigue: 6 out of 10. The game’s MVP Ray Lewis was only a year removed from pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in the fatal stabbing of two men in Atlanta. Whatever his role in those events, this was not an ideal scenario for the league.

Aftermath: 4 out of 10. Neither the Giants coach Jim Fassell or the Ravens coach Brian Billick ever won big again, although Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton and Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis have become fixtures as head coaches.

Aggregate Score: 19 out of 40.

41. Super Bowl XII, 1978: Dallas 27—Denver 10

Basically another colossal Super Bowl ass kicking, the Tom Landry-led Cowboys featuring Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett and the Doomsday Defense made easy sport of the Broncos in Denver’s first Super Bowl appearance.

Competitiveness: 3 out of 10. The heavily favored Cowboys quickly established their dominance and led 13-0 at half. The Broncos eventually got the game to 20-10 but no closer.

Star Power: 5 out of 10. Five Cowboy Hall Of Famers including Staubach, Dorsett, Mel Renfro, Randy White and Rayfield Wright. None for the Broncos.

Controversy/Intrigue: 6 out 10. When both were on the Cowboys, Denver QB Craig Morton and Staubach had jockeyed for the starting job under intense terms. This was the Rodgers vs. Favre of its day. Now they met at the Super Bowl.

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. Landry’s Cowboys reaffirmed their status as one of history’s great teams and Denver was left to try their Super Bowl fortunes again. It would get worse before it got better.

Aggregate Score: 20 out of 40.

40. Super Bowl XV, 1981: Oakland 27—Philadelphia 10

This was a nasty, brutish bit of business with the Raiders mugging the favored Eagles in Philadelphia’s first appearance in the big game. Rejuvenated Oakland quarterback Jim Plunkett threw three touchdowns and the Eagles were hapless on offense. It was 14-0 early, and out of hand by the beginning of the second half. Raiders’ linebacker Rod Martin intercepted Ron Jaworski three times, as the silver and black performed with customary bad-assery all over the sad, hapless Eagles.

Competitiveness: 3 out of 10. It wasn’t a shock that the Raiders won, but very few thought the game would be a blowout. This was a blowout.

Star Power: 5 out of 10. Raiders owner Al Davis and Eagle’s coach Dick Vermeil are probably better remembered than nearly all of the players, though Oakland’s Art Shell and Gene Upshaw are amongst the finest lineman ever to play and Ray Guy was a really, really great punter.

Controversy/Intrigue: 6 out of 10. A long running feud between the polarizing Davis and legendary former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle provided a heated subtext. Davis believed throughout his life that the NFL conspired to keep the Raiders from winning whenever possible. Also, most of the Raiders were completely crazy.

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. Raiders head coach Tom Flores would win a second title three years later and is one of the truly underappreciated figures in league history. Dick Vermeil would eventually freak out, leave coaching for a very long time, only to come back and win a Super Bowl with the Rams nearly two decades later.

Aggregate Score: 20 out of 40.

39. Super Bowl XLI, 2007: Indianapolis 29—Chicago 17

An important game in historical terms, this was Peyton Manning’s breakthrough. After years of dominating the league statistically, he finally made and won a Super Bowl, cementing his legacy as an all time great. The game itself was a strange, disjointed affair. The Bears’ quarterback was Rex Grossman, which ended predictably. Field conditions were sloppy and both teams committed multiple turnovers.

Competitiveness: 6 out of 10. The Bears actually led 14-6 after the first quarter and trailed by only two at halftime. Although it never really felt like they could win, the game wasn’t really decided until Grossman’s inevitable pick six with 12 minutes remaining.

Star Power: 6 out of 10. Peyton Manning, of course, but also Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Reggie Wayne, Charles Tillman and PRINCE.

Controversy/Intrigue: 8 out of 10. All of the intrigue came with the halftime show, but it’s our system and we’re counting it. Prince was staggeringly great, giving a towering performance in a weird, heavy mist, which confirmed the already probable likelihood that he was an Olympian god. A nation utterly scandalized by the site of Janet Jackson’s pasty only a few years previous, was totally cool with the sight of Prince’s guitar deliberately creating a giant phallic silhouette, because oh my god it was so awesome.

Aftermath: 3 out of 10. Rex Grossman would never make another Super Bowl.

Aggregate Score: 23 out of 40.

38. Super Bowl XIX, 1985: San Francisco 38—Miami 16

Seemingly a dream match up between Joe Montana’s elegantly devastating 15-1 49ers and Dan Marino’s astoundingly prolific 14-2 Dolphins, the game turned quickly into a disappointing rout. Behind Montana’s peerless play and coach Bill Walsh’s masterful gameplan, the Niners scored three second quarter touchdowns and never looked back. Montana was incredible, throwing for three touchdowns and running for a fourth. The defensively challenged Dolphins had no answers.

Competitiveness: 4 out of 10. Miami took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter, before San Francisco opened the floodgates with three straight touchdown drives. It was never close after that.

Star Power: 8 out of 10. Great players littered the field including two of the ten best quarterbacks to ever play as well as Ronnie Lott, Dwight Stephenson, Roger Craig, Mark Clayton, and head coaches Don Shula and Bill Walsh. That’s some football history.

Controversy/Intrigue: 1 out of 10. A controversial ruling turned an apparent fumble by 49ers’ wideout Freddie Solomon into an incomplete pass. Dolphins weren’t winning anyway.

Aftermath: 8 out of 10. Montana and Walsh would win two more titles together, making them the most successful Quarterback-Coach combination in history. Amazingly, neither Don Shula nor Dan Marino would ever appear in a Super Bowl again.

Aggregate Score: 21 out of 40.

37. Super Bowl IX, 1975: Pittsburgh 16—Minnesota 6

The national coming out party for the Steelers legendary Steel Curtain defense, Super Bowl IX was an ugly, bruising, brass knuckles bashing of an over-matched Vikings team. It was neither fun nor sightly. The score at halftime was 2-0 Pittsburgh. That didn’t seem close. Eventually the Vikings blocked a kick and returned it for a touchdown, but that was the only possible way they were getting points. The final was 16-6, and everybody felt like they’d been through hell.

Competitiveness: 5 out of 10. A weird game, in the sense that the Vikings trailed only 9-6 in the 4th quarter, but even that seemed an impossible hill to climb. That’s how good the Steelers’ defense was.

Star Power: 8 out of 10: An embarrassment of all time greats including Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, Carl Eller and Alan Page to name a very few.

Controversy/Intrigue: 2 out of 10: Originally to be the first game played in the Superdome, it was moved at the last minute when construction wasn’t yet finished. At the outdoor Tulane Stadium, temperatures were low and the weather intemperate. Intemperate!!!

Aftermath: 7 out of 10. Having established their greatness, Chuck Noll’s Steelers would win three more Super Bowls in short order. Minnesota’s next Super Bowl win will be their first.

Aggregate Score: 22 out of 40.

36. Super Bowl XXVIII. 1994: Dallas 30—Buffalo 13

A rematch of the previous season’s Super Bowl slaughter, the Cowboys chose to merely emphatically beat the Bills as an encore in Super Bowl XXVIII. Played in the subterranean Georgia Dome, this game felt curiously slow moving and lifeless, as the Bills completed their horribly tragic (almost unbearable) 0-4 Super Bowl run.

Competitiveness: 5 out of 10. The Bills played a terrific first half and lead 13-6. Then the wheels fell off.

Star Power: 8 out of 10. Two all time great teams loaded with the goods. Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Kelly, the other Smith and Thurman Thomas. Plus Andre Reed and Charles Haley. I’ll stop.

Intrigue/Controversy: 5 out of 10. Protesters brought negative attention to the host state Georgia’s flag, which at that time incorporated the Confederate stars and bars.

Aftermath: 5 out of 10. This was the sad culmination of the Bills’ legitimately great but always-the-bridesmaid run. The franchise has since drifted to the periphery of NFL fans’ interest. The new Dallas dynasty was immediately imperiled by the abrupt resignation of coach and team architect Jimmie Johnson. Some would argue the Cowboys never fully recovered.

Aggregate Score: 23 out of 40.

35. Super Bowl I. 1967: Green Bay 35—Kansas City 10

The first Super Bowl was actually not called the Super Bowl at the time. The game was held pre-merger when the AFL was still a rival to the NFL and the contest was known as the World Championship Game. Still, it was already a big enough deal for two TV networks to carry it simultaneously and epic figures like Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Hank Stram and Len Dawson covered the landscape in brilliance. The game itself was a beatdown typical of the bullying Pack of the time, but its very presence launched an era.

Competitiveness: 4 out of 10. The Chiefs were overwhelmed

Star Power: 8 out of 10. Start with the man the trophy is named after and go from there.

Controversy/Intrigue: 2 out of 10. Packers’ wide receiver Max McGee was known to be very hung over while recording seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Quaint.

Aftermath: 10 out of 10. This event launched the Super Bowl. It’s like BC/AD.

Aggregate Score: 24 out of 40. 

34. Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999: Denver 34 —Atlanta 19

Atlanta’s first trip to the Super Bowl was this rather dissolute effort against the then-defending champion Broncos. The Falcons had stunned a heavily favored Minnesota Vikings team in the NFC championship and came in as heavy underdogs against John Elway, Terrell Davis and company. True to the experts’ predictions, Atlanta fell behind 17-6 at the half and never really got close.

Competitiveness: 5 out of 10. Neither a humiliating blowout nor a game that ever really felt in doubt, the Broncos were simply the better team. A couple fourth-quarter scores by the Falcons made the margin of defeat look better cosmetically, but an offense led by Chris Chandler at quarterback and Terrance Mathis at receiver was never going to beat this version of the Broncos.

Star Power: 4 out of 10. John Elway in his final game is pretty cool. Terrell Davis was a wonderful back during his too brief career. Shannon Sharpe is in the Hall of Fame. Not much to speak of after that.

Controversy/Intrigue: 9 out of 10. In one of the Super Bowl’s great meta-storylines, former Broncos’ head coach Dan Reeves – humiliated in three Super Bowls while with Denver – got to try his luck against his former team as Atlanta’s head man. There was plenty of bad blood between Reeves and his former assistant Mike Shanahan, who he felt sandbagged him in taking over the Broncos coaching job. Also, Falcons veteran safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for soliciting a prostitute the night before the game, only this prostitute turned out to be a cop, and Robinson went to jail. So there was a lot going on.

Aftermath: 6 out of 10. Following a long career filled with frustrating postseason defeats, Jon Elway was able to retire at 38 having won back-to-back Super Bowls. Mike Shanahan continued to be a respected coach in the league for another dozen years but never won another championship. Dan Reeves – truly an excellent coach – hung around a few more years, but never got close to the big game again. He is tied for the most Super Bowl losses with Bud Grant, Don Shula and Marv Levy. Football can be cruel.

Aggregate Score: 24 out of 40.