Top Five Biggest Upsets In Super Bowl History

February 8, 2024

Justin looks at the top five biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Which teams came up big despite being underdogs?

It's Super Bowl week. While that mostly means it's time to look ahead to the big game, it's also a chance to look back at past Super Bowls.

The favored team doesn't always come out on top in the Super Bowl. Sometimes, we get major upsets in the game. That's the beauty of a one-game playoff series -- anyone can win on any given day. It's part of what makes the Super Bowl such a compelling sporting event to watch.

Let's take a look at the five biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

5. Giants over Bills in Super Bowl XXV

Back in the 1990s, the Buffalo Bills made four consecutive Super Bowls. They lost all four of them.

The closest Buffalo got came in their first appearance, a 20-19 loss to the Giants. New York, playing those playoffs without starting quarterback Phil Simms, defeated the Bills 20-19. Buffalo had a great shot to win this one late, but kicker Scott Norwood's game-winning field goal attempt notably went wide right, handing the Giants the victory in the closest Super Bowl final score ever.

January 27, 1991: With :08 left in the game, Scott Norwood’s 47-yard FG attempt sails Wide Right and the Giants beat the Bills 20-19 to win Super Bowl XXV in Tampa. pic.twitter.com/Z1sckOpbIr

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) January 27, 2021

The G-Men dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 40 minutes. Despite trailing 12-3 at one point, New York was able to go on a long touchdown drive that shifted the momentum of the game. Giants running back Otis Anderson was named MVP after his 102 rushing yards and a touchdown.

4. Chiefs over Vikings in Super Bowl IV

One year after the AFL's first Super Bowl win -- keep reading for more on that -- the league showed it wasn't a fluke as the Chiefs took down the Vikings by a score of 23-7. This was the final game before the two leagues merged.

"65 Toss Power Trap"

Super Bowl IV. Hank Stram, #Chiefs

54 Years Ago Today pic.twitter.com/gi47woPrg8

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) January 11, 2024

The Vikings were double-digit favorites coming into this game, but Kansas City dominated, jumping out to a 16-0 lead. The defense picked off the Vikings three times while Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson threw a late touchdown pass to Otis Anderson to give Kansas City the victory. Dawson was named Super Bowl MVP after his performance. Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud kicked three field goals in the victory.

3. Jets over Colts in Super Bowl III

We stay way back in the past for this one. Super Bowl III was actually the first to use the Super Bowl name officially. The Jets were 19.5-point underdogs heading in as the NFL champion Baltimore Colts just looked to be a significantly better team. The NFL teams had soundly beaten the AFL team in the first two Super Bowls, so it made sense that it would happen again.

Super Bowl Media Day has come a lonnnnnnnng way in 55 years

Namath at the beach before #SuperBowl III pic.twitter.com/oHzGl0VGwC

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) February 6, 2024

Instead, Joe Namath led the Jets to a 16-7 upset victory. Sure, Namath didn't account for a touchdown, but he threw for 206 yards, thoroughly outplaying Baltimore to get the Jets the victory.

Of course, the win wasn't a surprise to Namath, who famously guaranteed the victory three days before the game. He followed through, proving that the AFL could compete against their NFL counterparts.

2. Patriots over Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI

Considering how the rest of his career went, you could be forgiven for assuming that Tom Brady was the favorite in all his Super Bowl appearances. However, that wasn't the case in his first appearance, Super Bowl XXXVI.

The Rams, during their "Greatest Show On Turf" period, were 14-point favorites for this one. New England was starting a second-year Tom Brady and just wasn't expected to have the juice to stop the Kurt Warner-led Rams.

We don't talk enough about the Pats player at the end of Super Bowl XXXVI sprinting into the endzone to do snow angels before the ref was even finished showing "it's good". pic.twitter.com/ye0sef1db8

— NFL Fashion Advice (@fashion_nfl) February 3, 2024

Brady threw just one touchdown in his first Super Bowl appearance, but New England scored on a pick-six and got a strong performance from kicker Adam Vinatieri, including the game-winning field goal as time expired to hand the Patriots the victory.

1. Giants over Patriots in Super Bowl XLII

Of course, we wind up here. The undefeated New England Patriots had a shot to be just the second team to finish undefeated and take home the Lombardi Trophy. They faced a New York Giants team that lost six games in the regular season.

Despite New England entering this game with an 18-0 record and having one of the most lethal combinations in NFL history in quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss, the Pats just couldn't get the win and complete the undefeated campaign.

15 years ago today, Eli Manning and the Giants took down the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

18 wins and 1 Giant loss.pic.twitter.com/VhJgFIkQqd

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) February 3, 2023

New York's defense stifled the New England offense, holding Brady to just one touchdown pass and running back Laurence Maroney to 36 yards. Giants quarterback Eli Manning led a fourth-quarter comeback with the Giants trailing 14-10, which included the famous "Helmet Catch" for David Tyree. Tyree caught a 32-yard pass on third down with the help of his helmet to keep a crucial Giants drive alive.

The Giants took the lead with just 35 seconds left on a Manning to Plaxico Burress 13-yard touchdown. New England got the ball back, but never got any momentum, turning the ball over on downs and ending their shot at an undefeated championship season.

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