Every Super Bowl, in some form or fashion, impacts the legacies of both parties involved. But there are 10 that truly altered not only the legacy of both teams, but the history of the biggest championship game in sports as well. Here's a look at the 10 most consequential Super Bowls of all time. When reviewing these games, we'll first show you what could have happened before rehashing what actually transpired.
1.Super Bowl III
What could have happened: The Colts, an 18-point favorite, became the third consecutive NFL team to defeat the AFL champion in the Super Bowl. Don Shula's Colts, following a 13-1 regular season, were immediately placed in the same category alongside pro football's other great teams. Colts quarterback Earl Morrall capped off a storybook season that saw him also win league MVP honors. Shula returned to Baltimore in 1969, as the Colts looked to successfully defend their title. The Jets and quarterback Joe Namath suffered the distinction of being the third AFL team to lose to the NFL. What actually happened: Five turnovers, the Jets' dominant rushing attack, and Namath's mastery over the Colts' defense contributed to the greatest upset in pro football history. The Jets' 16-7 victory propelled Namath, the game's MVP, to legendary status and his guarantee of victory still resonates. With the win, the Jets showed the country that the AFL was capable of standing toe to toe with the NFL, a fact that was reinforced when the Chiefs defeated the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Instead of returning to Baltimore, Shula decided to bolt for Miami. Three years later, Shula led Miami to its first of three consecutive Super Bowls. A key member of Miami's first successful Super Bowl run was Morrall, who went 11-0 as a starter while helping the Dolphins become the only 17-0 team in history.
2. Super Bowl XLII
What could have happened: New England completed the first 19-0 season in NFL history. Tom Brady joined Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only 4-0 Super Bowl quarterbacks. While they had an admirable run, the Giants fell just short of Super Bowl glory, just a year after not making the playoffs. Michael Strahan retired without a ring. Eli Manning, in defeat, played well enough to earn himself some good will in the Big Apple.
What actually happened: The Giants' fierce pass rush limited New England to just 14 points. Manning's miracle completion to David Tyree set up his game-winning touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. Manning joined his brother as a Super Bowl champion (Peyton and the Colts won the previous year's Super Bowl), and the Giants became the first NFC team to win the Super Bowl after winning three road playoff games. The loss denied the Patriots a shot at perfection as well as the title of "Greatest Team Ever," although they are largely considered the best team that did not win a ring. The Patriots also failed to join the 49ers and Steelers as the only franchises to win four Super Bowls in a single decade. 3. Super Bowl XXV
What could have happened: Down 20-19 with eight seconds left, Bills kicker Scott Norwood drilled the game-winning, 47-yard field goal to give the Bills their first Super Bowl title. Norwood joined Jim O'Brien as the only players to make a game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl. Thurman Thomas won Super Bowl MVP after amassing 190 total yards. What actually happened: Norwood's kick sailed wide right, as the Giants became the first team to win the Super Bowl by a point. Giants running back Ottis Anderson, not Thomas, was named MVP. The Giants won their second Super Bowl under Bill Parcells, whose success in New York largely contributed to his future Hall of Fame induction. The Giants' defensive success against the Bills' high-scoring offense contributed to the rise of then-Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, who was named the Browns' head coach shortly following the game.
The loss was the first of four consecutive Super Bowl defeats for the Bills, who are still in search of their first title. Super Bowl XXV was the Bills' best shot at a title; they lost their next three Super Bowls by a combined 65 points. 4. Super Bowl LI
What could have happened: Ahead 28-12, Matt Ryan completed a critical third-down pass to keep the chains moving. The Patriots made it close, but they ultimately ran out of time. In leading the Falcons to their first Super Bowl win, Ryan joined the list of Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterbacks. The Patriots, meanwhile, fell to 4-3 in the Super Bowl during the Brady/Belichick era. But unlike the alternative Super Bowl XLIX fallout, the Patriots this time chose to replace Brady with Jimmy Garoppolo, who went 2-0 as New England's starter during the regular season. The Patriots traded Brady to the 49ers, the team he grew up cheering for in the 1980s and early '90s.
What actually happened: Ryan didn't get the chance to complete his third-down pass. Instead, he was hit by Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Alan Branch. The turnover set up the Patriots' third of five unanswered scores, as New England rallied to defeat Atlanta in the Super Bowl's first overtime. The win gave Brady more Super Bowl wins than any other quarterback. Belichick surpassed Pittsburgh's Chuck Noll as the Super Bowl's winningest coach. It was the greatest comeback victory in Super Bowl history. It also made the Patriots' dynasty quite possibly the best ever.
The Falcons never recovered from their Super Bowl collapse. They've won just one playoff game in the four years following Super Bowl LI. Dan Quinn was fired five games into the 2020 season. Ryan, who will turn 36 before the start of next season, is currently in the middle of questions surrounding his future in Atlanta. 5. Super Bowl XIX
What could have happened: Don Shula joined Noll as the only coaches with three Super Bowl rings following his team's win over the 49ers. His quarterback, Dan Marino, capped off what was then considered the most remarkable season by a quarterback in NFL history. After throwing 48 touchdowns and 5,048 yards during the regular season (both records at the time), a Super Bowl win over Montana was the icing on Marino's cake. What actually happened: Marino started hot but wilted under the 49ers' unrelenting pass rush. Montana heated up in the second quarter, as he directed the 49ers on three straight scoring drives. Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards, but Montana left with the win and the MVP trophy. Montana would win two more Super Bowls while establishing himself as one of the biggest winners in NFL history. Conversely, Shula and Marino never returned to the Super Bowl. Marino retired following the 1999 season as the greatest quarterback without a Super Bowl ring.
6. Super Bowl XXXVI
What could have happened: A 14-point favorite, the Rams won their second Super Bowl in a three-year span after defeating the Patriots. A dynasty? No, but a second ring vaults Kurt Warner and the rest of the "Greatest Show on Turf" up to another echelon of championship teams. On the other side, a Super Bowl loss halted the momentum the Patriots built during the 2001 season. Brady joined Vince Ferragamo on the short list of young quarterbacks that played well but ultimately fell short in their first Super Bowl. What actually happened: The Rams did not repeat as champions. They trailed 17-3 before rallying to tie the score with 1:30 left. From there, the legend of Brady was born. With everyone expecting him to take a knee, Brady instead got his team into field goal range. Adam Vinatieri booted the 48-yarder as time expired, as the Patriots won their first of six Super Bowls with Brady and Belichick. The Rams, meanwhile, started unraveling shortly after Super Bowl XXXVI. They missed the playoffs in 2002, did not get past the divisional round in '03 and '04, and would miss the playoffs every year from 2005-16. 7. Super Bowl XXXII
What could have happened: Brett Favre and the Packers win back-to-back Super Bowls. Mike Holmgren becomes the 11th head coach to win multiple Super Bowls. Favre becomes the only three-time league MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion. In the process, the Packers extended the NFC's streak of 14 consecutive Super Bowl wins over the AFC. Three of those losses came at the expense of John Elway, who retired during the offseason.
What actually happened: An 11.5-point underdog, the Broncos pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Terrell Davis' 157 yards and three touchdowns earn him MVP honors, which help cement his Hall of Fame career. Elway finally won his elusive Super Bowl, and would return to win the following year's Super Bowl before calling it a career.
The Packers would not win another playoff game under Holmgren, who left for Seattle shortly after Terrell Owens' last-second touchdown catch knocked the '98 Packers out of the postseason. Favre never made it back to the Super Bowl despite playing another 13 seasons. When Green Bay finally made it back to the Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers was under center. 8. Super Bowl XIII
What could have happened: Three years after losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl X, the Cowboys gained a measure of revenge on the Steelers in the first-ever Super Bowl rematch. In the process, the Cowboys won the title as the "Team of the '70s" and became the first franchise to win three Super Bowls. Dallas also joined Green Bay, Miami, and Pittsburgh as the only teams with back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
What actually happened: Led by game MVP Terry Bradshaw, the Steelers took a 35-17 lead en route to a 35-31 victory over the Cowboys. The Steelers were named the "Team of the '70s," a fact they reinforced a year later when they defeated the Rams in Super Bowl XIV. The '70s Cowboys played in more Super Bowls, but the '70s Steelers won an unprecedented four Super Bowls in a six-year span. Ten Steelers players from that team are currently in the Hall of Fame, compared to the Cowboys' five players. 9. Super Bowl XLIX
What could have happened: Down 28-24, the Seahawks won the game after Marshawn Lynch barreled into the end zone in the game's final seconds. Lynch won Super Bowl MVP, becoming the eighth running back to win the award. Pete Carroll joined Jimmy Johnson as the only head coaches to win a college national championship and multiple Super Bowls. The Patriots, meanwhile, fell to 3-3 in Super Bowls with Brady and Belichick. Their "drought" of winning a Super Bowl surpassed 10 years, as fans and media members began to openly wonder how much gas the Patriots' duo had left in the tank. What actually happened: Lynch didn't get the ball. The Seahawks instead called for a slant pass that was picked off by Malcolm Butler at the goal line. Carroll, whose team is still waiting for a return trip to the Super Bowl, continues to be haunted by his decision to throw from the 1-yard line. Seattle's next Super Bowl trip will not include many of the players that made up the "Legion of Boom." Brady, meanwhile, joined Bradshaw and Montana as four-time Super Bowl winners. Belichick joined Noll as the only four-time, Super Bowl-winning head coaches. Butler, an undrafted rookie, became a household name overnight.
10. Super Bowl LIV
What could have happened: Trailing by four points with 1:40 left, Jimmy Garoppolo gave the 49ers the lead for good when he hit Emmanuel Sanders for a 49-yard score. Garoppolo was named MVP and in the process erased any doubts about his status as a franchise quarterback. The win gave the 49ers a record-tying sixth Super Bowl win. Kyle and Mike Shanahan became the first father-son duo to win the Super Bowl as head coaches. Conversely, Andy Reid fell to 0-2 in Super Bowls. The Chiefs' drought without a ring would reach (at least) 51 years. Patrick Mahomes, despite his early success, has yet to deliver the ultimate prize to Kansas City. What actually happened: Garoppolo barely overthrew Sanders and was sacked by Frank Clark on the ensuing play. Two plays later, Damien Williams busted through the right side of the 49ers' defense for a back-breaking, 38-yard touchdown. The win gave Reid his first Super Bowl win as head coach, and in the process ended any debate about his future Hall of Fame candidacy. The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in a half-century, while Mahomes became the first player to win Super Bowl and league MVP before his 25th birthday.
Super Bowl under Bill Parcells, whose success in New York largely contributed to his future Hall of Fame induction. The Giants' defensive success against the Bills' high-scoring offense contributed to the rise of then-Giants defensive coordinator Bill Belichick, who was named the Browns' head coach shortly following the game.
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10 most consequential Super Bowls of all time:
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