The 15 Best Super Bowl Finishes

Sports fans glorify the majesty of the Super Bowl. There’s perhaps no better microcosm of the pageantry of American sports culture than the NFL’s title game, with the event circled perhaps on more calendars than Christmas.

Of course, the game doesn’t always live up to the hype. Sometimes you get games like Super Bowl XXXVII, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew out the Oakland Raiders, 48-21. Sometimes, though, we’re lucky enough to witness instant classics decided in the fourth quarter. In some cases, the best finishes in Super Bowl history require even more time than regulation permits.   

1. Super Bowl LVIII

It’s easy to suggest recency bias when you shine a light on a recent event, but Super Bowl LVIII had the most thrilling finish in the history of the game. 

The Kansas City Chiefs had tied the game at 16 in the fourth quarter, when the San Francisco 49ers drove and converted a 53-yard field goal with under two minutes to go to take a 19-16 lead. Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City downfield quickly, and Harrison Butker sent the game to overtime with another field goal. Brock Purdy would drive the 49ers to the 9-yard line in overtime, resulting in another field goal. That’s when Mahomes took KC 75 yards to the San Francisco 3-yard line, hit Mecole Hardman for a touchdown, and walked it off for his third ring. It was the first time in Super Bowl history a lead change occurred on the last play of the game, and cemented the Chiefs as a dynasty.

2. Super Bowl LI

The only other overtime finish in Super Bowl history lands at No. 2 on this list, not necessarily for the game-ending dramatics, but the magnitude of the events preceding them. 

Tom Brady’s New England Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons 28-3 in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI in what appeared to be the biggest blowout of his career in the big game. The Pats rattled off 25 unanswered points, cemented by a two-point conversion pass to Danny Amendola with 58 seconds left in regulation. New England won the overtime coin toss, drove easily downfield, and James White punched in the game-winner. Thirty team and individual Super Bowl records were set in this game, which went down as one of the most prolific of Brady’s storied career. 

3. Super Bowl XLIX

The New England Patriots are no strangers to late-game heroics, and cornerback Malcolm Butler earned his place in team folklore in Super Bowl XLIX. 

The Patriots took a 28-24 lead on the Seattle Seahawks with a three-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Julian Edelman near the two-minute warning. Russell Wilson would take Seattle from its own 20 to inside the Patriots five-yard line, headlined by an acrobatic grab from wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. The Seahawks got the ball to the 1-yard line with 26 seconds left, a perfect place to hand the ball off to bruiser running back Marshawn Lynch. Instead, head coach Pete Carroll called for a pass play, which Butler stepped in front of and intercepted to secure the Lombardi Trophy for New England. It is widely viewed as the worst play call of all time in a Super Bowl. 

4. Super Bowl XLII

For once, the mighty New England Patriots were slayed on the biggest stage. 

Super Bowl XLII saw the underdog New York Giants take aim at the undefeated Patriots, who had beaten them in Week 17. Eli Manning’s Giants kept the game close, trailing, 7-3 at the half. Manning got the ball at his own 17 down 14-10 with 2:39 to play in the game, and led New York on a drive for the ages. A heave to unlikely hero David Tyree resulted in a helmet catch for the ages, and the drive was capped off with a fade touchdown to Plaxico Burress. The Giants defense held Tom Brady down on a desperation final drive, and New York left Arizona with the most unlikely Super Bowl win ever. 

5. Super Bowl XXXIV

The 1999 St. Louis Rams were considered to be the “Greatest Show on Turf,” but nearly had their legacy upended by Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans. 

An epic showdown in Super Bowl XXXIV came down to the final seconds, with St. Louis up, 23-16. The Titans had the ball with six seconds to play, down to their final shot at the 10-yard line trailing by a score. McNair found wide receiver Kevin Dyson cutting over the middle at the 3-yard line, but Rams linebacker Mike Jones wrapped him up one yard short of the end zone. Dyson’s outstretched arm is an iconic Super Bowl image, but St. Louis left with a ring. 

6. Super Bowl XXV

If you should find yourself in Buffalo, never utter the phrase “wide right” around a Bills fan. It likely won’t end well for you. 

The Buffalo Bills had the New York Giants on the brink of defeat in Super Bowl XXV, with New York up 20-19 with eight seconds to play. Scott Norwood was called in to kick a 47-yard field goal for Buffalo, delivering the Bills their first Super Bowl title had he converted. Instead, he pushed the kick wide to the right, sending Bill Parcells’ Giants into a frenzy. Buffalo has still yet to win a championship to this day. 

7. Super Bowl XXXVI

Other times, though, kickers are ready to step up in the big moment. No one better exemplifies that than former Patriots leg Adam Vinatieri. 

Vinatieri established quite the legacy over the course of his lengthy career as being the most clutch kicker in the game, and it all began back in Super Bowl XXVI. That’s when he had an opportunity to propel the New England Patriots from mighty underdog to Super Bowl winners against the St. Louis Rams. He drilled a 48-yard field goal with no time remaining to give Tom Brady & Co. their first Lombardi Trophy, and laid the foundation for a budding dynasty. 

8. Super Bowl XXXVIII

Super Bowl XXXVI would not be the only time Adam Vinatieri would get a chance to walk it all off for a ring. He’d get another shot two years later.

The Patriots were considered a powerhouse by Super Bowl XXXVIII, and the Carolina Panthers weren’t given much of a shot by fans and media. But a late charge by Jake Delhomme’s squad saw the teams combine for 37 points in the fourth quarter alone, setting the stage for one last Patriots drive. Tom Brady took his team downfield once again, setting Vinatieri up for a 41-yard field goal to win it. He nailed the kick with four seconds to go, and New England won the Super Bowl, 32-29. 

9. Super Bowl XLIII

NFL fans thought they had seen a finish for the ages in the prior Super Bowl between the Giants and Patriots, but Super Bowl XLIII’s came pretty close in terms of the dramatics. 

Both Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner were chasing their second Super Bowl titles when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals battled in Tampa. Defensive end James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown seemed impossible to top in terms of fireworks, but the fourth quarter proved to rise to the occasion. Down 20-16, Warner hit wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a 64-yard score to give the Cardinals a three-point lead with 2:37 to play. Roethlisberger executed the drive of his career, and a pinpoint throw to Santonio Holmes resulted in a stunning touchdown. Pittsburgh won the game, 27-23.

10. Super Bowl XIII

Super Bowl XIII is a game of “what could have been” for the Dallas Cowboys, who had a clear opportunity to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Dallas trailed, 21-14 in the third quarter, and had the ball at the Pittsburgh 10-yard line. Quarterback Roger Staubach found tight end Jackie Smith open in the end zone, but Smith dropped the pass, resulting in Dallas having to settle for a field goal. The teams each scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Pittsburgh won, 35-31. Had Smith caught the ball in the third, it’s possible Dallas would have another ring to show for its efforts.

11. Super Bowl XXXII

John Elway was well on his way to Canton before Super Bowl XXXII, but he was missing a critical accolade: a championship. That all changed when the Denver Broncos battled the Green Bay Packers.

The game was tied at 17 in the third quarter, with Elway facing 3rd-and-6 at the Green Bay 12. He decided to scramble for the first down, and got lit up by three Packers. He spun around in mid-air, securing the first down in a play that would be dubbed “The Helicopter” run. Denver would score afterward, and a game-winning touchdown with 1:45 to go by Terrell Davis helped Elway secure his first championship with a 31-24 win. Davis had three scores on the evening, and is the last running back to win Super Bowl MVP.

12. Super Bowl XXIII

While Elway may be associated with “The Drive,” Joe Montana had an epic drive of his own in Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The San Francisco 49ers trailed 16-13 with 3:10 left in regulation, starting with the ball at their own 8-yard line. Montana would cement his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play with what was to follow, marching San Francisco 92 yards on 11 plays for the go-ahead touchdown. He connected with John Taylor for a 10-yard touchdown, earning him his third Super Bowl ring. Montana was named Super Bowl MVP as a result of the final drive.

13. Super Bowl LIV

There’s a reason many believe Patrick Mahomes is the modern-day Joe Montana, for the record. Super Bowl LIV is a great microcosm as to why.

Kansas City had not won a Super Bowl in fifty years going into the game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs trailed, 20-10, going into the fourth quarter, and that was when Mahomes went beast mode. He hit tight end Travis Kelce for a short score to make it a three-point game with 6:13 to go. Mahomes then drove with under three minutes left, giving KC its first lead with 2:44 to play on a five-yard Damien Williams touchdown. Williams would ice it a little more than a minute later with a 38-yard rushing touchdown, and Mahomes stamped his name in football immortality with a 31-20 win.

14. Super Bowl XLVII

Imagine you’re throwing the biggest party of your life, and the power goes out at the worst moment possible. That’s more or less what happened at Super Bowl XLVII.

The Baltimore Ravens were up 28-6 on the San Francisco 49ers when the Superdome went dark. A power outage forced the game to be delayed for 34 minutes, which allowed Jim Harbaugh’s Niners to regroup and gather themselves. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick led San Francisco to 17 unanswered points, cutting the deficit to just three. Baltimore extended the lead to 31-23, but a 15-yard Kaepernick touchdown run brought the 49ers to within two. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful though, and Baltimore would hold on for a 34-31 win for its second Super Bowl Championship.

15. Super Bowl XLVI 

Eli Manning didn’t just slay Goliath once. He did it twice. 

While the New York Giants weren’t considered quite as much of an underdog against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the rematch of Super Bowl XLII played out fairly similarly. The Giants trailed, 17-15 late in the fourth quarter, when Manning would lead an 88-yard drive headlined by one of the greatest catch-and-throws in Super Bowl history with Mario Manningham. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw punched in a six-yard score with under a minute to go, even though he had not intended to score. This allowed one final shot at the end zone for Brady, who nearly connected on a miracle Hail Mary to win. Instead, New York left with its second Super Bowl win over New England.