NFL Superbowl Overview

Following are "the bottom half" (21 thru 40) of our all-time Super Bowl ratings. We'll have next quartile (11-20) next week, and follow up with with the top ten in Super Bowl week!

21-VII, Miami 14 - Washington 7 (at Los Angeles)...Added significance because it was the final installment of the Dolphins’ perfect 17-0 season. But the game was mostly a bore after the Dolphins took control in the 1st half, with the “No-Name” defense throttling the Skins for most of the day. Became mildly interesting in the 4th Q after Garo Yepremian’s infamous flubbed FG and Mike Bass’ subsequent TD return, but that was about the only drama of the afternoon.

22-XX, Chicago 46 - New England 10 (at New Orleans)...Although this game was absolutely no contest, it was a bit more entertaining than other Super Bowl blowouts simply because the Bears were such a colorful (and absolutely dominating) bunch.

23-XXIV, San Francisco 55 - Denver 10 (at New Orleans)...The biggest-ever SB blowout lacked any drama whatsoever. But San Francisco’s dominance was so complete, and, indeed, breathtaking, that we felt almost privileged to watch such excellence.

24-XIX, San Francisco 38 - Miami 16 (at Palo Alto)...Unless you were a 49er fan, this one was a disappointment, as it failed to live up to its much-hyped, “shootout” billing. The San Francisco defense, however, made sure there was no drama by muffling Dan Marino and his record-setting Dolphin offense, while Joe Montana & Co. toyed with an overmatched Miami stop unit.

25-XXI, N.Y. Giants 39 - Denver 20 (at Pasadena)...This was a bit more competitive than the Broncos’ other one-sided SB losses, as Denver performed ably in the first half and even led at intermission, 10-9. But the game became a runaway before the 3rd Q ended when the Giants erupted behind Phil Simms’ deadly accuracy (completed 22 of 25 passes!) en route to a then-SB record one half record for points (30 of ‘em!).

26-VIII, Miami 24 - Minnesota 7 (at Houston)...A surprisingly non-competitive game, as most figured the Vikings, with Fran Tarkenton back at the controls, rated a good chance. Instead, the outcome was never in doubt past the 1st Q, with the Dolphins practically disdaining the pass (Bob Griese only threw the ball 7 times!) and instead bludgeoning the Vikes behind Larry Csonka’s 145 yards rushing. A more impressive Miami win than in the Super Bowl vs. the Redskins the previous year.

27-II, Green Bay 33 - Oakland 14 (at Miami)...The Super Bowl concept was still enough of a novelty in January of 1968 that just seeing AFL and NFL teams on the same field was something special. Unlike the previous year, however, Green Bay was in control from the outset and never seriously threatened. This SB would eventually gain more notoriety for being Vince Lombardi’s last game as Packers HC.

28-XVII, L.A. Raiders 38 - Washington 9 (at Tampa)...Another good-looking matchup that failed to materialize, the outcome essentially decided by Jack Squirek’s 5-yard interception return TD off an ill-advised Joe Theismann screen pass just 5 seconds before halftime. Indeed, the Raider dominance was somewhat startling, with CBs Mike Haynes & Lester Hayes blanketing the Skin wideouts. A number of highlight-reel runs by Marcus Allen (en route to a then-SB record 191 yards rushing) provided some excitement after the outcome was decided.

29-XII, Dallas 27 - Denver 10 (at New Orleans)...What shaped up as an intriguing matchup failed to deliver as expected, as Denver self-destructed with 6 turnovers and QB Craig Morton was banished to the bench in the 3rd Q. Although the Broncos rallied briefly behind backup QB Norris Weese, the Cowboys’ arsenal of weapons were too much, with a couple of spectacular TDs (Butch Johnson’s acrobatic 45-yard TD catch from Staubach, and an option pass from RB Robert Newhouse to WR Golden Richards) sealing the outcome in the 2nd half.

30-VI, Dallas 24 - Miami 3 (at New Orleans)...Although the outcome was still in doubt at halftime, when Dallas led only 10-3, the Cowboys quickly took control in the 3rd Q, and Miami didn’t threaten thereafter. The enduring memory of this game was RB Duane Thomas’ famous one-word answer (“evidently”) to a long-winded question from CBS broadcaster Tom Brookshier on the postgame show.

31-XXXVII, Tampa Bay 48 - Oakland 21 (at San Diego)...This game was almost more interesting for its ironies (none greater than HC Jon Gruden, in his first year with the Bucs after leaving Oakland) than any action on the field. The Raiders made it mildly interesting in the 4th Q, cutting a 34-3 deficit to 34-21, before the Bucs capped the game with a pair of exclamation points in the form of two interception TDs in the last two minutes, their 2nd and 3rd such scores of the contest!

32-XXVII, Dallas 30 - Buffalo 13 (at Atlanta)...Even when the favored Cowboys seemed to sleepwalk through the 1st half, trailing 13-6 at intermission, there seemed to be an inevitablity about XXVII that the Bills would again find a way to lose, as they had done in the three previous Super Bowls. It took James Washington’s 46-yard fumble return for a 3rd Q TD to finally turn the tide, and Dallas never seemed in danger thereafter, with Buffalo providing little resistance in the 2nd half and surrendering meekly in the end.

33-XXXIII, Denver 34 - Atlanta 19 (at Miami)...Denver finally got to enjoy an easy Super Bowl win in a contest that lacked any sustained drama, with the Broncos up by as much as 31-6 in the 4th Q. In the aftermath, there would be a nice "feel good" factor as John Elway, in what would be his final game, was named MVP following his 336-yard passing night.

34-XII, Oakland 32 - Minnesota 14 (at Pasadena)...The Vikings were simply manhandled in a battle that lacked much intrigue after the Raiders moved easily to a 16-0 halftime lead and cruised home. Oakland’s dominance was reflected in a then SB-record 266 yards rushing, with vet DB Willie Brown’s 75-yard interception return TD a nice capper in the 4th quarter.

35-XXIX, San Francisco 49 - San Diego 26 (at Miami)...Though the final margin wasn’t as large as some other famous SB beatings, this game was every bit as one-sided as the worst of them, as the 49ers appeared capable of scoring whenever they pleased before easing up in the 2nd half. Complete mismatch.

36-XXII, Washington 42- Denver 10 (at San Diego)...This one ceased to be a competitive affair about midway in the 2nd Q, when the Redskins were in the midst of the most-devastating stanza in SB history. The startling 35 points (including four Doug Williams TD passes) in that period required only 18 plays in the five TD drives and set a one-quarter SB scoring record that will be hard to top, and it was all the more amazing because Denver had looked ready to score an early KO of its own when it jumped to a quick 10-0 lead. When the carnage was complete, Washington had amassed a SB record 602 yards, and heretofore obscure RB Timmy Smith gained a SB-record 204 yards rushing. We still can’t figure out if XXII was simply one of the great efforts by one team in a title game, or, in Denver’s case, one of the most feeble and humiliating.

37-XV, Oakland 27 - Philadelphia 10 (at New Orleans)...A disappointing showing by the Eagles, who were down 14-0 before the 1st Q ended, contributed heavily to an absolute lack of drama in XV. Three TD passes by Jim Plunkett and 3 picks by Raider LB Rod Martin highlighted the surprisingly one-sided proceedings.

38-XXVI, Washington 37 - Buffalo 24 (at Minneapolis)...More one-sided than the final might indicate, as the Redskins enjoyed 24-0 & 37-10 leads before a couple of garbage-time Buffalo TDs made the final more respectable. Thurman Thomas forgetting about his helmet at the start of the game summed up a dispirited Bills effort.

39-XXVII, Dallas 52 - Buffalo 17 (at Pasadena)...The Bills’ capitulation was particularly onerous because they simply didn’t seem so overmatched in this game. But their almost-comical nine turnovers precluded this from becoming the competitive affair most envisioned. Buffalo’s only highlight was WR Don Beebe streaking downfield to slap the ball out of Leon Lett’s hand before the latter would have scored one last TD for the rampant Cowboys.

40-XXXV, Baltimore 34 - N.Y. Giants 7 (at Tampa)...An exceedingly drab game with little or no drama, dominated by the Ravens defense, which rendered the Giants offense helpless while holding it without a score. Indeed, the only fireworks in XXXV came in bang-bang-bang succession in the 3rd Q, with TDs on successive plays by Baltimore’s Duane Starks (interception), New York’s Ron Dixon (kickoff return), and the Ravens’ Jermaine Lewis (yet another kickoff return). Otherwise, XXXV threatened to put Sominex out of business.

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