The New England Patriots have won the most Super Bowl championships in NFL history; which of their six victories was the most exciting though?
Of all 32 teams in the National Football League, only the AFC rival Pittsburgh Steelers can claim to be on the same championship level as the New England Patriots. Fresh off grinding out a victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53, the Patriots now share the Steelers’ exalted pedestal as being the only two professional football franchises with six Lombardi Trophies to their names.
Yet all wins are not created equal.
As many television viewers of Super Bowl 53 can attest, the Patriots and Rams didn’t exactly deliver what one would call “must-see TV” in this year’s championship game. There were almost as many total punts (14) as there were total points (16), and the Super Bowl went down as the lowest-scoring in NFL history.
Of course, New England football fans probably don’t mind that the game was decried as “boring” by some, because at the end of the day, their team still won a championship.
When considering all six of the Patriots’ Super Bowl victories, which games stand out above the rest as being the most exciting? And conversely, which wins were games that “only a mother (or a diehard Pats fan) could love?”
6. Super Bowl LIII vs Los Angeles Rams
Bill Belichick, Brian Flores, and the Patriots defense put on an absolute clinic on February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Some esteemed sportswriters went so far as to label it the “greatest defensive performance in history,” citing the potency of the Rams’ high-powered offense and the way it was completely shut down as reasons why.
Indeed, for fans of classic, smashmouth, black-and-blue pigskin football, this game was probably a delight. Both defenses came to play, checking both offenses at the door and forcing series after series to end in “punt, punt, downs, punt, interception, missed field goal, punt, punt, downs,” etc.
Unfortunately, today’s NFL values offensive fireworks, scoring, and individual production above bruising slugfests where neither team concedes an inch. Blame fantasy football, blame Sean McVay, blame Patrick Mahomes… blame whomever or whatever you want, but accept it all the same: the average NFL fan loves offense, and the league has taken notice.
Over the past 10 years, new rules have been implemented that make it harder and harder for NFL defenders to play defense. For better or for worse, it’s gotten to the point where a cornerback can get flagged for practically sneezing on a receiver as he runs by.
For the most part in the Super Bowl, the referees tend to let the teams play; which is a good thing, no doubt about it. No one wants to see a game bogged down by yellow laundry flying all over the field – they want to see footballs and human bodies flying all over the field instead.
While Super Bowl 53 was a fairly flag-less game with little to no major controversy, it still wasn’t exactly a barnburner. Unless you’re a hardcore Patriots fan – or an old-school football purist – chances are it wasn’t your cup of tea. Because of that, we have New England’s most recent win ranked last on our list of Super Bowl wins in terms of overall excitement level.
5. Super Bowl XXXIX vs Philadelphia Eagles
The Patriots and the Eagles have now tussled twice on the game’s greatest stage, with each team winning once. Philadelphia’s victory in Super Bowl LII was everything Super Bowl LIII was not – exciting, nail-bitingly close, thrilling to the finish… and ultimately heart-breaking for Beantown’s faithful.
13 years earlier, however, it was the City of Brotherly Love that was left with broken hearts and tearful eyes. Head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Donovan McNabb, and star wide receiver Terrell Owens had blazed a path through the rugged NFC all the way to Super Bowl 39 in Jacksonville, Florida, where they found Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Deion Branch waiting for them.
New England won a Super Bowl by three points for the third time in four years, establishing the framework for their current dynasty that continues on today. At the time, it was the first real NFL dynasty since the Cowboys of the 90s, the 49ers of the 80s, or the Steelers of the 70s. No one could have predicted then that Brady and Belichick would carry on their success for another 14 years after, reigning over the league as the NFL’s dominant power and gold standard.
Despite all the historical ramifications of the Patriots’ win over the Eagles, the game itself was not nearly as entertaining as the rematch in 2018.
Andy Reid’s curious clock management towards the end of the game stole most of the headlines, with the Eagles wasting valuable time huddling and moving without any real sense of urgency – despite it still being a one-score game. Thus was born Reid’s poor time management narrative, a knock that has followed him to Kansas City and throughout his professional coaching career.
Super Bowl XXXIX is also famous for McNabb throwing up on the sidelines, and for the reported beef between him and Owens that may or may not have boiled over and impacted the end result of the game. Neither player’s tenure in Philly lasted much longer.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad Super Bowl from an entertainment or excitement standpoint, but it still doesn’t favorably compare with the games ranked above it on this list.
4. Super Bowl XXXVI vs St. Louis Rams
Much as Super Bowl LII was a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX between the Patriots and the Eagles, Super Bowl LIII was a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI between the Patriots and the Rams. The biggest difference between these two series (other than the Patriots being 2-0 against the Rams and 1-1 against the Eagles in their Super Bowl battles) is that with the Rams, the first version of the Super Bowl matchup was more exciting than the second.
Super Bowl 36 is famous for a lot of reasons. It was the first time a Super Bowl participant elected to forgo individual player introductions before the game, instead choosing to come out of the locker room tunnel and be announced as a team. It was the first Super Bowl appearance for Bill Belichick as a head coach and the first Super Bowl appearance for Tom Brady as a quarterback.
Of course most significantly, it was the first Super Bowl victory for the New England Patriots as a franchise. Twice the team had advanced as far as the championship game, only to be defeated by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX and then by the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Super Bowl 36 essentially launched the Patriots dynasty as we know it today, serving as the springboard for both Belichick and Brady to begin their ascent to G.O.A.T. status at their respective positions.
For most of the first half of the game, the teams seemed to be trading soft blows, like two boxers trying to get a feel for their opponent in the ring. Then Pro Football Hall of Famer Ty Law jumped in front of Rams quarterback Kurt Warner’s throw and returned it 47 yards to the house for a pick-six…. and suddenly the game became electric.
Back and forth the two conference finalists went, blow-for-blow, with the 24-year-old, baby-faced Brady competently holding serve with the more established and prolific veteran passer Warner. When the Rams finally evened the score at 17 apiece in the fourth quarter, there was just 1:30 left on the clock, and it looked like the game would surely go to overtime.
Then Brady did what we’ve all come to expect from him so many times over the past two decades. Cool as a cucumber, methodical as a surgeon, the Patriots quarterback drove his team to set up a game-winning 48-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri.
It was an exhilarating finish to the Super Bowl, and would probably rank No. 3 on this list if it weren’t for the mini-shootout New England found themselves in just two years later.
3. Super Bowl XXXVIII vs Carolina Panthers
Perhaps the most underrated of all Patriots Super Bowls, Super Bowl 38 was actually a very entertaining game. Most people remember the other two games better in the early 2000s, simply because of the significance of their first win (against the “Greatest Show on Turf,” too) and because of how high-profile the opposition was in Super Bowl 39 (Reid, McNabb, and Owens).
Super Bowl 38 pitted the Patriots against John Fox’s Carolina Panthers, who were quarterbacked by Jake Delhomme at the time. History hasn’t judged that squad as being particularly heavy on the star power. The fact that the Panthers have only made it back to the big game once since then (where they were absolutely suffocated by Von Miller’s Broncos), combined with their lack of a long storied history as one of the newer franchises in the NFL, makes it easy to forget just how good a team the 2003-2004 Panthers really were.
This Super Bowl started out as a real snoozefest. Similar to this year’s Super Bowl, neither offense could get much of anything going to start the game, with both teams being held scoreless in the first quarter. There was a flurry of points scored towards the end of the first half, and then once again, the two teams were in a defensive showdown in the third quarter.
Entering the fourth quarter, the scoreboard read 14-10, Patriots. And that’s when this game absolutely exploded.
In less than 15 minutes, the two teams combined for 37 points. Carolina had three touchdowns (to go along with two failed two-point conversions and one successful PAT), and New England had two touchdowns and one field goal (along with one successful two-point conversion and one successful PAT).
It was the second straight Super Bowl the Patriots would win on a field goal, with Vinatieri connecting from 41 yards out as time expired. Based on the fourth quarter theatrics alone, this game tops the list of all the Patriots’ early-dynasty title wins in pure adrenaline.
2. Super Bowl XLIX vs Seattle Seahawks
This game had it all.
Two No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences meeting with a championship on the line. The prospect of the NFL’s last dynasty (New England) giving way to its newest (Seattle) with a Seahawks win. Pete Carroll, ex-coach of the Patriots, against his old pal Bill Belichick, current coach of the Patriots. The league’s most efficient offense against arguably the greatest defense statistically in NFL history.
Unfortunately, this Super Bowl is remembered primarily for two reasons; both of which are valid, but neither one of which tell the full story of just how exciting and compelling the action was that day in Phoenix, Arizona.
The first thing people remember about this Super Bowl is Malcolm Butler’s game-winning interception of Russell Wilson in the end zone after a perfectly-executed pick play. The second thing people remember is directly related to the first: namely, why in the world did Carroll call for a pass play from the 1-yard line when he had Marshawn Lynch as a runner in the backfield?
Football fans, analysts, and “experts” will no doubt debate and scrutinize Carroll’s decision for the rest of human history on this earth – or at least as long as football is still an organized sport, and still popular. Four years later, there are still conflicting opinions on whether or not the ball should have just been handed off to Lynch.
What’s not up for debate, though, is how this Super Bowl ending may have been the most dramatic in all of NFL history. Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that everything leading up to that final drive and final play was pretty darn sensational as well. Whether it was Jermaine Kearse making a miraculous circus catch on the sideline, Rob Gronkowski beating Kam Chancellor to the end zone, Dont’a Hightower’s shoestring tackle on Lynch, or any one of a number of other memorable plays, this game gave even the most apathetic observer something to cheer about for 60 minutes.
If it weren’t for the Super Bowl that followed two years later, Super Bowl 49 surely would have reigned supreme atop this list.
1. Super Bowl LI vs Atlanta Falcons
28-3.
Those numbers will be ingrained in both Patriots and Falcons team lore forever, albeit for very different reasons. With just over 8:30 left in the third quarter, New England found themselves down by 25 points and quickly running out of time to do something about it. Most fans watching the game had probably long since written off the Patriots, and it was fair to wonder if city officials in Atlanta were already drawing up plans for the victory parade route.
Then something magical happened: the Patriots scored a touchdown. James White took a 5-yard pass into the end zone, but Stephen Gostkowski missed the PAT, bringing the score to 28-9. Gostkowski redeemed himself about eight minutes later, converting on a 33-yard field goal that made the score 28-12.
Even at this point, the outlook looked grim for Brady, Belichick, and the Patriots. With less than 10 minutes left in the Super Bowl, the team was still down two scores. In a perfect world, the Pats needed to score two touchdowns and convert two two-point conversions, all in less than 10 minutes, and all without allowing the Falcons to put up any more points or bleed the clock.
Keep in mind: this was a record-setting Atlanta Falcons offense, led by MVP Matt Ryan, the unstoppable Julio Jones, and the brilliant Kyle Shanahan. Holding this offense at bay was borderline impossible in 2016-2017; hence the reason Belichick’s defense had allowed 28 points off of four straight touchdowns up to this point.
Thanks to an incredible combination of skill, luck, and maybe even divine intervention, New England somehow pulled it off. Julian Edelman’s crazy bobbling catch alone is worthy of vaulting this game up to the top spot in our rankings, but Super Bowl 51 had so much more than that.
Brady, White, and Danny Amendola were responsible for back-to-back touchdowns and two point conversions, and with 57 seconds left in regulation, the score of the Super Bowl somehow was tied. The game went to overtime (a first in NFL history), wherein the Patriots promptly won the coin toss, elected to receive, marched down the field, and rode all their momentum (and James White) into the end zone for the go-ahead, game-winning touchdown.
Final score: 34-28.
It remains the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, and is the kind of unreal story we may never see again in our lifetime. Countless sportswriters, fans, and analysts agree: Super Bowl 51 is arguably the greatest Super Bowl in history; so it’s no surprise it takes the catbird seat in our list of exciting Patriots championship wins.