Super Bowl LVI sees the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals meet at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday. This should be an exciting matchup and if you want to make a bet on the first touchdown scorer or overall winner of the game the BetXchange has a ton of betting options to choose from.
Our Super Bowl preview will come closer to kickoff, but for now, let’s take a look back at the top 10 Super Bowl moments from the previous 55 editions of the greatest single-day sporting event of them all.
Doug Williams Wild Quarter
It is not often a Super Bowl is decided in the second quarter. The 1988 Super Bowl, however, was one that could have been turned off at half-time.
The Denver Broncos were 10-0 up after one period of that Super Bowl. They were then behind 35-10 after a further 15 minutes of play. Williams went -of-11 through the air, putting up 228 yards and four touchdowns in a quarter matched by no player before or since.
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake
Not all memorable moments happen on the field. For many Americans the TV commercials are as important as the game itself – the ad slots cost millions of dollars for a 30-second window – and the half-time show is also a huge deal.
It was during the half-time show of the 2004 Super Bowl where this moment occurred. Janetgate – to give its politically correct name – saw Timberlake reveal more than CBS was expecting to see of Jackson during the show. The half-time event caused widespread controversy and debate, seeing (among other things) Jackson’s songs being removed from many radio formats worldwide.
The Philly Special
The Eagles knew they would have to score and score and score some more to beat a Patriots’ team that was offensively mighty. That is why head coach Doug Peterson turned down a field goal with the Eagles facing 4th-and-goal on the Pats’ one-yard line with 38 seconds left in the first half.
Instead, the Eagles went full-on tricky. A snap to running back Corey Clement, a pitch to tight end Trey Burton, a lob pass to quarterback Nick Foles who was as open as open could be in the end zone. This play helped propel the Eagles to their 41-33 win.
Wide Right
The Buffalo Bills are famous for their four Super Bowl losing streak in the early 1990s and the first might have hurt the most. Despite having the most powerful offense in the league they barely had the ball as the New York Giants controlled the clock with more than 40 minutes of possession.
Even so, the Bills had a kick to win in the closing seconds with kicker Scott Norwood lining up a 47-yard field goal. The Bills were down 20-19, the kick would win the game, but the kick went way to the right and their losing run in the biggest game began.
Devin Hester’s Return
If Devin Hester wasn’t the best kick returner in NFL history he is certainly in the conversation. His record 14 punt return touchdowns and his impressive five kickoff return touchdowns are accentuated by his returning of the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI 92 yards for a score.
This might be higher on the list had the Chicago Bears pushed on from their rookie’s massive play to win. They could not, however, as Peyton Manning on the Indianapolis Colts came away 29-17 victors.
Elway Helicopter’s for a First Down
Tom Brady might have been the greatest quarterback to defeat father time, but John Elway wasn’t far behind. Elway had been pummelled in three previous Super Bowl visits and he was not going to let that happen in Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers.
The game was tied 17-17 in the third quarter with Denver facing third-and-six from the Packers 12. Elway – at the age of 37 and never being known for being a runner – scrambled and dived for the marker while being smashed by two defenders. The result was a helicopter spin that took him over the line to gain and when Terrell Davis scored on the ground a few plays later the Broncos were in the driving seat. They would never give that up.
Mike Jones Perfect Tackle
The St. Louis Rams and their “Greatest Show on Turf” offense was supposed to beat the Tennessee Titans with ease in the 2000 Super Bowl. Established as a 14 point favorite, the Rams were close to allowing Tennessee to force overtime as Steve McNair had driven his team – down by seven points – to the 10-yard line with 10 seconds on the clock.
In one of the most famous plays ever, Kevin Dyson caught a slant at the three-yard line. Rams’ linebacker Jones came from nowhere, hitting Dyson low and tackling the wide receiver with the ball inside the one as time expired.
The Helmet Catch
This is by far the most famous play of David Tyree’s career. The Patriots came into this game undefeated and looking to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins by winning every game on their schedule in a season.
The heavily favored Pats were ahead 14-10 and on their own 44 with just over a minute left on the clock. Eli Manning threw up a prayer to his fifth choice wideout. Tyree somehow contrived to pin the ball to his helmet under heavy pressure from Rodney Harrison and the Giants went on to complete the miracle comeback as ex-Dolphins popped their champagne.
No Marshawn Lynch?
The most discussed – and probably worst – coaching call in Super Bowl history happened in 2015 Super Bowl. Russell Wilson took the Seattle Seahawks to the brink of immortality with a gutsy, rugged 79-yard drive down to the New England one-yard line.
Trailing 28-24 and with the beast himself Marshawn Lynch in the backfield this simply had to be a running play. Lynch had 13 touchdowns and over 1,300 yards on the season and with 26 seconds left on the clock, there was time for multiple runs to find that yard. instead, the Seahawks threw the ball and Malcolm Butler’s interception sealed the deal for the Pats.
The Comeback
It should be no surprise that a Tom Brady moment tops this list. The New England Patriots were essentially done in the 2017 Super Bowl. They were down to the Atlanta Falcons by 25 points – 28-3 – with just 24 minutes left in the game. The offense had been putrid. The game was over.
Except it wasn’t.
Brady went 21-of-26 for 234 yards and two touchdowns over the remainder of the game – then passed for 50 more yards in overtime – as the Evil Empire roared back for yet another Super Bowl win.
