What was the best close Super Bowl in terms of points? 9 point spread or less? 14 point spread or less? Other?

Question

Each of these Super Bowls through Super Bowl 45, were close in the end, with the loser coming within 9 points or less of the winner. Which do you think was the best of the lot? Or perhaps you think a Super Bowl not listed (that was not a blow out, but maybe close at the half or through 3 quarters etc) was better?

Super Bowl 3: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7
Super Bowl 5: Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13
Super Bowl 7: Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7
Super Bowl 10: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
Super Bowl 13: Pittsburgh Steelers 35, Dallas Cowboys 31
Super Bowl 16: San Francisco Forty-Niners 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
Super Bowl 23: San Francisco Forty-Niners 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Super Bowl 25: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
Super Bowl 32: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
Super Bowl 34: Saint Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
Super Bowl 36: New England Patriots 20, Saint Louis Rams 17
Super Bowl 38: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29
Super Bowl 39: New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 21
Super Bowl 42: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
Super Bowl 43: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
Super Bowl 45: Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25

Other considerations (games of 10 to 14 point spreads):

Super Bowl 9: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
Super Bowl 14: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19
Super Bowl 17: Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17
Super Bowl 26: Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
Super Bowl 30: Dallas Cowboys 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Super Bowl 31: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21
Super Bowl 40: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
Super Bowl 41: Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17
Super Bowl 44: New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17

There were a few other games of 15 point spreads but they appeared blow outs, like Super Bowl 1: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10. It was hard to generate a good list, is why I put 2 lists together, because I haven't seen every Super Bowl. I remember the Denver and Washington Super Bowl 22, was close at the half, for example, (Denver may have even been leading) but Washington won 42-10.

So the question is, which do you think was the closest Super Bowl in terms of points and who lost that might otherwise have won if a few things went their way, and maybe even a blowout Super Bowl could be considered?

Thanks in advance for your answers. I am just trying to figure out what is the greatest Super Bowl of all time, where both teams played their hearts out and the loser almost won?

Answer 1

To me Superbowl 34 was the best. The Titans were down by 16 in the third quarter, and 10 in the fourth. their the only team to overcome a double digit lead in the fourth quarter in ithe Superbowl. The game was tied with a little under two minutes left in the game when the Rams got the ball. On the first play Kurt Warner threw a 73 yard touchdown to give the Rams the lead. The Titans were down 16-23 on the 12 yard line with 1:48 left in the game, with only 1 timeout. The Titans Drove the ball down to the 10 yard line with only 6 seconds left to play. Dyson did a slant route and was left wide open so McNair through it to him, but right as Dyson caught the ball, Mike Jones looked over his shoulder and seen Dyson catch the ball and he immediatly switched directions and went after Dyson. He got to Dyson about 2 yards before the endzone started to bring him down. Dyson kept fighting forward and finally reached out for the endzone with the ball, but his shoulder pad hit the ground as reached out and he came up just inches short and the Titans lost the superberbowl. If Jones never saw the catch, if Jones was a split second slower or Dyson was a plit second faster, or if he got tackled differently, or if Dyson's arms were a few inches longer the Titans would have tied the game and would of forced the first overtime in superbowl history. The super bowl was determined by a matter of inches. This why i think super bowl 34 was the best and the closest super bowl of all time.

Answer 2

OK first things first: SB I -- Packers only led the Chiefs 14-10 at half when Starr hit McGee with his second touchdown pass of the game early in the third quarter then Dawson got personally acquainted with the PAckers pass rush the rest of the afternoon.



SB XXII: When I left for church the Broncos were up 10-0 six minutes into the game. When I got home Williams had just thrown his fourth touchdown pass of the second quarter. The 'Skins were up 35-10 at halftime of that one.



SB V: Terrible game with a combined 11 turnovers. O'Brien kicks the GW FG from 32 yards and Bob Lilly's helmet is still in orbit.



SB VII: Sloppy game to mark the end of the Dolphins' perfect season.



SB XVI: Personally disappointed in this one as I am a Bengals fan. Niners were up 20-0 at half and coasted through second half. Pete Johnson still does not know how he could not get under a goal line pile from a yard and a half out. On fourth down.



SB XXIII: No Bengals offensive touchdowns (93 KOR by Jennings only time Cincinnati saw an extra point) and Montana showed up for only one drive. Really a snoozer of a game.



To be bruattly honest, I do not think we have seen the greatest Super Bowl played yet. But If I have to choose it was XIII. Only if Jackie Smith had not dropped the wide open touchdown in the third quarter.

Answer 3

3 1/2 is about right. I wouldn't make it any higher, especially after watching the games yesterday. Granted the Saints were outgained by the Vikings, but the Colts allowed the Jets to throw for over 300 yards, and in the process made Sanchez actually look pretty good. I see both Manning and Brees passing for over 400 yards come Super Bowl Sunday.

Answer 4

Super Bowl XXV, only one decided by one point in a last second Field Goal.



Some will claim Super Bowl XXXIV because the Titans were a yard away to score but the Rams would have continued alive with a tie.

Answer 5

I think it's the Cardinals/Steelers