Into The Archive: Super Bowl

1973 – SB VII – The Miami Dolphins’ Perfect Season

In 1973, the Miami Dolphins won the Super Bowl, completing a perfect season. Beating the Washington Redskins in the championship game, the Miami Dolphins capped a 17-0-0 season. Incredibly they remain the only team to have reached, and won the Super Bowl, undefeated and untied. Despite this monumental achievement, the Miami Dolphins were not received at the White House as is now the tradition – President Nixon was a Redskins fan after all. It wasn’t until 40 years later that President Obama hosted the team noting that they “never got their White House visit.”

1979 – SB XIII – Jackie Smith’s Final Game

Jackie Smith is a hall of famer as a former tight end in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. It was with the Dallas Cowboys that he played his final game at Super Bowl XIII in 1979. Sadly for Smith his final moments on the field were filled with anguish. In the third quarter of XIII, Smith dropped an easy touchdown pass from quaterback Roger Staubach. As he missed the pass, slipping on the field, with the ball bouncing off his chest incomplete, the commentator declares:

“Oh bless his heart, he’s gotta be the sickest man in America.”

1984 – SB XVIII – Allen Makes The Record Books

In Super Bowl XVIII, a match between the Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins, Raiders’ Marus Allen made history with a 74-yard touchdown run – a record which stood for 22 years. This incredible run helped give the Raiders a 38-9 win over the Redskins. Understandably, then, Allen is now a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

1988 – SB XXII – Williams Becomes A Legend

Doug Williams is a former quarter back and head coach. In 1988, at Super Bowl XXII, he became a true living legend as he led the Redskins to Super Bowl victory. A frankly remarkable performance, with a 35-point second quarter and arguably the high-point of his playing career, Williams was also the first African-American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. With this game, Williams made history in more ways than one.

1998 – SB XXXII – Elway Finally Wins

Over the years John Elway had had an amazing career and yet, he had not won a Super Bowl. This was until 1998 and Super Bowl XXXII between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos. At this point, Broncos’ Elway had been to the Super Bowl three previous times with an average score for these losses 45-13. The Packers, who were reigning champions, were favourites to win the title. However, in the second half, just as the teams were drawn 17-17, Elway made his move and led the Broncos down the field. Through sheer perseverance, Elway established what became known as “The Helicopter” play as he dove for the first down, hit two defenders and spun. It was a career defining moment for the 37 year old, testament to his determination to finally win.

2000 – SB XXXIV – The Final Tackle

In 2000 at Super Bowl XXXIV, the most thrilling moments of final play took place as the Tennessee Titans were behind the St. Louis Rams by a touchdown. The Rams maintained their lead until the end with the Titans’ ending just one yard short. Titans’ receiver Kevin Dyson and Rams’ linebacker Mike Jones were responsible for this nail-biting moment as Jones tackled Dyson about a yard short of their equalising. Announcer Al Micheals exclaimed “Can he get in?” as the ball hovered inches from the goal line in Dyson’s outstretched hand, “No, he cannot!”

2001 – SB XXXV – 21 Points In 36 Seconds

The next year at Super Bowl XXXV the match between the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens looked to be the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. That was until the third quarter when the teams combined for three touchdowns by return on consecutive plays. All of this in a mere 36 seconds. It was the first time in Super Bowl history that two kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the same Super Bowl game, and on back-to-back kickoffs. Simply extraordinary.

2008 – SB XLII – The Birth Of The Helmet Catch

Another iconic moment came at Super Bowl XLII in 2008, it was the birth of ‘the helmet catch’. The New York Giants were trailing 14-10 to the New England Patriots. Giants’ wide receiver David Tyree leaped into the air to catch a pass from quarterback Eli Manning, wrestling the ball away from a Patriots’ defender by seemingly pinning the ball to his helmet. This move by Tyree became an instant classic and the Giants went on to win, preventing the Patriots from becoming only the second team in history to achieve a perfect season.

2013 – SB XLVII – The Blackout Bowl

And it’s a blackout. Super Bowl XLVII made headlines in 2013 when the New Orleans’ Superdome stadium was plunged into darkness at the beginning of the second half. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers were forced to leave the field as spectators were left wondering just what had happened. It took 34 minutes for the electrical glitch to be sorted but, the real question remains if the suspended play affected the final score. Some people believe that this forced stop stalled the Ravens’ momentum and meant that the 49ers were able to storm back from a 28-6 deficit to 28–23 with 17 unanswered third-quarter points. The Ravens still went on to win the Super Bowl, just perhaps with less of a lead than had the glitch not occurred.

Los Angeles Rams vs New England Patriots

Sunday 3rd February 2019 6:30 pm ET at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

Halftime Headliners: Maroon 5

Both the Los Angeles Rams (+143, third) and New England Patriots (+111, fifth) were among the six teams with a triple-digit scoring differential so this is quite the match on the field.