We all know that no sporting event gets more hype every year than the Super Bowl. Of course, not every Super Bowl can live up to that incredible hype; that’s how the law of averages works. Over the years, we sports fans have been subjected to plenty of boring, uninspired Super Bowls. While we would prefer to forget some of these games, we believe that it’s only possible to appreciate the great Super Bowls if you acknowledge the terrible ones. With that in mind, we are five Super Bowls we would rather wipe from our memories altogether.
Super Bowl LIII – Patriots 13, Rams 3
This one is still fresh in our minds for all of the wrong reasons. The Rams were supposed to have a high-powered offense, but with Todd Gurley nursing an injury, that was anything but the case.
Likewise, Tom Brady and the Patriots weren’t exactly clicking on all cylinders either. We suffered through a game that was 3-3 heading into the fourth quarter and saw 14 total punts. In the end, Brady and the Pats found a way, as usual.
Super Bowl XX – Bears 46, Patriots 10
We don’t mean to disparage the Bears and their “Super Bowl Shuffle,” but they turned this game into a blowout that was never in question. The Patriots never had a chance against the Chicago defense, which was clear from the start.
The only silver lining was William “Refrigerator” Perry scoring a rushing touchdown. That was the only thing that made this Super Bowl close to watchable.
Super Bowl XXXV – Ravens 24, Giants 7
A lot of people actually thought that the Giants had a chance in this game, but they were stifled by the Baltimore defense. Kerry Collins threw four interceptions with the Giants punting on their 11 other possessions.
New York’s only score came on a kickoff return that was immediately canceled by a kickoff return for a touchdown by Baltimore. The Ravens were also far from scintillating offensively, gaining just 244 yards and 13 first-downs, turning this Super Bowl into a lopsided snooze-fest.
Super Bowl XXVII – Cowboys 52, Bills 17
The third time was not the charm for the Bills, as Buffalo’s third straight trip to the Super Bowl was easily the worst. The Bills actually scored first before this became a disaster.
There were 11 turnovers in this game, nine of which were committed by the Bills. The quality of play was nowhere close to what we’d expect from a Super Bowl, which makes this one of the most disappointing games in Super Bowl history.
Super Bowl XXIV – 49ers 55, Broncos 10
The hype of a Joe Montana-John Elway Super Bowl turned into a massive let down. On top of that, Denver’s defense led the NFL that season, giving up just 14 points per game. However, Montana and the 49ers cut through that defense like a knife while Elway and the Broncos had no answer offensively, totaling just 167 yards of offense.
By the time San Francisco went up 20-3 midway through the second quarter, this game was as good as over. The Broncos ended up getting humiliated in the second half, making this a game everyone outside of the Bay Area would like to forget.