Top 5 Super Bowl Blowouts

Ryan Fox

When you think of Super Bowl, you think of many things. You think about a team who ran the gauntlet, defeating the best teams to reach the top like the 2014 New England Patriots, about a team pulling the greatest upset of all time like the 1969 New York Jets, or a nail biting finish where one team pulled off that big comeback like the 1988 San Francisco 49ers. But with every great Super Bowl, there’s always that one Super Bowl you think will be close but then turns out to be a giant blowout. A blowout where everything goes wrong and you wish the game would move faster.

As Super Bowl 50 approaches, we look back at five of the greatest blowouts in Super Bowl history. Warning, if you are a fan of one of the teams listed below then you should not read this. 

Honorable Mention:​ Super Bowl XXXV

Baltimore Ravens: 34
New York Giants: 7

​Two words to describe this Super Bowl: Kerry Collins. The Giants’ QB had himself one of the worst Super Bowl performances (15-for-39 for 112, 4 INTs) but it only symbolized the team’s struggle in the game. The Ravens’ defense smothered the Giants’ offense, holding them to a merely net total of 152 yards, forced 5 turnovers, and shut them out. The only points the Giants got was on a Ron Dixon kickoff return for a touchdown, which was followed up by a Jermaine Lewis kickoff return for a touchdown to put the Ravens on top for good and help epitomize the Ravens’ dominance in the game. 

​5. Super Bowl XXII

Washington Redskins: 42    
Denver Broncos: 10    

There are a few reasons why this ranks at the bottom of the list. It’s because A. The Redskins were trailing by double digit points after the first quarter, B. Nearly all of the Redskins’ points just came in one quarter (35 points in the second quarter), and C. The Broncos dominated in time of possession (35:15 to 24:45). But that being said, this game was all about the Redskins. Their 35 points in just the second quarter is still the record for most points scored by a single team in the Super Bowl. Not to mention that their 602 total yards of offense, including a record 280 total yards rushing (204 by RB Timmy Smith alone), is still a Super Bowl record to this day. And who could forget the spectacular performance by Redskins QB Doug Williams (18-for-29, 340 yards, 4 TDs & 1 INT), which gave him the MVP and cemented his legacy as becoming the first African American QB to win the Super Bowl MVP.

​4. Super Bowl XVIII

Los Angeles Raiders: 38
Washington Redskins: 9

As mediocre as the Raiders are today, they were a powerhouse in the AFC during the 1980s. In an era where the NFC dominated in the big game, the Raiders captured the only 2 AFC Super Bowls victories. Of those two victories, their Super Bowl XVIII performance against the Redskins sticks out the most. Just absolute dominance by the silver in black. The Redskins came into the game as the offensive juggernaut of the NFL that year in 1983 (541 points scored, 6,139 yards on total offense) and running back John Riggins won the NFL MVP that year (1,347 & 24 TDs season). Looking to repeat, they walked up to the Raiders and gave them a shove. The Raiders responded back with a punch to the mouth.

​The boys in silver and black harassed Redskins QB Joe Theisman all day, sacking him 6 times and forced him to throw a costly interception before the end of the first half to make it 21-3 in favor of the Raiders. Then they turned their attention to Riggins, holding the league MVP to a paltry 64 yards on 26 carries (2.46 yard per carry) and a meaningless touchdown. in the second half, it was the Marcus Allen show as the Raider running back ran all over the Redskins’ defense for a then Super Bowl record 191 yards. Most memorable was his 74 yard touchdown run that just made all the defenders look foolish and clumsy as he streaked on by them. It’ll be a while for the Raiders to get back to Super Bowl glory but back in Super Bowl XVIII, they looked like a squad that could take on any team in any era.

3. Super Bowl XLVIII
       
Seattle Seahawks: 43
Denver Broncos: 8

So far in the 21st century, there have only been two blowout Super Bowls: A 48-21 victory for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII back during the 2002-03 NFL season and then this one. You could tell things would go wrong for the Denver Broncos when the ball was snapped and flew by Broncos QB Peyton Manning into the end zone for a safety. The only time this game was close was after the first quarter when it was 8-0 in favor of the Seahawks. After that, they just seemed to pile on the Broncos and move the ball at will. Even after halftime, the Seahawks continued to dominate as they opened up with a demoralizing 87 yard kick return from WR/KR Percy Harvin to make it 29-0 coming out of the half. Another touchdown pass from QB Russell Wilson that made the score 36-0, the Broncos were able to get on the scoreboard at the end of the third quarter to make it 36-8.

Going into this game, it was ticketed as the number one juggernaut offense in the league (Broncos) versus the number one vaulted defense in the league (Seahawks). However as the game unfolded, the Seattle defense dominated the Broncos offense in this one, limiting them to just 27 yards rushing, 8 points, and forcing 4 turnovers. But as bad as this loss was, this was the second worst blowout that involved the Denver Broncos. Number one has yet to make an appearance on the list.

2. Super Bowl XX
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Chicago Bears: 46
New England Patriots: 10

While the Patriots and their younger fans have enjoyed their success in the 21st century, many of the older fans still remember the abysmal regular seasons and the heartbreaking losses in the playoffs. But the loss to the Bears in Super Bowl XX was not just heartbreaking, it was soul crushing. While the game plan for the Patriots was to stop the greatest running back in NFL history Walter Payton (22 carries for 61 yards and a fumbled lost), they couldn’t game plan for the Bear’s devastating defense. Led by the likes of DE Richard Dent and LBs Mike Singletary and Ron Rivera, the Bears infamous ‘46 defense’ stifled and smothered the Patriots offense for the entire game.

The Pats ended up netting a total of 123 yards on offense (second worse all time), including a Super Bowl record low 7 rushing yards. Pats starting QB Tony Eason could not do anything as he recorded the worse QB performance in Super Bowl history (0-for-6, 0 yards and a fumbled lost). He was then benched with 5 minutes to go in the second quarter for back-up QB and fan favorite Steve Grogan (Grogan finished 17-for-30 for 177 yards, 1 TD & 2 INT). Meanwhile, the Bears offense racked up 39:15 minutes in time of possession and had 4 rushing touchdowns, including 2 by QB Jim McMahon who outperformed both Pats QBs (12-for-20, 256 yards). This was definitely a beat down for the ages. The 36 point differential between the two teams is the second largest point differential of all-time in a Super Bowl game. The only team to have a greater point differential than the ’85 Bears was the winner of the number one blowout in Super Bowl history.

1. Super Bowl XXIV

San Francisco 49ers: 55
Denver Broncos: 10

It seemed like the 1980s were full of blowout Super Bowls. But no blowout during the 1980s or even during the entire Super Bowl area could top the blowout that was Super Bowl XXIV. Even at the start of the game, experts picked the 49ers to win this game. But nobody could foresee the absolute dominance by the red and gold. Just after one quarter, the 49ers were up 13-3 (kicker Mike Cofer missed the extra point on the second 49ers TD). Then in the next three quarters, the 49ers would score two touchdowns in each quarter to set the record for the most points in a Super Bowl at 55.

Overall, the 49ers scored 8 touchdowns with 3 on the ground and 5 in the air by the game’s MVP QB Joe Montana (24-for-32 for 317 yards, 5 TD & 0 INT). They also dominated in time of possession (39:31 to 20:29), in total yards (461 to 167), and the 45 point differential between the two teams rank as the highest point differential in Super Bowl history. On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers defense held the Broncos to a total of 167 yards on offense, including a paltry 64 yards rushing total. They harassed Broncos QB John Elway, limiting him to go 10-for-26 for 108 yards with 2 INTs and sacking him 6 times for 33 net yards lost. Even with all his accolades and getting those two Super Bowl victories towards the end of his career, John Elway cannot wash off nor escape the fact that he was apart of the biggest blowout ever in Super Bowl history.

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