Largest Super Bowl Point Spreads Ever

The very first Super Bowl was first played in 1967 and was conceived as way to pit the best team from the AFL against the best team from the NFL. For four seasons (1966-1969) the only time teams from these two leagues would ever meet was the Super Bowl. As a result there was simple no gauge to tell how they would matchup. Many thought that the Super Bowl was a bad idea  for the first few years because they believed the NFL had all of the best talent and was so well established and the AFL were simply under-gunned. It wasn’t long before they were proven wrong.

The first two Super Bowls were in fact blowouts by the NFL. But when Joe Namath and his upstart Jets beat the Colts in Super Bowl 3, shockwaves were felt through pro football. It was a sign of a real competition and the makings of what the Super Bowl would become, which is the biggest sporting event in the USA.

That Jets/Colts Super Bowl is actually near the top of our list of the largest Super Bowl point spreads ever. Baltimore were 18 point favorites before the line crept down to 16.5 before game time. Some folks believe the fix was in. But that is neither here nor there.

Here is a countdown from 5 to 1 of the largest Super Bowl Point Spreads:

#5 (Tied) Super Bowl 1 – Green Bay (-14) vs Kansas City

Like we mentioned early in the article, the NFL Conference (Now called NFC) were the dominant conference. Green Bay, with players like Bart Starr and Jim Taylor, dominated the Chiefs led by Head Coach Hank Stram. The Packers won 35-10 and covered the big point spread.

#5 (Tied) Super Bowl 31 – Green Bay (-14) vs New England

The Pack were back with another 14 point spread and even though they and their QB Brett Favre dominated, the Patriots featuring Drew Bledsoe were able to score some point slate to create a “push” at the sportsbook. Final score 35-21.

#5 (Tied) Super Bowl 36 – St. Louis Rams (-14) vs New England

The Rams were riding high with their guy Kurt Warner and crew. They had achieved Super Bowl glory two years prior with “The Greatest Show on Turf” and everyone thought it would be another route as they faced the Patriots who were featuring their backup QB. The only problem for the Rams was that the backup QB they were facing was none other than Tom Brady. I don’t need to say anymore than that. Final score: Patriots won 20-17. This was the second largest straight upset in Super Bowl history. #1 belongs to the next team on this list.

#2 Super Bowl 3 – Baltimore Colts (-18) vs Jets

As we mentioned above, the line for this one creeped down to -16 before kickoff but was -18 most of that week. Either way, it is good enough for #2 on our list. The Jets and Namath pulled off the largest upset in Super Bowl history that year, winning 16-7.

#1 Super Bowl 29 – San Francisco (-18.5) vs San Diego

Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Ricky Waters were much too much for Junior Seau and his Chargers. The route was on from the jump. Chargers QB Stan Humphries and his guys looked like deer caught in headlights out there. The 49ers won 49-26 and it wasn’t even as close as that score would lead you to believe. The Chargers scored in garbage time while the 49er greats were on the sidelines yucking it up.

To see the largest point spreads in playoff history click here