Super Bowl Highlights: Iconic Moments Through the Years

Super Bowl highlights are as numerous as the games themselves. That didn’t figure to be the case at the outset, as the newly-created championship game between the American and National Football Leagues began with a fair amount of skepticism. Back in 1967, when the NFL’s Green Bay Packers easily disposed of the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, there were “acres” of empty seats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

Green Bay, led by quarterback Bart Starr, continued its dominance against the Oakland Raiders in the second game, and the prevailing feeling was the game wasn’t fair. There was a merger approaching between the warring leagues, and the imbalance between the two was undeniable. 

Then came Super Bowl III in Miami…  

What Is the Most Popular Super Bowl of All Time?

The most popular Super Bowl ever is debatable, but if you look at NFL Super Bowl news, it won’t take long to find the third game at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

It was January of 1969 when the hugely-favored Baltimore Colts of the NFL opposed the AFL’s New York Jets. Thus, after a pair of lopsided wins by the Green Bay Packers, it was the Colts who were supposed to continue the superiority of the established league.

They didn’t tell Joe Namath. 

What Is Considered the Greatest Super Bowl of All Time?

Fans and their loyalties lead to personal NFL Super Bowl preferences, but in keeping with the previous theme, let’s choose Super Bowl III.  It’s not as if the game itself was scintillating, but the New York Jets’ 16-7 win over the Baltimore Colts was methodical and complete. 

Entering as around 18-point underdogs, New York controlled both lines and scrimmage thus the game. Quarterback Joe Namath, who had set wild passing records that season in the American Football League, kept the Colts at bay with short throws.

He didn’t even attempt a pass in the final quarter, though still earning the MVP honors. 

Meanwhile, running back Matt Snell had 121 ground yards, scoring his team’s only touchdown.    

More than a win, the outcome gave credibility to the entire American Football League and the Super Bowl itself. The next season, when the Kansas City Chiefs did the same thing to the Minnesota Vikings at Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, parity had been achieved as the league morphed into one. 

What Are the Key Moments From the Most Recent Super Bowl?

Examining the NFL highlights of the latest Super Bowl (Game No. LVIII in suburban Las Vegas), it was a second consecutive win by the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football Conference. They defeated the NFC’s San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in overtime. 

KC was in a 10-0 hole in the second quarter, eventually tying the game at 19 in the regulation time’s final seconds. Then, after a Niner field goal to begin overtime, game MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs threw the winning short pass, giving the Chiefs a third title in the past five seasons.

Mahomes had nearly 400 yards (333 passing, 66 rushing) by himself.

It was just the second time the Super Bowl went to overtime (the New England Patriots with a big rally to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Game No. LI).  

   
Any Final Thoughts?

Super Bowl highlights abound throughout the NFL, including the high theatrics of the halftime show and the high cost of the commercials. In the interest of full disclosure, games have run the gamut between dramatic and dull, but there have been a number of iconic plays (some resulting in touchdowns) involving offense, defense, and special teams.

All sorts of money is wagered on the Super Bowl each year. Note that Super Bowl LIX returns to New Orleans (11th time overall, eighth inside the Superdome), Game No. LX is at Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California), and Game No. LXI at SoFi Stadium at the home of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack (Inglewood, California). 

Additional Resources:

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/top-50-super-bowl-moments-all-time 

https://www.tsn.ca/nfl/super-bowl-greatest-moments-super-bowl-lvii-1.1911762 

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g5072/greatest-super-bowl-moments/