10 most emotional Super Bowl moments of all-time
The Super Bowl has tested the emotions of fans and players during clutch moments. Here are some of the most emotional moments of the big game.
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Aaron Donald celebrates after winning the Super Bowl LVI (Image via NFL/X)
The Super Bowl is an event where the emotions of players and fans run wild. It is hard to keep the emotions under check because the two teams playing in the big game have reached that stage after a long and arduous season.
Unlike the NBA or MLB, there is just one championship game rather than a multiple-game series in the NFL. Just one night to give it all, and one night to turn up. This is a big reason why the Super Bowl is a more emotional affair than other leagues.
While each Super Bowl has an emotional element to it, a few stand out due to the storylines that made them compelling. These are the ten most emotional Super Bowl games in NFL history:
10. Super Bowl XLIII
A remarkable night filled with legends on both nights, the big game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals was a thriller. From Larry Fitzgerald‘s 64-yard reception to James Harrison‘s 100-yard interception returned for a touchdown, the game had both fanbases going through emotional ups and downs.
The highlight, however, remains the final drive for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger orchestrated a game-winning drive and connected with wideout Santonio Holmes for a six-yard touchdown. The wideout’s toe-tap touchdown was the perfect ending to a night where he recorded 131 yards and 1 touchdown before winning Super Bowl MVP.
9. Super Bowl XXXIV
The big game between the St. Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans is one that fans of the latter can never forget. Both teams were in pursuit of their first Super Bowl title and the Rams had The Greatest Show on Turf offense leading the charge.
It is significant for two reasons. For the Rams, who went on to win 23-16, it marked their first Lombardi win by the biggest underdog in NFL history, Kurt Warner. He is the only undrafted quarterback to have won a Super Bowl MVP and on this night, he set the records for the most passing yards and passing attempts without an interception. It was the perfect ending to an emotional season for Warner.
For the Titans, this game was emotional because of the final play. Now known as One Yard Short, this play featured the team’s tight end serving the role of a decoy to open the field up for wideout Kevin Dyson.
Things worked just the way Tennessee had hoped for it to and QB Steve McNair threw it to Dyson, except he was brought down just one yard short of the end zone. Tennessee had no timeouts and with just 2 seconds left on the clock, they could not run another play. This cost them a chance to take the game to overtime and possibly win a Super Bowl.
8. Super Bowl XLIV
The 2010 Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts was an interesting matchup. Led by Drew Brees, NOLA was considered the underdog headed into this game. The franchise had never won a Super Bowl before and to win it, they had to overcome a Colts team led by Peyton Manning.
The city of New Orleans needed a morale boost in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and this game did just that. Drew Brees went on to throw 32 completions for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns while winning the MVP Award. He tied Tom Brady‘s record for most completions in a Super Bowl. Interestingly, neither the Colts nor the Saints have since returned to the Super Bowl.
7. Super Bowl XXV
The Buffalo Bills fanbase has been tormented for ages. In recent years, they have struggled to overcome the Chiefs in the Divisional and Championship Rounds. However, at one point in franchise history, they went on to make four Super Bowl games in a row, but lost every one of them.
This painful streak began in 1991 as the Bills went up against the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The game came down to the wire and with seconds left in the final quarter, the Giants were up 20-19. Fortunately, Buffalo had the opportunity to kick a field goal and win it all.
Kicker Scott Norwood had the chance to seal the win for them with a 47-yarder. Except his kick wound up going wide-right and cost the Bills a chance to win their first Super Bowl. This game was more emotional for fans of the losing team than the winning franchise. It also remains the only Super Bowl game where the win margin was 1 point.
6. Super Bowl LV
In a game that featured the matchup between the old guard versus the new guard, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers pulled off the unthinkable. For the first time after two decades, Brady left New England to play in Tampa Bay. He had a chip on his shoulder as he wanted to prove that he still had a lot of fight left in him.
What better way to do this than by beating the quarterback who was being dubbed as the next big thing? As the Buccaneers went on to face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, they put up the most dominant defensive performance any team has put up against Patrick Mahomes. Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl in the first year of playing on a new team and broke the narrative that he could not succeed without Bill Belichick.
5. Super Bowl XLII
One of the biggest upsets in NFL history came with its fair share of emotional ups and downs. The matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, led by Eli Manning, is considered to be one of the greatest Super Bowl games.
The Patriots entered the game as overwhelming favorites. This team was special, with Randy Moss and Tom Brady playing their first season together, New England went on to have an undefeated season. The Giants, on the other hand, went on to finish with a 10-6 record.
The final 3 minutes of gameplay in which Eli Manning orchestrated the Giants’ game-winning drive makes this game memorable. David Tyree’s iconic helmet catch and subsequent conversions by Steve Smith and Plaxico Burress gave the Giants the lead and their third Super Bowl win. It was also the first of two times that Eli Manning went on to beat Brady in the Super Bowl.
4. Super Bowl XXXVI
The 2002 Super Bowl was historic for many reasons. It was the first championship game to be held after the tragic 9/11 attacks. The Superdome was heavily guarded and with security everywhere, the New England Patriots were going up against the dominant St. Louis Rams led by Kurt Warner.
It was Tom Brady’s first year as a starter, and he was playing in the first big game of his career. After an emotional halftime performance by U2, the underdog Patriots went on to beat the Rams courtesy of a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri.
3. Super Bowl LVI
For nearly a decade, Matthew Stafford had proven himself to be a reliable quarterback in the NFL. With consecutive 4,000+ yard seasons under his belt, Stafford was unable to achieve postseason success because he was part of the Detroit Lions franchise.
However, things changed in 2021 after the Los Angeles Rams traded their franchise QB Jared Goff in exchange for Stafford. The trade was criticized at the time, with fans being uncertain of the impact a veteran such as Stafford could make. This was just two years after Goff had taken the Rams to the Super Bowl and lost 3-13 to New England.
However, Matthew Stafford had an immediate impact in LA. He went on to make the Super Bowl and win his first career title. It was emotional because Stafford had never tasted victory of this magnitude before, and now he did the unthinkable.
2. Super Bowl LI
While talking about the greatest comebacks in NFL history, this game sits atop them all. The Atlanta Falcons were closer than ever to winning their first Super Bowl championship. With a dominant 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots halfway through the third quarter, the game appeared to be done.
No team had ever come back from such a big deficit in Super Bowl history. However, the Patriots solidified their greatness by going on to score 25 straight points while holding Atlanta scoreless. They went on to tie the game at 28 and sent the matchup to overtime.
New England received the kickoff and scored a touchdown to complete the comeback. This game is the nightmare of every Falcons fan as the team never made it back to a Super Bowl after.
1. Super Bowl XLIX
The ending of the 2015 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will be unforgettable. In the final moments of the fourth quarter, the Patriots led 28-24, but the Seahawks orchestrated a game-winning drive that would have been successful had they decided to run the ball.
Tom Brady and the Patriots had lost hopes of winning the game as the Seahawks were one yard away from scoring a touchdown. However, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks decided to throw the ball rather than hand it off to Marshawn Lynch.
The rest that happened is history as Russell Wilson‘s pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler in the endzone. For a team that was on the brink of losing, the Patriots’ emotions went through a rollercoaster journey in the final moments of the game.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2290 Articles Published)