The Five Worst Super Bowls Of The 21st Century
For every 28-3 comeback or Malcolm Butler interception, there are plenty of duds that leave fans wanting more.
As the anticipation builds for Sunday night's Super Bowl, most fans are expecting a competitive game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
If it's anything like the last time these two teams met with a Lombardi Trophy on the line, then this super showdown is bound to be appointment television.
But for every Malcolm Butler game-sealing interception or 28-3 comeback (sorry, Falcons fans), there are plenty of duds to close out an NFL season.
READ: The Four Worst Super Bowl Party Guests
What I'm trying to say is not every Super Bowl turned out so "super," and today, I wanted to look at five of the worst Super Bowls the 21st century has to offer.
5. Super Bowl 50 - Broncos def. Panthers (2016)
In a game that was just as famous for Cam Newton deciding not to jump on a loose ball as anything else that happened on the field, Super Bowl 50 lacked a lot of the flash and sizzle these games have become known for.
It shouldn't have been a shock to anyone paying attention, though, as it featured an elite defense on one side of the ball for the Broncos and an aging legend on the other.
Denver signal caller Peyton Manning was coming down the homestretch of his career, and his poor play throughout much of the 2015 regular season should've been a harbinger of things to come in Super Bowl 50.
Manning put up incredibly pedestrian stats (13-23 for 141 yards and an INT), while the Carolina offense failed to put so much as a dent in the vaunted Denver D.
Von Miller won Super Bowl MVP, and nine times out of ten, when a defensive player wins that award, you can bet your bottom dollar the game was a snooze fest.
4. Super Bowl LIX - Eagles def. Chiefs (2025)
While many fans probably enjoyed this game because it signified the end of the current iteration of the Chiefs dynasty (don't worry, they'll be back), this game was a blowout and a boring one at that.
The scoreboard doesn't even do this game justice, as Philadelphia was up by a score of 34-0 late in the third quarter.
The most exciting moment came midway through the second quarter, when cornerback Cooper DeJean picked off Patrick Mahomes and took it to the house.
After that, you could've probably shut this one off and not missed a thing.
Not all blowouts are boring, but this one featured two teams struggling to convert on third down and a turnover-prone Chiefs squad.
Absolutely nothing to write home about.
3. Super Bowl LIV - Bucs def. Chiefs (2021)
I swear I'm not trying to pick on Patrick Mahomes, but when he loses a Super Bowl, man, does he get absolutely obliterated!
This one comes with a bit of an asterisk, as both of Mahomes' starting tackles were out due to injury, and an already sack-happy Bucs defense proceeded to tee off on the Chiefs' superstar.
Mahomes was forced to run for his life for virtually the entire game, and on the other side, Tom Brady, despite a stellar stat line, was rather pedestrian with regard to the throws he had to make.
It was pretty obvious by halftime the Chiefs weren't going to be able to overcome the injuries to their O-line, so Brady and the Bucs coasted to an easy second half victory that was a real bore for everyone not in the greater Tampa-St. Pete area.
2. Super Bowl LII - Patriots def. Rams (2019)
The only game on this list that wasn't a blowout, Super Bowl LII was supposed to deliver enough firepower to decimate a small country.
After all, this was a game that featured Tom Brady still in his prime as well as a Rams offense that was setting records on a weekly basis.
What we got instead was a game that was tied 3-3 heading into the fourth quarter and the lone touchdown coming on a two-yard handoff.
Brutal.
Also, I didn't want halftime shows to factor into this list, but I will never forgive the NFL for promising us millennials a SpongeBob Bubble Bowl performance only to pull the rug out and give us a three-second cameo followed by a God-awful Travis Scott showing.
If I made a whole separate list of the worst halftime shows of all-time, this would be near the top.
Screw you, Roger Gooddell!
1. Super Bowl XLVII - Seahawks def. Broncos (2014)
Here it is, the blowout of all Super Bowl blowouts.
This game started about as auspiciously as it could have, with the Broncos taking a safety before most of the fans had even finished making their snack plate.
From there, the rout was on, and the Legion of Boom shut down what was, at the time, one of the most prolific passing offenses in NFL history.
Peyton Manning looked like a deer in headlights – quite uncommon for a player of his stature – and by the time Percy Harvin returned the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown, many fans were looking for their keys to try and get home at a decent time.
When anyone thinks of boring Super Bowl blowouts, Super Bowl XLVII is usually at the top of everyone's mind, and for good reason.
We expected a chess match between one of the best quarterbacks and one of the best defenses of all-time.
Instead, we got a nap disguised as a football game that left everyone other than Seahawks fans wanting to watch anything else.