The first Sunday of February holds a special place in the hearts and minds of football fans across this great country ours. Super Bowl Sunday is often referred to as
a "national holiday," and I am among those that consider it to be a holiday. So with Super Bowl 51 fast approaching, I found it apporppriate to countdown the five best Super Bowls of this century. Why this century, you ask? Well... I'm limiting the field to the twenty-first century because those games are the only ones I have actually watched.
Honorable Mentions
Super Bowl XLIV, Super Bowl XLV and Super Bowl XLVII
5. Super Bowl XXXVIII
Tom Brady's second Super Bowl trip saw a reversal of roles from his first appearance two years ago against the Rams. In this matchup, the Patriots were a heavy favorite over the upstart Carolina Panthers, a franchise still in its infancy. The first half could not have been more arduous and boring. The second half, however, turned into a track meet. Both offenses seemed to march down the field with ease. As the game waned, the game once again came down to a clutch drive by TB12 and another perfect kick from Adam Vinatieri. This game truly gave birth to the Patriots' "dynasty."
4. Super Bowl XLVI
Brady vs. younger Manning Part 2. Eli's red-hot Giants once again looked more than prepared to slow down Brady and a beat-up offense (tight end Rob Gronkowski). Brady could not be totally stopped though. He did points on the board with some classic precision passes. This game (just like the previous Super Bowl meeting that we'll get to) came down to one fantastic catch by a Giants receiver. This time, Mario Manningham made the grab that allowed Eli to march down the field, score a touchdown and cause me to cry for hours upon hours. To this day, I still have nightmares about this game.
3. Super Bowl XLIII
Like most great Super Bowls, this game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals featured multiple signature plays that no one has forgotten. The first was James Harrison's pick-six. James Harrison intercepted Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and proceeded to take it 99 yards for the score. The second signature play came on the game's final drive. Santonio Holmes (pictured above) pulled off one of the great catches in Super Bowl history that gave Pittsburgh the win.
2. Super Bowl XLII
When I ask you about the great catches in NFL history, what's the first catch that comes to mind? For most people, the David Tyree helmet catch would be at the top of that list. That improbable catch came after an even more improbable scramble by Eli Manning on a third-and-long. Just like Super Bowl XLVI, Eli used this catch to score the deciding touchdown and ruin New England's bid for a perfect season. This game will probably be the main reason I go to therapy when I'm in my 40's.
1. Super Bowl XLIX
Yes, I know there's a lot of Tom Brady on this list, but he's the greatest quarterback ever to touch a brown, oblong ball, so he deserves it. This game, two years ago, was easily Brady's best performance in a winning effort, despite the two picks. Tom's fourth quarter performance was one for the ages. He completed almost every single pass he threw. The Patriots came back from a ten-point fourth quarter deficit to take the lead with two minutes to go. However, it looked like Brady's efforts would all be for naught after Jermaine Kearse made the craziest catch I have ever seen. Then Malcolm Butler created the best Super Bowl finish of all time with his last-second interception to seal the victory for the Pats. It was this game that truly made Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all time.
Let's hope Super Bowl 51 is another instant classic!
