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Super Bowls of the Past Ten Years Ranked: 6-10

By John B
Donald Miralle/Getty Images

Let's talk about Super Bowls of the last decade. What were the best and the worst games? This is a ranking of the last ten Super Bowls from six to ten. We will do one through five in a future post.

Here is my criteria.

  • Overall quality of the game.
  • Some Super Bowls matter more than others. This is talking about historical context. Some games secure the legacy of historic teams. Others cost teams a place in history. These have a higher priority.
  • How many memorable moments were there?
  • What were the compelling storylines?

10: Super Bowl XLVIII: Seahawks 43 Broncos 8

This was a total rout from start to finish. The Seahawks played a great game, but this one felt like it was more about the Broncos laying an egg. On the first play from scrimmage, the Broncos took a safety because of an unforced error. Recent Super Bowls have typically been somewhat competitive, but this was the exception.

9. Super Bowl XL: Steelers 21 Seahawks 10

The big storyline from this game was star running back Jerome Bettis ending a career with a Super Bowl win in his hometown of Detroit. This was not a classic, though. Ben Roethlisberger, who in fairness had a brilliant postseason to this point, turned in perhaps the worst performance of any Super Bowl winning quarterback ever. Seattle's Jerramy Stevens made headlines for pulling an anti-Namath. After declaring the Seahawks would win, he had three drops. This game is also remembered for some very spotty officiating.

8. Super Bowl XLI: Colts 29 Bears 17

Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of this game for a touchdown. In an odd quirk, the college football championship game that season also started with the opening kickoff returned for a touchdown by Ted Ginn of Ohio State. Both teams that returned the opening kickoff for a score lost the game. Peyton Manning won his first Super Bowl in the rain. Rex Grossman melted down. This wasn't a horrible game. It just wasn't very competitive. The Colts led by two scores for the final 11:44 of the game after Grossman threw a pick six.

7. Super Bowl XLV: Packers 31 Steelers 25

The Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead, but the Steelers stormed back. They actually had the ball with a chance to win the game in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Packers got a stop. They did it without Charles Woodson who broke his collarbone.

6. Super Bowl XLIV: Saints 31 Colts 17

This is a game where the storyline matters. The Saints were a franchise with a tortured history. They entered 2009 with two postseason wins in a history that spanned over four decades. The city of New Orleans had suffered devastation just a few years earlier at the hand of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans rallied from 10 points down to win its first Super Bowl. Sean Payton made a gutsy call trying an onside kick. It worked, and the Saints took the lead on the ensuing touchdown drive. The lead changed twice more in the second half before Tracy Porter's iconic pick six where he points at the camera in the end zone iced the game.

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