It won’t be long before Super Bowl LVIII will be here. This year’s game is scheduled for Sunday, February 11, 2024, and will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It is the first time that Las Vegas and the state of Nevada has ever hosted a Super Bowl. We’ll have to get through the NFL playoffs before we get there and while we do, it’s time to take a look back.
The Super Bowl, over the years, has brought us some great memories. There is a unique story associated with just about every single NFL title game. The experts here at Sports Hub picked their favorite XX. Here they are.
Hung Over in Super Bowl I
Max McGee was a backup wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, who were in the midst of their dynasty years under legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. McGee figured he wouldn’t play much so he decided a night on the town would be just fine. The town was Los Angeles and young NFL wide receiver could surely find some fun.
McGee got in early on Sunday morning, didn’t get much sleep, and showed up to Super Bowl I visibly hung over from his night of partying. Didn’t matter. McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards. Two of those catches were touchdowns and McGee helped Green Bay win the first-ever Super Bowl 35-10 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Guarantee – Super Bowl III
Broadway Joe called it. Before Super Bowl III, New York Jets QB Joe Namath famously said, “I’ve got news for you. We’re gonna win the game. I guarantee it.” Now, it was easy enough to say, but the AFL champion Jets were no match for the NFL’s Baltimore Colts. The Colts had gone 13-1 in the regular season and were one of the dominant teams in the NFL in the late 1960s.
Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas was hurt and didn’t start the game. Backup Earl Morrall was awful, completing just 6 of 17 passes. Namath went 17-for-28 for 206 yards. He is the only Super Bowl MVP quarterback that didn’t throw at least one touchdown pass. Namath and the Jets used a variety of short passes to beat the Baltimore blitz combined with RB Matt Snell’s 121 yards rushing. The Jets went on to win 16-7, backing up Broadway Joe’s guarantee.
The Interesting Road to Perfection
It’s a feat that may never be duplicated again in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins went a perfect 14-0 during the regular season and won two playoff games before playing the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII. Miami was well on its way to a perfect 17-0 season when one of the biggest blunders in NFL history occurred.
Leading 14-0 in the fourth quarter, Miami lined up for a 42-yard field goal attempt by kicker Garo Yepremian. The kick was blocked by the Redskins and in a futile attempt to pick up the ball and throw it, Yepremian proceeded to provide NFL Films with one of the most-watched follies in league history.
Yepremian attempted the throw but whiffed and ended up batting the ball in the air. Redskins DB Mike Bass snatched the ball out of the air and returned it 49 yards for a Washington touchdown. Ironically, Yepremian and Bass had been teammates on the Detroit Lions years earlier. Miami still won the game 14-7 and is still the only team to go through an entire regular season and postseason without a loss.
First to Lose Four
Before the K-Gun and the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s, the Minnesota Vikings were an NFL power that was known for its Super Bowl heartbreak. The purple and white clad Vikings played in four of the first 11 Super Bowls. They didn’t win any of them. Minnesota was the first NFL franchise to lose four times in the big game.
What’s interesting is that the Vikings were beaten by four different NFL teams – the Chiefs, Dolphins, Steelers, and Raiders – all by double digits. Since losing 32-14 to the Oakland Raiders in 1976, the Vikings have not been back to a Super Bowl. That’s a 47-year drought.
Super Bowl XV – The Alarm Didn’t Go Off
Remember that time you were late to school or late to work? You overslept because your alarm didn’t go off, right? Well, Oakland Raiders WR Cliff Branch missed his team’s flight to New Orleans to play in Super Bowl XV.
Branch would eventually make it to New Orleans where he would suit up for the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Branch would go on to catch five passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Raiders owner Al Davis didn’t seem to mind Branch’s lateness. When asked about it, he simply said, “What the heck’s the difference?”
“Hey, There’s John Candy”
There was no NFL quarterback cooler than Joe Montana. The Hall of Famer won four Super Bowls and was the MVP of three. Interestingly, this story occurred in the one Super Bowl that Montana did not win the Most Valuable Player award.
The 49ers were driving against the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth quarter. They had taken possession at their own 8-yard line with 3:20 left in the game. During the drive, 49ers OT Harris Barton is absolutely furious. He can’t believe they are losing 16-13 to the Bengals. Barton was pretty high-strung to begin with, so Montana set out to settle him down.
During Super Bowl week, Barton had been the team’s biggest people watcher. He was enthralled with all the celebrities that he saw. In the huddle during this game-winning drive, Montana tells Barton, “Look H, there’s John Candy!” Candy was a well-known comedian at the time. Montana’s strategy to calm down Barton worked. Montana threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in the waning moments of the game. San Francisco won 20-16.
SB XXXIII – Hookers & Blow
The Falcons, fresh off an upset of the 15-1 Vikings in the NFC championship game, were looking to do the same to Denver in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, they had to deal with a major distraction when one of their players would up in the clink.
Defensive back Eugene Robinson sought to enjoy himself a little the night before the big game. He went a little too far though. Robinson got nailed for soliciting a prostitute. Earlier that very day, Robinson had received the Bart Starr Award for “high moral character.” There was no clarification as to whether any cocaine was involved but, hey, it was the ‘90s!
The Falcons, obviously distracted by Robinson’s misbehavior, never put up much of a fight against the Broncos. It was the swan song for Denver QB John Elway, who won his second consecutive Super Bowl and then retired a few months later.
American Underdog SB XXXIV
Hollywood couldn’t write a story as great as that of QB Kurt Warner. The former Northern Iowa QB only started a handful of games at the college level. He took a job stocking shelves at a grocery store and ended up playing in the Arena League for the Iowa Barnstormers. From there, it was off to NFL Europe and then a shot at the big time.
The American Underdog became the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams when starter Trent Green went down early in the 2000 season. Warner would lead the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense and led St. Louis to an improbable 23-16 win over Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV. And yes, Warner was the game’s MVP.
I Missed What?
Barret Robbins was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 2002, anchoring a strong Raiders offensive line. Robbins also suffered from depression and was on medication at the time. For some reason, Robbins forgot to take his medication and went missing the day before Super Bowl XXXVII.
He returned to the team hotel that evening. Apparently, Robbins thought he had already played the Super Bowl and that his Raiders had won! Head coach Bill Callahan didn’t play Robbins in the actual game the next day. The Raiders wound up getting beat 48-21 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Robbins spent the day before the game partying in Tijuana, Mexico, which was riht across the border from San Diego where Super Bowl XXXVII was being played.
SB XXXVIII – Nipplegate
In what is arguably the most infamous moment in broadcast television history, Justin Timberlake briefly exposed fellow halftime show star Janet Jackson’s breast. The breast was partially covered with a nipple shield. The FCC came down hard on CBS for the incident, which ended up sparking plenty of debate about indecency in broadcasting. This one incident was the most rewatched moment in TiVo history at the time.
The game was a pretty good one too. The New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers 32-29. After the whole nipplegate halftime show, just before the start of the second half a man dressed as an official stripped down to a thong and started dancing. He was tackled by Patriots LB Matt Chatham and was arrested.
Super Bowl at the Taj Mahal
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was ecstatic when his Cowboys Stadium was announced as the home of Super Bowl XLV. The new stadium would be the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. With the addition of 15,000 temporary seats, the game was going to set a record for Super Bowl attendance. Capacity was roughly a little over 105,000.
Unfortunately, it was unseasonably cold and icy in Dallas that February. A number of fans that bought tickets didn’t get seats, including some that had paid six figures for a personal seat license. Jones, the Cowboys, and the NFL were sued. While Jones and the Cowboys were dropped as defendants, the league ultimately settled and the legal fees alone cost the NFL over $20 million.
Lights Out
With 13:22 left in the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII, the Baltimore Ravens were pummeling San Francisco, 28-6. Then the lights in the Superdome went out. The game was stopped for 34 minutes and when it resumed, the 49ers roared back and nearly won the game. The Ravens had to come up with a late goal-line stand to get the win.
Though an explanation was found for the outage, that didn’t stop conspiracy theorists from speculating that the NFL had engineered the stunt to boost intrigue and try to spark a 49ers rally. Baltimore won 34-31 in what is the longest Super Bowl ever played at 4 hours and 14 minutes.
A Super Bowl Dud
It wasn’t supposed to be a dud. New England and Los Angeles came into Super Bowl LIII with the league’s fourth- and second-best scoring offenses, respectively. Naturally, they combined to score just 16 points, the lowest total in Super Bowl history.
The game was a bust for many, but not for one bettor at Las Vegas’ South Point sportsbook. The bettor wagered $250 at 400-1 odds that the Rams would score exactly three points. He was probably the only person that cared about Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein’s meaningless 48-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the game. Zuerlein, of course, missed and the bettor was $100,000 richer!
You can get ready to bet this year’s game with Sports Hub’s Super Bowl Picks 2024 page. You will find tons of great content as well as the best picks – ATS, moneyline, total, props – for the game.
Where’s All the Fans?
Super Bowl LV was pretty normal, for the most part. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes led the Patriots and Chiefs into the big game. That seemed normal. There was the token streaker that made his way onto the field, but there was one thing that just wasn’t the same. The crowd.
The game was played in February of 2021 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Only 24,835 fans showed up. It’s the lowest attendance in the history of the game. The league put up cardboard cutouts of fans to make it appear that the stadium was full. Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to play in and win the Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Fun Fact About Every Super Bowl
There is a high school football all-star game played every year in Pennsylvania – The Big 33 Classic. In its early years, it pitted the best players in the state of PA against the best players in the nation. The game has changed its format over the years – PA vs. OH, PA vs. TX. Currently, the top players in PA play the best from the state of Maryland.
What’s interesting is that there has been an alumni from the Big 33 Classic in each and every Super Bowl. Last year, it was Miles Sanders (PA), Frank Clark (OH), and Chad Henne (PA) who represented the Big 33 as members of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl FAQs
Where is this year’s Super Bowl being played?
This year’s Super Bowl will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It is the first time Las Vegas and the state of Nevada will host the NFL’s championship game.
When is Super Bowl LVIII?
Super Bowl LVIII will take place on February 11, 2024. Between 2004 and 2021, the battle for the Lombardi Trophy was played on the first Sunday in February. Due to scheduling changes that added a game to the NFL regular season schedule, the Super Bowl is now played on the second Sunday in February.
How do you bet on the Super Bowl?
You can bet on the Super Bowl just as you bet on any other NFL game. There are the standard moneyline, point spread, and totals bets. What separates this game from an ordinary NFL game is the number of proposition bets. Some of the wildest prop bets are offered at each season’s Super Bowl.
Who is the favorite to win Super Bowl LVIII?
This year’s betting favorite is the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners are given +225 odds at most sportsbooks and are followed by Baltimore (+325) and Buffalo (+650).
What team has the most Super Bowl wins?
The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots have each won six Super Bowls. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are close behind with five each.
