Sandbox / Super Bowl

Super Bowl Champions by Year

Dates are listed in American order (month/day/year).

As described on the main page, the Super Bowl is the biggest television event on the American media calendar (almost) every year and thus has had an outsized impact on popular culture for over half a century, including naming/creating several tropes. As such, we have provided detailed recaps for tropers curious about the content of each Super Bowl.^note Remember, the first four games were officially termed "the AFL-NFL World Championship game", as the two leagues didn't officially merge until 1970. Super Bowl III was the first one to be widely called the "Super Bowl", and it was made the official name after the merger. Both leagues had championships before the Super Bowl, but most were not widely viewed television events.

Due to length, the recaps had to be spread across multiple pages, where you can find more detailed descriptions of each game, its broadcast, and its impact on popular culture:

• Super Bowl I to XXV
• Super Bowl XXVI to 50
• Super Bowl LI to LXXV

For a quick one-sentence recap of each Super Bowl since the 1966 season, see below:

I-XXV

• I (1966) — Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10: The one that started it all; coach Vince Lombardi's Packers dynasty easily defeats the upstart AFL's champion.
• II (1967) — Green Bay Packers vs. Oakland Raiders, 33-14: Green Bay repeats as champions in Lombardi's final game with the Packers.
• III (1968) — New York Jets vs. Baltimore Colts, 16-7: Star QB Joe Namath guarantees — and delivers — the greatest upset in Super Bowl history, proving the AFL's mettle and granting the since-moribund Jets their sole championship title.
• IV (1969) — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings, 23-7: The AFL evens the score with the NFL in the final game before the merger, and coach Bud Grant and his Vikings suffer the first of four humiliating Super Bowl losses.
• V (1970) — Baltimore Colts vs. Dallas Cowboys, 16-13: After four one-sided Super Bowls, the "Blunder Bowl" is the first to come Down to the Last Play despite delivering some of the worst play ever seen in the Big Game, to the point that the MVP was a defensive player from the losing team.
• VI (1971) — Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins, 24-3: After several seasons as "next year's champions", coach Tom Landry and QB Roger Staubach's Cowboys claim their first title in dominant fashion.
• VII (1972) — Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins, 14-7: The Dolphins complete their "perfect" 17-0 season in a mostly defensive game, blocking Hall of Fame coach George Allen from a title in his sole season of any playoff success.
• VIII (1973) — Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings, 24-7: The Dolphins run it back for their final title and again leave the Vikings without one.
• IX (1974) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings, 16-6: The dominant "Steel Curtain" dynasty begins their reign over the NFL.
• X (1975) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 21-17: A long-lasting rivalry is born in one of the closest-fought and star-laden Super Bowls ever.
• XI (1976) — Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings, 32-14: A "bridesmaid" game between two perennial runner-ups ends with a title for the charismatic Raiders and coach John Madden and nothing to show for the Vikings, who haven't returned to the Big Game since.
• XII (1977) — Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos, 27-10: A regular contender for the worst Super Bowl ever, with Denver QB Craig Morton putting up a 0.0 passer rating against his former team and the Cowboys keeping it somewhat close due to a number of blunders.
• XIII (1978) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Dallas Cowboys, 35-31: The first Super Bowl rematch is just as thrilling, star-studded, and memorable as its predecessor and ends the Landry/Staubach-era run at titles for Dallas.
• XIV (1979) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams, 31-19: The Steel Curtain closes after an unexpectedly close-fought match against the underdog Rams in their home market.
• XV (1980) — Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10: The Raiders win the Super Bowl in convincing fashion while their owner is in the process of suing the NFL.
• XVI (1981) — San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21: Coach Bill Walsh and QB Joe Montana launch their Super Bowl dynasty in the highest-rated Super Bowl ever.
• XVII (1982) — Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins, 27-17: Washington gets its revenge in this rematch against Miami; coach Joe Gibbs launches his own dynasty, and RB John Riggins manages to outgain the entire Dolphin offense.
• XVIII (1983) — Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins, 38-9: The Raiders win their final league title and bring the city of Los Angeles its first Lombardi Trophy in the last AFC victory for 14 years.
• XIX (1984) — San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins, 38-16: A highly anticipated duel between QB legends Joe Montana and Dan Marino becomes a major disappointment as the Niners, playing in their home market, dominate the Dolphins in Marino's only Big Game appearance and Miami's last shot at a Lombardi.
• XX (1985) — Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots, 46-10: A Bears defense widely held up as the greatest the game has ever seen absolutely steamrolls a Cinderella Patriots team.
• XXI (1986) — New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos, 39-20: Giants QB Phil Simms puts up the best statistical passing performance in Super Bowl history, defeating QB John Elway and coach Dan Reeves' Broncos in the first of a string of Denver defeats.
• XXII (1987) — Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos, 42-10: Doug Williams (the first Black starting QB to play in a Super Bowl) and unknown rookie RB Timmy Smith lead Washington on a comeback from a 10-point deficit by scoring 35 points in the second quarter, humiliating Elway's Broncos once again.
• XXIII (1988) — San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16: A rematch of XVI sees Montana lead a memorable last drive in Bill Walsh's final game.
• XXIV (1989) — San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos, 55-10: The Niners repeat under new head coach George Seifert with the widest margin of victory in Super Bowl history, ending Montana's Super Bowl run on a high note.
• XXV (1990) — New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills, 20-19: The closest Super Bowl saw the Giants escape by the narrowest margin possible when a 47-yard field goal attempt by Buffalo's Scott Norwood sailed wide right with :08 left in the game, kicking off the Bills' run of four straight Super Bowl losses; Whitney Houston sings the best national anthem ever.

XXVI- 50

• XXVI (1991) — Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills, 37-24: Gibbs' dynasty ends with Washington's final championship win.
• XXVII (1992) — Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills, 52-17: The '90s Cowboy dynasty kicks off with "Blunder Bowl II", a one-sided and sloppy game overshadowed by Michael Jackson's trend-setting halftime show.
• XXVIII (1993) — Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills, 30-13: The only back-to-back Super Bowl rematch ends not much differently from the first, extinguishing the Bills' extended failed run at a Lombardi.
• XXIX (1994) — San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers, 49-26: QB Steve Young leads the Niners to their fifth and final title, his dominant play overshadowing a mostly anonymous Chargers team in the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
• XXX (1995) — Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17: The Cowboys end their '90s dynasty with a revenge win over the Steelers in the only "re-rematch" in Super Bowl history.
• XXXI (1996) — Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots, 35-21: QB Brett Favre finally brings another league title to Titletown against a team whose head coach was actively seeking a job with another franchise.
• XXXII (1997) — Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers, 31-24: Elway finally wins a Super Bowl and breaks the AFC's losing streak in a memorable upset.
• XXXIII (1998) — Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons, 34-19: Elway rides into the sunset and retires after defeating a Cinderella Falcons team led by his former head coach, Dan Reeves.
• XXXIV (1999) — St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans, 23-16: "The Greatest Show on Turf" Rams, led by former Arena Football League QB Kurt Warner, finish their Cinderella season thanks to their defense holding the Titans "one yard short" in their final attempt to send the game to overtime; the Titans have yet to return to the Big Game.
• XXXV (2000) — Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants, 34-7: The Ravens win an old-school defensive game featuring two of the poorest passers ever to make the Super Bowl, taking home a Lombardi just a few years after the franchise formerly known as the Cleveland Browns was reborn in Baltimore.
• XXXVI (2001) — New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams, 20-17: Led by coach Bill Belichick and obscure sixth-round pick QB Tom Brady, the Patriots deliver a stunning upset to the Rams with a last-second field goal from Adam Vinatieri, launching the greatest dynasty in Super Bowl history.
• XXXVII (2002) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders, 48-21: The year after trading coach Jon Gruden to Tampa, the Raiders get blown out in humiliating fashion against their former leader who knows all of their offensive playcalls, sending the franchise into an extended spiral they still haven't recovered from.
• XXXVIII (2003) — New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers, 32-29: Another close-fought thriller that ends on a game-winning field goal from Vinatieri; also, Nipplegate.
• XXXIX (2004) — New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21: The Pats become the last repeat champions against an Eagles team riddled with injuries and illness, ending the first part of their dynasty.
• XL (2005) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks, 21-10: RB Jerome Bettis rides off into the sunset with a Super Bowl win in his hometown of Detroit, albeit one marred by poor officiating and poor play from the Steelers' young QB, Ben Roethlisberger.
• XLI (2006) — Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears, 29-17: QB Peyton Manning breaks his streak of playoff disappointments with a victory in a torrential downpour, though Prince singing "Purple Rain" in the rain during his excellent halftime show becomes the signature moment.
• XLII (2007) — New York Giants vs. New England Patriots, 17-14: QB Eli Manning leads a tremendous upset over the previously undefeated Patriots thanks to David Tyree's helmet catch.
• XLIII (2008) — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals, 27-23: The Steelers deny the long-struggling Cardinals a championship and affirm the hiring of their coach, Mike Tomlin, instead of Cards' coach (and former Steelers OC) Ken Whisenhunt.
• XLIV (2009) — New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts, 31-17: QB Drew Brees and HC Sean Payton deliver an upset and bring a Lombardi to a franchise long considered one of the worst in the NFL and to a city still recovering from a natural disaster.
• XLV (2010) — Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25: QB Aaron Rodgers brings another Lombardi to Titletown in a match-up of two teams that would dominate the league for another decade without ever returning to the Big Game.
• XLVI (2011) — New York Giants vs. New England Patriots, 21-17: A rematch of Super Bowl XLII produces almost exactly the same result, as Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin once again upset the Patriots.
• XLVII (2012) — Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers, 34-31: John and Jim Harbaugh become the first siblings to coach against each other in the Big Game; a blackout interrupts in the middle of the third quarter, and the Niners fall just short of mounting a comeback.
• XLVIII (2013) — Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos, 43-8: Seattle's "Legion of Boom" defense utterly shuts down Denver's record-setting offense.
• XLIX (2014) — New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks, 28-24: New England prevents a Seattle repeat victory with an end zone interception.
• 50 (2015) — Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers, 24-10: A dominant Denver defense helps Peyton Manning to retire with a second ring.

LI-

• LI (2016) — New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons, 34-28 (OT): The first Super Bowl to go to overtime and the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, as Brady denies the Falcons their first title by leading the Patriots to 31 unanswered points after they fell behind 28-3 in the 3rd quarter.
• LII (2017) — Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots, 41-33: Backup QB Nick Foles leads a massive upset and brings Philly their first Lombardi Trophy, as both teams combine for 1,151 yards of total offense, setting a new record for any NFL game.
• LIII (2018) — New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams, 13-3: A stark contrast to last year's shootout, this old-school defensive battle ends with the Patriots tying the Steelers in Super Bowl victories.
• LIV (2019) — Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers, 31-20: Wunderkind QB Patrick Mahomes takes the Chiefs to their first title in 50 years.
• LV (2020) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9: The Buccaneers become the first team to play a Super Bowl on its home field, as Brady, in his first season with the Bucs, leads them to a decisive win (having won more rings than any single team has won Lombardi Trophies), as Bruce Arians surpasses Bill Belichick as the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl.
• LVI (2021) — Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20: The Rams become the second team in a row to play a Super Bowl on its home field, ending the Bengals' Cinderella run in a close fought game and bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to SoCal after almost four decades; veteran QB Matthew Stafford wins a title in his first year out of long-suffering Detroit, while Sean McVay becomes the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl.
• LVII (2022) — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 38–35: Mahomes wins his second Super Bowl after leading a second half Miracle Rally, as Harrison Butker kicks the game-winning FG with :08 left in regulation.
• LVIII (2023) — Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers, TBD: Brock Purdy leads the 49ers back to their second Super Bowl in 5 years to face off against the very team that they lost to in 2019.

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