You think you remember the scores. Most fans do. You picture the blowouts, the nail-biters, and that one time your team finally lifted the Lombardi Trophy. But when you actually sit down and look at the past scores of Super Bowl games, the data starts to reveal some pretty weird patterns that defy the "it was a close game" narrative we tell ourselves years later.
Statistics are funny like that. They flatten the tension of a live broadcast into a couple of digits. But those digits are the only thing that stays in the record books.
Take Super Bowl III. Everyone talks about Joe Namath’s guarantee. It’s the stuff of legend. But have you looked at the score lately? 16-7. Honestly, it was a bit of a slog. The Jets didn’t even score a touchdown until the second quarter, and the Colts didn't find the end zone until there were nearly three minutes left in the entire game. We remember it as this seismic shift in pro football—which it was—but as a viewing experience? It was a defensive grind that wouldn't even make a highlight reel today.
The Era of the Absolute Blowout
There was a stretch in the 80s and 90s where the Super Bowl was basically broken. If you were a fan of an AFC team during that time, I’m sorry. You probably spent your Sundays watching your team get dismantled by a powerhouse from the NFC.
From 1985 to 1995, the NFC won 13 straight titles. And they didn't just win; they embarrassed people.
Look at Super Bowl XXIV. San Francisco 55, Denver 10. That 45-point margin remains the largest in history. Joe Montana was surgical, throwing five touchdowns, while John Elway spent most of the day running for his life. Then you have the 1992 season, where the Cowboys dropped 52 points on the Bills. It’s hard to even call these "games." They were coronations.
People stopped tuning in for the football. They tuned in for the commercials because the fourth quarter was usually a formality. The average margin of victory during that decade was nearly 21 points. That is three full touchdowns.
Why the Gap Was So Huge
Expert analysts like the late John Madden often pointed to the "Salary Cap" era—or rather, the lack of one. Before the cap was strictly enforced in 1994, teams like the 49ers, Cowboys, and Redskins could essentially stockpile talent. If you were a great player, you wanted to go to the big markets with the big rosters.
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This created a massive talent imbalance. The AFC was filled with gritty, well-coached teams like the Bills (who famously made four straight trips), but they simply didn't have the depth to match the NFC’s star-studded lineups once the fourth quarter rolled around and fatigue set in.
When the Script Flipped: The Rise of the One-Score Game
Somewhere around the turn of the millennium, things got weirdly competitive. Maybe it was the parity of the cap. Maybe it was the shift toward a passing league. Whatever it was, the past scores of Super Bowl games started looking a lot tighter.
Since 2000, we've seen a staggering number of games decided by a single possession.
- Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams 23, Titans 16 (The "One Yard Short" game)
- Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots 20, Rams 17 (The birth of the Brady dynasty)
- Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17, Patriots 14 (The "Helmet Catch")
- Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (The 28-3 comeback)
That Patriots-Falcons game is probably the most statistically improbable score in the history of the sport. At one point, ESPN’s win probability tracker had the Falcons at a 99.8% chance of winning. If you look at the final score, 34-28 looks like a high-scoring shootout. It wasn't. It was a stagnant blowout that suddenly turned into a frantic, overtime miracle. It remains the only Super Bowl to ever go into overtime—at least until the Chiefs and 49ers repeated the feat in Super Bowl LVIII.
The Chiefs, the Niners, and the New Dynasty Scores
Speaking of the Chiefs, we are currently living through a very specific scoring era. Patrick Mahomes doesn't seem to care about leading for 60 minutes. He cares about leading for the last 60 seconds.
If you look at the past scores of Super Bowl games involving Kansas City, they almost always involve a double-digit comeback.
- Super Bowl LIV: Chiefs 31, 49ers 20. (KC trailed 20-10 in the 4th).
- Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs 38, Eagles 35. (A high-flying offensive masterclass).
- Super Bowl LVIII: Chiefs 25, 49ers 22. (The overtime thriller in Vegas).
These scores tell a story of efficiency. The 25-22 scoreline in 2024 is particularly interesting because it highlights how the "new" NFL works. Kickers are so good now that a 50-yard field goal is almost a given. Harrison Butker and Jake Moody combined for some of the longest kicks in Super Bowl history in that single game. In the 70s, those drives would have ended in punts. Today, they end in points.
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The Lowest Scoring Games: Defensive Masterpieces or Boredom?
Not every Super Bowl is a point-fest. Sometimes, the defenses just decide nobody is going anywhere.
Super Bowl LIII (Patriots vs. Rams) holds the record for the lowest-scoring game ever. 13-3. That’s it. One touchdown the entire game. For three quarters, it was a 3-3 tie. If you like punting, this was your Super Bowl. If you like excitement, you probably fell asleep on your wings.
Bill Belichick’s defensive game plan that day was a work of art. He completely neutralized Jared Goff and Sean McVay’s high-powered offense. But from a historical perspective, a 13-3 score looks like a typo. It’s an anomaly in an era where the rules are literally designed to help quarterbacks score more points.
Compare that to Super Bowl VII. The 1972 Dolphins completed their perfect season with a 14-7 win over the Redskins. It was low-scoring, sure, but that was just "football" back then. In 2019, 13-3 felt like an insult to the modern fan.
A Quick Reference of Iconic Scores
If you’re arguing with friends at a bar, you don't need the whole list. You just need the ones that settled the biggest debates.
- The Highest Scoring Game: Super Bowl LII. Eagles 41, Patriots 33. A total of 74 points. Interestingly, Tom Brady threw for 505 yards and lost.
- The Biggest Blowout: Super Bowl XXIV. 49ers 55, Broncos 10. (As mentioned, it was brutal).
- The "Scorigami" Factor: NFL fans love "Scorigami"—scores that have never happened before in NFL history. Surprisingly, Super Bowl scores are often fairly standard (27-24, 31-17). However, the 48-10 score of Super Bowl XXXVII (Bucs over Raiders) was a rarity at the time.
What Most People Get Wrong About Super Bowl Scoring
There is a common myth that the "best defense wins championships." The scores don't always back that up.
In the last decade, the team with the higher-ranked offense has actually fared quite well, provided their defense can generate a single timely turnover. Look at the 2022 season (Super Bowl LVII). The Eagles had a monstrous defense. They had 70 sacks in the regular season. But the final score was 38-35. The defense didn't win that game; Patrick Mahomes’ ability to manage the clock and scramble on a bad ankle did.
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Also, the "Home Field Advantage" myth was finally tested recently. For 54 years, no team played a Super Bowl in their own stadium. Then it happened twice in a row.
- Super Bowl LV: Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9 (In Tampa).
- Super Bowl LVI: Rams 23, Bengals 20 (In Los Angeles).
Both home teams won. Does the score reflect the comfort of sleeping in your own bed? Maybe. But the 31-9 thrashing of Kansas City had more to do with the Chiefs' offensive line being injured than it did with the stadium's zip code.
The Actionable Takeaway for Fans and Analysts
If you are looking at past scores of Super Bowl games to predict future outcomes, stop looking at the total points. Instead, look at the "Score at the Half."
Statistically, the team leading at halftime wins the Super Bowl about 73% of the time. However, that trend is weakening. In the last five years, halftime leads have become increasingly dangerous. The "Middle Eight"—the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third—is where modern Super Bowls are won or lost.
Next Steps for Your Super Bowl Deep Dive:
- Check the Spread: Before your next party, look at the historical "Against the Spread" (ATS) data. Favorites have won more often, but "Underdogs" have covered the spread in a surprising majority of the last 15 games.
- Watch the Kicking Game: We are entering an era where the "57-yarder" is a standard part of the score. If you're tracking scores, factor in the kicker’s range; it’s changing the way coaches manage the final four minutes of each half.
- Analyze the "Garbage Time" points: Be careful when looking at scores like 48-21 (Super Bowl XXXVII). The game was 34-3 at one point. The Raiders scored a couple of late touchdowns that made the game look closer than it actually was. Always look at the score entering the fourth quarter to see who truly dominated.
The history of the Super Bowl is written in these numbers. From the 16-7 shocker in 1969 to the 25-22 overtime nail-biter in 2024, the scores tell a story of a sport that transitioned from a defensive chess match to a high-speed offensive explosion. Whether we see another 13-3 slog or a 55-point blowout anytime soon is anyone's guess, but the trend clearly points toward one-score drama.