You've been there. It’s Monday morning, the wings are a soggy memory, and everyone at the office is pretending they predicted the blowout. But when you actually look back at past super bowl results, the numbers on the screen—the 40-22s or the 13-3s—rarely capture the pure, unadulterated chaos that happened on the field.
Take last year. Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans was supposed to be the "Three-Peat" coronation for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles didn't just win; they dismantled the dynasty with a 40-22 beating that felt even more lopsided than the score suggests. Jalen Hurts wasn't just playing football; he was executing a masterpiece, winning the MVP while his defense treated the greatest quarterback of this generation like a ragdoll, sacking him six times.
That’s the thing about this game. It’s rarely what we expect.
The Numbers That Define the Legacy
Honestly, if you're just looking for a list of winners, you're missing the point. The history of the NFL's biggest game is a tale of two eras, separated by a merger and defined by a few programs that just seem to have the "big game" DNA.
Right now, the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers are sitting at the top of the mountain with six rings each. It’s a crowded peak, though. The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys are breathing down their necks with five. Then you’ve got the Chiefs, who, despite their recent stumble against Philly, have vaulted into the "four-win club" alongside the Packers and the Giants.
But what about the scores?
The highest-scoring game in history happened way back in 1995. The 49ers put up 49 points on the San Diego Chargers, ending in a 75-point total explosion ($49 + 26 = 75$). Compare that to the absolute defensive slog of Super Bowl LIII in 2019. The Patriots beat the Rams 13-3. It was technically "championship football," but man, it was hard to watch if you like touchdowns.
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Recent Super Bowl Winners and Scores
- Super Bowl LIX (2025): Philadelphia Eagles 40, Kansas City Chiefs 22
- Super Bowl LVIII (2024): Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22 (OT)
- Super Bowl LVII (2023): Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35
- Super Bowl LVI (2022): Los Angeles Rams 23, Cincinnati Bengals 20
- Super Bowl LV (2021): Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9
The "Guarantee" and the Upsets We Can't Forget
If you want to talk about past super bowl results that actually changed the world, you have to go back to 1969. Super Bowl III.
The Baltimore Colts were 18-point favorites. Eighteen! That’s basically the oddsmakers saying the New York Jets shouldn't even bother showing up. Then Joe Namath goes out, gets a little loose at a banquet, and guarantees a win. He wasn't being arrogant—well, maybe a little—but he knew the AFL was better than the NFL gave it credit for. The Jets won 16-7. It remains the biggest upset by the betting line in history.
Then there’s the 2008 shocker. The "Helmet Catch" game.
The Patriots were 18-0. They were the perfect machine. The Giants were a scrappy wild-card team that basically snuck into the building. But the Giants' defensive line decided that Tom Brady didn't need a clean jersey that day. Eli Manning escapes a sack, heaves it up, David Tyree pins it against his head, and suddenly, perfection is dead. 17-14.
Upsets like these are why we still tune in.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Record Books
You'll hear people say that the Super Bowl is always about the best offense. That's kinda wrong.
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Look at Super Bowl XLVIII. The Denver Broncos had the highest-scoring offense in the history of the league. Peyton Manning was throwing for records every single week. Then they ran into the Seattle Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" defense. The result? A 43-8 massacre.
Defense still wins championships, even in an era where the rules are basically written to help wide receivers.
And here’s a trivia nugget for your next party: no team has ever been shut out in the Super Bowl. The Miami Dolphins came the closest in Super Bowl VI, only managing a single field goal in a 24-3 loss to Dallas. More recently, the Rams repeated that feat of "only 3 points" in their 2019 loss to New England.
The Heartbreak of the "Almost"
You can't talk about winners without acknowledging the Buffalo Bills.
Four straight appearances in the early 90s. Four straight losses. It’s the kind of statistical anomaly that feels cruel. The closest they got was Super Bowl XXV against the Giants. Scott Norwood had a 47-yard kick to win it. Wide right. The Giants won 20-19.
It remains the only Super Bowl ever decided by a single point.
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The Minnesota Vikings are in a similar boat, with four appearances and zero wins. It’s a reminder that getting there is hard, but finishing the job is a different beast entirely.
Where the Game is Heading in 2026
As we look toward Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium, the landscape is shifting. The era of Tom Brady's dominance is over, and we're firmly in the "Quarterback Gauntlet" age. Whether it’s Hurts, Mahomes, or the next rising star, the records are being rewritten every February.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the stats or use this info for your own sports projects, here are the best ways to leverage these past super bowl results:
- Analyze the "Rematch" Factor: Look at teams like the Eagles and Chiefs who have played twice in three years. History often repeats itself in the trenches.
- Betting Spreads vs. Reality: Notice that huge underdogs (10+ points) have historically overperformed. If the line is too big, the "disrespect" factor is real.
- Player Performance Trends: Note how modern MVPs are increasingly dual-threat quarterbacks. The "pocket passer" winner is becoming a rare breed.
The road to the next Lombardi Trophy is already being paved. Whether we see another 13-3 defensive grind or a 40-point explosion, one thing is certain: someone is going to do something we’ve never seen before.
Find a reliable historical database to track the specific player stats for your fantasy research. Study the coaching transitions of past winners to see which systems actually hold up under pressure. Use the point differential data from the last decade to better understand how modern "super teams" are actually performing compared to the dynasties of the 80s and 90s.