You’ve probably been there. It’s the second quarter of the big game, you’re elbow-deep in a bowl of lukewarm buffalo chicken dip, and you realize the score is still 3-0. You start wondering if you’re watching a championship or a punting competition. Honestly, looking at Super Bowl scores by quarter tells a much weirder story than the final box score ever could. It’s a game of nerves, massive adjustments, and occasionally, absolute fourth-quarter chaos that defies every betting line in Vegas.
The data doesn't lie. Most people think these games are high-flying shootouts from the first whistle, but the reality is way more conservative. We’ve seen 10 Super Bowls where the first quarter ended in a 0-0 tie. Ten! That’s almost 20% of the entire history of the game. If you’re playing Super Bowl squares, that "0-0" box is basically a golden ticket early on.
The First Quarter Freeze: Why Nobody Scores Early
There is a very real "feeling out" period in these games. You have the two best teams in the world, usually coming off a two-week break where they’ve over-analyzed every single blade of grass on the opponent’s film. They come out tight. Coaches like to call "safe" plays—inside zones, quick slants—just to settle their quarterback’s hands.
Take Super Bowl LIX, the most recent clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles managed a touchdown, but the Chiefs? Total ghost town. Patrick Mahomes, arguably the greatest to ever do it, was held to just 23 total yards in the first half. Imagine that. The best player on the planet looked human because the first quarter is where offensive rhythm goes to die.
- Super Bowl LIII (Patriots vs. Rams): 0-0 after the first quarter.
- Super Bowl LVIII (Chiefs vs. 49ers): 0-0 after the first quarter.
- Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots vs. Seahawks): 0-0 after the first quarter.
It’s almost a tradition at this point. If you’re looking for fireworks, you usually have to wait until the halftime show is about to start.
Second Quarter Explosions and the "Redskins Record"
If the first quarter is a chess match, the second quarter is a bar fight. This is where teams finally realize which of their scripted plays actually work. Defenses start to tire, and coordinators start digging into the "good stuff."
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The gold standard for a single-quarter beatdown happened in Super Bowl XXII. The Washington Redskins (now the Commanders) were trailing the Denver Broncos 10-0 after the first. Then, the second quarter happened. Doug Williams and the offense put up 35 points in just fifteen minutes. Five touchdowns. One quarter. It remains the most points ever scored by a single team in one quarter of a Super Bowl.
When you look at Super Bowl scores by quarter across the last 50+ years, the second quarter consistently sees more action than the first. It’s the desperation of the "two-minute drill" combined with teams finally figuring out the defensive shell they’re facing.
The Third Quarter Adjustment Trap
The third quarter is the "quiet" part of the second half. Statistically, it often mimics the first quarter. Teams come out of the long halftime break—which is twice as long as a normal NFL halftime—and they’re a bit stiff.
But this is also where legendary coaches like Bill Belichick or Andy Reid make their money. They spend that 30-minute Gaga or Rihanna concert drawing up ways to exploit the weaknesses they saw in the first half. In Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles used the third quarter to basically put the game on ice, adding 10 points while the Chiefs were still trying to find their offensive identity.
Fourth Quarter Frenzy: Where Legends Are Made
This is what we pay for. The fourth quarter of a Super Bowl is a different sport entirely. Teams stop playing "to not lose" and start playing to survive.
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Did you know the record for combined points in a single quarter is 37? It happened in Super Bowl XXXVIII between the Patriots and the Panthers. After a relatively quiet game, the fourth quarter turned into a video game. Tom Brady and Jake Delhomme traded blows like heavyweights.
And we can’t talk about fourth quarters without mentioning the Atlanta Falcons. Super Bowl LI is the nightmare every sports fan remembers. The Patriots trailed 28-3 late in the third. Most people turned the TV off. Then, New England dropped 19 points in the fourth quarter alone to force the first (and only) overtime in Super Bowl history.
What the Numbers Tell Us About Your Squares
If you’re sitting at a party with a squares grid, you want specific numbers. Based on decades of Super Bowl scores by quarter, the number 0 is your best friend early, and the number 7 is your soulmate late.
- The Number 0: Appeared 26 times in the winning digits over the last decade. It’s the king of the first quarter.
- The Number 3: Huge for those early 3-0 or 13-3 scores.
- The Number 7: Since touchdowns are the primary currency of the fourth quarter, 7 and 4 (from 14, 24, or 34) are high-value targets.
- The "Death" Numbers: If you have a 2, 5, or 6, you’re basically donating your money to the host. These are incredibly rare ending digits because they require missed extra points or a weird amount of safeties.
Real-World Takeaways for the Next Big Game
So, what should you actually do with this info?
First, don't panic if the first quarter is boring. History says it's going to be. The "Under" on first-quarter points is one of the most consistent (though stressful) bets in sports.
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Second, watch the mid-third quarter. If a team hasn't made a successful adjustment by the 6-minute mark of the third, they’re likely toast. The momentum in the fourth is usually just an extension of who figured things out during the halftime break.
Finally, remember that the "garbage time" score is real. In Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. It looked like a comeback on paper, but they were already down 40-6. The Eagles let them score to keep the clock moving. If you're tracking Super Bowl scores by quarter for betting or squares, those late-game "meaningless" touchdowns are the ones that either make you a legend or ruin your night.
Keep your eyes on the second-quarter spread next year. It’s where the real football usually begins.
Next Steps:
Check the historical offensive ppg (points per game) of the two competing teams in the weeks leading up to the game. If both are top-5 units, the "first quarter freeze" is less likely to hold, making a "First Quarter Over" a high-value contrarian play. Look for teams with a high "scripted play" success rate, as they are the ones most likely to break the scoreless first-quarter trend.