Damian Strohmeyer/Sports Illustrated; John Biever/Sports Illustrated; Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated |
|
|
By Matt Verderame This February, the Super Bowl turns 60. Before Super Bowl LX gets underway at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., it's worth reflecting on where the game has been and how it's grown since the inaugural Super Bowl, then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, took place at the LA Memorial Coliseum in January 1967. Back then, Vince Lombardi and Hank Stram roamed the sidelines, a pair of future Hall of Fame coaches representing not only their own teams but also the leagues—the NFL and the AFL, respectively. Today, the Super Bowl is an American holiday, consistently topping television ratings among all programs for the year. It has become more than a game, but a celebration of Americana, a date everyone circles on their calendar, whether it's to watch football, commercials, the halftime show or simply to gather with friends. But it wasn't always that way. The game has grown slowly over the years, exploding into the showstopper it is now. And that's due to great football, but more importantly, the moments impossible to forget for those who witnessed them. To that point, Sports Illustrated put together a blue-ribbon panel to vote on the top 60 moments in Super Bowl history. In an effort to get a precise list, all panelists (listed below) selected from a list of more than 100 moments and ranked their personal choices from 1 to 60. Once all the lists were compiled, we had our master list, which you'll see below. |
|
|
By Albert Breer Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald dropped an interesting nugget in his Tuesday press conference when he was asked about his GM, John Schneider. Macdonald offered up that as he was going through the head coach interview circuit in 2024, sitting down with the Falcons, Panthers, Chargers, Titans, Commanders and, of course, Seattle, the mentors he was leaning on were consistent on one particular thing. "They said, to a man, 'You gotta go work with that guy,'" Macdonald recounted. It's interesting, too, because both Super Bowl rosters were born of these sorts of arranged marriages, with Eliot Wolf being a holdover from the old regime when Mike Vrabel arrived in New England. And if you go back to the conference championship round, the other two finalists were as well—with GM Les Snead having predated Sean McVay in Los Angeles, and GM George Paton having predated Sean Payton in Denver. The key, to me, to all this working has been that the head coach came in with a defined vision in what he was looking for, which gave the GM a clear roadmap in how to build the football operation up. And in Seattle, that really came together this year. |
By Greg Bishop Before the Seahawks' first playoff game this season, in the divisional round, their third meeting with the 49ers this season, Doug Baldwin got the call. The only franchise he ever played for wanted him, a wide receiver who ranks among the greatest players in team history, who powered the offensive side of the Boom era, to raise the 12 flag in the south end zone before kickoff. He raised it. Some 68,000 spread before him roared. Baldwin didn't know what to expect. That moment evoked strong feelings. He didn't necessarily expect those. But, he tells Sports Illustrated, "It was cathartic for me." He's not alone. In the lead-up to Seattle's first Super Bowl appearance since the interception, the handoff that never happened, the dynasty that unraveled spectacularly in the waning moments of Super Bowl XLIX, five players from that era echoed Baldwin's sentiment. Baldwin says that day—Feb. 1, 2015—doesn't bubble up too often. But that game, and the way it ended—with a Russell Wilson interception in the final minute and Marshawn Lynch playing decoy—still evokes, still maddens, still reverberates, even with 4,003 days between a defeat among the most crushing in Super Bowl history and the night Baldwin raised that flag. |
|
|
John Biever/Sports Illustrated |
By Matt Verderame Getting to the Super Bowl is a tremendous feat, but losing in it is the most painful team experience in pro football. For 59 teams, they know all too well the journey of climbing a mountain all season long to reach the summit, only to be knocked down to the base. In some cases, the squads that got there were fortunate to arrive in the first place, ones that truly had little business getting so far. But others appeared to be juggernauts, dynasties in progress, only to be dealt a cruel defeat at a most inopportune moment. Below, we ranked the 59 Super Bowl losers from worst to best. We looked at how dominant they were during the regular season, using factors such as record, points per game and yards per play differentials. We also looked at star power and which teams had the best runs up to their ultimate loss. Without further ado, let's get to the list, starting with a team still searching for its first Super Bowl victory. |
Steven Bisig/Imagn Images |
By Gilberto Manzano I won't lie. I stood in front of Stefon Diggs's booth first because I wanted to hear all the Cardi B-related questions. Those came in after all the boring football questions. C'mon, serious football scribes. We can't complain about all the silly questions when Super Bowl media night is meant to be a fun setting. All the Football 101 questions can occur during the many other media availabilities throughout the week with the players and coaches. But if we insist on serious football content. It was insightful to hear Diggs break down how much the Patriots battled in the AFC playoffs against three of the best defenses in the league. Yes, Drake Maye struggled and many points weren't scored, but they showed plenty of toughness against the Chargers, Texans and Patriots. Diggs's arrival played a role in why the Patriots were ready for the tough battles the postseason had to offer. He was viewed as demanding with the Bills and Vikings, but clearly his new team teammates in New England embraced that higher standard. It definitely won over Vrabel, who prefers to have players with that kind of edge. |
|
|
Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door |
|
|
We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email.
Sports Publishing Solutions Inc.
625 Broadway, 10th floor
New York, NY. 10012 You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MMQB newsletter. You can unsubscribe here . Privacy Policy – Terms & Conditions © 2026 Sports Publishing Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. All betting and gambling content included in the MMQB newsletter is intended for individuals 21+ (18+ in DC, KY, NH, RI, and WY). Betting and gambling content, including picks and predictions, are based on individual commentators' opinions and we do not guarantee any success or profits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER or texting 800GAM. |
Click this link to view the newsletter in your browser. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment