With the next Super Bowl fast approaching, what better thing to do than look back at some historical Super Bowl games and arguably, the best games in the NFL franchise?
From the highest-scoring NFL games in general to the highest-scoring Super Bowls, there are a lot of historical games out there that had us on the edge of our seats. Hopefully, we get to have that indescribable feeling again with the upcoming 2024 Super Bowl.
If you want to check back on the history and see who has brought the highest-scoring games to our screens, then read more to find out which teams are responsible for the highest-scoring Super Bowl games.
RELATED: NFL History: Players That Went Broke and Lost Everything
What’s the Average Score for Super Bowl Games?
Betting Offers calculated the average score for Super Bowls between Super Bowl 1 in 1967 and Super Bowl LVII in 2023 and got an average of 46.6 points total per game.
The winners, on average, would score 30.1 points, while the runner-ups, on average, would score around 16.5 points.
What’s the Lowest-Scoring Super Bowl Game?
Before we dive into the highest-scoring Super Bowl, some might be curious to see what the lowest-scoring Super Bowl would be.
The winner goes to Super Bowl LIII when the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams with a score of just 13-3, a combined score of just 16 points, well below the average score of a Super Bowl.
Which Team Has Been to the Super Bowl the Most?
At a staggering number of 11 times, the New England Patriots have been to the Super Bowl the most. Coming in second place is a three-way tie at 8 total times with the Steelers, Cowboys, and Broncos.
Who Has Won the Most Super Bowls?
The New England Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers at winning the most Super Bowls. While the Patriots have appeared 11 times, they have only won 6 of those times. And the Steelers have appeared 8 times, winning 6 of those moments.
Fun fact: Brady has won seven Super Bowls, six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is the most by a single player.
Has Every Team Been to a Super Bowl?
There are so many teams, and it can be hard to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.
That being said, not every team has made an appearance to a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are still waiting for their turn in the spotlight. And I’m sure they’ll get there eventually, it’s only a matter of time!
Has Anyone Not Won a Super Bowl?
Not including the teams that haven’t made it yet, several teams reached the Super Bowl but haven’t been lucky enough to win.
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Tennessee Titans
Highest-Scoring Super Bowls
15. Bears vs Patriots, 46-10 (1986)
Sitting at the 15th spot for the highest-scoring Super Bowls is Super Bowl XX, played on January 26, 1986.
Featuring the Chicago Bears winning against the New England Patriots 46-10, with a grand total of 56. The Bears were able to win their first NFL championship since 1963, three years prior to the birth of the Super Bowl.
14. Packers vs Patriots, 35-21 (1997)
On January 26, 1997, the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots by 35-21, one of the highest-scoring Super Bowl games with a total of 57.
This earned the Packers their third overall Super Bowl victory, and their first since Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended their league record for the most overall NFL champions to 12.
13. Packers vs Steelers, 31-25 (2011)
The Green Bay Packers were able to get a victory at Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers, defeating them 31-25, one of the highest-scoring Super Bowls in history.
Played February 6, 2011, this was the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This game featured two title-abundant franchises, with the Packers holding the most NFL championships with 12 and the Steelers holding the most Super Bowl championships with 6.
12. Giants vs Broncos, 39-20 (1987)
Super Bowl XXI on January 25, 1987, showed the New York Giants defeating the Denver Broncos. This was the first of consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Broncos, who lost the Super Bowl a year later 42-10 to the Redskins.
But this was the first Super Bowl and first NFL title win for the Giants since 1956. While the first quarter was tight, the Giants were able to stay consistent with their scoring.
CHECK OUT: Best NFL Jerseys in 2023: All 32 Teams Ranked
11. Redskins vs Bills, 37-24 (1992)
The Washington Redskins made waves with their victory in the 1992 Super Bowl against the Buffalo Bills on January 26, 1992, making it one of the highest-scoring Super Bowls in history.
With a total score of 61, the Redskins became the fourth team after the Steelers (now the Raiders and the 49ers) to win three Super Bowls. And the Bills became the third team, after the Vikings and the Broncos to lose back-to-back Super Bowls.
10. Patriots vs Panthers, 32-29 (2004)
February 1, 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII saw the Carolina Panthers defeat the New England Patriots by 32-29.
This was the Panthers’ first ever Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11-5 regular season record and made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII.
9. Patriots vs Falcons, 34-28 (2017)
In Super Bowl LI, the New England Patriots won by 34-28 against the Atlanta Falcons, and featured the largest comeback in Super Bowl History, as the Falcons were leading by 18 by the end of the first half.
The Patriots stormed back in the fourth quarter by getting an incredible 19 total points, kicking them over to overtime. And then with a touchdown, the Patriots earned their victory. This was the first Super Bowl game to be decided in overtime.
8. 49ers vs Broncos, 55-10 (1990)
One of the highest-scoring Super Bowls was made at Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990, with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Denver Bronco, scoring 55-10, earning a total point of 65.
This was the 49ers second consecutive Super Bowl win. The 49ers finished the 1989 season with a league-best 14-2 record, with the Broncos posing an 11-5 regular season record.
7. Ravens vs 49ers, 34-31 (2013)
Super Bowl XLVII was on February 3, 2013, and had the Baltimore Ravens defeating the San Francisco 49ers by 34-31, which was the first Super Bowl loss in franchise history for the 49ers.
This game also had two brothers coaching against each other, a first in Super Bowl history, with Jim and John Harbaugh, earning the nickname Har-bowl. This was also the first to feature two teams that had undefeated records in previous Super Bowl Games, with Baltimore 1-0 and San Francisco 5-0.
6. Steelers vs Cowboys, 35-31 (1979)
played on January 21, 1979, Super Bowl XIII had the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Dallas Cowboys by 35-31, with a total score of 66, one of the highest-scoring Super Bowl games ever.
This was the first Super Bowl that featured a rematch of a previous one, as the Steelers had previously beaten the Cowboys, 21-17 in Super Bowl X. Both teams were attempting to be the first club to win a third Super Bowl as well, making this game even more intense for both teams.
RELATED: Which NFL Logos Have Changed the Most?
5. Buccaneers vs Raiders, 48-21 (2003)
As the last Super Bowl played in the month of January, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders did a great job at bringing it to a close with one of the highest-scoring Super Bowl games of all time, sitting at a total score of 69.
The game is sometimes referred to as the “Gruden Bowl” because the game revolved heavily around Jon Gruden, the Raiders head coach from 1998 to 2001, but in a trade became the Buccaneers head coach in 2002, making for an interesting game.
4. Cowboys vs Bills, 52-17 (1993)
Super Bowl XXVII saw the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Buffalo Bills on January 31, 1993, and was a great day for the Cowboys as it was their third Super Bowl victory in history, and their first in 15 years.
This was also the day that the Bills became the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls, and just the second team to play in three straight Super Bowls.
3. Chiefs vs Eagles, 38-35 (2023)
Number three comes from the most recent Super Bowl upon writing this list. On February 12, 2023, Super Bowl LVII went down in history as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 for a grand total of 73 points. In this game, there was one missed field goal from the Chiefs, and during their final possession, they took a knee three times to run the clock out and kicked a successful field goal instead of going for a one-yard touchdown.
If they had went for that touchdown, they would have beat the record for highest-scoring Super Bowl games of all time. Even so, it was a great game, and the Eagles have the record of highest score from the losing team in a Super Bowl.
2. Eagles and Patriots, 41-33 (2018)
Sitting on our second spot for the highest-scoring Super Bowl is Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33 for a combined score of 74 points.
In this game, there were several missed PAT attempts, including one missed kick from both teams, as well as 2 unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempts from the Eagles, and a field goal attempt from the Patriots near the beginning of the second quarter that hit the upright. But even with all those missed scores, this is still one of the highest scores you’ll see in history.
1. 49ers vs Chargers, 49-26 (1995)
At our number one spot for highest scoring Super Bowls, we have Super Bowl XXIX on January 29, 1995, where the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-29 for a combined score of 75 points, just one point higher than our second spot.
This was the only win for Steve Young in his career as a starter, although he won two as a backup as well.
Conclusion
The Super Bowl is an exciting event and one that all NFL fans watch even if their team isn’t featured. Football is quickly becoming “America’s Favorite Pastime”, pushing baseball out of the way, and rightly so, as it’s much more exciting and fast-paced.
The drama, the speed, the fans, everything about football creates such an energy. And the Super Bowl just enhances that even more. And in two months, on February 11, 2024, that energy will be in the homes of football fans everywhere. Hopefully, the next game can be included on the list of highest-scoring Super Bowls in history.
20 Highest Scoring NFL Games Ever