This was pretty close to being the least-entertaining Super Bowl ever

This was pretty close to being the least-entertaining Super Bowl ever

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Oh hey, bet you’ve never seen a Super Bowl featuring this guy before!
Oh hey, bet you’ve never seen a Super Bowl featuring this guy before!
Image: Getty Images

Alright, so the Super Bowl is done. For all the hype surrounding it, billed as a Titanic clash between Brady and Mahomes, it was a total stinker from a football fan’s standpoint. With no real rooting interest in the game, and as someone that was looking forward to potentially an all-time great battle, I feel incredibly unsatisfied. The game was so bad, in fact, that many are asking what the all-time worst Super Bowls are, and if this one makes the list.

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Short answer: Yes, it does. From a pure entertainment standpoint, which is how I’m gauging this list, here are my top five worst Super Bowls ever.

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2 / 7

5. Super Bowl XL - 2006: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10

5. Super Bowl XL - 2006: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10

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Most of the game was a snooze fest, outside of a couple plays. Stud Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander couldn’t find the end zone, Hasselbeck was inconsistent, and Roethlisberger was held to only 123 passing yards. Steelers running back Willie Parker rattled off a 75-yard rush, and the Steelers drew up a 43-yard trick play touchdown pass from former college quarterback turned wide receiver Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward. Those handful of plays were really about the only redemptive qualities to this game.

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3 / 7

4. Super Bowl XXXV - 2001, Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 10

4. Super Bowl XXXV - 2001, Baltimore Ravens 34, New York Giants 10

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There was one thing fascinating about this Super Bowl — the Giants got their only touchdown on a 97-yard kickoff return from Ron Dixon in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Jermaine Lewis returned the favor with an 84-yard return touchdown of his own. In a matchup between Trent Dilfer and Kerry Collins, the quarterback play was less than historic. Collins threw for 112 yards, zero touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was also sacked four times. Dilfer was uninspiring as well - 153 passing yards, 1 touchdown, zero interceptions. The lead never changed after the Ravens scored first.

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4 / 7

3. XLVIII - 2014, Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver Broncos 8

3. XLVIII - 2014, Seattle Seahawks 43, Denver Broncos 8

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This game was over literally from the first snap. On the first play from scrimmage, center Manuel Ramirez snapped the ball over the head of Peyton Manning. Running back Knowshon Moreno recovered the ball and was tackled in the end zone by Cliff Avril for a safety. The Seahawks and their defense never looked back. As a Seahawks fan, I loved this Super Bowl. For the viewer, it was awful.

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5 / 7

2. LV - 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9

2. LV - 2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9

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That’s right, this snoozefest will be more widely remembered for the idiot fan on the field and for that incredible throw from Patrick Mahomes that almost was. Yes, the storylines are fantastic – Brady gets his seventh ring, the first one outside of New England, during a pandemic year, blah blah blah. But the game itself sucked. It was never close. There were no dramatics. There were no phenomenal plays. There was no comeback. It was just an ugly, lopsided, ho-hum victory.

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6 / 7

1. LIII - 2019: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3

1. LIII - 2019: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3

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Before Brady was in this year’s Super Bowl, he was in the big game in 2019 as well. It was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in NFL history, finishing 13-3 in New England’s favor. Brady threw for 262 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Patriots running back Sony Michel, apparently, scored the only touchdown of the game. I had to look it up. It was a one-yard run. It was awful. I literally do not remember anything about this Super Bowl. It was as unremarkable as it gets. 

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