NFL
How Long Was The Shortest Super Bowl In NFL History? Super Bowl XLIV Holds The Record

Since 2000, what is the shortest Super Bowl in NFL history? Super Bowl XLIV between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts is the shortest in NFL history.
Super Bowl XLIV Is Shortest Of 21st Century
Super Bowl XLIV
February 7, 2010With 3:24 left and the Colts driving to potentially tie to game, #Saints corner Tracy Porter intercepts Peyton Manning for a 74-yard pick-six to ice the game, 31-17.
The first #SuperBowl title for #WhoDat nation pic.twitter.com/bPuKS0haOM
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) February 7, 2024
Per Pro Football Reference, Super Bowl XLIV between the Saints and Colts clocked in at three hours and 14 minutes.
That remains the shortest Super Bowl of the 21st century.
Super Bowl XLIV was played on February 7, 2010, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The Saints pulled off a 31-17 upset victory for the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees won Super Bowl MVP thanks to completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
The Saints memorably recovered an onside kick to start the second half, which flipped the game’s momentum.
The next shortest Super Bowls — XXXV, XLVI, and XLVIII — have the same time of three hours and 23 minutes.
The longest Super Bowl is XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. This game famously had a power outage, which lengthened the game past four hours.
Why Is The Super Bowl Longer Than A Typical NFL Game?
"They tell you how long halftime is gonna be in the Super Bowl and you can usually count on it being longer than that..
Let's call it three times a long as a normal halftime..
We tried to plan it out into five minute blocks"@Belichick_B #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7oIIz3bqtc
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 4, 2025
The Super Bowl is not a typical game.
The average NFL game is approximately three hours and 12 minutes, per Pro Football Network.
In the last 20 years, the Super Bowl has been about three hours and 38 minutes.
Why is that?
Halftime is very different in the Super Bowl compared to a regular season game. 15 minutes is about the average of a regular season game.
Because of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the halftime of the Big Game extends to 25 minutes and can even reach 30 minutes.
Additionally, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest advertising nights of the year. Commercials cost around $8 million for a 30-second spot. Therefore, the NFL makes sure to hit all of its commercial breaks.