What Is the Closest Super Bowl Ever?
As only two teams are fortunate enough to earn a trip to the Super Bowl every year, millions of upon millions of overall NFL fans don’t have a team for which to root. That certainly doesn’t stop people from placing some bets, but you know what I mean.
When many are asked the question, “Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?”, a common reply is, “I really don’t care. I just want to see a good game.” Or there’s the “I only care about the commercials” response as well.
But let’s be honest here. We don’t always get that good game. Over the years, we’ve certainly had plenty of Super Bowl blowouts. More often than not, though, we do get a competitive matchup.
So what was the closest Super Bowl ever in terms of margin of victory?
What is the closest Super Bowl ever?
The closest Super Bowl of all time was the Super Bowl 25 matchup between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills following the 1990 NFL season.
And given what was happening with the Gulf War, it was also undoubtedly one of the most emotional.
Following a riveting rendition of the national anthem by Whitney Houston, the Giants and Bills engaged in an instant classic that will forever be remembered as one of the great championship games in any sport.
Down 12-3 in the second quarter, the Giants fought back and took a 20-19 lead with eight minutes remaining in the final frame on a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bahr.
The Bills, who were making the first of four straight Super Bowl appearances, had a shot to win the game, but Scott Norwood famously missed a 47-yard field goal wide right with eight seconds remaining, giving the Giants their second championship in five seasons.
As this was the only title game decided by a single point, it’s obviously the closest Super Bowl of all time.
Eight Super Bowls have been decided by three points
While obviously not quite as close as a single point, eight Super Bowls have been decided by three points, four of which involved Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Here’s a quick look at that list.
| Super Bowl | Winner | Loser |
| Super Bowl 5 | Baltimore Colts-16 | Dallas Cowboys-13 |
| Super Bowl 36 | New England Patriots-20 | St. Louis Rams-17 |
| Super Bowl 38 | New England Patriots-32 | Carolina Panthers-29 |
| Super Bowl 39 | New England Patriots-24 | Philadelphia Eagles-21 |
| Super Bowl 42 | New York Giants-17 | New England Patriots-14 |
| Super Bowl 47 | Baltimore Ravens-34 | San Francisco 49ers-31 |
| Super Bowl 56 | Los Angeles Rams-23 | Cincinnati Bengals-20 |
| Super Bowl 57 | Kansas City Chiefs-38 | Philadelphia Eagles-35 |
Six have been decided by four points
Up next on the closest Super Bowl list are those that were decided by four points, of which there have been six. Brady and the Pats show up twice on this list.
| Super Bowl | Winner | Loser |
| Super Bowl 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers-21 | Dallas Cowboys-17 |
| Super Bowl 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers-35 | Dallas Cowboys-31 |
| Super Bowl 23 | San Francisco 49ers-20 | Cincinnati Bengals-16 |
| Super Bowl 43 | Pittsburgh Steelers-27 | Arizona Cardinals-23 |
| Super Bowl 46 | New York Giants-21 | New England Patriots-17 |
| Super Bowl 49 | New England Patriots-28 | Seattle Seahawks-24 |
