Looking back at 5 worst Super Bowls in living memory

The Super Bowl often makes for some of the most exciting and entertaining games in sports, with both sides putting everything on line to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. But sometimes the Super Bowl isn’t always last-minute calls and Hail Mary passes; some games are ruined by bad calls, while others are just plain boring! 

As we gear up for the 49ers vs the Chiefs this Sunday – a game that so far promises to be one of the greats – let's take a look back at some of the times the Super Bowl has not quite lived up to the hype.

The 1989-1990 NFL season was one of the most lopsided in football history. The San Francisco 49ers went 14-2, and when it came time for Super Bowl XXIV, they absolutely destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10.

Joe Montana was the star of the game, throwing five touchdowns to John Elway’s one, and Montana was later named the game's most valuable player. The game was so bad that Bleacher Report writer Wes O’Donnell said “The Broncos never belonged in this game,” and he was probably right. 

Denver had a very inexperienced team going into Super Bowl XXIV. Running back Bobby Humphrey, kicker David Treadwell, and free safety Steve Atwater were all rookies. But the real issue was John Elway’s inconsistent play, he threw four turnovers and even fumbled the ball once...

The Seattle Seahawks may have finished with a perfect 10-0 record in the 2005-2006 regular season but that didn’t stop them from suffering an excruciating 21-10 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. 

The game has actually prompted a conspiracy theory that Super Bowl XL was rigged, with most fans of the theory citing Jeremy Stevens' early game catch-and-fumble—ruled by the referees as an incomplete pass—as proof that something fishy was going on. 

Regardless of whether or not Super Bowl XL was rigged, the incomplete pass call set the tone of play for the rest of the game and the Seahawks were never able to recover their moment. They handed Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cower an easy championship for a very boring but eventful game. 

The New York Giants probably didn’t deserve to face off against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, and they definitely weren’t the best team to counter the Ravens' epic defensive lineup after beating out the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship. 

“While the Giants won the game to get in,” wrote Bleacher Report's Wes O’Donnell, “a Vikings-Ravens matchup would have pitted the league's best offense and the league's best defense against one another.”

The Giants blundered their way through the first two quarters and fell apart in the final two quarters, losing to the Ravens in a not-so-stunning 34-7 upset. 

Thirteen years after the Seattle Seahawks suffered their greatest playoff defeat, the franchise redeemed itself when it utterly crushed the Denver Broncos in Superbowl XLVIII. 

“Despite being two-point favorites,” wrote Men’s Journal sports reporter Timothy Brace, “Denver was never in the game, falling behind on the first play from scrimmage and eventually trailing 36-0 before scoring their lone touchdown in the third period.”

The Broncos ultimately lost 43-8 in what many consider Payton Manning’s worst playoff performance. The teams were completely mismatched and Timothy Brace called the game “one of the worst bloodbaths in Super Bowl history.”

Nothing too controversial happened during Super Bowl LIII, in fact the game stayed quite close until the end. The problem wasn’t in bad calls or blowout wins, it was just plain boring to watch. 

The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 but not a lot happened over the course of the four quarters. Tom Brady was the biggest star of the game but fans expected more from Todd Gurley, who was one of the highest-paid running back at the time according to CBS News.

After 90 minutes of play, the Patriots walked away with their sixth championship win but were also saddled with the title of playing in what SB Nation’s Alex Kirshner called “the most boring Super Bowl ever.”