Biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history, from Chiefs’ rally against 49ers to Patriots’ legendary “28-3”
Seeing your Super Bowl title hopes begin to dwindle on the biggest stage is a sickening feeling. But when you’ve been working your whole life to get there, giving up is just not an option.
Ending a comeback with a season on the line and your back against the wall has to be one of the happiest feelings of any NFL player’s career. But not every player is capable of accomplishing the improbable – or, in some cases, the brink of the impossible.
Coming from behind in a Super Bowl is the ultimate example of refusing to lose and fighting to the bitter end. That fighting spirit is evident in so many of the legendary careers we’ve witnessed over the years – from Manning to Mahomes, from Brees to Brady. And as you might expect, you’ll see every one of those names on this list.
The Sporting News takes a look back at the six greatest comebacks in Super Bowl history:
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The Biggest Super Bowl Comebacks
8 points: Giants vs. Patriots in Super Bowl 46
Eli Manning had a knack for bringing out the best in Tom Brady on the biggest stage. First, he ruined the Patriots’ hopes for a perfect season with a stunning win in Super Bowl 42. Then, four years later, he took it down again.
Underdogs Giants took a 9-0 lead in the first quarter, but Brady and the Patriots snatched 17 unanswered points to take a 17-9 lead in the third quarter. Then New York’s defense got tough, crushing Brady’s high-profile offense while Manning’s offense kept taking the lead with field-goal drives.
Ahmad Bradshaw ended a late drive with a touchdown with just over a minute left, and the defense held firm to give the Giants their second Super Bowl win over the Patriots in four years.
9 points: Giants vs. Bills in Super Bowl 25
The Giants appear on this list again, but this game will be remembered less for their comeback and more for what happened in the final moments. A game that will forever be known as “Broad Law”.
Buffalo’s explosive “K-Gun” offense, led by Jim Kelly at center, gave the Bills a 12-3 lead in the second quarter. But the Giants didn’t give up, and two touchdowns on either side of the half turned Buffalo’s comfortable lead into a 17-12 deficit.
Thurman Thomas restored the Bills’ lead in the first game of the first quarter, a 31-yard touchdown scamper that made it 19-17. But the Giants offense, led by quarterback Jeff Hostetler, marched back onto the field and scored a field goal to make it 20:19. In the final moments, Kelly and Thomas worked together to pull the Bills within range of field goals, giving kicker Scott Norwood a shot at winning the Super Bowl from 47 yards. His kick missed the far right, and the rest is history.
10 points: Washington vs. Broncos in Super Bowl 22
That’s weird. While it was technically a comeback, it was also one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history.
It was the Broncos’ second straight Super Bowl appearance, thanks in large part to the play of star quarterback John Elway. They also got off to a fantastic start, scoring a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage (a 56-yard house call for Ricky Nattiel) and building a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. At that time, no team had ever closed a 10-point deficit in a Super Bowl.
Then the wheels fell off.
Ricky Williams put Washington on the board with an 80-yard touchdown reception, then Gary Clark made a dive catch in the end zone to take a 14-10 lead. On the team’s next possession, rookie Timmy Smith turned on the Jets for a 58-yard touchdown run in his first NFL start of his career. Williams got his second touchdown of the quarter on the following drive with a 50-yard catch and run, and finally Doug Williams threw a touchdown to Clint Didier.
In barely 13 minutes of play, the Broncos went from a double-digit lead to a 35-10 at halftime. The second half was a dull affair, with Denver never really threatening to reduce the massive lead. Washington would win 42-10.
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10 points: Saints vs. Colts in Super Bowl 44
Heading into Super Bowl 44, the Colts appeared poised for their second Lombardi trophy in four years. Peyton Manning had lit it up in the regular season en route to his fourth MVP honor, and the team was undefeated in their starters’ games all season (they lost twice while resting their starters at the end of the regular season) .
After a quarter against Drew Brees and the Saints, the Colts were in great form, leading 10-0 thanks to a field goal from Matt Stover and a touchdown catch from Pierre Garçon. The Saints hit two field goals in the second quarter to cut the lead to 10-6, but Indianapolis was still in the driver’s seat and went 10-6 at halftime.
Then New Orleans head coach Sean Payton made one of the bravest calls in Super Bowl history.
As the Saints started the second half, Payton opted for an onside kick. It caught the Colts’ special forces completely off guard, and the Saints rallied to steal a possession from Manning and the high-octane Colts’ offense. Brees capitalized on that, leading a 58-yard touchdown drive to give his team their first lead of the game.
The Colts regained the lead on the following drive after a touchdown run from Joseph Addai, but the Saints fought back just over five minutes from play when Brees found Jeremy Shockey in the end zone for a touchdown. Tracy Porter’s pick-six on Manning on the subsequent drive sealed an emotional victory for New Orleans less than five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
10 points: Patriots vs. Seahawks in Super Bowl 49
Pete Carroll’s Seahawks were at the peak of their powers during the 2015 postseason. With star quarterback Russell Wilson leading offense and the vaunted “Legion of Boom” pinning down defense, Seattle appeared poised to repeat itself as world champions after wiping out the Broncos in Super Bowl 48 a year earlier had.
But Tom Brady and the Patriots had other ideas.
With the Seahawks leading 24-14 in the fourth quarter, Brady needed to make it big again for his team to have a chance. He did just that, launching a 68-yard touchdown drive that was crowned by a 4-yard pass to Danny Amendola in the end zone. After the Seahawks went three and out, he followed up with another clutch drive and put New England ahead 28-24 with a little over two minutes left with a touchdown pass to Julian Edelman.
But the game is mostly remembered for what came next.
Wilson and the Seattle offense put on a stunning drive, marching to the 1-yard line in large part thanks to a wonderful catch from Jermaine Kearse. With Marshawn Lynch at Carroll’s side, all spectators were already bracing themselves for the inevitable game-winning touchdown run. But on the 2nd and goal with 26 seconds on the clock, Wilson threw an oblique pass to Ricardo Lockette instead. Unheralded rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler perfectly jumped the route in one of the most shocking games in NFL history.
Brady and the Patriots walked away with the win and secured their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
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10 points: Chiefs vs. Eagles in Super Bowl 54
For decades, the Kansas City Chiefs had a reputation as the perennial playoff underachievers. That changed in early 2020.
Fresh from an MVP award the previous season, Patrick Mahomes was already well on his way to becoming a superstar. But he needed a Super Bowl title to prove he and his team could make it on the biggest stage.
In the second half of Super Bowl 54, things didn’t look good against the 49ers as San Francisco led 20-10 into the fourth quarter. Then Mahomes did what stars do. He executed three straight touchdown drives in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter and found Travis Kelce and Damien Harris for two points before Williams ripped off a 38-yard TD run to put the game out of reach.
It was Kansas City’s first championship since Super Bowl 4 in 1970, 50 years earlier, and it set Mahomes and the Chiefs on a path to continued success. They have a chance to grab another ring this Sunday against the Eagles in Super Bowl 57.
25 points: Patriots vs. Falcons in Super Bowl 51
It’s quite simply the ultimate sporting comeback. Since Super Bowl 51, just two simple numbers have been enough to send chills down the spine of any sports fan in Atlanta. “28-3.”
On February 5, 2017, Matt Ryan, Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons had one hand and four fingers on the first Lombardi trophy in franchise history. What happened next was unbelievable, unthinkable and downright impossible.
In front of more than 70,000 fans at Houston’s NRG Stadium, the Falcons stormed to a commanding lead over Tom Brady and the Patriots. After a scoreless first quarter, Devonta Freeman opened the scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run before Austin Hooper caught a 19-yard pass from Ryan in the end zone for a 14-0. When Brady’s pass was intercepted in the red zone by Robert Alford and returned 82 yards for a touchdown, it looked like all hope was lost for New England.
A touchdown catch by Tevin Coleman extended the lead to 28-3 with 8:31 remaining in the third quarter. Rings were customized, headlines were written and trophies engraved in preparation for Atlanta’s dominant victory. Then what can only be described as a complete and total collapse.
Brady got his team into the end zone for the first time with a short pass to James White at 2:06 in the third quarter. After Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point, the score was 28:9 in the last 15 minutes.
Gostkowski redeemed himself with a field goal to cut the lead to 16 points, 9:44 into the game, making it a two-possession game. And the Falcons’ offense, which had been so explosive all season, suddenly collapsed. Ryan was released and fumbled the ball on the drive that followed, and Alan Branch’s recovery allowed the Patriots to pick up another quick result, a Danny Amendola touchdown. After a successful two-point conversion, it was suddenly a possession game with almost 6 minutes left on the clock.
The Falcons reached the edge of the red zone on the following drive, but negative plays and a costly holding penalty pushed them out of field goal range. They were forced to push the ball back and at 3:30 on the clock what happened next seemed almost inevitable. Julian Edelman’s insane catch on a deflector helped the Patriots drive down the entire field and pocketed it again thanks to another white touchdown. With the season at stake, Brady passes Amendola after the two-point conversion. tied the game.
When the Patriots won the overtime coin toss, they had a chance to win the game by another touchdown. The Falcons defense looked helpless to stop them. White’s third touchdown of the night on a run to the right from near the goal line completed the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and gave Brady his fifth Super Bowl ring.