The 10 lowest-scoring Super Bowls ever played

With Super Bowl LIX fast approaching, football fans are hoping to get a barn-burning offensive showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. While the sheer amount of offensive talent on both rosters, headlined by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for the Chiefs alongside Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts for the Eagles, would suggest a shootout history has shown us that a high-flying fireworks display that is constantly turning the scoreboards may not always be in the cards.

What makes a low-scoring Super Bowl?

In 2024, an NFL team generated an average of 22.9 points per game, an increase over 2023's 21.8 PPG but still a bit below when scoring peaked at 23.8 points per game per team in 2018. If we round up the average figure to an even 23 and multiply it by two since two teams play in a given game, you would expect an average Super Bowl to generate 46 points combined between the two teams.

That average can be skewed by several factors, including talent on the defensive side of the ball that generates negative offensive plays (think sacks and turnovers) and defensive coaches who can come up with brilliant game plans to negate a strong offense. Chiefs' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, for example, has a history of exotic blitz packages that have stymied some of the greatest passers to ever take the field in an NFL game.

Not all Super Bowls are created equal as the earliest games played in a more primitive offensive style where the running game was emphasized at the expense of the passing attack. Modern rule changes that made it harder for defensive backs to cover wide receivers without penalties have opened up the offensive game to a significant degree, with notable changes coming in the form of changing all pass interference penalties to a spot foul (resulting in the potential for a massive yardage swing if a defensive back takes down a receiver well into his route) and the emphasis on illegal contact and defensive holding, making it tougher for a defensive back to grab onto a receiver down the field.

One factor that tends not to influence scoring in the Super Bowl is weather since the NFL tries to schedule the big game in either stadiums with a roof (either fixed or retractable) or open-aired stadiums in warm weather climates like Tampa Bay or Miami. While we can get the occasional rain storm during an open-aired Super Bowl, like how the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears played in a driving rain in Miami during Super Bowl LI, most championship clashes are played by design in climate control environments.

Ranking the 10 lowest-scoring Super Bowls

The all-time low is a Super Bowl most fans would like to forget, the defensive clinic that was the Patriots 13-3 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Neither team scored through the first three quarters of the game and one of the highlights of the contest was Johnny Hekker's Super Bowl record 65-yard punt, which is not a great indicator of game quality for the fans.

A lot of the early Super Bowls found their way into this table as seven of the first ten Super Bowls generated combined point totals of 31 or less. Considering the era these teams played, it makes sense that the style of play was not as crisp as modern fans are used to.

It is noteworthy that two of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history checked into this list as well. The Jets' infamous upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III and the Giants' triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII to deny New England a perfect season featured dominating defensive efforts to slow down record-setting offenses.

Most notable players In low-scoring Super Bowls

As you can see, low-scoring Super Bowls vary in all shapes and sizes. There are, however, a few notable names who made their mark on NFL history in a low scoring Super Bowl.

Dallas Cowboys' LB Chuck Howley

Super Bowl V has gone down in history as the Blunder Bowl due to very sloppy play, but it is noteworthy for being the only Super Bowl to produce an MVP from the losing team. Howley was a game-wrecker for Tom Landry's defense, picking off two passes and being a force that Baltimore's offense had a hard time containing.

New York Jets QB Joe Namath

In a rarity, Namath managed to take home Super Bowl MVP honors for New York despite not throwing a touchdown pass in the game. The Jets' lone touchdown came on a four-yard run from Matt Snell in the first quarter but Namath's efficient passing day (17-of-28 for 206 yards with no interceptions) and successful backing of his guaranteed victory helped him snag the honors.

Pittsburgh Steelers FB Franco Harris

Super Bowl IX was a slog in New Orleans as neither team could generate much offense at Tulane Stadium but Harris set the tone with a nine-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to put Pittsburgh up 9-0. Harris took home MVP honors with 158 yards on the ground, a Super Bowl record at the time, and gained more yards than the entire Minnesota offense by himself.

New York Giants QB Eli Manning

While the numbers may not pop from Manning's MVP effort (19-of-34 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception), he is one-half of one of the most memorable plays in Super Bowl history for throwing the ball that David Tyree caught on his helmet. Manning's touchdown to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds to go sealed one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.

Fun facts from the lowest-scoring Super Bowls

Let's wrap up this look at the lowest-scoring Super Bowls of all time with some fun facts about these big games.

Super Bowl VII

This victory by the Dolphins was the one that capped off the only undefeated season in NFL history to date. Safety Jake Scott became the second defensive player to ever take home MVP honors with two key interceptions of Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer.

The Vikings are a low-scoring magnet

The most common thread amongst low-scoring Super Bowls was the Minnesota Vikings, who were on the losing end three times and scored a combined 34 points across their four Super Bowl appearances. The Purple People Eaters were also a fearsome defense in their own right, contributing to some of these low scoring games with a defensive line that featured two future Hall of Famers (Alan Page and Carl Eller) and made 19 combined Pro Bowl appearances.

Steelers make history in Super Bowl XL

While wild card teams have made deep postseason runs before, no one had done what the Steelers did in Super Bowl XL. Beginning the postseason as the final wild card team in the AFC, Pittsburgh won three consecutive road games to become the first No. 6 seed to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The game is also notable for a lot of questionable officiating calls that benefitted Pittsburgh, leaving this Super Bowl as one of the most controversial in NFL history.

The end of the New England dynasty

Super Bowl LIII would mark the final hurray of the Patriots' dynasty as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady won their sixth Super Bowl together, with Brady becoming the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his 40s. The Rams also made history for their offensive ineptitude after becoming just the second team to fail to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, joining the Dolphins, who also put up just a field goal in Super Bowl VI.