Super Bowl 49: Ranking the most dramatic finishes

1. Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17

I may be slightly biased because of my fanhood. I am a Saints fan. But I think most football fans would agree that from the first play of the third quarter on, Super Bowl XLIV—the only game in this list which ended with more than a one-score differential—was fascinating football.

That first play in the third quarter earned Sean Payton seemingly a life time of free meals and drinks anywhere in Southeast Louisiana. The play, “Ambush”, was a surprise onside kick to the Saints’ sideline, which was ultimately recovered by New Orleans.

After managing just two field goals in the first half, the Saints would go on to score their first Super Bowl touchdown in franchise history on the Saints’ offensive staple—a screen to Pierre Thomas, who is by far the best screen back in football.

It was game on from that point. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees would trade barbs, though New England’s defense would step up when it mattered most, first holding the Colts to a long field goal attempt at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which Matt Stover would miss.

The Saints down 17-16 would then drive down to the one-yard line when Drew Brees would hit Jeremy Shockey lined up out wide as a receiver on a quick slant for the go-ahead score. The Saints went for two and ran a classic west coast offense rollout pass in which Lance Moore ran a quick out, caught the ball at about the one and after video replay was deemed to have crossed the plane of the end zone to put the Saints up a full seven points.

Manning, though, was not deterred as he quickly brought the Colts back, getting them to the Saints’ 31-yard line with 3:24 to go in the game. Facing third-and-five, a timeout was called. Tracy Porter would later reveal that he had picked up during film study a tendency for the Colts to run a clear out and then in-route from Reggie Wayne in this situation.

Playing essentially a matchup zone (the perfect coverage against this route concept), Tracy Porter created the greatest play in New Orleans Saints franchise history, intercepting Manning and going the distance to make the score 31-17.

There have been even wilder and more dramatic endings in Super Bowl history, as we’ll see, but few were as good as Super Bowl XLIV.

Next: The Super Bowl that began a trend of great finishes every other year