Super Bowl power rankings: Who’s the best loser?
By John Buhler
48. 1994 San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XXIX
In 1994, Steve Young was on a mission to prove that he could win a Super Bowl after spending a good part of his NFL career as Joe Montana’s backup with the San Francisco 49ers. Young went out in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida in Super Bowl XXIX and laid on the AFC Champion San Diego Chargers the best performance ever by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. Young threw six touchdown passes against the Chargers’ defense in a 49-26 laugher.
The 1994 Chargers were coached by former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Bobby Ross and featured the late Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau. San Diego went 11-5 in 1994 to win the AFC West. They won two close games over the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers to get to Super Bowl XXIX.
In what goes down as likely the biggest discrepancy at the quarterback position in a Super Bowl, with San Diego’s Stan Humphries trying his best to compete with a future Hall of Famer in San Francisco’s Young, San Diego hardly stood a chance in this game.
San Diego entered Super Bowl XXIX as an 18.5-point underdog to San Francisco, which is the largest point spread in any Super Bowl, edging out the famous 18-point underdog 1968 New York Jets who won Super Bowl III over the goliath Baltimore Colts.
Being the biggest underdog in Super Bowl history, having just an okay 11-5 record for a Super Bowl team, and losing by 23 points makes the 1994 Chargers the second-worst team to have played in a Super Bowl.
Next: 47. 1985 New England Patriots