All-time Super Bowl power rankings: Which game was the best?
By James Dudko
14. Super Bowl X: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17
Swann was good in Super Bowl 14, but he was even better four years earlier. The ultra-acrobatic receiver turned the circus catch into an art form against a very good Cowboys defense.
Look up any highlights of this game and you’ll see slow-mo replays of Swan leaping toward the sideline or diving over defenders to make the impossible possible.
Swann also caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from Bradshaw, en route to winning the MVP award. Yet he should have shared it with defensive end L.C. Greenwood, who logged four of Pittsburgh’s record seven sacks.
This was the Steelers of their greatest period at their very best, overpowering defensively and spectacular on offense.
13. Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31
A prolonged blackout only increased the tension of an already hyper-intense Super Bowl when brother met brother in 2013. The Cain and Abel in question were John and Jim Harbuagh, head coaches of the Ravens and 49ers, respectively.
Like the Giants a year earlier, momentum was with the Ravens, who had seen off both the Broncos and Patriots on the road during a stunning playoff run. Their run seemed guaranteed to continue with a 28-6 lead in New Orleans. Then the lights went out.
Once they came on again, the Niners had regrouped and proceeded to rip off 23 points, while the Ravens only managed two Justin Tucker field goals.
Trailing by five, the 49ers drove down to the Baltimore seven with 2:39 left. However, three-straight Colin Kaepernick passes aimed at Michael Crabtree fell incomplete. Just don’t ask about the legality of Corey Graham and Jimmy Smith’s coverage.
This game had everything and would rank higher were its memory not overshadowed by those 35 minutes spent in darkness.