Winning a Super Bowl is hard enough, but doing so after trailing for much of it feels virtually impossible, knowing how good the teams are that get to participate in the Big Game. As Atlanta Falcons fans can attest, though, no game is truly out of reach until the clock hits triple zeroes.
With that in mind, let's take a look at why Falcons fans will cringe when clicking on this article and relive some of the other biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history.
The biggest comeback in Super Bowl history is better known by 28-3
The Falcons sure seemed poised to win their first-ever Super Bowl when Robert Alford's pick-six put them up 21-0 over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The game appeared to be completely out of reach when Matt Ryan found Tevin Coleman for a touchdown that extended their lead to 28-3 with 8:31 left. At that point, not only were the Patriots struggling mightily to do anything against the Falcons' defense, but Atlanta's offense looked completely unstoppable. Even if Brady figured it out, it didn't look like New England had an answer for Ryan and Co. Clearly, everyone was wrong based on what happened next.
Six minutes later, the Patriots got into the end zone for the first time, cutting New England's deficit to 28-9. After getting a stop, the Pats began the fourth quarter with a field goal, cutting the Falcons lead to 28-12. A Dont'a Hightower strip-sack on the next Falcons possession opened the door to a Pats comeback, though, and really changed the complexion of the game, The Patriots would get into the end zone and convert a two-point conversion less than three minutes later, suddenly making this a one-score game.
The Falcons failed to kill clock or add onto their lead on their next drive, and the Patriots took advantage. They drove down the field and tied the game with less than a minute to go in regulation, and after winning the coin toss in overtime, they scored again to win it all, completing the greatest comeback in the history of sports.
Everything that could've gone wrong did for the Falcons in the second half of this game. A defense that looked unbeatable in the first half suddenly couldn't stop a nosebleed in the second half. An offense that looked unstoppable couldn't move the chains. The Falcons committed a killer turnover, and even their play-calling (not running the ball to kill clock much despite their huge lead) came back to bite them.
For most NFL fans, this game was one of the greatest in the history of the sport, just because of how unlikely what the Patriots pulled off was. For Falcons fans and Brady haters, though, this game was an absolute nightmare that they almost certainly haven't gotten over nearly a decade later.
The five biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history
A look at the biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history shows just how absurd the Patriots' win was. No comeback really comes close to comparing.
Rank | Super Bowl (Year) | Largest Deficit | Time of Deficit | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LI (2016) | 28-3 | 8:31 left in 3rd quarter | Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) |
2 | LIV (2019) | 20-10 | 2:35 left in 3rd quarter | Chiefs 31, 49ers 20 |
3 | XLIX (2014) | 24-14 | 5:00 left in 3rd quarter | Patriots 28, Seahawks 24 |
4 | LVII (2022) | 24-14 | 0:04 left in 2nd quarter | Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 |
5 | LVIII (2023) | 10-0 | 4:23 left in 2nd quarter | Chiefs 25, 49ers 22 (OT) |
Super Bowl LIV (Chiefs vs. 49ers)
The Kansas City Chiefs have won three recent Super Bowls despite trailing by double figures in all of them. Their most impressive comeback of the three also happened to be their first Super Bowl win of the Patrick Mahomes era. The San Francisco 49ers went up 20-10 late in the third quarter, but Mahomes found Travis Kelce in the end zone to cut the deficit to three, and then Damien Williams, a true unsung hero from this game, scored two touchdowns, the first of which gave the Chiefs the lead and the second of which put the game out of reach. Kansas City scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, and they needed all three of them.
Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots vs. Seahawks)
This Super Bowl that took place just two years before the 28-3 game is remembered for Malcolm Butler's game-sealing interception, but the Patriots' comeback before that shouldn't get glossed over. The Seattle Seahawks went up 24-14 late in the third quarter, and with the Legion of Boom on the other side, the game felt over. But Brady threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to flip the script, the second of which came with just 2:06 left to give the Patriots the lead. The defense, obviously, deserves credit for the interception, but that would've never happened if it weren't for New England climbing out of a deficit.
Super Bowl LVII (Chiefs vs. Eagles)
A Jake Elliott field goal to end the first half gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 24-14 lead over the Chiefs. The Chiefs defense did a better job containing the Eagles in the second half, but it was Mahomes who did whatever he wanted down the stretch. An unsung hero from this game was Kadarius Toney, who not only caught a touchdown pass that gave Kansas City a brief one-point lead but also famously returned an Eagles punt for 65 yards, putting the Chiefs in position to take an eight-point lead soon after. Philly did tie the score later on, but a Harrison Butker field goal with just 11 seconds left won it for Kansas City.
Super Bowl LVIII (Chiefs vs. 49ers)
49ers fans are likely just as frustrated as Falcons fans, knowing they've blown two of the largest leads in Super Bowl history. A Christian McCaffrey touchdown gave San Francisco a 10-0 lead towards the end of the second quarter. The Chiefs didn't score a point until there were 23 seconds left in the first half, and even that was just a field goal. Kansas City would turn it on in the second half, though, taking a 13-10 lead in the third quarter.
What made this win a bit more impressive was that the Niners took not one, but two fourth-quarter leads. Harrison Butker tied the game twice, the second of which sent it to overtime. The Chiefs then trailed in the extra session after surrendering a field goal, but a Mecole Hardman touchdown pass from Mahomes sealed a signature comeback win for Kansas City.
Infamous Super Bowl comebacks that fell just short
Super Bowl XLV (Packers vs. Steelers)
The Green Bay Packers took a commanding 21-3 first-half lead on the strength of a couple of Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes and a Nick Collins pick-six, but a Pittsburgh Steelers touchdown to end the first half gave Pittsburgh momentum it'd carry into the second half. The Steelers cut their deficit to 21-17, and after the Packers regained a two-score lead, they responded with a touchdown of their own less than five minutes later, trimming the margin to 28-25. They'd allow a field goal on the next drive, though, and with one last drive to tie or win it all, Ben Roethlisberger missed Mike Wallace on third and fourth down, sending the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Super Bowl XLIII (Steelers vs. Cardinals)
The Steelers did find themselves on the right side of history a couple of years earlier against the Arizona Cardinals, though. The first half of Super Bowl XLIII ended with the Steelers up 17-7, and the only points in the third quarter came on a Pittsburgh field goal, pushing their lead to 20-7. Somehow, though, this elite defense and disciplined offense collapsed, allowing a pair of touchdowns and a safety in the fourth quarter, turning a 20-7 lead to a 23-20 deficit. With 42 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone for one of the most famous catches in NFL history, giving the Steelers a 27-20 lead. A LaMarr Woodley sack with 15 seconds left was the final nail in the Cardinals' coffin.
Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots vs. Panthers)
A close, yet uneventful game in the first half of Super Bowl XXXVIII appeared to turn in the fourth quarter when Antowain Smith ran into the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 21-10 lead with just 14:53 to go in the fourth quarter. The Carolina Panthers would respond less than three minutes later, though, cutting their deficit to 21-16, and then capitalized on a Tom Brady interception with an 85-yard touchdown pass, taking a 22-21 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.
A Mike Vrabel (yes, that Mike Vrabel) touchdown on the ensuing drive, followed by a two-point conversion, gave the Patriots a 29-22 lead, but again, Carolina responded with a touchdown of its own with only 1:13 left. In true Brady fashion, though, he completed five of six pass attempts in the clutch and Adam Vinatieri drilled his second Super Bowl-winning field goal in three years, giving the Patriots an uncomfortable, yet thrilling, Super Bowl win.
Super Bowl XVI (49ers vs. Bengals)
Super Bowl XVI appeared over when, thanks to a pair of Joe Montana touchdowns and a pair of Ray Wersching field goals, the 49ers went up 20-0 against the Cincinnati Bengals heading into halftime. Even after the Bengals finally got onto the board in the third quarter, that frame ended with San Francisco up 20-7.
The Bengals then made it a one-score game early in the fourth with a touchdown, but two more Wersching field goals put Cincinnati back down by two possessions. The Bengals, again, did not quit, scoring a touchdown with 16 seconds to go. Remarkably, if they were able to recover an onside kick, they'd have a golden opportunity to win the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Niners recovered it, escaping a furious Cincy comeback attempt.
Super Bowl XLVII (Ravens vs. 49ers)
The Baltimore Ravens had the biggest lead of anyone on this list. Jacoby Jones' 108-yard kickoff return to begin the second half gave the Ravens a 28-6 lead over the 49ers, but not even two minutes later, the power mysteriously went out at the Superdome in New Orleans. That power outage seemed to somehow give the Niners momentum, as they scored a pair of touchdowns and kicked a field goal in the third quarter to cut their 22-point deficit to 28-23 entering the fourth quarter.
A Ravens field goal stretched it to an eight-point lead, but had the Niners converted a two-point conversion attempt on their fourth-quarter touchdown, the score would've been knotted at 31 apiece. They failed to, opening the door for the Ravens to tack on some later insurance with a field goal, and then an intentional safety with four seconds to go ensured the Niners would not have enough time to do anything but come up short on a kickoff return attempt.
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