National Football League

Ranking the 10 New Orleans Super Bowls: Bradshaw to Blackout Bowl to Brady

Published Jan. 28, 2025 8:52 a.m. ET

Super Bowl LIX is now set, with a Super Bowl LVII rematch between the Eagles and Chiefs scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 9. The game is back in New Orleans for an 11th time, matching Miami for the most times in the event's storied history.

New Orleans was a key part of the Super Bowl's early years, hosting five of the first 15 games, the first three at Tulane Stadium before moving to the Superdome for the past seven games. And with 10 in the books and an 11th on the way, it's the perfect time to revisit the history of the Super Bowl in New Orleans, ranking the games over a span of 55 years. It's a place where dynasties started and legendary careers ended.

Let's get to the ranking.

10. SUPER BOWL XV (1981): Raiders 27, Eagles 10

Oakland quarterback Jim Plunkett got the MVP for throwing three touchdowns — an 80-yarder to Kenny King and two to Cliff Branch — but even more remarkable was the play of Raiders linebacker Rod Martin. He set a Super Bowl record with three interceptions, all off Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, after totaling just two in the first four years of his career. This was the middle of three championships in an eight-year span for the Raiders, who haven't won one in the following 40 years.

9. SUPER BOWL IV (1970): Chiefs 23, Vikings 7

The first Super Bowl in New Orleans was the last before the NFL-AFL merger, and the AFL's Chiefs sent their league out the right way, forcing five Vikings turnovers and cruising to a 23-7 victory at Tulane Stadium. This was the first of four Super Bowls in eight years for Minnesota, all losses. Kansas City wouldn't win another championship for 50 years, though the Chiefs are now going for their fourth in six years.

8. SUPER BOWL XII (1978): Cowboys 27, Broncos 10

The fourth of five Cowboys Super Bowls in the 1970s, this was the first Super Bowl in the Superdome. Dallas' "Doomsday Defense" was dominant — Denver finished with 35 passing yards, still the all-time Super Bowl low, and a 1.7 quarterback rating, with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. The only thing more amazing than the Cowboys forcing eight turnovers is that it isn't a Super Bowl record. They got nine against the Bills in 1993.

[Prepare for the epic Eagles-Chiefs matchup on FOX Sports' Super Bowl LIX hub]

7. SUPER BOWL VI (1972): Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3

Dallas' first Super Bowl win, at old Tulane Stadium, was a showcase of the team's defense and run game. The Cowboys rushed for 252 yards, including 95 and a touchdown from Duane Thomas. Roger Staubach threw for two touchdowns, one to tight end Mike Ditka. The Dolphins' three points is still tied for the fewest in a Super Bowl — the Rams matched it in 2019. Miami and Don Shula would bounce back the next year with the only undefeated season in NFL history.

6. SUPER BOWL XXIV (1990): 49ers 55, Broncos 10

The fourth and final Super Bowl ring for 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was the easiest. This Super Bowl still holds the records for most points and most lopsided margin of victory. Denver came in with the NFL's best scoring defense, but Montana shredded it for five touchdown passes, three to receiver Jerry Rice. San Francisco, which had gone 14-2 in the regular season, repeated as champs in George Seifert's first year taking over for Bill Walsh.

5. SUPER BOWL IX (1975): Steelers 16, Vikings 6

The first of four Pittsburgh championships in six years, this was mostly on the "Steel Curtain" defense. The score at halftime was 2-0, and Minnesota's only points came on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. The Steelers drafted four future Hall of Famers in 1974 — Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster — and this game got a dynasty started. Franco Harris, who earned MVP honors, rushed 34 times (still the second-most ever in a Super Bowl) for 158 yards and a touchdown, and Terry Bradshaw threw a touchdown late to seal the victory.

4. SUPER BOWL XXXI (1997): Packers 35, Patriots 21

Brett Favre and Drew Bledsoe traded big throws early. Green Bay had a 10-0 lead, then two Bledsoe touchdowns put New England ahead 14-10. Favre threw an 81-yard touchdown to Antonio Freeman, then the longest-scoring throw in Super Bowl history, and Favre ran in for a score and a 27-14 halftime lead. New England would get back within a score, but Desmond Howard's 99-yard kickoff return in the third quarter set up the final margin. Bledsoe threw four interceptions and Favre got his only Super Bowl win.

3. SUPER BOWL XX (1986): Bears 46, Patriots 10

In this terribly lopsided but iconic game, the Bears gave us "The Super Bowl Shuffle" and Mike Ditka and Walter Payton and William "The Refrigerator" Perry. The 1985 Bears boasted one of the best defenses in NFL history, and they dominated the Patriots, finishing with as many sacks (7) as rushing yards allowed, still a Super Bowl record. New England mustered just 123 yards of total offense, the second-fewest ever, and everyone cheered when Perry, a massive defensive tackle politely listed at 335 pounds, got a goal-line carry and a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

2. SUPER BOWL XLVII (2013): Ravens 34, 49ers 31

The most recent New Orleans Super Bowl was the "Harbaugh Bowl," as John's Ravens and Jim's 49ers went head-to-head. It was also the "Blackout Bowl," remembered for a 34-minute delay early in the third quarter due to a power outage at the Superdome. But what happened afterward was even more compelling. Baltimore had led 28-6, thanks to three first-half touchdown passes by quarterback Joe Flacco, who would be named the game's MVP. But the 49ers rallied back behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Frank Gore. Kaepernick's touchdown run with 10 minutes left got San Francisco within two points, but the conversion failed. Down 34-29, Kaepernick led the 49ers to the Baltimore 5-yard line with two minutes remaining, but three shots at a go-ahead touchdown fell incomplete. Baltimore ran down the clock and took a safety with four seconds left, and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis ended his Hall of Fame career with a championship.

1. SUPER BOWL XXXVI (2002): Patriots 20, Rams 17

The Rams, featuring "The Greatest Show on Turf," sought their second championship in three years. But this game started a true dynasty, as Tom Brady and the Patriots won the first of six titles. New England turned three Rams turnovers, including a Ty Law pick-six off Kurt Warner, into a 17-3 lead in the fourth quarter. But Warner rallied the Rams back, running for one score and throwing for another to Ricky Proehl to tie the game with 1:30 left. Then we witnessed the first dose of Brady magic, as he went 5-for-7 for 53 yards in 90 seconds, driving the Patriots to the Rams' 30 and setting up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired. For New England, the rest is history.

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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