Super Bowl Wins in 49 & 51 more impressive than 36, 38 & 39 ?

[XLIX]

Good question, tough to answer....

Arguably the most impressive Super Bowl performance by unit was the SB36 defense shutting down the Rams and the SB49 offense putting up 28 against the Seahawks.

SB51 was the greatest comeback in the history of the NFL* so it was a great game but, to this day, I consider Atlanta a far inferior opponent who never should have had a huge lead in the first place. I guess it depends on how you define "Impressive Win." While the caliber of opponent did not impress me, the way NE won the "winner take all" championship game was beyond anything we had seen before, perhaps in all of sport.

*I know other teams have come back from greater deficits, but I call SB51 the greatest comeback of all time due to the stakes at hand

 

[sean10mm]

SB 36 was the most important because it was the first. Getting over the hump for the first time as massive underdogs makes it the most special.

I think 49 was the best game to watch from a pure football perspective though. Defending SB champs and #1 defense vs. a really balanced Patriots team top to bottom. It was just two really good teams slugging it out, right down to the last seconds when an insane defensive play out of nowhere decided it. There was no point in the game where it wasn't 100% worth watching.

38 was another good back and forth game. Hitting a field goal to win instead of going into OT can't compete with a game-icing goal line pick though.

SB51 was the craziest thing I've seen in my life, but it was a weird game to watch. It was all Falcons for a long time, then it sort of stalled, then the Patriots stage the slowest 31-0 run you can imagine that starts with a missed PAT on the first touchdown and then settling for a field goal in the 4th. Things don't really start going the Patriots way until well into the 4th, when they go off on that touchdown-2pt-touchdown-2pt-OT-touchdown blitz to cap it off.

Guess that makes 39 the worst by default? Worst Super Bowl win, lol.

 

[bormio]

The Pats didn't have to comeback in 38. It was tied at 29 when Brady took the field after that Kasey gaffe. Was like 1 min plus left.

I agree on the Eagles game. I never for one second thought they'd lose that game. That's the only one I felt that way

SB 49 was definitely impressive. I thought the game was over after Seattle went up ten.

SB 51 will always be the most amazing comeback ever. To be down 25 points, compuse yourself, rip apart that D at will was remarkable.

NE was down 22-21 with over half the 4th gone - I call that a comeback.

 

[bormio]

Good question, tough to answer....

Arguably the most impressive Super Bowl performance by unit was the SB36 defense shutting down the Rams and the SB49 offense putting up 28 against the Seahawks.

SB51 was the greatest comeback in the history of the NFL* so it was a great game but, to this day, I consider Atlanta a far inferior opponent who never should have had a huge lead in the first place. I guess it depends on how you define "Impressive Win." While the caliber of opponent did not impress me, the way NE won the "winner take all" championship game was beyond anything we had seen before, perhaps in all of sport.

*I know other teams have come back from greater deficits, but I call SB51 the greatest comeback of all time due to the stakes at hand

The time factor made it especially great - down 25 with less than 18 minutes left. Buffalo started theirs much earlier.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

This thread is definitely a 'first world' type problem. I wonder what fans of Cleveland/Det/Phil/Jax/Minn/Buf/Cinn/SD-LA/ think if they read this thread.....
Or even one time champs like NYJ/KC/Balt/Chi or teams that haven't sniffed a championship in 40 years like KC/Miami.....

 

[sz11nike]

XXXVI was definitely special but XLIX IMO was the best. Best played game and not only did it get validate the Pats after 10 season of "what have they won since Spygate?" it had to have pissed so many people off including the league and sparked their witch hunt. Had they lost, do we think they pursue this all the nearly to Supreme Court?

The Pats were headed for defeat in another fluky heartbreaking way and would've kept the perception that NE can't win without cheating BS. Enter Malcolm Butler and the greatest defensive play in history. I know we were all elated and going crazy at the pick but imagine all the haters especially the other 31 owners.

LI just cements Brady and BB as the greatest and maybe distances even a bit the past cheating BS with run. Comeback was pretty epic as well

 

[Ivan]

I thought 49 was the most impressive win because the Seahawks defense was exceptional, and overcoming that defense took almost perfect execution of a great game plan. Second to that was the win against the Rams, who had an offense that was the equivalent of the Seahawks defense, once again it took exceptional execution but this time it was on the defensive side of the ball. Next up is their win over the Falcons, and while I don't put them in a class with the Seahawk and Ram's team's it still took the greatest comeback in a Super Bowl history to pull off. Next up I would put the Carolina win, as that too was a really good defense and they played a really good game against a really good team. Last I would put the win over Philly, who imo was the weakest of the Super Bowl teams they have faced.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

I was considering making an offseason thread earlier this year but didn't want to get skewered for asking it...this sounds like a good place to do it:

If you could take any of our Brady/BB SB wins and "sacrifice" them for a win in SB 42 or 46, would you? And which one? Taking away 38 or 39 removes the 3/4 dynasty. Can't take SB 36 away because it was the 1st and as huge underdogs. I wouldn't trade the euphoria of the Butler pick for anything. Would you trade SB 51 for a SB 42 win? Take the blow-out loss in favor of 19-0? Not an easy choice for me

 

[sb1]

The time factor made it especially great - down 25 with less than 18 minutes left. Buffalo started theirs much earlier.

The Bills also did not shut out the Oilers after the comeback started. The Oilers tied the game and forced overtime.

They were down 11 at the same point the Pats were down 28-3.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

The Bills also did not shut out the Oilers after the comeback started. The Oilers tied the game and forced overtime.

They were down 11 at the same point the Pats were down 28-3.

Weird part is that it wasn't Kelly but Frank Reich (Eagles current OC) filling in for an injured Jim Kelly who led the comeback and he had done it before down 35 IIRC at Maryland versus Miami ( the real one not the Ohio one) while in college...

 

[SilverSeven]

Good question, tough to answer....

Arguably the most impressive Super Bowl performance by unit was the SB36 defense shutting down the Rams and the SB49 offense putting up 28 against the Seahawks.

SB51 was the greatest comeback in the history of the NFL* so it was a great game but, to this day, I consider Atlanta a far inferior opponent who never should have had a huge lead in the first place. I guess it depends on how you define "Impressive Win." While the caliber of opponent did not impress me, the way NE won the "winner take all" championship game was beyond anything we had seen before, perhaps in all of sport.

*I know other teams have come back from greater deficits, but I call SB51 the greatest comeback of all time due to the stakes at hand

I still have the 2005 Champions League Final slightly ahead of 51 if only for the fact that Liverpool came back against a far superior opponent. The Pats were the superior team to the Falcons and it was a disastrous first chunk of the game that made the comeback necessary. Obviously a disastrous first half was also the case with Liverpool but most people expected an AC Milan victory of some kind going into the game anyways.

 

[brdmaverick]

I don't know if impressive is the right word. Maybe exciting. I'd consider a 52-0 victory more impressive than a 25-point comeback.

Right, as great as the second half was in SB 51 the first half was ugly. I'm not sure I can call that the most impressive Super Bowl with half of the game being THAT ugly.

 

[brdmaverick]

It's odd because Super Bowl 39 was by far the least dramatic of any of the Super Bowls but if you ask me it was the most impressive playoff run. It wasn't just who they beat but the manner in which they beat them.

1.) Divisional Round - the record setting Colts offense was held to 3 points with Samuel, Gay, and Brown playing defense.

2.) AFCCG - put up 41 points on the road against the best defense in the league

3.) Super Bowl - Pats beat an Eagles team who had been knocking on the door for a few seasons. (ie, it wasn't a flash in the pan type team such as Carolina in SB38)

 

[brdmaverick]

The Pats didn't have to comeback in 38. It was tied at 29 when Brady took the field after that Kasey gaffe. Was like 1 min plus left..

Right, but they were trailing earlier in the fourth quarter.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

3.) Super Bowl - Pats beat an Eagles team who had been knocking on the door for a few seasons. (ie, it wasn't a flash in the pan type team such as Carolina in SB38)

In fact, the Eagles had appeared in the NFCCG four straight years -- losing three in a row before defeating ATL to earn the right to face NE in SB39.

 

[Pats1989]

Right, but they were trailing earlier in the fourth quarter.

You're right. My bad.

 

[Pats1989]

NE was down 22-21 with over half the 4th gone - I call that a comeback.

I remember now. I think they scored a TD and got the two point conversion. Panthers scored on a bomb to Smith or Muhammed to tie it. Kasey kick out of bounds....we know the rest.

 

[BobDigital]

Most impressive for Brady? Yes. For the team as a whole? Nah.

However I will take 3 wins over 2 and just to be clear SB39 was Brady's best game in the super bowl from beginning to end even though it had less super impressive moments it was clean and he controlled it throughout.

 

[BobDigital]

what HOFers (besides brady) were on the 01-04 teams?

There will be a few before all is said and done. Give it time. IMO Law, Seymour and maybe McGinest should be in... potentially Wilfork too.

 

[PatsWSB47]

There will be a few before all is said and done. Give it time. IMO Law, Seymour and maybe McGinest should be in... potentially Wilfork too.

The question is who is the most important hall of famer that Brady ever played with? I'd say the answer is Tom Brady.