We asked you for the best Super Bowl moments. Here are your favorites.
This moment from Super Bowl XLIX still plays on as a reader favorite.
When you think back on all of the years that you’ve watched the Super Bowl, there are likely some classic memories that might play in your head. Sports fans have long been tuning into incredible touchdown passes, helicopter runs, and final seconds before a comeback.
With the big game coming up on Feb. 12, we wanted to relive some of those moments in history. We asked readers for their favorite Super Bowl moments of all time, and more than 80 people responded. The clear frontrunner with 66% of the reader vote was Malcolm Butler intercepting a pass in 2015, leading to a victory for the Patriots. Below, find a play-by-play of your top picks, and revel in some of these game-changing turning points in Super Bowl history.
Malcolm Butler intercepts a pass (2015)
This moment from Super Bowl XLIX still plays on in readers’ heads. The 2015 game was between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler jumped the route, intercepting a pass from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette at the goal line. The astonishing play happened with 20 seconds left, leading to the Patriots’ unlikely win. With 66% of readers voting for this memory, sports fans described how they felt when they first viewed it.
Reader Joe D. from Maryland said, “The Patriots were about to lose their third straight appearance in the Super Bowl due to an improbable catch, but then Malcolm Butler made up for the botched coverage with the biggest play in Super Bowl history. I went from complete despair to pure joy in a fraction of a second. It was incredible!”
John from Brookline shared what the victory meant to him. “It was just so unbelievable a turn of events and the genesis of the next Patriots dynasty. It was also an underdog story for Malcolm Butler,” he said.
“I own a fitbit, and it tracked my heart rate for the whole game,” Mark from Bridgewater said. “The heart rate [spiked] when Butler intercepted the pass, [it] was enormous. I still have the screenshot and love showing it to people.”
Julian Edelman’s catch leads to a Pats comeback (2017)
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s play at Super Bowl LI in 2017 stood out the most for 12% of readers. Edelman miraculously caught the ball during the game against the Atlanta Falcons. Tom Brady had thrown a pass that looked like it would probably be intercepted by Falcons cornerback Robert Alford. The diving catch that Edelman performed led to the Patriots’ historic comeback.
Michael L. from Mansfield admired “the great awareness and concentration Edelman showed. I was proud of him.”
Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal (2002)
In 2002, the Patriots faced off against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The Patriots were 14-point underdogs, when kicker Adam Vinatieri delivered this classic moment. As time was running out, he provided the final points, kicking a 48 yard field goal. Football fans everywhere were stunned to hear that the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, and it was also the first time that a game was won by a team scoring just as the clock expired. Six percent of readers voted for this moment.
Jeanne from Watertown said, “I thought the Patriots winning the Super Bowl was even more unlikely to happen in my lifetime than the Red Sox breaking the curse. It was the beginning of quite the run for Boston sports fans—the beginning of those Duck Boat parades.”
“The Pats were heavy underdogs in this game and were able to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history,” Joe from North Carolina said.
Readers shared other memorable moments in Super Bowl history:
Don Beebe chasing Leon Lett down, Super Bowl XXVII: “As a Bills fan, it showed that you never give up despite the odds…and those were rough games to watch.” –Jonathan, Newburyport
John Elway’s “helicopter” run, Super Bowl XXXII: “After watching that, it was obvious Denver was going to win.” –Michael, Malden
The Patriots’ first win, Super Bowl XXXVI: “John Madden’s reaction and subsequent enthusiasm for [the] Patriot’s decision to go for the win and not a tie/OT. You knew this would be a team you could root for.” –Brian, Sutton
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