COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Super Bowl LVI is fast approaching as the Cincinnati Bengals will visit the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday on NBC. The game will be the 20th Super Bowl on NBC and the first time the network will be covering the Super Bowl and Olympics on the same day.
The 19 previous Super Bowls covered by NBC have been among the most memorable games in NFL history with historic upsets, last-gasp winners, and the occasional blowout. Fans are hoping Super Bowl LVI will bring its own long-standing memory in sports history.
Let’s take a look back at the previous Super Bowls as seen on NBC:
Super Bowl I (Packers vs. Chiefs – 1967)
The game that changed football history was also the only Super Bowl broadcast by multiple networks. NBC had the rights to televise AFL games while CBS had the rights to NFL broadcasts. Both networks showed the first Super Bowl in Los Angeles as quarterback Bart Starr led the NFL’s Packers to a 35-10 win over the AFL’s Chiefs.
Super Bowl III (Jets vs. Colts – 1969)
New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed an upset win over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, something few thought would occur. A few days later in Miami, Namath and the Jets beat the Colts 16-7 to secure the first of two AFL victories in Super Bowl history.
The Jets haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl since.
Super Bowl V (Colts vs. Cowboys – 1971)
The first post-merger Super Bowl was broadcast on NBC with the game no longer representing the best of the NFL against the AFL. Baltimore Colts backup quarterback Earl Morrall came in for injured superstar Johnny Unitas in the second quarter and led a 10-point fourth quarter to win the Super Bowl for the Colts over the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley won the game’s MVP, making him the first and still only player from the losing team to win Super Bowl MVP.
Super Bowl VII (Dolphins vs. Redskins – 1973)
The seventh big game was in Los Angeles and served as a coronation of perfection. Head coach Don Shula and his Miami Dolphins closed out a 17-0 season with a Super Bowl win over the Washington Redskins 14-7. The Dolphins’ 1972 season is still the only undefeated season in the Super Bowl era.
Super Bowl IX (Steelers vs. Vikings – 1975)
The big game was down in the Bayou in 1975 as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings made their debut Super Bowl appearances. The Steel Curtain defense held Fran Tarkenton and Minnesota to just six points and 119 offensive yards in Pittsburgh’s first Super Bowl victory.
This win would launch the Steelers dynasty of the 1970s where the franchise won four Super Bowls in six seasons.
Super Bowl XI (Raiders vs. Vikings – 1977)
The sixth Super Bowl on NBC was at the Rose Bowl and featured a strong Vikings team and the menacing Oakland Raiders. The victory belonged to Oakland as the Raiders defeated Minnesota 32-14. The win was capped off with Willie Brown’s iconic 75-yard interception return touchdown.
This game was the lone Super Bowl win for John Madden as a head coach. Thirty-two years later, he would be in the booth calling a Super Bowl on NBC.
Super Bowl XIII (Steelers vs. Cowboys – 1979)
The 13th big game saw the renewal of the Steelers and Cowboys rivalry as they met in the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons. Both teams did not disappoint in an end-to-end game that concluded with the Steelers’ third Super Bowl title in five seasons. Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw four touchdowns in the 35-31 win against Dallas.
This telecast on NBC was the seventh and final Super Bowl called by legendary sportscaster Curt Gowdy.
Super Bowl XV (Raiders vs. Eagles – 1981)
Dick Enberg stepped in for NBC to call his first Super Bowl in 1981 as the Raiders and Eagles clashed at the Superdome in New Orleans. It was a tale of two opposite stat lines for the quarterbacks with Oakland’s Jim Plunkett throwing three touchdowns while Philly’s Ron Jaworski threw three interceptions.
The Raiders would win 27-10 and claim its second Vince Lombardi trophy.
Super Bowl XVII (Redskins vs. Dolphins – 1983)
A decade after NBC broadcast Super Bowl VII featuring the Dolphins and Redskins, the network had these two teams again for the 17th big game. This time it would be Washington that got the win thanks to the powerful running of John Riggins, who had 38 carries for 166 yards and a score. His efforts earned him the game’s MVP for D.C.’s first Vince Lombardi trophy.
Super Bowl XX (Bears vs. Patriots – 1986)
The 20th anniversary of America’s biggest sporting event was a celebration of the Chicago Bears. “Da Bears” steamrolled to an expected Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots 46-10 in New Orleans to complete an 18-1 season. The game’s iconic moment came in the fourth quarter when William “The Refrigerator” Perry powered in for a garbage time touchdown run.
The rout solidified the 1985 Chicago Bears as one of the greatest teams in NFL history.
Super Bowl XXIII (49ers vs. Bengals – 1989)
Super Bowl XXIII in Miami is still considered one of the greatest editions of the game in its 56-year history. The San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals played in an all-time 20-16 classic that concluded on the Niners’ 93-yard drive in the last minutes of the 4th quarter.
The march downfield led by Joe Montana and Jerry Rice that ended with John Taylor’s winning touchdown stamped the San Francisco dynasty of the 1980s.
Super Bowl XXVII (Cowboys vs. Bills – 1993)
The Super Bowls of the early 1990s are best remembered for the four consecutive appearances and subsequent defeats of the Buffalo Bills. The third time the Bills lost in the Super Bowl was in 1993 to the Cowboys at the Rose Bowl. The 52-17 score line was one to forget in Buffalo.
Super Bowl XXVIII (Cowboys vs. Bills – 1994)
1993 and 1994 are the only years one network broadcast the Super Bowl in consecutive years with NBC covering Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta. It was deja vu all around this game with the same two teams returning and the Cowboys beating the Bills with a second-half charge, putting away the 30-13 win.
The Bills haven’t been to the Super Bowl since.
Super Bowl XXX (Cowboys vs. Steelers – 1996)
The Cowboys and Steelers renewed their Super Bowl rivalry in Arizona as a perfect celebration for the event’s 30th anniversary. Dallas cemented the NFL’s next great dynasty with a 30-13 win over Pittsburgh for the franchise’s third Super Bowl in four seasons.
Cornerback Larry Brown earned the Super Bowl MVP with two interceptions, becoming the first corner to win the award.
Super Bowl XXXII (Broncos vs. Packers – 1998)
This Super Bowl in San Diego between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos is among the most iconic games in NFL history. A Vince Lombardi trophy had eluded John Elway his whole career until he led the Broncos to a 31-24 win over the Packers at age 37. Many will fondly remember Elway’s helicopter scramble that became a defining moment in NFL history.
Super Bowl XLIII (Steelers vs. Cardinals – 2009)
The Super Bowl returned to NBC after an 11-year break with the network broadcasting a memorable game between the Steelers and Arizona Cardinals in Tampa, Florida. This big game had too many fond moments to count from James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald’s two-TD fourth quarter to give Arizona the lead late.
But when you say Super Bowl XLIII, the one play remembered over all others is Santonio Holmes’ tiptoe catch to win the Steelers’ record sixth Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XLVI (Giants vs. Patriots – 2012)
The NFL got an anticipated rematch for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis as the Patriots and New York Giants fought once again. Tom Brady and company were looking for revenge against Eli Manning and the Giants but were unable to exact it. New York beat New England 21-17 for its second Super Bowl win over the Patriots in five seasons.
The defining play: Manning’s heave to the sideline to Mario Manningham to keep the game’s final drive alive.
Super Bowl XLIX (Patriots vs. Seahawks – 2015)
The Patriots would be back on NBC for a chance at a Super Bowl as they met the Seattle Seahawks in Glendale, Arizona. A fourth-quarter rally led by Tom Brady gave New England the lead, but enough time was left for Russell Wilson to lead Seattle on one last drive. The Seahawks were a few yards from victory but a Wilson throw straight to the hands of New England’s Malcolm Butler led to the biggest what-if in Super Bowl history.
What if the Seahawks gave the ball to Marshawn Lynch instead of throwing it?
Super Bowl LII (Eagles vs. Patriots – 2018)
The last time the Super Bowl was on NBC was four years ago when the Patriots and Eagles met in Minneapolis. New England entered as heavy favorites against a Philadelphia squad that was rallying behind backup quarterback Nick Foles. The two QBs went back and forth in a shootout that ended 41-33 for the Eagles to catapult a special evening in Philly.
Will Super Bowl LVI become an instant classic? Find out Sunday on NBC when the Bengals and Rams meet for the Vince Lombardi trophy.
