On Sunday, pretty much everyone in Baltimore will be rooting for the Ravens. Likewise in San Francisco with the 49ers. But the rest of the nation's football fans? Most will just be rooting for another entertaining Super Bowl.
Each of the last five Super Bowls went down to the wire, and a couple of them could be considered among the greatest of all time. In anticipation of another good one Sunday in New Orleans, I have compiled my list of the seven most entertaining Super Bowls in NFL history. (And just to remove any potential Baltimore bias out of the equation, the Ravens' dominant victory in Super Bowl XXXV was not considered.)
Here is my list -- remember, most entertaining -- and feel free to leave yours in the comments section:
7. Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
In a showdown between gun-slinging quarterbacks John Elway and Brett Favre, Elway finally got over the hump, and his helicopter spin for a first down stands out as an all-time memorable play.
6. Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis 17
The Rams were heavy favorites, but they had to erase a 17-3 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game. Enter young Tom Brady, who started to write his legacy with a game-winning drive.
5. Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
In Bill Walsh's last Super Bowl, the 49ers won a thriller when Joe Montana marched the 49ers offense 92 yards and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left.
4. Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
A fun back-and-fourth Super Bowl, this one will be remembered for Bills kicker Scott Norwood sailing a go-ahead field goal wide right -- many forget it was a 47-yarder -- with eight seconds left.
3. Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
This game gave us the most thrilling finale in Super Bowl history. Down by a touchdown, Steve McNair found Kevin Dyson on the final play, but the Titans wideout was tackled inches shy of the goal line.
2. Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
There were a lot of groans in Baltimore when Pittsburgh wide receiver Santonio Holmes made a spectacular TD catch to give the Steelers a thrilling win, but most will admit it was a great game.
1. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14
This one had it all. Eli Manning's underdog Giants stunning Tom Brady and the undefeated Patriots. That game-saving helmet catch by David Tyree. And a last-minute touchdown to cap it off. Hopefully, Sunday's Super Bowl XLVII produces drama that can rival XLII.