Loading...
Throughout the last two decades, we’ve witnessed some of the fastest (and longest) Super Bowls in NFL history. While there needs to be plenty of time for advertisements and timeouts, sometimes the flow of the game results in a quick game. Most wouldn’t consider a three-hour or longer game short, but you’d be surprised in terms of Super Bowl analytics.
Out of all the shortest Super Bowls ever recorded in the NFL, three are tied exactly for second place, which we’ll describe in this article. Below, we’ll outline four of the shortest Super Bowls ever, including details on when and where it was played, the length of the game and who won.
This 2001 Super Bowl Championship occurred on January 28th between the AFC’s Baltimore Ravens and NFC’s New York Giants. The Giants were looking to go 3-0 in their Super Bowl pursuits as both teams had 12-4 regular season records.
The Giants would fail to score in the first half entirely, giving the Ravens a 10-point lead going into the 3rd quarter of the game. Ultimately, the Ravens would only allow 152 yards to the Giants, making it the third-lowest total ever in Super Bowl history. By the beginning of the final quarter, Baltimore was ahead by a whopping 34-7, and the Giants’ failure to gain yards resulted in one of the shortest Super Bowls ever, clocking in at three hours and 23 minutes, only to be rivaled by two other Super Bowls.
In this hectic matchup, the favorites, the New England Patriots, would challenge the NFC’s New York Giants. This game ended in not only one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history but one of the shortest games as well. The Patriots would confidently head into this game with a 13-3 regular season record vs. the 9-7 Giants 9-7.
The New York Giants started strong with nine points scored in the first quarter, only to be answered by 10 points from the Patriots by halftime. This game was extremely close throughout its course, as the Giants would put up six more points in the 3rd, followed by seven more from the Patriots at the end of the 3rd. While all was looking up for New England, the Giants would finish off the Patriots with an unanswered touchdown in the 4th quarter, winning the game 21-17 and only within three hours and 23 minutes!
The 2014 Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos would edge out Super Bowl XLVI in terms of biggest upsets but still tied SuperBowl XXXV and XLVI for the shortest Super Bowls ever at a recorded length of 3 hours and 23 minutes. Both teams were 13-3 throughout their regular season, but the Broncos would be heavy favorites going into this game.
Despite being the favorites, the Seahawks would put on the afterburners and score 36 points over the first three quarters compared to the Broncos 8. Having such a low-scoring run on one side and a high-scoring run on the other made this game move very quickly, as it would finish 43-8 in favor of the Seahawks and under 3 hours and 23 minutes at that, making it one of the shortest Super Bowls ever in NFL Championship history.
The fastest Super Bowl of all time occurred on February 7th, 2010, between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. The NFC title-holding Saints would finish their regular season 13-3, compared to the AFC title-winning Colts 14-2 record.
A legendary Drew Brees would help drive an important comeback for the Saints, as they were down 16-17 by the beginning of the fourth quarter. While the Colts were a 5-point favorite, this wouldn’t stop New Orleans from scoring 15 unanswered points in the final quarter, winning the game 31-17. Overall, this game played out in 3 hours and 14 minutes, nine minutes shorter than the next fastest, making Super Bowl XLIV the shortest Super Bowl ever.
Mark has been a lifelong fan of all sports, and five years ago turned it into a profession, specializing in the NFL, NHL and MLB. He is a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan and has had his work published in sites such as Sports Illustrated, Pickswise and other top outlets.