Super Bowl Stadiums. The who, where, and when in Super Bowl History Part 4
Part 4 of 4
The Super Bowl is the biggest American sporting event of the year. Cities around the country politic and bid for their chance to host the big game as it generates millions of dollars of revenue. Tens of thousands of tourists travel to see the Super Bowl, and with them, bring revenue to shops, stores, hotels, and restaurants. The Super Bowl is the biggest single-day betting event in America, with many different Super Bowl to bet on.
In a four-part series, we cover the stadium history of each Super Bowl, where the games were played, how many were in attendance, and of course, the game itself. Part four of four takes a look at all the details of the ten games played in the past decade:
Super Bowl XLIV (2010)
On February 7, 2010, the New Orleans Saints took on the Indianapolis Colts at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Colts were the Super Bowl favorites by five against the team formerly known as the ‘Ain’ts.’ There were 74,059 fans in attendance to watch the Saints win their first Super Bowl for the franchise. New Orleans head coach Sean Payton had one of the gutsiest calls in NFL history as he called an onside kick to open the second half when the Saints were down 10-6.
Thomas Morestead kicked the ball to his left, and it bounced off the face mask of Colts’ Hank Baskett, and the Saints pounced on the ball to recover the onside kick. The Saints and Colts traded touchdowns in the third quarter, but New Orleans ran away with it in the fourth, scoring 15 in the final quarter. The Saints took their first championship with a final score of 31-17.
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Super Bowl XLV (2011)
Super Bowl XLV just missed the Super Bowl attendance record by 766 fans. One hundred three thousand two hundred nineteen people packed into Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 6, 2011. This was the first time the Super Bowl had been played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The NFC continued their success in the decade with the Green Bay Packers defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 and covering the Super Bowl point spread that had the Packers favored by three.
The Packers were in control for most of the game, jumping out to a 21-3 lead, but the Steelers were able to tighten the game to 28-25. Green Bay was able to stop the comeback with a Mason Crosby field goal, followed by a defensive stand that did not allow Pittsburgh to score a touchdown on the final drive. Aaron Rodgers was crowned the Super Bowl MVP with his 304 passing yards and three touchdowns.
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Super Bowl XLVI (2012)
For the first time in history, Indiana hosted a Super Bowl. On February 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the New York Giants faced the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. It would be their second meeting in the last five years. This was a rematch of the now-famous Super Bowl XLII, where the Giants spoiled the Patriots’ perfect season.
Again, the Giants were underdogs in the NFL betting odds. And again, New York pulled off the upset and defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots, this time by a score of 21-17. The Giants finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, which set a new record for the lowest regular-season record for a Super Bowl Champion.
Eli Manning orchestrated another game-winning drive and earned his second career Super Bowl MVP with 296 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Sportsbooks around the world smiled as Super Bowl prop bets and Super Bowl odds to win bets fell by the wayside with the Patriots’ loss.
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Super Bowl XLVII (2013)
New Orleans was the host city of the Super Bowl for a record tenth time, tying Miami for the most by an individual city. On February 3, 2013, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome hosted the Baltimore Ravens versus the San Francisco 49ers. This was the first time two brothers would be the head coach of opposing teams as Jim and John Harbaugh faced off in the “Harbowl.”
This Super Bowl was also famous for the power outage that delayed the game for 34 minutes early in the third quarter. The Ravens were able to fend off a 49ers comeback and won 34-31 in Ray Lewis’ last game. For the fourth consecutive year, a quarterback won the Super Bowl MVP as Joe Flacco was awarded the honor with three touchdowns and 287 yards. This was the Ravens’ second franchise Super Bowl, with the other one being Super Bowl XXXV and Lewis was the only player to win both championships.
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Super Bowl XLVIII (2014)
This was the first Super Bowl to be played on February 2nd and the first time a Super Bowl was played outdoors in a cold-weather city. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was the home of Super Bowl XLVIII as the Seattle Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls in history. The final score of 43-8 was the third-largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl, and it was the first time a team scored more than 40 points and held their opponent to under ten points. This for a game that had the Broncos as the Super Bowl favorites coming in.
On the Broncos’ first offensive snap, center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball past Peyton Manning, and the ball ended up in the endzone and was recovered by the Seahawks for a safety. Seattle shut out Denver in the first half, taking a 22-0 lead into halftime.
This was the first Super Bowl win in Seahawks history and the fifth Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, the most by a franchise.
Super Bowl XLIX (2015)
The Seahawks looked to defend their title as they took on the Patriots on February 1, 2015, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This was the second time this stadium has hosted a Super Bowl and the third time the Super Bowl had been in the Phoenix area. Seventy thousand two hundred eighty-eight faithful fans were in attendance to watch one of the most infamous play calls in Super Bowl history.
Trailing 28-24, the Seahawks drove down the field and got the ball to the one-yard line with 26 seconds to go and had a timeout in their pocket. Instead of running the ball with Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson threw to Tyler Lockett on a slant route, but Malcolm Butler intercepted the pass and created an iconic Super Bowl moment. Tom Brady ran out the clock, and the Patriots won their fourth Super Bowl. Anyone with a Super Bowl bet on the over cashed in, as the total was 54 points.
Super Bowl 50 (2016)
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was the home of the “golden anniversary” of the Super Bowl, and it took place on February 7, 2016. The Carolina Panthers took on the Denver Broncos and were heavy favorites in the Super Bowl odds. The Panthers were coming in with the best offense in the league with a 15-1 record and reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton.
The Broncos had a stellar defense and sacked Newton seven times, and forced four turnovers. Denver never trailed in the game, and Peyton Manning won his second Lombardi Trophy and walked off into the sunset as he retired later in the offseason. The Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10, and linebacker Von Miller was named the Super Bowl MVP with his 2.5 sacks and had a huge strip of Newton late to secure the victory.
Super Bowl LI (2017)
On February 5, 2017, NRG Stadium in Houston was the site of the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Seventy thousand eight hundred seven fans were in attendance to witness the Patriots comeback from a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons. At halftime, Super Bowl predictions would have given the game to Atlanta, but New England shut out Atlanta in the second half and forced the game into overtime, making it the first Super Bowl to do so.
Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense easily marched down the field and scored off a James White touchdown run to win and complete the comeback. The Patriots won 34-28. This was the fifth time the Patriots had won the Super Bowl, tying the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl wins. Brady was also named the Super Bowl MVP for the fourth time; however, this would not be the last time he would win the award.
Super Bowl LII (2018)
For the second time ever, Minneapolis was the home of the Super Bowl. On February 4, 2018, U.S. Bank Stadium hosted the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles with 67,612 fans in attendance. The Eagles were trying to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history, while the Patriots tried to tie the Steelers’ record of six.
Super Bowl chances looked bleak after quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury in December. Feeling like underdogs all year long, the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds without Wentz took a hit. Enter Nick Foles. Foles stepped up and thrived in the starting role, leading the number one seed through the playoffs and defeating the powerhouse Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII.
Foles even earned Super Bowl MVP honors with his 373 passing yards and three touchdowns. As the score would suggest, this was a shootout, and many records were set, including the most combined yards of an NFL game at 1,151, as well as the most points scored by a losing team with New England’s 33.
Super Bowl LIII (2019)
Following the offensive eruption in the previous year, Super Bowl LIII was the complete opposite. On February 3, 2019, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 70,081 fans saw arguably the most boring Super Bowl in history.
The Patriots were in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year as they took on the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams were a young and exciting team to watch, but Bill Belichick used his coaching wizardry to shut them down, and New England secured their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history with a score of 13-3.
A Sony Michel two-yard run was the only touchdown of the game, and it came in the fourth quarter as the score was 3-3 heading into the final frame. Despite the low-scoring, wide receiver Julian Edelman was named the Super Bowl MVP with ten catches and 141 yards.
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The Super Bowl is an event unlike any other – this massive championship game has turned into a week-long event in the host city. It is also a way for the NFL to showcase the biggest and best stadiums they have built. In the 2010s, all ten Super Bowls were held in different cities and offered their own special flavor to the big game.
The Super Bowl is more of a corporate event for the NFL than a home for die-hard NFL fans, but fans travel to cheer on their favorite team, and there is an electric atmosphere, especially if the game is close. The market for online Super Bowl betting has also become bigger than ever, with Super Bowl prop bets being almost as popular as Super Bowl live betting or Super Bowl moneyline betting. The 2010s was possibly the most successful decade for the NFL, and every year, the Super Bowl is their showcase event.
