The Super Bowl is the greatest spectacle in American sports. Arguably, the greatest spectacle in professional football is Scorigami.
The idea, thought of by Jon Bois, “is the art of building final scores that have never happened before in NFL history,” per the official Scorigami website. “Due to the unique nature of how points are scored in football, where it is impossible to score one point on its own, as well as the rarity of the two-point safety and eight-point touchdown and two-point conversion, there are a lot of scores that are possible but have never happened.”
How many times have the Super Bowl and Scorigami met each other?
Super Bowl Scorigamis:
Super Bowl XXI (Giants 39, Broncos 20)
After falling behind early in the game, the Giants parlayed a sack of John Elway into a safety to kick off a 26-0 run. Phil Simms was named MVP of the game, and he set the record for highest passer rating in a Super Bowl. Scorigami was saved by a late missed extra point by Raul Allegre. Both 40-13 and 40-20 have occurred a handful of times. 39 is a fairly rare score with only 55 teams to have ever finished a game with exactly 39 points. Speaking of 55…
Super Bowl XXIV (49ers 55, Broncos 10)
For the second time in four years, the John Elway Broncos were victimized by Scorigami. An early missed extra point from Mike Cofer kept the score at 13-3 before the 49ers scored 42 of the last 49 points to hang a Super Bowl-record 55 points on the Broncos. Had the extra point been converted, 56-10 would not be Scorigami. Joe Montana was the MVP of the game with five passing touchdowns, three of which found the hands of Jerry Rice.
Super Bowl XLVIII (Seahawks 43, Broncos 8)
Broncos fans, avert your eyes. For the third time, the Broncos were slaughtered on America’s biggest stage to the tune of a third Scorigami. The game got off to an odd start as the first snap of the night turned into a safety as Manuel Ramirez launched the snap over the head of Peyton Manning. The route was on from the outset as the Seahawks broke out to a 36-0 lead before Manning found Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker for eight points to end the third quarter. A fourth-quarter touchdown resulted in a 43-8 end. 43 and eight are two of the rarest scores, and it is unlikely that 43-8 will happen soon.
Near-Scorigamis:
Super Bowl XX (Bears 46, Patriots 10)
One of just two 46-10 games in NFL history, the Bears blasted the Patriots off the back of a stellar defensive performance. The Patriots managed to have just seven rushing yards on 11 carries. Four Bears scored touchdowns on the day, but Walter Payton was not included. The highlight of the game was William “The Refrigerator” Perry plowing into the end zone to extend the lead to 44-3. A safety in the fourth quarter pushed the score to 46-10. The only other occurrence of 46-10 came in 1923 when the Canton Bulldogs defeated the Cleveland Indians. Those Bulldogs ended the season undefeated.
Super Bowl XXVII (Cowboys 52, Bills 17)
Just the second 52-17 game in NFL history, the Cowboys rode the wave of three multi-touchdown quarters and a pair of defensive fumble returns to post 52 in the Super Bowl. Since Super Bowl 27, the 52-17 score has shown up one more time with the Mark Brunell-led Redskins pummeling the 49ers in 2005. Before Super Bowl 27, the only other 52-17 came in 1952 as the Lions clobbered the Packers. Nine weeks later, the Lions won the NFL Championship.
Super Bowl XXIX (49ers 49, Chargers 26)
In the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history, the 49ers were fueled by Super Bowl MVP Steve Young’s record-breaking six touchdown passes. The Chargers helped out with a pair of two-point conversions to bring their total to 26, a relatively rare score. Super Bowl 29 was the second iteration of the 49-26 score behind a Raiders win over the Jets in 1963. More recently, the Patriots blasted the Raiders in 2008. 49-26 requires both teams to post odd scores as 49 is a mammoth number and 26 needs a handful of specific outcomes.
Super Bowl XLV (Packers 31, Steelers 25)
Super Bowl 45 was the first game to end 31-25 since 1952. The Steelers were also victimized in that showdown with the Eagles. In Super Bowl 45, the Packers got out to a 28-17 lead before an eight-point Steelers possession and Mason Crosby field goal wrapped up the game. Since Super Bowl 45, 31-25 has happened three times: a 2012 Texans win over the Broncos, a 2015 Chargers win over the Jaguars, and a 2016 Seahawks win over the Bills.
Super Bowl LII (Eagles 41, Patriots 33)
Super Bowl 52 was the third game to end 41-33 and the second ending in an Eagles victory. In 1954, the Eagles defeated the Redskins. In 1960, the Chargers beat the Broncos. Moving to Super Bowl 52, the Eagles and Patriots forgot how to play defense, and both kickers missed extra points. 41 and 33 are not highly unusual scores, but it is rare for both teams to exceed 30 points in a game.
Will Super Bowl LIV be a Scorigami?
One Response
Eagles were in SB 52. LII. Not 53.