In the Super Bowl era, there have been a handful of true underdogs who prevailed on the biggest stage in American sports. Some teams were carried by legendary defensive performances. Others were aided by a certain right foot. Over the course of 53 Super Bowls, 14 have had a final spread in the double-digits. Within those 14 Super Bowls, five of them saw the underdog pull out a victory.
While not all underdogs are created equal, many of these teams carried a dynamic quarterback and an effective defense. Often times, the underdog was written off heavily by the media. This was because the superior team was expected to demolish the hopes of the other. Throughout NFL history, these opinions have been proven wrong in certain instances. On the flip side, the San Francisco 49ers or Dallas Cowboys covered a ridiculously high 17- to 20-point spread.
Many of these games will be playoff games, and the first five will be Super Bowls. But any playoff or regular season game with a point spread of at least 10 points is eligible to be written about. Greater weight will be placed on those games in the playoffs, especially the five Super Bowls.
There is a very minimal talent gap between most teams in the NFL. Therefore, only a few games each year actually end with a point spread of double digits. Many of these games involve the superior team playing at home while the inferior team is nursing injuries/struggles. While the playoff games are notable exceptions to those criteria, very few early regular season games have a sizeable point spread. Over the course of the season, point spreads generally expand as the class the NFL separates from the bottom dwellers.
The list will be fluid. Any examples of upsets in the 2019 regular season and beyond will be placed into this hub over time. Again, double-digit upsets are rather rare in the NFL, especially when teams are evenly matched. But it does happen on occasion.
The list will only cover games in the Super Bowl era. However, certain upsets before 1966 could be covered at a later date. Games with a particularly high point spread will be covered with more regularity as opposed to run-of-the-mill 10 or 11 point upsets.
Vegas rarely gets games entirely wrong, but here are the instances which Vegas saw the margin of victory as entirely incorrect from what actually happened on the field.
