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UK10 Biggest Super Bowl Spreads Ever
The biggest Super Bowl spreads have shaped NFL history, showing the massive gap between favorites and underdogs. From blowout wins to massive upsets, we’ll break down the biggest point spreads in Super Bowl history.
Biggest Super Bowl Spread Ever: the New York Jets were 18-point underdogs against the Baltimore Colts in 1969 at Super Bowl III.
Not only did they cover the spread, but they won 16-7. The same number was given ahead of Super Bowl XXIX, but the Niners covered it easily.
10. Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 49ers (-12.0)
Oddsmakers knew how good the Niners were during the 1989 NFL campaign. Led by legendary QB Joe Montana, they went 14–2 in the regular season and were ready to challenge for the Lombardi Trophy against the Denver Broncos.
Ahead of the big game in New Orleans, the Niners were strong 12-point favorites. So, did they cover it by two or more touchdowns? They absolutely demolished Denver, winning 55–10.
That matchup rewrote the Super Bowl record book: San Francisco broke the record for most points scored and most TDs scored. Montana & Co. also broke the record for the highest margin of victory.
9. Super Bowl IV: Minnesota Vikings (-12.0)
The final Super Bowl between the AFL and NFL featured the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. Despite a big upset in Super Bowl III, everyone still viewed the NFL as the superior league. Because of that, the 12-2 Vikings came in as a big favorite.
The Vikings came into the game with the No. 1 offense and defense; however, Minnesota’s offense was nowhere to be found in the first half. Kansas City kicked three field goals before a touchdown gave them a 16-0 lead at halftime.
Their offense finally made some headway in the third quarter. They capped off a 10-play, 69-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, their defense couldn’t hold the Chiefs.
Kansas City responded with a 46-yard touchdown. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, giving the Chiefs a 23-7 win.
When you look at the turnover numbers, it’s not hard to see why the Vikings lost this game. Minnesota turned the ball over a whopping five times, which was four more than Kansas City.
With the loss, the 1969 Vikings became one of the best teams not to win the big game while also having one of the largest Super Bowl spreads.
8. Super Bowl XLII: New England Patriots (-12.5)
I think everyone knows about Super Bowl XLII. Something you might not know is that it had one of the biggest Super Bowl point spreads. The New England Patriots came in looking to become the second team in NFL history to finish the season undefeated.
On the other side, the New York Giants were looking to complete a magical playoff run. One that saw them start the playoffs with (+5000) odds.
New England had a great offense that season, but we didn’t see that in the Super Bowl. At halftime, they held a 7-3 lead. Results like these are why price-shopping across the best super bowl betting websites matters.
The defensive battle continued in the second half. In the fourth quarter, New York took an early lead, but Tom Brady responded with a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. New York had just under three minutes to score the game-winning touchdown.
On the drive, Eli Manning found David Tyree for a 32-yard gain. Tyree’s incredible reception was later named the “Helmet Catch,” which is one of the best Super Bowl plays in history.
A few plays later; Manning found Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown.
The sportsbooks took a massive loss on this game, losing over $2.5 million. It was the second time since 1991 that they’ve taken a loss in a Super Bowl. It’s a good thing people had faith in the Giants.
Throughout history, the Giants covered the spread in four of their five championships. That said, this is the most memorable and largest Super Bowl point spread they covered, and they even won the game outright.
7. Super Bowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys (-13.5)
The Dallas Cowboys have the second-most (five) Super Bowl wins in NFL history, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have the most (six). They were bound to be on the list of the biggest Super Bowl spreads at one point or another.
Both teams came into Super Bowl XXX looking to win their fifth title. It also marked their third matchup in the Super Bowl.
Both teams were among the Super Bowl favorites throughout the 1995 season. However, the Cowboys were the big favorites because of a top-three offense and defense.
Dallas’ offense was looking good early, as they scored on their first three drives. Pittsburgh scored a late first-half touchdown as Dallas took a 13-7 lead into the half.
The Cowboys defense struck with an interception in the third quarter. Two plays later, Emmitt Smith’s touchdown gave them a 20-7 lead. Dallas was controlling the game, but would they cover? Well, check out their scoring drives in the fourth quarter.
- 46-yard field goal (20-10)
- 1-yard touchdown run (20-17)
- 4-yard touchdown run (27-17)
As much as Pittsburgh struggled, they had the ball with a chance to take the lead. Neil O’Donnell threw his second interception with four minutes remaining. That set up Smith’s game-clinching touchdown.
Dallas enjoyed the win, but I can’t imagine the bettors weren’t happy after they failed to cover. The sportsbooks bounced back from a rough Super Bowl XXVIII to pull in $7.1 million.
This was a time when the sportsbooks benefitted from having one of the largest Super Bowl point spreads ever.
6. Super Bowl II: Green Bay Packers (-13.5)
The Green Bay Packers were the class of the NFL in the early Super Bowl days. They won Super Bowl I and came into Super Bowl II as a big favorite over the Oakland Raiders. Oakland went 12-1, but not many believed in the AFL.
Green Bay quickly flexed their muscle, taking a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. Oakland bounced back with a touchdown, but a Packers field goal gave them a score of 16-7 at halftime.
Green Bay held the ball nearly the entire time in the third quarter. They outscored Oakland 10-0 and were in a prime position to cover the spread.
Herb Adderley put the icing on the cake with a 60-yard pick-six. That was the theme of the game, as the Packers defense forced three turnovers.
The Raiders scored a late touchdown, but that didn’t affect the outcome. Green Bay won 33-14, covering the (-13.5) point spread.
Green Bay celebrated the victory by carrying Vince Lombardi off the field. This was his final game as head coach of the Packers. He led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl victories and three NFL Championship titles.
While the Packers dominated that time period, they wouldn’t win another Super Bowl until 1997.
5. Super Bowl XXXVI: St. Louis Rams (-14.0)
In 2001, The Greatest Show of Turf led the NFL in scoring for the third straight season. The St. Louis Rams were the Super Bowl favorite all season, with their odds improving in the playoffs.
The New England Patriots were a longshot, as only five teams came into the season with worse odds. A young Tom Brady led them on a magical playoff run, including upsetting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game as (+10.0) point underdogs.
In the Super Bowl, the Rams’ dominant offense took a while to show up. Check out what they did in the first half.
- Punt
- Field Goal
- Missed Field Goal
- Interception
- Punt
- Fumble
Kurt Warner’s interception was a pick-six. New England scored a late first-half touchdown to lead 14-3 at halftime.
The Patriots took a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, but the Rams offense finally came to life in the fourth quarter. They scored a pair of touchdowns to tie the game with 1:30 remaining.
That’s when Brady took the Patriots 53 yards to set up the game-winning field goal. Adam Vinatieri knocked it through, giving the Patriots the 20-17 victory. New England became one of the biggest longshot Super Bowl champions.
It wasn’t a great day for the sportsbooks, as they only made a 3.26 percent profit. That was the second-lowest total from 2000-2010.
4. Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers (-14.0)
The Green Bay Packers were among the top teams in the late 1990s. Behind MVP Brett Favre, the Packers went into Super Bowl XXXI as a (-14.0) point favorite. The New England Patriots were dominant in the playoffs, but they had a tough task ahead of them.
Points were flying off the board in the first quarter, as the Patriots held a 14-10 lead. In the second quarter, the Packers No. 1 offense flexed their muscle.
Favre threw a Super Bowl record 81-yard touchdown to Antonio Freeman. Following a field goal, Favre had a two-yard touchdown to give Green Bay a 27-14 lead at halftime.
New England jumped back into the game with a 19-yard touchdown run by Curtis Martin. Desmond Howard took it 99 yards to the house on the ensuing kickoff.
The Packers scored a two-point conversion to take a 14-point lead. Unfortunately for bettors, that was the end of the scoring. Green Bay won 35-21, with the game being a push. This was the first time in Super Bowl history that we saw a push.
That led to a 3.2 percent profit for the sportsbooks.
It could’ve gone differently if Green Bay didn’t miss a late field goal.
3. Super Bowl I: Green Bay Packers (-14.0)
I warned you that the Green Bay Packers would make a lot of appearances on this list. So, what is the largest Super Bowl spread of all time for the Packers? That would be the very first Super Bowl in NFL history.
The Packers were the best team in the NFL, leading the league in scoring defense. The Kansas City Chiefs were the best team in the AFL, but people didn’t give that league much respect.
It was a competitive game in the first half, with the Packers holding a 14-10 lead. I’m sure many people were waiting for Green Bay to take control of the game. That’s precisely what they did with a dominant second half.
Green Bay scored three touchdowns while shutting down the Chiefs offense. Green Bay won the first Super Bowl and covered the (-14.0) point spread.
Bart Starr took home MVP with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. However, I think the real star was Packers wide receiver, Max McGee.
- 7 receptions
- 138 yards
- 2 touchdowns
It’s amazing that this game ranks highly on the list of the biggest point spreads in Super Bowl history. We are closing in on 60 years of Super Bowls, which makes this one even more impressive.
This was the start of Super Bowl betting.
2. Super Bowl XXIX: San Francisco 49ers (-16.0)
In 1994, the San Francisco 49ers came into the season as Super Bowl favorites. Following a 13-3 season, they went into the playoffs as (-167) favorites. It was no surprise to see them have one of the largest Super Bowl spreads after rolling through the playoffs.
The San Diego Chargers were the underdog, as it took a pair of second-half comebacks for them to make the Super Bowl.
It took all of five minutes for the 49ers to jump out to a 14-0 lead. They did so with a pair of 40+ yard touchdowns from Steve Young. San Diego bounced back with a touchdown, but the 49ers offense was unstoppable. Young threw four touchdowns in the first half to take a 28-10 lead.
In the second half, we saw more of the 49ers domination. They outscored the Chargers 21-16 to win 49-26 and cover the spread. Young walked away with one of the best playoff performances of all time.
- 24/36
- 325 passing yards
- 6 touchdowns
- 49 rushing yards
The 49ers might have been a big favorite, but the bettors were all over them. That led to the sportsbooks losing just under $400,000.
Sometimes, it’s not a bad idea to back the big favorite.
1. Super Bowl III: Baltimore Colts (-18.0)
So, what is the biggest Super Bowl spread ever? An 18-point spread separated the two teams in the third Super Bowl, which has remained the largest in history.
Super Bowl III featured the mighty Baltimore Colts. Led by Earl Morrall, they lost one game in the regular season. The New York Jets represented the AFL, with Joe Namath leading the way. The Jets were the big underdog, but Namath guaranteed a victory.
Everyone knew about the Colts defense, but the Jets defense showed up with a big first half. They shutout the Colts, taking a 7-0 lead at halftime. The Jets added a pair of field goals to take a 13-0 lead into the fourth quarter.
At this point, it would take a miracle for the Colts to cover. However, they still had a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, their offense could get anything going. They scored a late touchdown, but the Jets defeated them 16-7.
Turnovers were the main difference, as the Jets defense had four interceptions and a fumble recovery. It got so bad that the Colts benched Morrall for Johnny Unitas.
New York covering the spread probably would’ve surprised people, but I can’t imagine many expected them to win outright.
In the end, this is a perfect example of how even the biggest Super Bowl point spread doesn’t determine the outcome of the game. Remember this lesson, and always be sure to compare the odds on the most reputable sites.
Super Bowl Spread FAQs
What is the biggest point spread in Super Bowl history?
The San Francisco 49ers stand at the top of the biggest Super Bowl point spreads list with -18.0 against the San Diego Chargers at Super Bowl XXIX. The same spread (-18.0) was given to the Baltimore Colts in 1969 against the NY Jets. For the most points ever scored, read about the highest scoring super bowls.
What is the smallest Super Bowl spread ever?
In 2015, at Super Bowl XLIX, there was no spread. Both the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots were priced at -110, a betting scenario known as “Pick’em.”
How often do Super Bowl favorites cover?
Across 59 Super Bowls, betting favorites have come out on top 30 times. They covered the spread in 28 of those games. Meanwhile, the other two ended in a “push,” meaning the margin of victory matched the spread exactly, so bettors got their money back.
Betting on the Super Bowl Spread
Looking back at the biggest Super Bowl spreads, one thing stands out: underdogs often rise to the occasion. Sure, some heavy favorites lived up to the hype, but plenty of others fell flat, sometimes in shocking fashion.
The Baltimore Colts hold the record for the largest spread, yet they didn’t even win the game. That collapse is the perfect example of why you should never underestimate the dog and why betting tips matter when it comes to the biggest stage.
Whether you’re into backing the dogs or you’re confident the favorite will put on an unforgettable show in the next NFL Championship Game. Why not make some money off it? The best SB spread odds await you at Bovada.
