Counting Down The 5 Lowest-Scoring Super Bowls Of All Time

With Super Bowl LX just days away, fans are ramping up their excitement for the big game, even those without a rooting interest between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

But sometimes the big game can be a big dud, especially when the defenses show up to play, which could well be the case on Sunday.

We’re counting down the five lowest-scoring games in Super Bowl history, including a No. 1 that may well surprise some of you.

Lowest Scoring Super Bowls Of All-Time

In recent history, the NFL has become all about the offense, which superstar quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes leading their teams on dynastic runs.

But that wasn’t always the case.

For years, the phrase “defense wins championships” rang extremely true. While that’s still the case, it was never as true as it was in these five Super Bowls.

5) Super Bowl V (1971): Baltimore Colts 16, Dallas Cowboys 13 (Total: 29)

When the Dallas Cowboys entered halftime of Super Bowl 5 leading the Baltimore Colts 13-6, they had to feel decently appoint their chances of winning a championship.

However, Dallas was hamstrung by four turnovers, namely three interceptions by quarterback Craig Morton, and failed to score again in the ballgame. Meanwhile, Baltimore had its own turnover issues, fumbling five times, four of which went to the Cowboys.

In total, the game had a jaw-dropping 11 turnovers, but a 32-yard field goal with just five seconds remaining by Jim O’Brien gave the Colts the win in one of the clunkiest Super Bowls ever played.

4) Super Bowl III (1969): New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7 (Total: 23)

Everybody remembers Super Bowl 3 for Joe Namath’s iconic guarantee of victory beforehand. But while the Jets delivered on Namath’s bravado, the legendary quarterback didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard.

Namath went 17-for-28 for 206 yards to win Super Bowl MVP.

But the only points of the first half came on a Matt Snell 4-yard touchdown run, then New York used three field goals from Jim Turner to extend their lead to 16-0 early in the fourth quarter.

It wasn’t until Jerry Hill’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:19 left on the clock that the Colts actually got on the board. Because the 2-point conversion wasn’t introduced until 25 years later, that did little to aid Baltimore’s hopes of a comeback, and it ultimately fell in one of the lowest-scoring Super Bowls of all time.

3) Super Bowl IX (1975): Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6 (Total: 22)

When you match up two legendary defenses – Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” and Minnesota’s “Purple People Eaters” – you’re always likely to get a low-scoring affair.

Despite a pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Terry Bradshaw and Fran Tarkenton, the Steelers’ and Vikings’ offenses were kept quiet throughout Super Bowl 9. In fact, the only scoring in the first half came when Tarkenton was sacked for a safety.

Franco Harris put the Steelers up 9-0 early in the third quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run before the Vikings struck back with a blocked punt recovered for a touchdown to cut the lead to 9-6 with 10:33 left to play..

However, Larry Brown’s 4-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw put the icing on the cake for Pittsburgh with 3:31 remaining in what was the first of back-to-back Super Bowl victories for the Steelers.

In total, Minnesota racked up just 119 yards of offense and turned the ball over five times.

2) Super Bowl VII (1973): Miami Dolphins 14, Washington 7 (Total: 21)

The Miami Dolphins capped off their legendary perfect season in Super Bowl 7 with a hard-fought 14-7 victory over Washington.

Miami struck first on the last play from scrimmage of the first quarter when Bob Griese hit Howard Twilley for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The Dolphins then doubled their lead late in the second quarter when Jim Kiick rumbled in from 1 yard out.

Washington didn’t get on the board until late in the fourth quarter when Mike Bass recovered a fumble and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown with 2:07 left on the clock. But that’s all his team would muster.

In total, Miami’s defense ceded just 228 yards while forcing three turnovers.

1) Super Bowl LIII (2019): New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3 (Total: 16)

Who would’ve thought?

Of all the low-scoring Super Bowls in history, almost all of which were contested in the 1960s and 70s, the lowest-scoring of all time came in 2019 and featured both the greatest quarterback of all time and perhaps the top offensive-minded head coach in the NFL today.

Super Bowl 53 was expected to be a shootout.

Los Angeles’ offense, led by mastermind Sean McVay, was one of the best in the league all season. Meanwhile, Tom Brady and the Patriots averaged 39 points per game in their two playoff games to reach the Super Bowl.

Instead, Bill Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia cooked up a game plan that left LA quarterback Jared Goff helpless. Goff went just 19-of-38 for 229 yards and an interception, while star running back Todd Gurley averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Brady wasn’t exactly incredible, going 21-of-35 for 262 yards and an interception of his own.

The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 3-3 in one of the most underwhelming Super Bowls in history, and it wasn’t until Sony Michel’s 2-yard touchdown run with 7:00 left to play that New England took control, with Stephen Gostkowski’s 41-yard field goal with 1:12 left putting the game on ice for the Patriots.