Most memorable Super Bowl moments since 2000

The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the premier sporting event in America. For the teams, it is the culmination of a season’s worth of pain and gain and a chance to cement their legacy as champions. When the players and coaches arrive at training camp in the summer, each one has their eyes set on the same goal: lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. While for some, the chances may seem thin, there are plenty of examples from history showing why no Cinderella can be counted out until the clock strikes midnight.

For the fans, it is a spectacle unlike any other. Even before kickoff, the pageantry is fully underway, with a military flyover, star-studded performances of “America the Beautiful” and the national anthem, and a custom-made coin toss. Every commercial break features ads with a total production value comparable to a Hollywood film. Halftime is nearly doubled in length, so the biggest stars in music can put on an unforgettable show. Not to mention the game itself, where the stakes couldn’t be higher, and the pressure couldn’t be greater. But it is only under such pressure that diamonds can be formed.

Many of these gems have withstood the test of time and are forever embedded in the minds of football fans worldwide. As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles get ready to fight for their place in history in Super Bowl LIX, we compiled a list of a few of the most memorable moments from Super Bowl Sunday since the turn of the millennium.

28-3

Super Bowl LI may be the only game where the final score is not the one that people remember most. Rather, in this game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, the lasting image is that of the scoreboard with just over two minutes to go in the third quarter, which read 28-3 in favor of the Falcons.

Quarterback Matt Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, and receiver Julio Jones led an air raid for Atlanta in the early goings. The league’s most electric offense that year was unstoppable in the season’s final game, and the team’s weaker unit, its defense, was looking just as dominant. Until they weren’t.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick were in a deep hole, but they stayed calm, and the tides began to turn. Aided by a Falcons fumble in the early fourth quarter, New England chained together two scores to bring the game within one possession. With just over two minutes to go, Brady led the Pats on a 10-play, 91 yard drive to tie the game, capped off by a James White touchdown and a 2-point conversion pass from Brady to Danny Ammendola.

The Falcons were unable to score in the remaining time, and in overtime, the Patriots won the coin toss and marched 75 yards down the field to win on a walk-off touchdown run by White, completing the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction

Perhaps the most memorable off-field moment came during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 in Houston. The game was played between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers and was actually a thrilling one-score battle that saw Brady and Belichick capture their second Lombardi Trophy.

However, the memory most people have from that day is not from the game itself, rather the halftime show, which featured Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. At the conclusion of a duet of the former’s hit song 'Rock Your Body,' as Timberlake sang the final line ("I’ll have you naked by the end of this song"), he grabbed the upper part of Jackson’s shirt, ripping off a piece of it to reveal her breast. The image was seen by viewers for about a second, until the telecast was able to pan away to a wide shot of the stage.

Jackson and Timberlake’s representatives blamed the incident on a "wardrobe malfunction," stating that only part of her shirt was supposed to come off, revealing a red lace bra. Many fans and media personalities speculated, however, that the incident was a publicity stunt.

Nipplegate or Janetgate did indeed bring the two stars publicity, though most of it was negative, and both made various public apologies. Despite the controversy, Timberlake was invited back to perform the halftime show for Super Bowl LII in 2018.

Santonio Holmes’ toe tap 

Super Bowl XLIII saw the Arizona Cardinals face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it would go down in history as one of the most exciting games in history.

The underdog Cardinals could practically taste victory when star wideout Larry Fitzgerald caught a slant from veteran quarterback Kurt Warner and ran it 64 yards to the house for a touchdown, putting Arizona up by a field goal with two minutes to go. The Cardinals had trailed by 13 points midway through the fourth quarter, and they were on the verge of capping their improbable playoff run with a miracle comeback.

However, Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers had other ideas. They marched right back down the field, and they made it to the 6-yard line with less than a minute to go. On second down, Roethlisberger looked for one of his favorite targets, receiver Santonio Holmes, in the back corner of the end zone. He floated a ball seemingly out of reach, but Holmes pierced through the sky and grabbed the ball as the tips of his toes brushed against the red-painted grass. The play was examined and confirmed via video review, and the Steelers held on in the final minute to win their second Super Bowl in four years.

Patrick Mahomes’ walk-off winner

Last year’s edition of the game, Super Bowl LVIII, featured another walk-off win. Despite his youth, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already carved his face into the Super Bowl Mount Rushmore, with this game-winning touchdown drive in overtime being the final touch.

In a Super Bowl LIV rematch against the San Francisco 49ers, Mahomes faced an uphill battle, going against one of the top defensive units in the league, headlined by linebacker Fred Warner. Despite both teams also featuring some of the league’s marquee offensive players, the game felt like a war of attrition, with the teams finishing regulation in a 19-19 deadlock. 

In overtime, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy led his team on a 13-play drive, but it was only enough to net them a field goal after being stopped inside the Kansas City 10-yard line. 

Down 3 points and needing a score to stay alive, Mahomes took the Chiefs down the field, picking apart the 49ers defense with surgical precision. With just three seconds left to go in overtime, Mahomes rolled out of the pocket and hit receiver Mecole Hardman for the game-winning touchdown, and the Chiefs celebrated as the sky began to rain confetti.

Lights out performance, literally 

One of the more surreal moments in the game’s history came in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, played between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. The game was especially notable because the opposing coaches, John and Jim Harbaugh, were brothers. It was even dubbed by some as the "Harbaugh Bowl."

While the post-game embrace between the two coaches is a memorable image for many, what most will recall about the game is the power outage that happened in the third quarter. With the Ravens leading 28-6 in New Orleans (the same venue as Super Bowl LIX in 2025), the lights went out in the stadium, causing a 34-minute delay in play. 

It’s hard to feel that this did not have an effect on the game, as the 49ers rallied to score 17 straight points after the stoppage to make it a 5-point game. However, it wasn’t enough, as the Baltimore defense held strong on the 49ers’ final drive, meaning John Harbaugh and the Ravens emerged victorious.

'The Tackle' 

Super Bowl XXXIV was the millennium’s first Super Bowl, played on Jan. 30, 2000, and it remains one of the best. Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams, known as The Greatest Show on Turf, faced the Tennessee Titans in Atlanta. It was a back-and-forth game that left fans with one of the defining football images of the 2000s. 

The Titans fell into an early 16-0 hole, though they managed to come all the way back to tie the game at 16 with just three minutes left. However, after receiving the kickoff, it took the Rams just one play to score, as Warner found wideout Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard bomb. 

Down a touchdown, quarterback Steve McNair and the Titans worked the ball downfield, and they managed to make it deep into Rams' territory, reaching the 10-yard line with just five seconds to go. 

With time for just one more play, McNair threw the ball over the middle of the field to receiver Kevin Dyson, who caught the ball at the 5-yard line and began to run for the end zone. He was grabbed by Rams' linebacker Mike Jones, who began to bring him to the ground. Dyson extended his arm as far as it would go and stretched toward the goal line, but he came up inches short as time expired, and the Rams won the game.

'The Helmet Catch' 

"Immortality" is a powerful word that is thrown around often when discussing sports championships. However, in most cases, even the most dominant teams fall at some point along their road to glory. 

In Super Bowl XLII in 2008, there was a team that had the dream of achieving perfection, a truly immortal 19-0 season culminating in a world championship. There was just one team standing in their way. 

The New England Patriots were attempting to make history, but Eli Manning, Michael Strahan and the New York Giants had other ideas. Despite being massive underdogs, the Giants found themselves with the ball and down just four points in the game’s final moments. With a minute to go, and still seemingly miles from the Patriots’ end zone, Manning dropped back and threw up a prayer. 

After nearly being tackled numerous times, Manning freed up and threw a seemingly blind pass to the middle of the field. Wide receiver David Tyree, who saw very little action that season, leaped into the air and clung the ball to his helmet with his fingertips as Patriots safety Rodney Harrison tried to rip it away. After an extensive review, the catch was ruled good, and Manning went on to throw the game winning touchdown to Plaxico Burress to seal the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. 

Rihanna touches the sky

Another notable halftime performance was Rihanna’s dazzling show during Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The singer began her relatively minimalistic performance playing her hits and dancing in an oversized red garment. It quickly became apparent that there was something different about her compared to her most recent public appearance: she was pregnant. She didn’t confirm the news until after the game, but that did not stop social media from blowing up with speculation. 

As she began to sing the final song of her set, 'Diamonds,' she stepped onto a platform that began to ascend to the heavens. As she sang the chorus ("We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky"), the luminescent platform was lifted into the rafters of the stadium, sending pounding heartbeats through the chests of fans in Glendale, Ariz., and across America as the show ended with Rihanna and child suspended in the air. 

'The Philly Special' 

One of the most memorable plays in recent NFL history came in Super Bowl LII in 2018, when the Philadelphia Eagles faced the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was looking to win his sixth NFL title, and he was facing an Eagles team without the starting quarterback that had led them to a tie for the best record in the league that year, Carson Wentz. 

Wentz went down in Week 14 with a torn ACL, which ended his season. He was replaced by journeyman Nick Foles, who piloted the team well in his absence, advancing the team all the way to the Super Bowl. 

In the game, Eagles coach Doug Pederson drew up something special for his new starting quarterback. Facing fourth down near the end zone, Foles began to yell and step aside as if there was confusion among the Eagles’ offense. However, just as the Patriots began to relax, Philadelphia snapped the ball to running back Corey Clement, who lateraled the ball to tight end Trey Burton, who then passed the ball to a wide open Foles for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a key score on a risky play before halftime.

Chiefs-Eagles I 

With the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles set for a rematch on Sunday, it is worth revisiting the first matchup from two years ago, Super Bowl LVII, a game the Chiefs won in a thrilling 38-35 shootout. 

Despite the loss, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 304 yards, rushed for another 70 and had 4 combined touchdowns. While he didn’t throw any interceptions, Hurts did lose a fumble, which was returned by Kansas City for a touchdown and greatly swung the game’s momentum.

Chiefs passer Patrick Mahomes threw for just 182 yards and ran for 44, though he had 3 touchdowns through the air, and he managed not to turn the ball over. When his team needed him most, he led them on a 12-play, 66-yard drive to set up the eventual game winning field goal. 

Turnovers will be key this time around in Super Bowl LIX, as well as the Eagles’ addition of running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and finished third in MVP voting. 

Tune in Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST on Fox. It will also be available for streaming on Fubo TV and other platforms that carry Fox. The game can also be seen in Spanish on Fox Deportes.