≡ Menu

Best Offensive/Defensive Super Bowl Matchups

Three years ago, I wrote about how the Broncos/Seahawks Super Bowl was going to be the best matchup between offensive and defensive teams in Super Bowl history. This year doesn’t quite match that hype — particularly given that the Patriots defense isn’t as good as you might think, and that New England is actually more of an offensive team than a defensive team. If anything, this Super Bowl should be remembered as a matchup of two great passing attacks, rather than an offensive/defensive showdown.

But if we want to just look at points scored and points allowed, then yeah, this still stands out as a pretty good matchup of the number one scoring team in the NFL (Atlanta) against the number on team in points allowed (New England). The Falcons scored 33.8 points per game this year, while the Patriots allowed just 15.6; that produces a differential of 18.1 (difference due to rounding), which would make this the 5th best “offense/defense showdown” in Super Bowl history:

RkYearOffDefPF/G TmPA/G OppDiffPFPAW/L
12013DENSEA37.914.423.4843L
21966KANGNB32.011.620.41035L
31968NYJBAL29.910.319.6167W
41967OAKGNB33.414.918.51433L
52016ATLNWE33.815.618.1??????
61984MIASFO32.114.217.91638L
71971DALMIA29.012.416.6243W
81969KANMIN25.69.516.1237W
92002OAKTAM28.112.315.92148L
102007NWENYG36.821.914.91417L
111991BUFWAS28.614.014.62437L
122001STLNWE31.417.014.41720L
131969MINKAN27.112.614.4723L
141977DALDEN24.610.614.12710W
151990BUFNYG26.813.213.61920L
161989SFODEN27.614.113.55510W
171975DALPIT25.011.613.41721L
182014NWESEA29.315.913.42824W
191998DENATL31.318.113.33419W
201996NWEGNB26.113.113.02135L
212015CARDEN31.318.512.81024L
222008ARIPIT26.713.912.82327L
231983WASRAI33.821.112.7938L
242009NORIND31.919.212.73117W
251999STLTEN32.920.312.62316W
261973MIAMIN24.512.012.5247W
271994SFOSDG31.619.112.44926W
281976OAKMIN25.012.612.43214W
292005SEAPIT28.316.112.11021L
301972MIAWAS27.515.611.9147W
311997DENGNB29.517.611.93124W
321978DALPIT24.012.211.83135L
331972WASMIA24.012.211.8714L
341984SFOMIA29.718.611.13816W
352004NWEPHI27.316.311.12421W
362006INDCHI26.715.910.82917W
371981CINSFO26.315.610.72126L
381991WASBUF30.319.910.43724W
391973MINMIA21.110.710.4724L
401985CHINWE28.518.110.44610W
411985NWECHI22.612.410.31046L
422000NYGBAL20.510.310.2734L
432010GNBPIT24.314.59.83125W
441988CINSFO28.018.49.61620L
451999TENSTL24.515.19.41623L
461978PITDAL22.313.09.33531W
471996GNBNWE28.519.68.93521W
481986DENNYG23.614.88.92039L
491980OAKPHI22.813.98.92710W
501968BALNYJ28.720.08.7716L
511974MINPIT22.113.58.6616L
521992BUFDAL23.815.28.61752L
531997GNBDEN26.417.98.42431L
542010PITGNB23.415.08.42531L
551993DALBUF23.515.18.43013W
561998ATLDEN27.619.38.31934L
571992DALBUF25.617.77.95217W
582004PHINWE24.116.37.92124L
591974PITMIN21.813.97.9166W
602012BALSFO24.917.17.83431W
611982MIAWAS22.014.27.81727L
621975PITDAL26.619.17.52117W
632005PITSEA24.316.97.42110W
641995PITDAL25.418.27.31727L
651970BALDAL22.915.87.11613W
661967GNBOAK23.716.67.13314W
672011NWENYG32.125.07.11721L
681983RAIWAS27.620.86.9389W
691989DENSFO22.615.86.81055L
701995DALPIT27.220.46.82717W
711979PITRAM26.019.36.73119W
721971MIADAL22.515.96.6324L
731982WASMIA21.114.66.62717W
741987DENWAS25.319.06.31042L
751993BUFDAL20.614.36.31330L
762007NYGNWE23.317.16.21714W
772001NWESTL23.217.16.12017W
781987WASDEN25.319.26.14210W
792000BALNYG20.815.45.4347W
802003CARNWE20.314.95.42932L
811994SDGSFO23.818.55.32649L
822014SEANWE24.619.65.12428L
831980PHIOAK24.019.14.91027L
841976MINOAK21.816.94.91432L
852009INDNOR26.021.34.71731L
861970DALBAL21.416.74.61316L
871990NYGBUF20.916.44.52019W
881977DENDAL19.615.14.41027L
891966GNBKAN23.919.74.23510W
902006CHIIND26.722.54.21729L
911979RAMPIT20.216.43.81931L
922012SFOBAL24.821.53.33134L
931981SFOCIN22.319.03.32621W
942011NYGNWE24.621.43.32117W
952015DENCAR22.219.32.92410W
961986NYGDEN23.220.42.83920W
972003NWECAR21.819.02.83229W
982002TAMOAK21.619.02.64821W
991988SFOCIN23.120.62.52016W
1002016NWEATL27.625.42.2??????
1012013SEADEN26.124.91.1438W
1022008PITARI21.726.6-4.92723W

In general, the top defenses have had the upper hand, although there are some notable exceptions.

In 1968, the Jets had a fantastic passing attack with Joe Namath, Don Maynard, and George Sauer, and a great ground game with Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell. New York faced what was a historically great Baltimore Colts defense — the team allowed just 10.3 points per game that year! — and won, 16-7.

The next year, the Vikings had a defense that was even better than Baltimore’s the prior year, and Minnesota’s defense in 1969 could lay legitimate claim to being the best in NFL history. But the Chiefs controlled the line of scrimmage and overpowered Minnesota in the Super Bowl. Len Dawson, Mike Garrett, Robert Holmes, and Otis Taylor formed a strong Kansas City attack, although the Chiefs defense may have been the real stars of the show.

Two years later, on the back of a historically great season by Roger Staubach, the Cowboys faced a Miami defense that ranked in the top 5 in both yards and points allowed. The Dolphins pitched a shutout (and recorded a pick six) in the AFC Championship Game, but Staubach threw two touchdowns to uh, Cowboys legends Lance Alworth and Mike Ditka to get the win.

And while it doesn’t rank quite a high, it’s probably worth pointing out that in 1989, the 49ers and their number one-ranked scoring offense blew out the Broncos and their number one-ranked scoring defense.

Of course, on balance, the top defenses have been a bit more successful. But even with a Patriots win, I’m not sure that’s what the appropriate narrative should be after the Super Bowl. After all, this is really a matchup of the top two passing attacks in football.

{ 2 comments }