Super Bowl Sunday is getting closer as we speak (or as I type). Fans of the NFL have rich memories of this game and its history, which has included its share of memorable moments.
It’s a game that some would say has had everything. That some would be incorrect. Here’s a brief list of moments or plays we have yet to encounter in this great series, some of which are certainly possibilities between the Patriots and Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
There has never been a shutout in the Super Bowl
Blanking another team in this day and age in the NFL has gotten harder and harder. But so far in a total of 48 Super Bowls, no team has failed to score a point in their Super Bowl appearance(s). In fact, the Miami Dolphins’ 24-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium at New Orleans marks the only time a team failed to score a touchdown in this Big Game.
In fact, only nine times in 96 previous instances has a team been held to single digits on the scoreboard in a Super Bowl.
No tight end has ever been named Super Bowl MVP
It’s a position that has gotten a lot more attention in recent years. And for both the Patriots and Seahawks, both of their starting tight ends are or have become a key part of their offense. Still, we have seen some pretty good players at the position reach the Super Bowl in recent years and not one of them has claimed game MVP honors…yet.
Could that change this year with New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, arguably the best player at his position in the league in 2014? Or will we see the Wilson-to-Willson connection with the Seahawks via Russell and Luke?
By the way, the Super Bowl record for most receptions by a tight end in a game is owned by the Bengals’ Dan Ross, who caught 11 passes (two touchdowns) in the team’s Super Bowl XVI loss to the 49ers.
There has never been a punt return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl
Special teams always play a big role in any football, much less the biggest game of the NFL season. The kicking game can be huge for every club, be it success or failure. In the last two Super Bowls, we have seen the Ravens (Jacoby Jones) and Seahawks (Percy Harvin) return the second-half kickoffs for touchdowns.
But we have not seen the same kind of explosive play when it comes to punt returns. The longest play of this variety in a Super Bowl came 26 years ago at South Florida when San Francisco 49ers wide receiver John Taylor took back a Bengals punt 45 yards in Super Bowl XXIII. Could we see a little history this year thanks to talented return artist and Patriots wideout Julian Edelman?
No Super Bowl has ever gone to overtime
There have been 48 games and all have finished in regulation. Seven of those contests have been decided by three points or less and funny enough, four of those have involved the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick’s team won Super Bowls XXXVI (over Rams, 20-17), XXXVIII (over Panthers, 32-29) and XXXIX (over Eagles, 24-21) by a field goal (late kicks by Adam Vinatieri to win beat the St. Louis and Carolina, respectively). But we have not been fortunate enough to see the biggest game of the year having to extend itself.