Biggest Super Bowl Upsets: Ranking the Most Improbable Championship Victories

Every Super Bowl starts with a National Anthem and Coin Toss and ends in a Gatorade Shower, but some mean more than others based on the team's expectations entering the season.

Super Bowl LIX is set to kick off on Sunday, February 12th, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles for the Lombardi Trophy.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking to become the first team ever to win three Super Bowls in a row, while the Eagles are aiming for their second Super Bowl title in six years.

While the Chiefs are favored to win the game, the oddsmakers have this game as a pick ‘em. Some fans may view the Eagles as underdogs, but the world wouldn’t be shocked if Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley took down KC, as both teams were favorites to win their divisions.

Every Super Bowl starts with a National Anthem and Coin Toss and ends in a Gatorade Shower, but some mean more than others based on the team’s expectations entering the season. Everyone loves an underdog, so we identified the biggest underdog Super Bowl winners in NFL history based on preseason expectations.

5. New York Giants – 2007-08 (+3000 to Win Super Bowl XLII)

We’ll start our list with the New York Giants, as Tom Coughlin’s squad also pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. Eli Manning and company didn’t seem to have anything special about them entering the season, and that was further believed after they started the season 0-2. However, they went on to secure a wild-card spot and win on the road against the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers before their biggest test in Super Bowl XLII.

The New England Patriots were 18-0 heading into this one, as they were one game away from perfection in addition to securing their 4th Super Bowl in 7 seasons. Tom Brady and company had just faced off against Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants in Week 17 of the regular season, as the Pats squeaked away with a 38-35 victory at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

New England had won their 18 games by 18.6 points per game, but that didn’t stop Giants QB Eli Manning from pulling off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. There were three lead changes in the 4th quarter, but the Pats pulled ahead 14-10 with less than 3 minutes to go, as Hall of Fame WR Randy Moss hauled in a 6-yard TD from Brady. 

However, Pats fans will never forget the infamous David Tyree catch that followed, as the Giants wideout pinned a 32-yard bomb to his helmet on 3rd and 5 with just 1:15 left to go. Plaxico Burress would pull in a 13-yard pass from Manning with 35 seconds remaining, securing one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.

4. Philadelphia Eagles – 2017-18 (+4000 to Win Super Bowl LII)

Another upset at the hands of New England came 10 years later, as the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII as 40-1 underdogs. The Eagles were originally led by QB Carson Wentz, who led Philly to a 7-9 record the season prior as a rookie. However, he played like the MVP during his sophomore season, throwing for 3,296 yards, 33 TDs and 7 INTs before suffering an ACL injury in Week 13 against the Rams. Backup QB Nick Foles would take over a Philly team that already locked up the #1 seed in the NFC, and they would take down the Falcons and Vikings. Everything seemed to go their way, and the country was behind the Eagles underdog story as they went up against Tom Brady and company.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, as neither defense could get its footing. The Eagles pulled off the Philly Special right before halftime, as Foles hauled in a 1-yard touchdown from TE Trey Burton. However, they continued to score and took a 38-33 lead with 2:21 left in the contest. On the final drive, Brady was strip-sacked on 2nd and 3, which secured the victory for the Eagles, cementing themselves as the 4th-longest upset based on preseason odds.

3. San Francisco 49ers – 1981-82 (+5000 to Win Super Bowl XVI)

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 1981-82 season on a run of 8 straight seasons without a playoff appearance, as they had just one winning season during that stretch. However, this year marked the true start of their dynasty, as Joe Montana was the full-time starter for the first time, leading the 49ers to victory in 15 of