Super Bowl XLV features teams that have combined to win nine Lombardi Trophies. By all accounts, it's setting up to be a great game.
We asked NFL.com and NFL Network analysts what they considered the greatest Super Bowl ever played. Here's what they had to say (don't forget to vote for your favorite in the right-hand column near the bottom):
Greatest Super Bowls ever
NFL's Top 10 recently counted down the greatest
Super Bowls ever played. Here are the top six:
Pat Kirwan: Super Bowl III
The Giants' win over the previously undefeated Patriots was one of my favorite Super Bowls of the 15 I have been to. The Giants' defense was awesome that day and delivered a spectacular performance. When the emotions settled down, the game slotted in as the second best Super Bowl for me. The all-time best was the Jets' win over the Colts in Super Bowl III. That win changed everything in the NFL. If the Giants' win couldn't change the top spot, I think the Joe Namath guarantee will always be my favorite Super Bowl.
» **Watch: Super Bowl memories -- Super Bowl III**
Steve Wyche: Super Bowl XIII
Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was incredible, throwing four touchdowns in this back-and-forth shootout that earned Pittsburgh its third Super Bowl. The most incredible play of the game, though, was the dropped ball in the end zone by tight end Jackie Smith that forced Dallas to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown. With the way the Cowboys almost always came up with an answer, especially late in the game, that drop proved to be the difference.
» **Watch: No. 6 best Super Bowl -- Super Bowl XIII**
Michael Lombardi: Super Bowl XIX
My favorite? When the 49ers, behind the great coaching of Bill Walsh and the great quarterbacking of Joe Montana, beat the Miami Dolphins. Working at that time for the 49ers allowed me to peek into the world of Walsh and what made him so great and why I still rely on his words of wisdom each day. It was my first year in the NFL -- what a way to start a career, so I will always cherish that memory. I have since given my Super Bowl ring to my oldest son, but the memory of the game will last forever.
» **Watch: Super Bowl memories -- Super Bowl XIX**
Charles Davis: Super Bowl XXII
When quarterback Doug Williams and the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver, that was historic! Consider the circumstances of an African-American at quarterback, winning the biggest game in sports and then taking home MVP honors. It broke down so many barriers and so many myths. It led to where we are today with many African-American signal-callers, both starters and backups, as well as more coaches, coordinators, and head coaches around the NFL. What a day, with an impact that continues to reverberate today.
» **Watch: Super Bowl memories -- Super Bowl XXII**
Vic Carucci: Super Bowl XXV
No Super Bowl has been able to top that one for back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat drama. It had dynamic plays on both sides of the ball and strategic components, such as Bill Belichick's exotic defensive packages, that are vividly recalled to this day. And a Hollywood screenwriter couldn't have come up with a better ending ... that is, if you weren't a Bills fan.
» **Watch: No. 4 best Super Bowl -- Super Bowl XXV**
Elliot Harrison: Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII had everything ... the two best teams of the decade in the Steelers and Cowboys, each trying to be the first to win three Lombardi Trophies, the two best quarterbacks of the decade in Terry Bradshaw and Roger Staubach, and arguably the premier defenses of the era. With 17 Hall of Famers on the field and coaching that day, the game swung on two plays: A controversial pass interference call by a relatively unknown defensive back, and the biggest dropped pass in the history of football. And, if you're a uniform-matchup guy with a disdain for domes, this Super Bowl is hard to beat. It was the game of the decade, a period in which the NFL undeniably became the biggest sport in America.
» **Watch: No. 6 best Super Bowl -- Super Bowl XIII**
Torry Holt: Super Bowl XXXIV
Of course, I'll take Super Bowl XXXIV. It was the greatest Super Bowl because even though the Greatest Show on Turf was the favorite, the Titans made it close all the way until the end. A great tackle by Mike Jones to keep Kevin Dyson from scoring preserved the win. It was truly a total team victory!
» **Watch: Super Bowl memories -- Super Bowl XXXVI**
