The Super Bowl has been a monumental event for 44 years. Dating back to 1966, when the Green Bay Packers won the very first Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs, by the lop sided score of 35-10.

It brings everything out, the best teams in the NFL; the hottest personalities are always part of it, big time halftime acts, including all time greats Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, the touching U2 performance of 2002. And of course, the well-known ill-fated controversial "wardrobe malfunction” performance of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, this year, after 6 years of maturing singers, we are given back some performers who aren’t in their 50’s or older, with the Black Eyed Peas. Colossal commercial deals to promote every possible product, remember the Bud Bowl? We of course watched for it, and picked winners of it as well (I personally, always rooted for Bud light. They always seemed to be the underdog), and of course, the classic and entertaining Larry Bird, Michael Jordan “nothing but net” commercials. But what I am going to look extensively into today is some of the interesting and unusual trends of the big game itself. Over the last 12 years, let’s see what I have found out.

The AFC has won 8 of the last 12 Super Bowls, including 3 by the powerful New England Patriots and 2 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC wins by an average of 8 points in their Super Bowl wins. In the 4 NFC wins, they win by a larger margin of 13 in their games; this includes the huge 27 point blowout in 2002 of the Buccaneers annihilating the Raiders, 48-21.

How about which conference typically scores first? The AFC or the NFC? The AFC has also won this numerical battle, scoring the first TD 8 times opposed to a meager 4 times for the NFC(.667). Strange? Indeed.

Which skilled position on the field scores first? 4 times it has been a wide receiver, 4 times a running back, of both scoring alternatives, 3 of those 4 times, the AFC scored by one of these 2 ways first. Only 1 time has a QB scored the first TD on the field, which was done by none other than Ben Roethlisberger in 2005 versus the Seattle Seahawks. Other oddities since 1998, one time opening TD scorers are tight ends (L.J. Smith), an interception return (Ty Law) and a kickoff return(Devin Hester) all have only been accomplished once.

8 times, the first score on the field is a field goal, usually from an average of 35.5 yards out, ranging from 18-50 yarders, but only 3 times the kick has been from 40+. In those scores, the NFC tends to kick the opening field goal more often, with 5 times. Also, on top of that, over the last 12 years, the team that scores the first points of the game with a field goal, has lost the Super bowl game 5 times (.416), and has only won 3 times (.250). But scoring the first TD to start the scoring isn’t always successful either, the team that opens the scoring with a TD is 2-2, the AFC is 2-0 (Baltimore and New England) and the NFC is 0-2 (Philadelphia and Chicago). In the end, it’s all interesting and fun, let’s see how it plays out, enjoy the game!
 

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