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Margin of victory is the numerical difference between the winning and losing participants in a sporting event. A narrow margin of victory typically indicates a closely contested, evenly matched game, whereas a substantial margin of victory signifies a decisive win by one team. [1]
The most one-sided playoff outcome (pre-Super Bowl era) in NFL/AFL history remains the 73-point margin between the Chicago Bears (73) and the Washington Redskins (0) on December 8, 1940. Despite both teams boasting matching 9-3 records, the Bears managed to secure touchdowns in every quarter, notching three in the first, four in the third, and added three more in the fourth. Touchdown runs of at least 40 yards came from three different players: Bill Osmanski, Joe Maniaci, and Harry Clarke. The third quarter saw three distinct Chicago defenders intercepting passes and returning them for touchdowns. [2] [3]
The biggest Super Bowl blowout was Super Bowl XXIV between the San Francisco 49ers (55) and the Denver Broncos (10) on January 28, 1990. Entering this game as 12-point favorites, the 49ers, who had triumphed over the Cincinnati Bengals in the previous year's Super Bowl, were aiming for another victory. In resounding fashion, Joe Montana guided the 49ers to dominate over John Elway's Broncos. The Broncos trailed 27–3 at halftime, and Elway's two interceptions on the first two possessions of the second half dashed any hopes of a comeback. Montana delivered a special performance, completing 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards, 5 touchdowns, and no interceptions, earning him MVP honors. [4] [5]
On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech achieved a record-breaking victory by defeating Cumberland University with a score of 222–0, marking the most lopsided game in the history of college football. [7] [8]
In 1997, Florida clinched the SEC title to secure a rematch against the top-ranked Seminoles in the Sugar Bowl . In a decisive victory, the Gators triumphed with a score of 52–20, claiming their first national championship in the ninety-year history of the program. [9]
The Rangers claim the record for the most dominating regular-season game in MLB history in terms of run differential, overpowering the Orioles with a 27-run margin of victory. Ironically, Baltimore held a three-run lead after the third inning.
On December 2, 2021, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 152–79, winning by an NBA-record 73 points. [10] The Grizzlies' bench outscored the entire Thunder team, accumulating a total of 93 points. Setting a historic precedent, the team secured its victory by a margin of at least 70 points, breaking a record that had stood for 31 years. Additionally, this achievement easily topped the franchise's previous record for the highest point total in a single game. Before the 73-point blowout occurred, the greatest margin of victory in the league was 68 points, a record established during a 1991 game between the Cavaliers (148) and the Heat (80).
Surpassing the previous record for the largest halftime lead in an NBA game, the Dallas Mavericks outscored the Los Angeles Clippers 77–27 in the 1st half on December 27, 2020 [11] The historic achievement of a 50-point halftime lead outpaced the 47-point margin set by the Golden State Warriors against the Sacramento Kings in November 1991. [12] [13]
The largest margin of scoring in a quarter occurred on February 4, 1987, when the Kings (4) trailed the Lakers (40) by 36 at the end of the first quarter in an eventual 128-98 loss. [14] [15]
The largest home loss in NBA History happened on May 1, 2021, as the Indiana Pacers (152) beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (95) by a record 57 points. [16] [17]
On October 18, 2017, the Portland Trail Blazers sailed to a commanding 124-76 triumph over the Phoenix Suns, achieving the largest margin of scoring for a season-opening game in league history. [18] [19]
The highest regular-season point differential (+12.28) in NBA History was the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1971–72 season. [20] [21] This team also had the most double-digit wins (50) in a season. [22]
The lowest regular-season point differential (-15.2) in NBA History was the Dallas Mavericks in the 1992–93 season. [23]
In the first eight games of the 2023–24 season, the Lakers have established themselves as the poorest first-quarter performers in NBA history. Their first-quarter point differential of minus-74 stands as the most unfavorable figure any team has recorded through the initial eight games. [24]
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1989 season. The game was played on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 49ers defeated the Broncos by the score of 55–10, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and then-tying the Pittsburgh Steelers with four Super Bowl victories. San Francisco also became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls with two different head coaches; rookie head coach George Seifert took over after Bill Walsh retired following the previous season's Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1996 season. The Packers defeated the Patriots by the score of 35–21, earning their third overall Super Bowl victory, and their first since Super Bowl II. The Packers also extended their league record for the most overall NFL championships to 12. It was also the last in a run of 13 straight Super Bowl victories by the NFC over the AFC. The game was played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1997 season. The Broncos defeated the Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, the second time that the Super Bowl was held in that city. Super Bowl XXXII also made Qualcomm Stadium the only stadium in history to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year.
Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlanta Falcons to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1998 season. The Broncos defeated the Falcons by the score of 34–19, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and becoming the first franchise to record consecutive Super Bowl victories & defeats. The game was played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2000 season. The Ravens defeated the Giants by a score of 34–7, tied for the seventh largest Super Bowl margin of victory with Super Bowl XXXVII. The game was played on January 28, 2001, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, making it the first time Raymond James Stadium has held a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2001 season. The underdog Patriots defeated the heavily favored Rams by the score of 20–17. It was New England's first Super Bowl championship, and the franchise's first league championship of any kind. The game was also notable for snapping the AFC East's long streak of not being able to win a Super Bowl championship, as the division's teams had lost 7 Super Bowls between the Miami Dolphins' victory in 1974 and the Patriots' 2002 win. This was the last Super Bowl to feature the St. Louis Rams; after relocating to Los Angeles in 2016, the Rams returned to the NFL's championship game in Super Bowl LIII, in which they were again defeated by the Patriots. The Rams would not win another Super Bowl until Super Bowl LVI, as the Los Angeles Rams.
The 1996 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1995–96 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics (64–18) played the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls (72–10), with the Bulls holding home court advantage. The teams' 136 combined regular season wins shattered the previous record of 125, set in 1985 between the Los Angeles Lakers who won 62 games and the Boston Celtics who won 63 games in the past regular season. The series, the 50th NBA finals in league history, was played under a best-of-seven format. This was the first championship in the Chicago Bulls' second three-peat.
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2013 season. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43–8, the largest margin of victory for an underdog and tied for the third largest point differential overall (35) in Super Bowl history with Super Bowl XXVII (1993). It was the first time the winning team scored over 40 points while holding their opponent to under 10. This became the first Super Bowl victory for the Seahawks and the fifth Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, at the time a league record for the most of any team. The game was played on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather city and the first Super Bowl to be played on February 2.
The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 NBA season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks were favored to win the championship over the Miami Heat. Despite these odds, the Heat won the title in six games over the Mavericks, becoming the third team—after the 1969 Celtics, the 1977 Trail Blazers and later the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2021 Milwaukee Bucks—to win a championship after trailing 0–2 in the series. Dwyane Wade of the Heat was named Most Valuable Player of the series.
The 1979 season was the Los Angeles Rams' 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall, and their 34th in the Greater Los Angeles Area. It was the final season for the franchise in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2016, as late owner Carroll Rosenbloom previously announced the Rams would move to Anaheim Stadium for the 1980 season.
NFL Classics is a series of videotaped rebroadcasts of National Football League games that air on the NFL Network. The show airs weekly during the offseason and also occasionally during the NFL season. As of the 2010, the series airs on Monday night while Super Bowl Classics airs on Friday night.
The 1940 NFL Championship Game, sometimes referred to simply as 73–0, was the eighth title game of the National Football League (NFL). It was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., on December 8, with a sellout capacity attendance of 36,034.
The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP.
The 2013 season was the Denver Broncos' 44th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 54th overall. It also marked their 30th season under the ownership of Pat Bowlen, the second with Peyton Manning as the team's starting quarterback and the third under head coach John Fox.
The 2014 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2013–14 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeating the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kawhi Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP.
A comeback is an occurrence of an athlete or sports team engaged in a competition overcoming a substantial disadvantage in points or position. It has been described as "the single greatest aspect of competition that most embodies the spirit of what makes sport extraordinary". It has been observed in spectator sports that "dramatic play seems to involve both players; cheering would often escalate when one player gained momentum, and then his/her opponent suddenly turned the tables and made a comeback", with such a result drawing more enthusiasm than one competitor defeating the other without giving up any points. Fans are likely to feel better about a team that loses after staging a "comeback that fell just short" than a team that lost by the same score after having played evenly throughout the match and then allowed the other team the winning score at the end.
The 2017 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 85th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 15th playing their home games at Lincoln Financial Field and the second under head coach Doug Pederson. Philadelphia won its first-ever Super Bowl title, the franchise's first championship since 1960. They defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
The Broncos–Steelers rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. The rivalry stemmed from the eight playoff matchups between the two teams, some of which featured upset victories. Of the eight meetings, six resulted in the winner eventually advancing to the Super Bowl.
The 2022 Indianapolis Colts–Minnesota Vikings game was a National Football League (NFL) game played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on December 17, 2022, as part of the 2022 NFL season. The Minnesota Vikings overcame a 33–0 halftime deficit to defeat the visiting Indianapolis Colts 39–36 in overtime and complete the largest comeback in NFL history. It was the third NFL/AFL game in which a team with a lead of at least 30 points failed to win after the Denver Broncos overcame a 31-point deficit to tie the Buffalo Bills in the 1960 AFL season and the Buffalo Bills overcame a 32-point deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers in a 1992 Wild Card playoff game.