20 Greatest Defensive Performances in Super Bowl History

It is said that defense wins championships and NFL fans can point to the Super Bowl to see why that statement often rings true.
In the biggest game in the world, the best defenses would rise up to shut down their opposing offense and make big plays to help their team win.
With that in mind, I have complied a list of what I think are the 20 best defensive performances in Super Bowl history.
To come up with this list, I tried to balance out stats such as yards allowed, turnovers forced, and quarterback sacks, plus the type of offense that defense was going up against, to rank the best performances of all time.
So with that explained, here now are the 20 best defensive performances in Super Bowl history.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers-X

While Roger Staubach was able to drive the Cowboys offense down the field, he could not escape the clutches of the "Steel Curtain" as he was sacked a Super Bowl record seven times, four of which came courtesy of Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood.
The Steelers also intercepted Staubach three times as Pittsburgh would come away with the 21-17 win and their second straight Super Bowl title.

19. Los Angeles Raiders-XVIII

Going up against an offense that had scored 541 points during the regular season, the Raiders' defense held the Redskins to just nine points, while holding running back John Riggins who had rushed for 166 yards in the previous Super Bowl, to just 64 yards on 26 carries.
The Raiders also forced three turnovers, one of which was Jack Squirek's memorable pick-six before the end of the 1st half, and sacked quarterback Joe Theismann six times in a decisive 38-9 Raiders win.
18. Washington Redskins-XVII

While John Riggins got most of the glory with his 38-carry, 166-yard performance and memorable touchdown run in the 4th quarter, none of that would have been possible if not for the Redskins' defense.
Washington allowed only 176 yards of total offense, 76 of which come on one play when quarterback David Woodley hit Jimmy Cefalo for a 76-yard touchdown pass in the 1st quarter, and allowed only nine 1st downs, tying a Super Bowl for the fewest 1st downs allowed in a Super Bowl.
After giving up 17 points in the 1st half, the Redskins' defense clamped down on the Dolphins, allowing only 34 yards, two 1st downs, and zero points to pave way for Riggins' heroics as the Redskins won the game 27-17 for the first of three Super Bowl titles in a decade.
17. Baltimore Colts-V

While Super Bowl V is best remembered as the "Blunder Bowl" for the sloppy play and Jim O' Brien's game-winning field goal in the final seconds, the performance by the Baltimore Colts is what allowed for O'Brien's heroics at the end and provide the Colts with a Super Bowl title.
The Colts' defense allowed just 215 yards of offense and 10 1st downs plus forced four turnovers, but it was when the turnovers occur that make their performance.
Early in the 2nd half, the Cowboys had a 1st & goal at the Colts' two-yard-line only to have running back Duane Thomas fumble the football after a hit by linebacker Mike Curtis, which was recovered by Colts defensive back Jim Duncan.
Then in the 4th quarter, Colts free safety Rick Volk picked off a Craig Morton pass and returned it 30 yards to the Cowboys' three-yard-line which set up Tom Nowatzke's game-tying touchdown run.
Finally, Curtis made an interception with about a minute to go, which set up O'Brien's 32-yard field goal with five seconds left, to give the Colts their first Super Bowl title.
16. Dallas Cowboys-XXVII

The Cowboys set a Super Bowl record by forcing nine turnovers(four interceptions and five fumbles), returning two of those turnovers for touchdowns while the offense three of the other turnovers into touchdowns as Dallas routed the Buffalo Bills 52-17.
But perhaps the most impressive part of the Cowboys' performance on defense came early in the 2nd quarter when the Bills had a 2nd & goal at the Dallas one-yard-line trailing only 14-7.
Dallas stopped the Bills for no gain on two straight runs, including an impressive solo tackle by linebacker Ken Norton Jr. on 3rd & goal, forcing the Bills to go for it on 4th down where quarterback Jim Kelly was picked off in the end zone by Cowboys strong safety Thomas Everett.
15. San Francisco 49ers-XIX

Taking on quarterback Dan Marino, who had set the record for most passing yards and most touchdowns in a season, the 49ers used a 4-1-6 alignment to slow down the Dolphins' passing attack.
It worked as during a stretch in the 2nd quarter, the 49ers forced three straight 3 & outs, allowing for San Francisco to score 21 points.
Then in the second half, the 49ers shut out the Dolphins as the defense finished with four quarterback sacks and two interceptions of Marino in San Francisco's 38-16 win.
14. Denver Broncos-L

With their offense only picking up 197 yards of total offense in the game, it was up to the Broncos' defense to lead Denver to a Super Bowl title as they faced the Carolina Panthers in the 50th Super Bowl.
While they did allow 315 yards of offense and 21 1st downs, the Denver defense tied a Super Bowl record by sacking quarterback Cam Newton seven times and forced four turnovers in the game, two of which lead to both of the Broncos' touchdowns in the game as they went on to win 24-10.
13. New England Patriots-XXXVI

In in the ultimate case of "bend but don't break", the Patriots did give up 427 yards of offense and 26 1st downs to the "Greatest Show on Turf", but were able to force three turnovers, including a pick-six by cornerback Ty Law, that lead New England to build a 17-3 lead over the Rams.
The Rams would come back to tie the game, setting the stage for Tom Brady to drive the New England offense down the field and set up Adam Vinatieri's game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired for the 20-17 victory and the Patriots' first Super Bowl title, but not of that would have been possible if not for the Patriots defense.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-LV

For nearly three seasons, no team had been able to stop Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Kansas City offense.

Enter the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were pressured Mahomes all night, holding the Chiefs offense to 350 yards and three field goals, while sacking Mahomes three times and picking him off twice as the Bucs become the third team in Super Bowl history not to give up a touchdown in a 31-9 win.
11. San Francisco 49ers-XXIV

While this Super Bowl is best remembered for the 49ers' record-setting 55 points and Joe Montana's five touchdown passes, the 49ers' performance on defense should not be overlooked.
San Francisco held the Broncos to just 167 yards of total offense as well as only 12 1st downs as they harassed Broncos quarterback John Elway all day, sacking him six times, one shy of the Super Bowl record.
The 49ers' defense also forced four turnovers which San Francisco converted into 28 points as they destroyed the Broncos 55-10 in the biggest rout in Super Bowl history.
10. Dallas Cowboys-XII

It was certainly Doomsday for the Denver Broncos offense as the Cowboys' famed "Doomsday Defense" dominated Super Bowl XII.
In the 1st half alone, the Cowboys allowed only 62 yards of offense and forced seven turnovers while shutting the Broncos out.
The Cowboys defense would finish the game with only allowing 156 yards, 11 1st downs, four quarterback sacks, and forcing eight turnovers as Dallas would win the game 27-10 for their second Super Bowl title.
9. Miami Dolphins-VII

The Dolphins "No-Name Defense" made a name of itself in Super Bowl VII as they almost came away with the first shutout in Super Bowl history if not for kicker Garo Yepremian's blooper late in the 4th quarter which lead to the Redskins' only touchdown.
The Dolphins permitted 228 yards of total offense and 16 1st downs, while intercepting Washington quarterback Billy Kilmer three times, twice by game MVP Jake Scott, and sacked him twice including on the final play of the game as the Dolphins completed their undefeated season with a 14-7 win.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-XXXVII

Going up against his former team, Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers destroyed the Oakland Raiders 48-21, primarily because of their defense.
The "Tampa-2" defense held the Raiders' #1-ranked offense to 269 total yards and just 11 1st downs while harassing quarterback Rich Gannon, sacking him five times and picking him off five times, returning three of those for touchdowns, setting the Super Bowl record for most defensive touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
7. New England Patriots-LIII

Seventeen years to the day of their first Super Bowl win over the Rams, the Patriots put on another impressive defensive performance as they hold the Los Angeles Rams to just three points and allow only 260 yards of total offense, 14 1st downs, and sack Rams quarterback Jared Goff four times in the lowest scoring Super Bowl of all time, 13-3.
6. Dallas Cowboys-VI

Six years before their dominant performance in Super Bowl XII(see number 9), the Cowboys "Doomsday Defense" had another impressive performance to help lead "America's Team" to winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
In Super Bowl VI, the Cowboys held the Miami Dolphins to just 185 yards of offense and 10 1st downs(5 of those would not come until the 4th quarter)plus forced three turnovers, two of which were converted into touchdowns as the Cowboys become the first team not to allow a touchdown of any sort in a Super Bowl as they defeated the Dolphins 24-3.
5. New York Giants-XLII

Super Bowl XLII is best remembered for David Tyree's famous "Helmet Catch" on the Giants' game-winning touchdown drive as New York ended the Patriots' chances of a 19-0 season with their historic upset.
But that would not have been possible if not for the performance by the Giants' defense, which allowed only 274 yards of offense, well below the Patriots' average of 411.3 per game during the regular season, and harassed quarterback Tom Brady all day, sacking him five times with a ferocious pass rush that allowed 14 points to a team that had scored 586 during the regular season as the Giants came away with the 17-14 win.
4. Seattle Seahawks-XLVIII

The Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" defense made the Broncos' record-breaking offense, which had scored 606 points during the regular season, look terrible in their meeting in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Seattle held the Broncos' offense to just 306 yards of offense, well below their average of 457.3 yards per game during the regular season, and held them to just eight points, as they forced four turnovers, converting three of those turnovers into touchdowns including a 69-yard pick-six by linebacker Malcolm Smith as the Seahawks destroyed the Broncos 43-8.
3. Baltimore Ravens-XXXV

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense etched their name in NFL history as one of the greatest defenses of all time with their performance in Super Bowl XXXV.

The Ravens held the New York Giants to just 152 yards of total offense and 11 1st downs, while sacking quarterback Kerry Collins four times and picking him off four times, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Duane Starks, as the only touchdown the Ravens gave up come on a 97-yard kickoff return by Ron Dixon as Baltimore easily dispatched of the Giants 34-7.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers-IX

The "Steel Curtain" defense put on a dominant defense to launch the Pittsburgh Steelers' dynasty in the 1970s.
The Steelers allowed only 119 yards of total offense, a record which still stands to this day, and only nine 1st downs, which is also a Super Bowl record.
The Vikings' offense only drove into Steelers territory twice throughout the whole game and both times those drives ended in interceptions plus earned the first safety in Super Bowl history when defensive end Dwight White touched Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the end zone when he was on the ground after recovering a Minnesota fumble.
The only points the Vikings scored in the game came on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown as the Steelers went on to win 16-6 for the first of their four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s.
1. Chicago Bears-XX

The '85 Bears cemented their legacy as maybe the greatest defense of all time with the most dominant performance by a defense in Super Bowl history.
After giving up a field goal only because running back Walter Payton had fumbled the ball which the Patriots recovered at the Bears' 19-yard-line, the Bears defense took over the game as they held New England -19 yards of offense and one 1st down for the rest of the first half, while forcing two fumbles which the Bears converted into 10 points.
The domination would continue in the 3rd quarter as the Bears held the Patriots to 39 yards on their first three drives of the second half, but forced two more turnovers which Chicago converted into touchdowns to build a 44-3 lead.
When it was all said and done, the Bears allowed only 123 yards of offense(second fewest in Super Bowl history), seven rushing yards(fewest in Super Bowl history), 12 1st downs, sacked New England quarterbacks Tony Eason and Steve Grogan seven times(tying a Super Bowl record), forced six turnovers, and allowed only 10 points as Chicago routed the Patriots 46-10.