Which was the best Super Bowl of the last ten years?

The Super Bowl has raised its game over and over again in the last decade, with three or four of the latest showdowns considered among the greatest we had seen at the time - but which was the best?

We looked at the crazy comebacks, epic fails and the thankfully rare snorefests of the last ten years - and for good measure we've added a mark out of ten for the half-time shows.

1 2017 New England 34 Atlanta 28 (OT)

It's still stunning to think of the events in Houston two years ago.

In the most sensational Super Bowl of the lot, New England Patriots came back from 28-3 down late in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons to force the first overtime in the NFL showpiece game and then win it.

More than 30 Super Bowl records were broken as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passed for 466 yards and won his fourth MVP award.

Call this the greatest Super Bowl of all time and no one will argue.

Game rating: 10/10

Main market winners: Favourites and overs

Half-time show rating (Lady Gaga): 9/10

2 2015 New England 28 Seattle 24

New England are not the most popular team in the league for neutrals but they have found some jaw-dropping ways to win their Super Bowls.

Champions Seattle and their famous Legion of Boom defence had led 24-14 as the Patriots were trying to win their first title for ten years.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll got the flak for his decision to pass at the goal-line rather than asking running back Marshawn Lynch to pound in the winning touchdown and rookie defensive back Malcolm Butler grabbed a game-winning interception.

Game rating: 9/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and overs

Half-time show rating (Katy Perry): 8/10

3 2018 Philadelphia 41 New England 33

Philadelphia, who never win Super Bowls, broke their drought in sensational fashion with back-up quarterback Nick Foles leading the offence and catching a TD pass himself after suggesting the now legendary Philly Special play to head coach Doug Pederson.

New England, who regularly win Super Bowls, were 22-12 down at half-time but got their noses in front at 33-32 in the fourth quarter before the Eagles pulled ahead again.

Game rating: 9/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and overs

Half-time show rating (Justin Timberlake): 8/10

4 2009 Pittsburgh 27 Arizona 23

The oldest game in our list was a real cracker with Arizona going so close to their first Super Bowl win only for the Steelers to nick it and become the first team to win six.

The Cardinals had gone 9-7 under veteran QB Kurt Warner, They were 17-7 down at half-time after James Harrison's 100-yard interception return and 20-7 down at the start of the fourth.

But they staged a rousing comeback including a 64-yard TD by Larry Fitzgerald to go 23-20 up, but Santonio Holmes got Pittsburgh back in front with just 35 seconds left.

Game rating: 9/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and overs

Half-time show rating (Bruce Springsteen): 7/10

5 2013 Baltimore 34 San Francisco 31

This one gets plenty of credit for having more nicknames than any other - the Har-bowl and the Bro-Bowl were two of the best - as head coach John (Baltimore) and Jim (San Francisco) Harbaugh went head to head, and then the Blackout Bowl was added to the list when the game was held up by a power cut for 34 minutes.

Neither team had lost a Super Bowl before and Baltimore looked to be cruising to their second win when they went 28-6 up but the 49ers scored the next 17 points in an entertaining battle.

Game rating: 8/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and overs

Half-time show rating (Beyonce): 9/10

6 2012 NY Giants 21 New England 17

The Giants' second upset of the Patriots wasn't quite as dramatic as their first one four years earlier, which had featured David Tyree's famous helmet catch- New England were only marginal favourites this time.

The Giants led 9-0 but the Patriots went up by 17-9 before running back Ahmad Bradshaw scored the decisive TD for the Big Blue with less than a minute left.

Game rating: 8/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and unders

Half-time show rating (Madonna): 9/10

7 2010 New Orleans 31 Indianapolis 17

The 2010 game get some marks from being refreshing - no Patriots involved - and providing a first-time winner in the Saints, five years after Hurricane Katrina wrecked their city.

The Colts went 10-0 up early and led 10-6 at half-time but the Saints changed the mood with a bold onside kick to start the second half and scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

A quarterback battle between two elite quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Payton Manning was one to savour too.

Game rating: 8/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and unders

Half-time show rating (The Who): 8/10

8 2011 Green Bay 31 Pittsburgh 25

The quality of the last decade of Super Bowls is highlighted by the fact that a 56-point game between two famous franchises is this low in the list but the lead never changed hands in this one.

The sixth-seeded Packers went up by 21-3 and the Steelers never got within three points as Aaron Rodgers secured his first title.

Game rating: 7/10

Main market winners: Favourites and overs

Half-time show rating (Black Eyed Peas): 7/10

9 2014 Seattle 43 Denver 8

It's also harsh to rank a game in which a top-quality team scored 43 points this low, but the Broncos were never at the races in the cold-weather showdown in New York.

The Seahawks went 2-0 ahead with a safety on the first play of the game and were up by 22-0 at half-time.

Game rating: 7/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and overs

Half-time show rating (Bruno Mars): 7/10

10 2016 Denver 24 Carolina 10

One of the more interesting things about this snoozer of a game was the fact that it did not have a roman numeral in its title.

The Panthers had gone 15-1 in the regular season and crushed Arizona 49-15 in the NFC Championship but Denver never trailed in Peyton Manning's last game.

Game rating: 6/10

Main market winners: Underdogs and unders

Half-time show rating (Coldplay): 9/10

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