Five Super Bowl Shockers for the Ages

(Feb. 8) -- Going into Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV, nearly every "expert" was picking the Indianapolis Colts. Vegas had them favored by five points. President Barack Obama even weighed in with the conventional wisdom: "I think the Colts probably have to be favorite, mainly because they have got perhaps the best quarterback in history -- Peyton Manning is unbelievable."

Instead, the New Orleans Saints triumphed 31-17 with a steely fourth-quarter performance led by quarterback Drew Brees, and already pundits are speculating about where the upset ranks in the history of Super Bowl surprises.

There is no shortage of lists. And while there are some disagreements, here's a top five that's hard to quibble with:

5. Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24. The Packers were the defending champions and 12-point favorites. Plus, the NFC had won 13 consecutive championships. But that didn't matter to quarterback John Elway, who had lost in three previous Super Bowl appearances, and running back Terrell Davis, who scored three touchdowns that Sunday. Here's Alec Baldwin narrating a key Elway scramble.

4. Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7. The AFL got no respect, and the Chiefs were 12-point underdogs. The Chiefs defense held the Vikings offense to 67 yards and forced six turnovers. Here are the highlights.

3. Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19. The second-best game, in terms of viewing experience, on this list. The Bills were favored by a touchdown and featured a no-huddle offense that was supposed to give the Giants fits. It was the first Super Bowl between two teams representing the same state (though the Giants play in New Jersey), and featured the closest score in the game's history. The game is best remembered for Bills kicker Scott Norwood's missed last-second field goal, which began the Bills ill-fated, four-game Super Bowl losing streak.

2. Super Bowl III: New York Jets 16, Baltimore Colts 7. The Vegas line wavered between 18 and 20 points, in favor of the Colts. But the Jets defense forced turnover after turnover, and Jets quarterback Joe Namath led a consistent, if unspectacular, offense that came away with one touchdown and three field goals. It was enough, as the Colts mustered only one touchdown by Johnny Unitas. It was the first Super Bowl victory for the AFL over the NFL. Extended YouTube footage from the NFL's "Greatest Games" series can be found here.

1. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14. The Patriots were unstoppable and en route to a perfect season behind perfect quarterback Tom Brady. But the Giants kept it close, and quarterback Eli Manning -- long overshadowed by his older brother Peyton, who quarterbacked the Colts in their loss Sunday -- began a come-from-behind final drive. The drive featured perhaps the most spectacular play in Super Bowl history, an improbable Manning escape from a collapsed pocket and an unbelievable catch by Giants receiver David Tyree.