Super Bowl Game Changing Interceptions

Coaches often reinforce to their players the importance of winning the turnover battle and creating game-changing plays on defense.

Those adages have proven true in the Super Bowl. With NICK COLLINS' 37-yard interception-return touchdown in the Green Bay Packers' 31-25 Super Bowl XLV victory against the Steelers, Super Bowl teams that have returned an interception for a TD are a perfect 11-0.

"Nick's interception was very big in the game," said Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator DOM CAPERS. "It came early and gave us a nice lead. That was one of the keys to our run in the playoffs, being able to take the ball away. To me, when you get in the playoffs and you get to the Super Bowl game, you look over the years, the team that wins the takeaway-giveaway normally wins the game."

The 11 Super Bowl championship teams with interception-return TDs in the title game:

Super Bowl XLV: Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25

Nick Collins, Green Bay Packers

Throwing from his own end zone, Ben Roethlisberger's arm was hit by nose tackle Howard Green as Collins grabbed the fluttering pass and returned it 37 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown, giving Green Bay a 14-0 first-half lead.

Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17

Tracy Porter, New Orleans Saints

Porter's 74-yard INT-TD with 3:12 remaining capped a fourthquarter comeback and lifted the Saints to their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23

James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers

On first-and-goal from the Steelers' 1 with 18 seconds left in the first half, Harrison stepped in front of Kurt Warner's quick-slant pass and raced 100 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown on the longest play in Super Bowl history.

Super Bowl XLI: Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17

Kelvin Hayden, Indianapolis Colts

Hayden's first professional interception (56 yards) provided Indianapolis with a 12-point fourth-quarter lead as the Colts won their second Super Bowl championship.

Super Bowl XXXVII: Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21

Dwight Smith, Tampa Bay

Smith accounted for two of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl-record five INTs and returned both for touchdowns. His first INT-TD (44 yards) staked Tampa Bay to a 34-3 lead in the third quarter, while his second score (50 yards) with two seconds remaining in the game punctuated the Bucs' first Super Bowl title.

Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay

After Oakland scored three unanswered TDs to pull within 34-21, Brooks' 44-yard interception ended the Raiders' comeback bid, giving Tampa Bay a 41-21 lead with 1:18 remaining.

Super Bowl XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17

Ty Law, Patriots

With the Rams clinging to a 3-0 second-quarter lead, Law stepped in front of an out-pattern pass intended for Isaac Bruce and raced 47 yards untouched down the left sideline into the end zone for the game's first touchdown.

Super Bowl XXXV: Baltimore 34, Giants 7

Duane Starks, Baltimore Ravens.

In the third quarter, Starks stepped in front of Amani Toomer and intercepted Kerry Collins' pass, returning it 49 yards for a touchdown that gave Baltimore a 17-0 lead.

Super Bowl XX: Chicago 46, New England 10

Reggie Phillips, Chicago Bears

Phillips, a reserve cornerback on the Bears' famed 46 defense, returned an INT 28 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to give the Bears a 37-7 lead.

Super Bowl XVIII: Raiders 38, Washington 9

Jack Squirek, L.A. Raiders

Squirek, a linebacker with no career interceptions before Super Bowl XVIII, picked off Joe Theismann's pass just before halftime and returned it five yards for the touchdown and a 21-3 lead.

Super Bowl XI: Raiders 32, Minnesota 14

Willie Brown, Oakland Raiders

Two fourth-quarter interceptions clinched the title for the Raiders, including Brown's 75-yard INT-TD, a Super Bowl record at the time.

Super Bowl II: Green Bay 33, Oakland 14

Herb Adderley, Packers

Adderley's 60-yard interception-return touchdown, the first in Super Bowl history, capped the scoring for Green Bay as the Packers clinched their second consecutive Super Bowl title in Vince Lombardi's final game with the franchise.

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NFL Football History: "Super Bowl Game Changing Interceptions"