Well, the big game is almost here: the Super Bowl.
Many legendary performances have occurred in the NFL's biggest game and with that in mind, I have compiled a list of what I feel are the 50 greatest performances in Super Bowl history.
Some performances on this list, but there will be others that you might not have thought of or forgot about as I included notable performances from losing teams and performances in which a player probably should have be named MVP, but the award was given to someone else (e.g. Super Bowl III)
With that out of the way, here now are what I think are the 50 Greatest Performances in Super Bowl History:
50. Antonio Freeman-XXXII, Green Bay Packers WR
In the Green Bay Packers back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the 90s, Freeman was quarterback Brett Favre’s favorite target, and Super Bowl XXXII was no exception.
Freeman caught nine passes for 126 yards and had two touchdowns to go along with 104 yards on six kickoff returns in the Packers’ 31-24 loss to the Broncos.
If Green Bay had won, Freeman most certainly would have been the MVP.
Antonio Freeman(86) celebrates after his 22-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII.
49. Roger Craig-XIX, San Francisco 49ers RB
Craig became the first player in Super Bowl history to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl as he ran the ball 15 times for 58 yards and ran for one touchdown and was the 49ers’ leading receiver as he caught seven passes for 77 yards and scored two touchdowns as San Francisco routed Miami 38-16.
Roger Craig touched the ball 22 times, gaining 135 yards of total offense, and scored three touchdowns in the 49ers' win over the Dolphins.
48. Mike Vrabel-XXXVIII, New England Patriots LB
Vrabel had an impact on this game both offensively and defensively to help the Patriots when their second Super Bowl title in three years with a 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Vrabel recorded six tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble on one of his sacks that set up the Patriots’ first touchdown of the game.
Then, in the 4th quarter, Vrabel came into the game as a tight end and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to became the first defensive player to score an offensive touchdown in Super Bowl history.
Mike Vrabel catches a one-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady that put the Patriots back on top 29-22 with 2;51 to play in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
47. Matt Snell-III, New York Jets RB
Quarterback Joe Namath gets all the glory for guaranteeing that the 18-point underdog Jets would knock off the Baltimore Colts, but it was Snell who did all the heavy lifting to lead New York to the greatest upset in Super Bowl history.
Snell carried the ball 30 times for 121 yards and scored the Jets’ only touchdown plus caught four passes for 40 yards in the 16-7 win.
Matt Snell(41) touched the ball on 34 of the Jets' 72 offensive plays and accounted for 161 of the team's 337 yards of total offense.
46. Rod Martin-XV, Oakland Raiders LB
11 players have had 2 interceptions in a Super Bowl game, but only one man has had three and that is Rod Martin.
Martin picked off Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski three times; the first on the Eagles’ opening possession which set up Oakland’s first touchdown; the second, coming in the third quarter which was converted into a field goal that increased the Raiders’ lead to 24-3; and the last with over three minutes left in the game and the game well in hand as Oakland won the game 27-10.
Rod Martin holds up three fingers signifying his three interceptions in Super Bowl XV.
45. Ricky Sanders-XXII, Washington Redskins WR
Down 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter, Sanders helped kicked start the Redskins’ record-setting 35-point second quarter with a 80-yard touchdown reception on the Washington’s first play of the quarter.
Sanders would add a 50-yard touchdown reception later in the quarter as he caught four passes for 168 yards in the second quarter alone.
He finished the game with nine receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns as Washington routed Denver 42-10.
Ricky Sanders(83) runs away from Mark Haynes(36) on his way to a 80-yard touchdown that jumpstarted the Redskins' 35-point 2nd quarter in Super Bowl XXII.
44. James White-LI, New England Patriots RB
Although he only carried the ball six times for 29 yards, White caught a Super Bowl record 14 passes for 110 yards and became the sixth player in Super Bowl history to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl, including running for the game-winning touchdown in overtime to complete the Patriots' comeback from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
James White had 20 touches for 139 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown run in overtime.
43. Jalen Hurts-LVII, Philadelphia Eagles QB
Hurts had the greatest rushing performance by a quarterback as he ran the ball 15 times for 70 yards and scored three touchdowns to go along with his 304 yards on 27-of-38 passing and one touchdown pass as the Eagles fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35.
Hurts' three touchdown runs tied Terrell Davis' record for most rushing touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
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| Hurts accounted for 374 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in Super Bowl LVII. |
42. Jerry Rice-XXIV, San Francisco 49ers WR
The greatest wide receiver of all time appears for the first time on this list with his performance one year after his record-setting MVP performance.
Rice caught seven passes for 148 yards(five of them for at least 20 yards) and three touchdowns in the 49ers’ 55-10 rout of the Denver Broncos.
Jerry Rice hauls in one of his three touchdown catches in Super Bowl XXIV.
41. Jake Delhomme-XXXVIII, Carolina Panthers QB
Delhomme did not get off to a good start as he only completed one pass for one yard on eight attempts and was sacked three times on the Panthers’ first six possessions.
However, Delhomme would get going on the Panthers’ next touchdown drive, which ended with him throwing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith, as Delhomme would finish the game completing 15 of his last 25 passes for 322 yards, which included the longest touchdown pass in Super Bowl history, a 85-yard touchdown pass to Mushin Muhammad, and going 5-of-6 for 73 yards on a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Delhomme connecting with Ricky Proehl for a 12-yard touchdown that tied the game at 29 with 1:08 left in regulation.
But Delhomme would never see the ball again as the Patriots drove for the game-winning field goal to pull out the 32-29 win.
Jake Delhomme completed 16 of 33 passes for 323 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Panthers almost pulled off the upset of the New England Patriots.
40. Kurt Warner-XLIII, Arizona Cardinals QB
After years of struggles following his two Super Bowl appearances with the Rams, Warner resurrected his career with the Cardinals and got them to within an eyelash of winning the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Warner completed 31 of 43 passes for 377 yards and threw three touchdown passes, with most of his damage coming in the 4th quarter as he went 14-of-19 for 204 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown, a 64-yarder to Larry Fitzgerald with 2:37 left in the game.
But if hadn’t been for Ben Roethlisberger and a certain Pittsburgh receiver, Warner and the Cardinals would have won their first NFL title in 51 years.
Kurt Warner threw for the fourth most passing yards in a Super Bowl with 377 in the Cardinals' heartbreaking loss to the Steelers.
39. Jim Plunkett-XV, Oakland Raiders QB
After only throwing 15 passes in two seasons with the Raiders, Plunkett became the Oakland starting quarterback in the fifth week of the 1980 season after starter Dan Pastorini broke his leg.
Plunkett led the Raiders to the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles where he completed 13 of 21 passes for three touchdowns and zero interceptions, including at the time the longest touchdown pass in Super Bowl history, an 80-yarder to Kenny King, as Oakland won the game 27-10 to become the first Wild Card team to win a Super Bowl.
Jim Plunkett had a quarterback rating of 145.0, the 3rd highest in Super Bowl history with his performance in Super Bowl XV.
38. Patrick Mahomes-LVIII, Kansas City Chiefs QB
"Mahomes Magic" struck again in the Super Bowl as the Kansas City quarterback led the Chiefs back from a 10-point deficit to knock off the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime as Mahomes completed 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards and threw two touchdown passes while running for 66 yards on nine carries.
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| Patrick Mahomes completed 16 of 22 passes for 154 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime including going 8-for-8 for 42 yards on the Chiefs' game-winning TD drive. |
37. John Elway-XXXIII, Denver Broncos QB
Elway put the icing on the cake on his Hall-of-Fame career as he completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown, a 80-yarder to Rod Smith, and ran for a touchdown as the Broncos won their second straight Super Bowl title by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19.
Elway was named MVP in what turned out to be the final game of his career.
John Elway had the 44th and final 300-yard passing game of his career in the Broncos' win over the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.
36. Desmond Howard-XXXI, Green Bay Packers KR/PR
No kick returner has ever a performance in a Super Bowl like Desmond Howard.
While Howard is most famous for his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, he also had punt returns of 32 and 34 yards that set up a touchdown and a field goal respectively.
In all, Howard returned 10 kicks for 244 yards(4 kickoffs for 154 yards and 6 punts for 90 yards) to become the first special teams player to earn the win Super Bowl MVP as the Packers defeated the New England Patriots 35-21.
Desmond Howard makes his way to the end zone on his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown
35. Manny Fernandez, VII Miami Dolphins DT
Jake Scott won the MVP with his two interceptions, but many felt that honor should have gone to Fernandez.
Fernandez accounted for 10 tackles(though some accounts have him for 17) and sacked Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer once to help the Dolphins complete their perfect season with a 14-7 victory.
Manny Fernandez tackles Larry Brown in the Dolphins' 14-7 win in Super Bowl VII.
34. Emmitt Smith-XXVIII, Dallas Cowboys RB
At halftime with Dallas trailing 13-6, Smith told head coach Jimmy Johnson to get him the ball.
Johnson complied as Smith carried the ball 20 times for 91 yards in the second half, including seven carries for 61 yards on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that ended with Smith scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run.
In total, Smith carried the ball 30 times for 132 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to their second straight Super Bowl title as they defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13.
Emmitt Smith is knocked to the ground after scoring a 15-yard touchdown run that put Dallas in the lead for good in the third quarter of Super Bowl XXVIII.
33. L.C. Greenwood-X, Pittsburgh Steelers DE
Sacks did not became an official statistic until 1982 so Reggie White and Darnell Dockett officially share the record for most quarterback sacks in a Super Bowl with three.
But the real record is held by Greenwood as he sacked Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach four times and also had seven tackles(five solo, two assist) to help the Steel Curtain defense slow down the Dallas offense in their 21-17 win.
LC Greenwood gets one of his four sacks of Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.
32. Joe Flacco-XLVII, Baltimore Ravens QB
Completing an incredible playoff run in which he threw for 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns, and no interceptions, Flacco threw for 283 yards on 21-of-32 passing and three touchdown passes to help the Ravens defeat the 49ers 34-31, earning Flacco the MVP award.
Joe Flacco did most of his damage in the first half as he completed 13 of 20 passes for 192 yards and threw three touchdown passes.
31. Aaron Rodgers-XLV, Green Bay Packers QB
Two years earlier, Rodgers also put together one of the great postseason runs in NFL history as he lead the #6 seed Green Bay Packers all the way to the Super Bowl title as he completed 68% of his passes and threw for over 1,000 yards in the Packers’ four postseason wins.
It all culminated with Rodgers’ performance against the NFL’s #`1 defense as he completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns as the Packers knocked off the Steelers 31-25 as Rodgers was named MVP.
If not for several dropped passes by his receivers, Rodgers would have been even higher on this list.
Aaron Rodgers celebrates with Jordy Nelson after connecting on a 29-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the Packers' win in Super Bowl XLV.
30.Eli Manning-XLVI, New York Giants QB
While Eli is more remembered for his play against the Patriots in their 17-14 upset in Super Bowl XLII, he was better when the two teams met each other again in Super Bowl XLVI.
Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, which included his amazing 38-yard completion down the left sideline to Mario Manningham on the first play of the Giants’ nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive, where Manning was 5-of-6 for 74 yards, that ended with Ahmad Bradshaw’s six-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left to give New York a 21-17 win and Eli his second Super Bowl MVP in five years.
Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, which included his amazing 38-yard completion down the left sideline to Mario Manningham on the first play of the Giants’ nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive, where Manning was 5-of-6 for 74 yards, that ended with Ahmad Bradshaw’s six-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left to give New York a 21-17 win and Eli his second Super Bowl MVP in five years.
Eli Manning completed 75% of his passes, the 4th highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl, against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
Some fans feel that Aikman was just along for the ride as the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years during the 1990s, thanks to Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys defense.
But Aikman showed his Hall-of-Fame worthiness in the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl appearance in 15 years as he completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and threw four touchdown passes as he was named MVP in Dallas’ 52-17 rout of the Buffalo Bills.
Troy Aikman had a quarterback rating of 140.7, the 5th highest in Super Bowl history, with his performance in Super Bowl XXVII.
28. Larry Csonka-VIII, Miami Dolphins RB
Csonka became the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award as he carried the ball a record 33 times for a record 145 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Dolphins won their second straight Super Bowl title by easily dispatching the Minnesota Vikings 24-7.
Csonka’s records for carries and rushing yards in a Super Bowl would be broken in the following Super Bowl when...
Larry Csonka carries two Vikings defenders on his way to a 5-yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter of Super Bowl VIII.
27. Franco Harris-IX, Pittsburgh Steelers RB
Harris carried the ball 34 times for 158 yards and scored one touchdown in leading the Steelers to the first of four Super Bowl titles in six years with a 16-6 win over the Vikings.
Franco Harris became the second running back to win the Super Bowl MVP award with his performance in Super Bowl IX.
26. Santonio Holmes-XLIII, Pittsburgh Steelers WR
After Larry Fitzgerald scored on a 64-yard touchdown reception to give the Cardinals a 23-20 lead with 2:37 left, Holmes told quarterback Ben Roethlisberger he wanted the ball.
“Big Ben” target Holmes five times, who delivered with four catches for 73 yards, including an amazing tip-toe catch along the left sideline for a six-yard touchdown that proved to be the game-winner with 35 seconds left as the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl with a 27-23 win.
In all, Holmes caught nine passes for 131 yards, with 92 of those yards coming after the catch, and had two catches for 41 yards that were wiped out by penalties.
Santino Holmes makes his tip-toe, shoestring catch for the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII.
25. Thurman Thomas-XXV, Buffalo Bills RB
If Scott Norwood’s game-winning field goal attempt had been good, Thomas would have certainly been chosen as the MVP with his performance in the Bills’ first of four straight Super Bowl appearances.
Thomas carried the ball 15 times for 135 yards and scored a 31-yard touchdown run on the first play of the 4th quarter that gave the Bills a 19-17 lead.
He also caught five passes for 55 yards to finish the day with 190 yards of total offense on 20 touches as the Bills fell to the New York Giants 20-19.
Thurman Thomas had more yards of total offense(190) than did in the next three Super Bowls combined(158).
24. Jack Lambert-XIV, Pittsburgh Steelers LB
While Terry Bradshaw was named the MVP and John Stallworth made the most memorable plays, the best player in Super Bowl XIV was Lambert, as he made 14 tackles, 10 of them solo, and picked off Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo with the Rams at the Pittsburgh 32-yard-line with under six minutes to go.
The interception helped the Steelers put the game away as they drove 70 yards in seven plays for Franco Harris’ one-yard touchdown run that secured the 31-19 victory.
With fellow linebacker Jack Ham out due to injury, Jack Lambert had to step up his game in Super Bowl XIV, which he did with 14 tackles and an interception.
23. Nick Foles-LII, Philadelphia Eagles QB
Taking over for the starting quarterback job after starter Carson Wentz tore the ACL in his left knee with three weeks left in the regular season, Foles completes his Cinderella run with a MVP performance in Super Bowl LII as he completes 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and accounts for four touchdowns, three passing, and catching a one-yard touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton on a 4th-and-goal late in the first half.
22. Max McGee-I, Green Bay Packers WR
Taking over for the starting quarterback job after starter Carson Wentz tore the ACL in his left knee with three weeks left in the regular season, Foles completes his Cinderella run with a MVP performance in Super Bowl LII as he completes 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and accounts for four touchdowns, three passing, and catching a one-yard touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton on a 4th-and-goal late in the first half.
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| Nick Foles became the first quarterback in Super bowl history to catch a touchdown pass with his one-touchdown reception in Super Bowl LII. |
22. Max McGee-I, Green Bay Packers WR
It is one of the most legendary stories in Super Bowl history.
The night before Super Bowl I, McGee snuck out of his hotel room and went bar-hopping, figuring he wasn’t going to play since he caught only four passes all season.
But when starter Boyd Dowler injured his shoulder while trying to make a block, McGee was called on to fill Dowler’s place.
McGee came in and caught seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including the first touchdown in Super Bowl history, a one-handed catch for 37 yards.
Though quarterback Bart Starr was named MVP, McGee’s performance is remembered more fondly.
Max McGee runs toward the end zone for the first touchdown in Super Bowl history.
21. Joe Montana-XXIII, San Francisco 49ers QB
Montana started four Super Bowls and was named MVP three times.
The one time he was not named MVP, he threw for a then-record 357 yards on 23-of-36 passing and threw two touchdowns.
He is best remembered for leading the 49ers on a 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive in the final three minutes of the game in which he went 8-of-9 for 97 yards(a penalty pushed the 49ers back 10 yards on the drive) and threw the game-winning touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to John Taylor with 34 seconds left to give the 49ers a 20-16 win and their third Super Bowl title.
Joe Montana lived up to his nickname "Joe Cool" as he led the 49ers to the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes of Super Bowl XXIII.
20. Jerry Rice-XXIX, San Francisco 49ers WR
Rice helped set the tone for this Super Bowl on the third play of the game when he caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Young.
Rice would catch nine more passes and two more touchdowns to finish the game with 10 receptions for 144 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers won their fifth Super Bowl title with a easy 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Jerry Rice runs away from two Charger defenders to score a touchdown on the third play of Super Bowl XXIX.
19. Tom Brady-XXXVIII, New England Patriots QB
When he won his first Super Bowl title and MVP, Brady was just 16-of-27 for 145 yards and threw one touchdown pass.
Two years later, Brady doubled his completions to 32, which set a Super Bowl record, on 48 attempts for 354 yards and three touchdowns to go along with one interception.
With the score tied at 29 and the ball at the Patriots’ 40-yard-line with 1:08 left in regulation, Brady completed four of five passes for 47 yards to set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning 41-yard field goal to give New England the 32-29 win and Brady his second Super Bowl MVP award.
Tom Brady won the second of his four Super Bowl MVP awards after leading the Patriots to a game-winning field goal in the final seconds for the second time in three years.
18. James Washington-XXVIII, Dallas Cowboys DB
Though Emmitt Smith was the MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII, Washington had the most impactful performance in the Cowboys’ 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Washington made 11 tackles, forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow defensive back Darren Woodson to set up a Dallas field goal, then returned a Thurman Thomas fumble 46 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the second half that tied the game at 13, and then picked off a Jim Kelly pass that the Cowboys converted into a touchdown in the 4th quarter.
Not a bad day’s work for a nickel defensive back.
James Washington(37) picks up Thurman Thomas' fumble that he would run back 46 yards for the game-tying touchdown in Super Bowl XXVIII.
17. Terry Bradshaw-XIII, Pittsburgh Steelers QB
After attempting a combined 33 passes in the Steelers’ first two Super Bowl wins, Bradshaw got to air it out in the Steelers’ third Super Bowl victory as he attempted 30 passes in the game, completing 17 of them, and became the first quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards in a game(318) and the first quarterback to throw four touchdown passes as Pittsburgh defeated Dallas 35-31.
Terry Bradshaw set then Super Bowl records for passing yards and touchdown passes with his performance in Super Bowl XIII.
16. Timmy Smith-XXII, Washington Redskins RB
Smith is the Super Bowl version of a one-hit wonder.
After carrying the ball only 29 times for 126 yards during the regular season, Smith got the start at running back in Super Bowl XXII because regular starter George Rogers was slowed by injuries.
All Smith did was become the first and so far only running back to rush for at least 200 yards in a game as his 204 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns helped Washington defeat the Broncos 42-10.
After this game, Smith would only rush for 476 more yards in his career.
In the Redskins' 35-point second quarter, Timmy Smith only ran the ball five times, but gained 122 yards which included a 58-yard touchdown run.
15. Tom Brady-LII, New England Patriots QB
Brady sets the Super Bowl and the NFL record for most passing yards in a postseason game as he throws for 505 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-48 passing, but it is not enough to as the Patriots lose Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33.
14. Kurt Warner-XXXIV, St. Louis Rams QB
Brady sets the Super Bowl and the NFL record for most passing yards in a postseason game as he throws for 505 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-48 passing, but it is not enough to as the Patriots lose Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles 41-33.
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| Tom Brady became the first quarterback to throw for over 500 yards in a NFL playoff game with his 505 yards in Super Bowl LII. |
14. Kurt Warner-XXXIV, St. Louis Rams QB
In 1999, Warner came out of nowhere to lead the hapless Rams all the way to the Super Bowl where his fairy tale season came to a satisfying conclusion.
Warner threw for 277 yards in the first half, most passing yards thrown by a quarterback in one half in a Super Bowl, then added 127 more yards and two touchdowns, including a 73-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce with 1:54 left in the game that turned out to be the game-winner.
In all, Warner completed 24 of 45 passes for 414 yards, another Super Bowl record, to lead the Rams to a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans, despite suffering separated rib cartilage in the first half.
Kurt Warner became the first quarterback to throw for at least 400 yards in a Super Bowl as he threw for 414 in Super Bowl XXXIV.
13. Drew Brees-XLIV, New Orleans Saints QB
Like his team, Brees started the game off slowly as he completed three of seven passes for 27 yards as the Saints trailed the Indianapolis Colts 10-0 after the first quarter.
But over the next three quarter, Brees completed 29 of 32 passes for 261 yards, including hitting his last 10 passes, and threw two touchdowns as he lead the Saints to 31 points(which includes Tracy Porter’s pick-six) as New Orleans defeated the Colts 31-17 to win their first Super Bowl title.
Brees finished the day by completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to win MVP honors.
Drew Brees, completed 82% of his passes, the 2nd highest completion percentage in a Super Bowl, in Super Bowl XLIV.
12. Marcus Allen-XVIII, Los Angeles Raiders RB
“Running with the night”(quoted by NFL Films’ John Facenda), Allen set a then Super Bowl record for most rushing yards in a game as he ran for 191 yards on just 20 carries and scored two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 38-9 rout of the Washington Redskins.
His most famous run came on the last play of the third quarter when he started to run left, only to turn around and a find a hole up the middle and go 74 yards for a touchdown, which was the longest run in Super Bowl history for 22 years.
Marcus Allen averaged 9.6 yards per carry in his performance in Super Bowl XVIII.
11. Tom Brady-XLIX, New England Patriots QB
Eleven years after setting the record for most completed passes in a Super Bowl, Brady broke his own record as he completed 37 passes on 50 attempts for 328 yards and throw four touchdown passes and two interceptions to lead the Patriots to their fourth Super Bowl title.
With his team down 24-14 in the 4th quarter, Brady was 13-of-15 for 124 and threw two touchdown passes, including what turned out to be the game-winner, a three-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman with 2:06 to play as New England would win 28-24, thanks to Malcolm Butler's end-zone interception in the final seconds, allowing Brady to win his third Super Bowl MVP.
On the Patriots' last touchdown drive, Brady was 8-of-8 for 65 yards and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass, a 3-yarder to Julian Edelman, with 2:06 left.
10. Terrell Davis-XXXII, Denver Broncos RB
Davis helped get quarterback John Elway his 1st Super Bowl title by running for 157 yards on 30 carries and scoring three touchdowns, including the game-winner from one yard out with 1:45 to play, to give the Broncos a 31-24 upset win over the defending champion Green Bay Packers.
All this despite missing the entire 2nd quarter with a migraine headache.
Terrell Davis walks in for his third touchdown run of the game from one yard out with 1:45 left that proved to be the game-winner in Denver's 31-24 win over Green Bay.
9. Lynn Swann-X, Pittsburgh Steelers WR
There was some doubt that Swann would even play after spending two days in a hospital with a concussion following the Steelers’ AFC Championship Game with the Oakland Raiders.
But Swann did play and put on a show for the ages on just four catches.
Swann’s first catch was a 32-yarder he as tight roped the sideline to make the catch, which set up the Steelers’ first touchdown, then made an incredible juggling 53-yard catch that while did not lead to any points, is still regarded as one of the greatest catches of all time.
Then, with over three minutes to play and Pittsburgh leading 15-10, Swann caught Terry Bradshaw’s bomb for a 64-yard touchdown reception that helped lead Pittsburgh to a 21-17 victory and earn Swann MVP honors as his four catches totaled 161 yards.
Lynn Swann makes his famous amazing catch in Super Bowl X.
8. Joe Montana-XIX, San Francisco 49ers QB
In a much-anticipated duel with Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, it was Montana who came out on top with a dominant performance.
Montana completed 24 of 35 passes for 331 yards and threw touchdown passes to go along with his 59 rushing yards on five carries, which included a six-yard touchdown run as the 49ers defeated the Dolphins 38-16, and earning Montana the second of his three Super Bowl MVP awards.
Joe Montana accounted for 390 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in the 49ers' 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.
7. John Riggins-XVII, Washington Redskins RB
No running back has carried the ball more times in a Super Bowl than the “Diesel” as he ran the ball 38 times for a then-record 166 yards.
But it was his 30th carry that would go do as the signature moment of not only this performance but of his Hall-of-Fame career as he broke for a 43-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 with 10:10 left in the game that put Washington in the lead for good at 20-17.
Riggins would carry the ball eight more times for 22 yards as the Redskins added another touchdown to come away with a 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
John Riggins breaks the tackle of Don McNeal, on his way to the 43-yard touchdown run that put the Redskins in the lead for good.
6. Jerry Rice-XXIII, San Francisco 49ers WR
Rice put together the greatest performance by a wide receiver in a Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXIII as he caught 11 passes for a record 215 yards and a touchdown to help lead the 49ers to a 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Eight of Rice’s catches accounted for 1st downs and Rice had 157 yards in the 2nd half alone.
While he did not catch the winning touchdown on the 49ers’ 11-play, 92-yard drive in the final minutes, Rice did have three catches for 51 yards on the drive, including a 27-yarder on 2nd-and-20 that put San Francisco at the Bengals’ 18-yard-line.
Jerry Rice(80) hauls one of his then-Super Bowl record 11 catches in the 49ers' 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.
5. Tom Brady-LI, New England Patriots QB
Brady rewrote the history books as he lead the Patriots to the greatest comeback win in Super Bowl history, as he helped lead the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit with 8:31 left in the third quarter to 31 unanswered points to give New England a 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Brady set the records for most pass completions, pass attempts, and passing yards(which he broke one year later) as he completed 43-of-62 for 466 yards and threw two itouchdowns in earning his record 4th Super Bowl MVP award.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went 26-of-33 for 284 yards and threw two touchdowns after New England fell behind 28-3 in Super Bowl LI.
4. Joe Montana-XXIV, San Francisco 49ers QB
Montana saved his best for last when it comes to Super Bowl performances as he completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdown passes, all in three quarters of work, to comply a 147.6 quarterback rating, the second highest in Super Bowl history, and earned his third Super Bowl MVP award as the 49ers destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history.
Joe Montana became the first player to be named the Super Bowl MVP three times with his five touchdown performance against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.
3. Phil Simms-XXI, New York Giants QB
If any quarterback has come close to throwing a perfect game, Giants quarterback Phil Simms did that in Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.
Simms completed 22 of 25 passes for a 88% completion percentage, the highest in Super Bowl history, totaling 268 yards and three touchdown passes to go along with zero interceptions to comply a 150.9 quarterback rating, the highest in Super Bowl history, to earn MVP honors as the Giants defeated the Broncos 39-20.
Phil Simms had as many incompletions as touchdown passes in his performance in Super Bowl XXI.
2. Doug Williams-XXII, Washington Redskins QB
Having already made history as the first black quarterback in Super Bowl history, Williams made more history in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos.
Down 10-0 as the second quarter began, Williams lead the Redskins to 35 points with the quarterback completing 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and throwing four touchdown passes.
Williams finished the day with 340 yards on 18-of-29 passing to be named MVP as Washington routed the Broncos 42-10.
After hyperextending his knee in the first quarter, Doug Williams lead the Redskins to 42 unanswered points, 35 of them in the 2nd quarter
1. Steve Young-XXIX, San Francisco 49ers QB
While he had gotten two rings as Joe Montana’s backup, Young was never going to get out of Montana’s shadow until he lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl title as the starter.
He did that and more in Super Bowl XXIX as he completed 24 of 36 for 325 yards and threw a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes, which also tied the NFL postseason record set by Daryle Lamonica back in 1969, to lead San Francisco to a 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers and their fifth Super Bowl title overall.
Young also ran for 49 yards on five carries.
NFL Films caught Young asking his teammates to get the monkey off his back on the sidelines as the final seconds ticked down.
Steve Young put together the greatest performance in Super Bowl history as threw for a record six touchdown passes against the Chargers in Super Bowl XXiX.
