20 Greatest Offensive Performances in Super Bowl History

In the 50-plus year history of the Super Bowl, there have many been many impressive team offensive performances.
Some have been so impressive that sometimes it has been the offense that has lead their team to the championship, not the defense.
Anyway, I have complied a list of the 20 greatest team offensive performances in Super Bowl history.
I didn't base this list just on points, but also yards, yards per play, 1st downs, time of possession, and 3rd down play.
There are some performances by losing teams that are on this list that may ruffle a few feathers, but again I tried to use various stats besides points to determine what should go on the list.
With all that explained, here now are what I think are the 20 best offensive performances in Super Bowl history:
20. XXXVIII-Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers had 13 possessions in Super Bowl XXXVIII with seven of them ending in a punt and one ending a fumble.  In those eight possessions, the Panthers racked up only 15 yards of total offense.
But in the other five possessions, the Panthers gained 339 yards of offense as they had four touchdown drives of at least 80 yards or more as Carolina finished with 354 yards on just 53 plays to finish with an average of 7.3 yards per play only to fall short 32-29 to the New England Patriots.
19. VI-Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys used a dominant running game to help win their first Super Bowl as they ran the ball 48 times for 252 yards as Duane Thomas ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while Walt Garrison ran it 14 times for 74 yards.
The 5.2 yards per carry as a team and quarterback Roger Staubach's two touchdown passes and no interceptions lead the Cowboys to a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins.
18. XVII-Washington Redskins

In the 1982 playoffs, the Redskins rode John Riggins to three playoff victories and they did the same thing in Super Bowl XVII.
Riggins carried the ball a record 38 times, running for 166 yards and a touchdown as the Redskins ran the ball a total of 52 times for 276 yards plus got two touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Theismann.
The Redskins finished with 400 yards of total offense, 24 1st downs, and were 11 of 18 on 3rd down as they defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17.
17. XLI-Indianapolis Colts

With a steady rain falling throughout the entire game, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning decided to use his running backs, Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes to control the tempo in Super Bowl XLI.
Rhodes carried the ball 21 times for 113 yards and scored a touchdown while Addai had 19 carries for 77 yards plus 10 catches for 66 yards.
This allowed the Colts to hold on to the ball for 81 plays and 38 minutes as Indianapolis tallied 430 yards of total offense in a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears.
16. XXXIII-Denver Broncos

The Broncos won the second of their back-to-back Super Bowl titles with an impressive offensive performance as the Denver offense gained 457 yards of total offense as they averaged exactly seven yards per play as quarterback John Elway threw for 336 yards in his final NFL game while running back Terrell Davis ran for 102 yards on 25 carries and Rod Smith caught five passes for 152 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-19.
15. I-Green Bay Packers

In the first Super Bowl ever played, the Packers' offense shined up as they complied 361 yards of total offense, averaging 5.9 yards per play, picking up 21 1st downs and scoring 35 points in a 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
But what makes this offensive performance was the Packers production on 3rd down as they converted a 1st down on 11 of 15 3rd down situations with quarterback Bart Starr completing six of seven passes for 99 yards when he dropped back to pass on those 3rd down situations as Starr finished as the game's MVP with his 16-of-23 for 250 yards and two touchdown performance.
14. XLVII-San Francisco 49ers

After the lights came back on in the Louisiana Superdome following a blackout that caused a 34-minute delay, the 49ers' offense came to life as they outscored the Baltimore Ravens 23-6 and drove to the Ravens' five-yard-line before they were stopped on 4th down at the Ravens' five-yard-line with 1:46 remaining and ended up losing 34-31 as the Ravens took an intentional safety in the final seconds.
Despite losing the game, the 49ers' performance in Super Bowl XLVII makes the list as they complied 468 yards of total offense, averaging 7.8 yards per play, and having a 300-yard passer in quarterback Colin Kaepernick who threw for 302 yards, plus ran for 62 yards, a 100-yard rusher in Frank Gore who ran for 110 yards on just 19 carries and two 100-yard receivers in Michael Crabtree who caught five passes for 109 yards and tight end Vernon Davis who caught six passes for 104 yards.
13. XX-Chicago Bears

When it comes to the Chicago Bears' dominant win in Super Bowl XX over the New England Patriots, most people will point to the defense which held the Patriots to just 123 yards of offense as the reason for the 46-10 win.
But the Bears' offense also had an impressive game as they racked up 408 yards and 23 1st downs as Chicago averaged 5.4 yards per play and were 7 of 14 on 3rd down.
Quarterback Jim McMahon completed 12 of 20 passes for 256 yards(129 of them to Willie Gault on four catches)while Walter Payton and Jim Suhey combined for 113 yards on 33 carries as the Bears ran for four touchdowns(McMahon-2, Suhey-1, and William Perry-1) in the 46-10 victory.
12. XXI-New York Giants

After riding behind Lawrence Taylor and the "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" defense to get to the Super Bowl, it was the Giants offense that carried them to their first Lombardi trophy with an exceptional second half performance.
Down 10-9, the Giants would score on five straight possessions, four of them for touchdowns, as they complied 271 yards of offense with quarterback Phil Simms completing all 10 of his passes for 161 yards and throwing two touchdowns to blow the game open as the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos 39-20.
In total, the Giants gained 399 yards of offense, with Simms completing 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards as New York averaged 6.2 yards per play and picked up 24 1st downs, 16 of those coming in the second half.
11. XI-Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders won their first Super Bowl thanks to a dominant offensive performance over the Minnesota Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" defense.
The Raiders gained 429 yards of total offense, with 266 of them coming on the ground on 52 carries,  as Clarence Davis ran for 137 yards on 16 carries, while Mark van Eeghan ran for 73 yards on 18 carries.
The Raiders also got an efficient performance from quarterback Ken Stabler who completed 12 of 19 passes for 180 yards and threw a touchdown as the Raiders gained nearly six yards per play in their 32-14 victory.
10. XXVII-Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys did put up the second most points in Super Bowl history with 52 as they scored seven touchdowns, but two of those were defensive touchdowns and another two touchdowns set the Dallas offense inside the Bills' 20-yard-line as the Cowboys forced a Super Bowl record nine turnovers in the game.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys offense did put together an impressive performance as they tallied 408 yards of offense on just 59 plays which amounts to an average of 6.8 yards per play as quarterback Troy Aikman won MVP honors as he competed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and threw four touchdown passes, two of those touchdowns to Michael Irvin who had 114 yards on six catches while Emmitt Smith ran for 108 yards on 22 carries and had a touchdown of his own.
9. XXXVIII-New England Patriots

After using a ball control conservative approach on offense in their Super Bowl XXXI upset over the Rams, the Patriots flung all over the field in Super Bowl XXXVIII as quarterback Tom Brady completed 32 of 48 passes for 354 yards and threw three touchdown passes.
Brady also got help from running back Antowain Smith who ran for 83 yards on 26 carries and scored a touchdown as the Patriots racked up 487 yards of total offense and 29 1st downs in a 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers for the second of their six Super Bowl titles.
8. XXV-New York Giants

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense and that's exactly what happened in Super Bowl XXV as the New York Giants' ball-control offense was able to keep the high-flying Buffalo Bills' no-huddle offense off the field as New York held the ball for a record 40 minutes and 33 seconds.
The Giants had 71 plays for 386 yards but it was balanced as New York ran the ball 39 times, with Ottis Anderson leading the way as he had 21 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Jeff Hostetler completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown pass.
Although they only scored 20 points, all four scoring drives took at least 10 plays, plus the Giants were 9 of 16 on 3rd down.
The Giants held on for a 20-19 win as Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal in the final seconds sailed wide right, giving New York its second Super Bowl title in five years.
7.LII-New England Patriots

The Patriots set Super Bowl records for most yards of total offense(613) and passing yards(500) as Tom Brady became the first quarterback to throw for over 500 yards in not just a Super Bowl but a NFL postseason game as New England had three receivers finish with at least 100 yards(Danny Amendola-152 on 8 catches, Chris Hogan-128 on 6 catches, Rob Gronkowski-116 on 9 catches).

Despite those records, plus 29 1st downs,  8.5 yards average per play, and 33 points, it wasn't enough for the Patriots as they lost to 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

6. XXXIX-San Francisco 49ers

49ers quarterback Steve Young set the tone early as he threw two long touchdown passes, a 44-yarder to Jerry Rice and a 51-yarder to Ricky Watters, in the opening five minutes of Super Bowl XXIX as Young would throw for a Super Bowl record six touchdown passes and lead the 49ers to seven touchdowns.

San Francisco finished with 455 yards of offense, averaging 6.2 yards per play, and 28 1st downs as the 49ers put up the third most points in Super Bowl history as they destroyed the San Diego Chargers 49-26.

5. LI-New England Patriots

Down 28-3 with 8:31 left in the third quarter, the Patriots offense needed to be close to perfect to pull off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.

And they just about were as the Patriots would score 31 points on five of their last six possessions(the other possession was a 13-yard run by Dion Lewis to run out the clock in regulation)as New England would win the game 34-28 in overtime.

On the Patriots' final six drives, they tallied 349 yards of offense, 23 1st downs as they held the ball for 18:31 in a remarkable stretch which saw quarterback Tom Brady complete 26 of 33 passes for 284 yards and threw two touchdowns.

When it all was said and done, the Patriots finished with 546 yards of total offense as Brady finished with 466 yards on 43-of-62 passing and a Super Bowl record 37 1st downs as the Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl title in the Brady-Belichick era.

4. LII-Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles outgunned the Patriots behind quarterback Nick Foles, who was filling in for an injured Carson Wentz, to win their first Super Bowl title in a game which featured a combined 1,151 yards of total offense between the two teams.

The Eagles had the ball for 10 possessions and scored on eight of them as Philadelphia complied 538 yards of offense and 25 1st downs, plus converted on 10 of 16 3rd down situations and were a perfect 2-for-2 on 4th down, which included the famous "Philly Special" where Foles caught an one-yard touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton.

Foles lead the way as he completed 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and threw three touchdown passes while the Eagles ran for 164 yards on 27 carries as Philly averaged 6.1 yards per run while averaging 7.6 yards per play in their 41-33 win over the Patriots.

 3. XXIV-San Francisco 49ers

 In what turned out to be 49ers quarterback Joe Montana's final Super Bowl appearance, "Joe Cool" lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl record 55 points as Montana completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and threw five touchdown passes while running backs Roger Craig and Tom Rathman combined for 31 carries for 107 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers finished with 461 yards, 28 1st downs, converted on 8 of 15 3rd down situations, while holding the ball for 39 1/2 minutes and averaging six yards per play.
However, it was not the most impressive performance that Montana and the 49ers had....
2. XIX-San Francisco 49ers

In what was expected to be an offensive shootout between Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins versus Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, it was the 49ers offense who put on a show for the ages.
Montana threw for 331 yards and three touchdown passes on 24-of-35 passing while also running for 59 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
All facets of the San Francisco offense were clicking as the 49ers ran the ball 40 times for 211 yards as running back Wendell Tyler ran for 65 yards on 13 carries while Roger Craig ran for 58 yards on 15 carries and scored a touchdown to go along with his seven catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
In total, the 49ers racked up 537 yards of total offense, averaging 7.1 yards per play and complied 31 1st downs in a 38-16 blowout over the Dolphins.
1. XXII-Washington Redskins

After the first quarter of Super Bowl XXII, the Redskins were down 10-0 and their backup quarterback in the game as starter Doug Williams went out of the game after twisting his knee late in the first quarter.
Williams would re-enter the game on the Redskins' first drive of the second quarter and begin the greatest offensive performance in Super Bowl history as he hit Ricky Sanders for a 80-yard touchdown to make it a 10-7 game.
Following Sanders' long touchdown catch, the Redskins would catch fire by scoring four straight touchdowns in the quarter as Williams hit Gary Clark for a 27-yard touchdown to give Washington the lead, which was followed by a 58-yard touchdown run by Timmy Smith, then a 50-yard touchdown pass to Sanders which broke the Super Bowl record for most points in a quarter, and then finally ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clint Didier as Washington went into the locker room ahead 35-10.
In the second quarter alone, the Redskins gained 356 yards of total offense on just 18 plays, averaging out to almost 20 yards per play, as Williams completed nine of 11 passes for 228 yards and threw four touchdowns, with Sanders catching two of those on five catches for 168 yards while Smith ran the ball for 122 yards on just five carries.
The Redskins would another touchdown in the second half as they would win the game 42-10 after gaining 602 yards of total offense as Williams finished with 340 yards on 18-of-29 passing and four touchdown passes.
Smith would break the Super Bowl record for most rushing yards in a game as he ran for 204 yards on just 22 carries and scored two catches while Sanders caught nine passes for 193 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The Redskins also complied 25 1st downs as they averaged 8.4 yards per play in their historic performance in Super Bowl XXII.