There have been 50 games and 200 quarters of action on Super Bowl Sunday. Here are the Top 25 performances on the NFL’s biggest stage.
How on earth do you narrow down 50 years of memorable football into 25 great performances? It’s one of those subjective assignments that can be a lot of fun. And there’s nothing wrong with taking some memorable trips down memorable lane.
Take a look at our choices for the best of the best from the Super Bowl in terms of individual outings.
(Original Caption) 1/15/1967- Green Bay Packers, Max McGee, snags the star pass in the end zone to win the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
25. Green Bay Packers WR Max McGee (Super Bowl I)
It’s somewhat ironic that the first name in our piece (listed at No. 25) was not only part one of the league’s great dynasty but came up big in the very first Super Bowl. The game was then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game and fittingly, the defending National Football League champion Green Bay Packers would earn the invite. Their opposition that day would be the Kansas City Chiefs, led by now Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Hank Stram.
Vince Lombardi’s club entered the contest off a 34-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL title game. In that contest, veteran wide receiver Max McGee caught only one pass, good for 28 yards and a score. Including a dozen regular-season contests that season, the experienced wideout totaled just five catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns in 13 outings. In fact, in his final three years with the Pack (1965-67), he managed only 17 receptions in 34 regular-season games.
So when fellow wide receiver Boyd Dowler was unavailable for this tilt with the Chiefs, it was McGee who came to the forefront that Sunday afternoon at the Los Angeles Coliseum. He would catch seven passes for 138 yards and two scores from quarterback Bart Starr as Green Bay rolled to a 35-10 win thanks to a 21-point second half. His 37-yard touchdown grab just 8:54 into the game was the first score in Super Bowl history. And McGee’s unexpected showing was vital to Lombardi and company’s championship performance.
Denver Bronco Von Miller watches a lose ball in the end zone during Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 7, 2016. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
24. Denver Broncos OLB Von Miller (Super Bowl 50)
When you consider just how subpar the Denver Broncos offense was in 2015, it’s almost amazing that this team managed to win it all. Then again, we have seen glaring examples in the Super Bowl Era of less-than-scintillating attacks doing just enough to get the job done. And those teams were carried by not only superb defenses but got an assist from their special teams as well.
That was certainly the case at Levi’s Stadium roughly a year ago when the Broncos squared off against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Led by NFL MVP Cam Newton, the Panthers amassed a league-high 500 points, then added 80 more in playoff victories over the Carolina Panthers (31-24) and Arizona Cardinals (49-15). But Ron Rivera’s 15-1 NFC South champions were about to run into a defensive buzz saw wearing the No. 58.
By game’s end, the Broncos had gained 194 total yards and still managed to defeat the NFC champions by 14 points. Denver’s 24-10 win capped off a championship highlighted by a great defensive run (allowing 44 points in 3 postseason games) spearheaded by a great defensive player.
And outside linebacker Von Miller saved his best for Newton and company. He finished third on the team with six tackles, 2.5 sacks, one pass defensed and a pair of forced fumbles. The first directly led to a touchdown as teammate Malik Jackson recovered the ball in the end zone for a score.
Super Bowl 50 proved to be Miller time and the Broncos wound up with their third NFL title.
NOVEMBER 20: Mike Haynes
23. Los Angeles Raiders CB Mike Haynes (Super Bowl XVIII)
When you dominate the defending Super Bowl champions the way the Los Angeles Raiders did in Super Bowl XVIII, there is plenty of credit to go around.
The Silver and Black’s 38-9 conquest of the Washington Redskins in Tampa was thorough in every way. Head coach Tom Flores’ team has lost to the ‘Skins earlier in the season. This time around, the Raiders left no stone unturned. They scored touchdowns rushing and receiving plus returned an interception and blocked punt for scores. And they held a club that has scored a then-NFL record 541 points during the regular season to a touchdown and a field goal that afternoon.
While it was second-year running back Marcus Allen that would go onto capture MVP honors that day (courtesy of 101 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns), it was fellow future Hall of Famer Mike Haynes as well as the rest of the Raiders’ secondary that kept Redskins’ wideouts Charlie Brown and Art Monk under wraps.
The one-time New England Patriots’ standout was at his best against Gibbs’ offense. He totaled three tackles, knocked down one pass and also has one of the two interceptions of Theismann that day. Washington’s potent attack was limited to 283 total yards and the Redskins’ signal-caller (sacked 6 times) and 1983 NFL MVP completed less than half (16) of his 35 pass attempts.
Oakland’s offense certainly did a number on Washington’s defense in the game. But it was the work of Haynes and company that set the tone in shutting down one of the most explosive attacks in league history.
GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01 : Tom Brady
22. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (Super Bowl XLIX)
More times than not, it’s not all about the numbers when it comes to the game of football. But those statistics can often lead to some great perspective.
In 2014, quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots would play in their sixth Super Bowl in 14 years. In his five previous appearances in the Big Game, the championship signal-caller has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 1,277 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Of course, he and the Pats had dropped their last two Super Bowl appearances – both losses to the New York Giants. This after New England came away with three Lombardi Trophies in a four-year span over the Rams, Panthers and Eagles, respectively.
So how does his latest Super appearance on the field rate as one of the best ever? Circumstances have an awful lot to do with it. Keep in mind that the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks were the opponents that day. Pete Carroll’s team owned a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter and boasted the NFL’s top-ranked defense and pass defense that season. Despite a pair of interceptions (equaling the total of his first five Super Bowl contests), Brady rallied his team to a 28-24 win. For the game, he finished the day completing 37 of his 50 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns – along with the aforementioned pair of picks.
Who knows? Perhaps after the Patriots and Falcons square off in Super Bowl LI at Houston, Brady could top his performance two years ago and earn a higher spot on this list.
Football: Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders Rod Martin (53) in action, second interception vs Philadelphia Eagles John Spagnola (88) at Louisiana Superdome. New Orleans, LA 1/25/1981 CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X25252 TK2 R9 F14 )
21. Oakland Raiders OLB Rod Martin (Super Bowl XV)
Although the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs were not a divisional winner and went onto defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XV, it was the 1980 version of the Silver and Black that became the first designated “wild card” team to take home a Lombardi Trophy.
It had been quite the year for Raiders’ owner Al Davis and his celebrated feud with NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. On the field, the season began with a new quarterback. Oakland and the then-Houston Oilers basically swapped signal-callers as the Raiders traded for Dan Pastorini, giving up veteran Ken Stabler. But five games into 1980, the former broke his leg in a home loss to the Chiefs.
Enter 1970 Heisman Trophy winner and suddenly journeyman quarterback Jim Plunkett. The one-time New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers passer was now on the spot in Oakland. Before you could say “Just Win, Baby,” the Raiders were in the Super Bowl facing the formidable Philadelphia Eagles.
Plunkett would throw for 261 yards and three touchdowns in his team’s 27-10 victory and capture Super Bowl MVP honors that day at the Superdome. But linebacker Rod Martin also had a big hand (or hands) in the convincing win. He finished with five solo tackles and picked off Eagles’ quarterback Ron Jaworski three times. That impressive interception total by the 12th-round draft choices from USC in 1977 remains a Super Bowl record. But as we found it, it was hardly a shock. In his 12-year career with the Raiders, Martin totaled 14 interceptions and returned four for scores.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 26: Desmond Howard
20. Green Bay Packers KR Desmond Howard (Super Bowl XXXI)
In his fifth year at the helm of the Green Bay Packers, all the pieces finally seemed to be in place for head coach Mike Holmgren. The franchise appeared primed to the Super Bowl for the first time since Jerry Kramer and company carried Vince Lombardi on the shoulders and off the Orange Bowl field following the team’s 33-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.
The season was 1967, meaning it would be 29 years between visits to the Big Game for the club from Titletown. But it was worth the wait for the “Cheeseheads,” who would battle Bill Parcells’ New England Patriots at the Louisiana Superdome. And when the Pack jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, would we be in for another NFC rout? It didn’t last long as Drew Bledsoe responded with a pair of touchdown passes and the Pats took a 14-10 advantage into the second quarter.
Green Bay would regain the lead with 17 unanswered points before halftime and took a 27-14 edge into intermission. But in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the Patriots would narrow the Pack’s lead to six points. Then came the ensuing kickoff and the game’s MVP stepped to the forefront. Desmond Howard took back the boot 99 yards for a score and when it was all said and done, Holmgren’s team prevailed, 35-21.
By game’s end, the Packers had totaled 323 yards of offense. On the other hand, the former Heisman Trophy winner amassed a combined 244 yards on punt (90) and kickoff returns (154). While some may have been surprised, Howard was really an easy selection.
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 09: Football: Super Bowl XI, Oakland Raiders Art Shell (78) in action vs Minnesota Vikings, Pasadena, CA 1/9/1977 (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X21107)
19. Oakland Raiders LT Art Shell (Super Bowl XI)
For a number of years, the talented Oakland Raiders were always the bridesmaids and never the bride. So perhaps it was extremely fitting that John Madden’s team was wearing white on Super Sunday. The Silver and Black had reached the Big Game nine years earlier but fell to the powerful Green Bay Packers, 33-14, at the Orange Bowl.
The franchise came up a game short of the Super Bowl six of the next eight years. They lost AFL Championship Games to the New York Jets in 1968 and ’69, respectively. Then came the merger and it was AFC title game setback in 1970 (Colts), Dolphins (1973) and a pair to the Steelers (1974 and ’75). It’s worth noting that each of the teams the Raiders lost to went onto win the Super Bowl that year.
Now it was Ken Stabler and company’s turn. The opposition was the Minnesota Vikings, who had fallen short in this Big Game three times previously. As it turned out, Oakland toyed with Bud Grant’s club, opening up a 16-0 halftime lead on the way to a convincing 32-14 triumph.
Even more impressive was the play of the Raiders’ offensive front, especially against the likes of Hall of Famers such as Alan Page and Carl Eller, as well as sturdy Jim Marshall. As it turned out, the latter wound up running into the wrong guy in left tackle Art Shell, who shut him out all afternoon in terms of registering a tackle. The Raiders would also run for 266 yards in the victory at the Rose Bowl.
18. Washington Redskins RB Timmy Smith (Super Bowl XXII)
What was it with the Washington Redskins, head coach Joe Gibbs and strike seasons?
The Hall of Fame head coach showed his mettle during his NFL career by winning three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. The franchise also appeared to handle adversity better than some others. In 1987, the league shut down after two games, took a week off and then the field was full of “replacement players” the next three weeks. It was odd and eventually veterans would cross the picket line and the “alternative players” experience was over. Some teams were loyal to their veterans and others did the best they could. Simply put, it was a mess.
The Redskins managed to go 3-0 during those games and finished the year 11-4. Their quarterback for the majority of the season was Jay Schroeder. Very late in the year it would become Doug Williams and the rest is history.
There was also an interesting situation at running back. Veteran George Rogers had suffered an ankle injury in the NFC title game two weeks earlier. Rookie Timmy Smith, a fifth-round selection from Texas Tech, wound up being the starter against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. It proved to be a wise move by Gibbs and the coaching staff.
Smith responded with 22 attempts for a stunning 204 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. He gashed Denver’s celebrated defense for big gains on numerous occasions. His 58-yard scoring run midway through the second quarter epitomized Washington’s dominance up front. Smith and his teammates would run for 280 yards in the club’s 42-10 victory.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 14: Larry Brown
17. Miami Dolphins DT Manny Fernandez (Super Bowl VII)
In 2007, the New England Patriots flirted with the perfect season and damned near pulled it off. Of course, it’s even harder than it used to be in the NFL considering you have to go 19-0 to capture an unblemished Lombardi Trophy.
A mere 35 years earlier and requiring only 17 games (including playoffs) to be perfect, head coach Don Shula and his Miami Dolphins were up to the task. They would survive losing their starting quarterback, Bob Griese, earlier in the season. Veteran Earl Morrall would step in and guided the club the rest of the way.
The first stop in the playoffs was a date with the Cleveland Browns and Miami managed a 20-14 victory. Then it was onto Pittsburgh to meet the up-and-coming Steelers. An oddity in the playoff formatting had Chuck Noll’s team hosting the game. But we would see Griese return during the game that day and the Dolphins managed a 21-17 win.
Then it was Super Bowl Sunday and a clash with head coach George Allen and the Washington Redskins. The task ahead of the Dolphins was stopping 1972 NFL MVP Larry Brown. And Shula had the right man for the job up front of his “No Name” defense by the name of Manny Fernandez.
While teammate Jake Scott (2 interceptions) earned game Most Valuable Player honors that day, it was the sturdy defensive tackle that came up big. Fernandez led all players that day with 10 tackles and also recorded a sack in the 14-7 win. The Miami defense also kept the Washington offense out of the end zone that afternoon.
07 February 2010: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to pass during the second half of the New Orleans Saints 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
16. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees (Super Bowl XLIV)
So guess who led or tied for the NFL lead in passing yards for the seventh time in his 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints? Veteran quarterback Drew Brees totaled a league-best 5,208 yards through the air this past year. He struck for 37 touchdowns compared to only 15 interceptions. It marked the fifth time in his illustrious career that he threw for at least 5,000 in a season. But it’s also worth noting that in four of those years, his team failed to make the playoffs.
That was not the case in 2009 when Brees threw for “only” 4,388 yards. The Saints would open the season with 13 straight wins and despite a season-ending three-game skid, home playoff victories over the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings put the team from the Crescent City in the Super Bowl for the first time.
The opponent that day in South Florida would be quarterback Peyton Manning and head coach Jim Caldwell’s Indianapolis Colts. Three years earlier, Manning and the team (under Tony Dungy) had outlasted the Chicago Bears in the rain, 29-17, to capture Super Bowl XLI. But this contest would have a much different ending.
The Colts would jump out to a 10-0 first-quarter advantage. But Sean Payton’s team would outscore their foes the rest of the way by a 31-7 count. When the smoke cleared, Brees would complete an impressive 82.1 percent of his tosses for 288 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran signal-caller threw 39 passes and connected on 32 of his throws. And the Saints would walk away with a long-awaited NFL championship.
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner (13) rolls out of the pocket during Super Bowl XXXIV, a 23-16 St. Louis Rams victory over the Tennesee Titans on January 30, 2000, at the Louisiana Superdome in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
15. St. Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner (Super Bowl XXXIV)
It proved to be one of the more magical seasons in league history. And there would indeed be a storybook ending to an all-time tale of perseverance.
Be it in Los Angeles or the Gateway City, the St. Louis Rams were in the midst of an awful run. Entering the ’99 season they had won 45 contests and lost 99 games the previous nine seasons combined. Head coach Dick Vermeil was entering his third year with the franchise and owned a combined 9-23 record in his two campaigns. No doubt he was hoping the third year would indeed be the charm for this club. Instead, the veteran sideline leader saw starting quarterback Trent Green lost in the preseason with a knee injury.
Enter journeyman signal-caller and grocery bagger extraordinaire Kurt Warner. His many travels around pro football had brought him to the Rams in ’98 and now he was the team’s starting quarterback. But he was far from alone. St. Louis had dealt for running back Marshall Faulk in the offseason. Veteran wideout Isaac Bruce was joined by rookie Torry Holt. And future Pro Football Hall of Famer Orlando Pace was the left tackle.
Warner would wind up the NFL’s MVP that season and Faulk was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. The former would throw 41 touchdown passes compared to only 13 interceptions and led the Rams to a 13-3 record. Playoff wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers put the franchise in the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years.
Warner responded with a record 414 passing yards and two scores in St. Louis’ 23-16 win over the game Tennessee Titans. His second touchdown strike came with only 1:54 on the clock, a 73-yard toss and run to Bruce that snapped a 16-16 tie and proved to be the deciding points.
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 1: Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel (50) knocks the ball out of the hand of Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, causing a second quarter fumble that was recovered by the Patriots. New England Patriots face the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX on Feb. 1, 2004. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
14. New England Patriots OLB Mike Vrabel (Super Bowl XXXVIII)
In 2003, the New England Patriots were in their second Super Bowl in three seasons. After splitting their first four games that season, Bill Belichick’s team would run the table for the remainder of the regular season. Tom Brady and company took a 12-game winning streak into the playoffs and held off both the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts in the AFC playoffs.
The team would survive a strange and wild 32-29 shootout with the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Neither team scored in either the first and third quarters. But things got interesting late in the contest when the clubs combined for 24 points in the final 6:53 of the game. Brady garnered MVP honors by throwing for 354 yards and three touchdowns compared to one interception.
But you could make an above-average case for Patriots’ linebacker Mike Vrabel getting that award. The newly-promoted defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans had some kind of day in the stadium he now calls home. The multi-talented pro had quite the day when it came to his specialty. Vrabel racked up six tackles, two sacks of Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme and forced a fumble. And let’s not forget he also caught Brady’s third touchdown pass of the game, a one-yard connection with 2:51 to play that gave New England a short-lived lead in the fourth quarter.
It’s hard to believe any player could have done more on both sides of the football than the former Ohio State Buckeyes defender. No doubt coach Belichick had to be happy with a performer who did his job(s).
SAN DIEGO, CA- JANUARY 31: Ricky Sanders
13. Washington Redskins WR Ricky Sanders (Super Bowl XXII)
When you’re done going through all 25 Super performances, you may just get tired of seeing all the standouts from Washington’s 42-10 win over Denver. Especially if you’re a fan of the Broncos.
You have already read about rookie running back Timmy Smith and his extraordinary outing in the game. We suspect you will be seeing something about a certain quarterback later in these pages. But there was also another offensive weapon that was having a field day that afternoon in San Diego.
Wide receiver Ricky Sanders was part of a potent pass-catching corps that included star Gary Clark and future Hall of Fame Art Monk. And the former USFL standout would enjoy quite the afternoon against the Denver secondary. With his team trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Sanders got loose and caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Doug Williams to get the Redskins right back in the game. Moments later, he was on the receiving end of a 50-yards scoring strike. In the second quarter alone, Sanders totaled five receptions for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns. And his team would own a 35-10 lead at intermission.
When the day ended, Washington was on the right end of a 32-point victory, the club’s second Super Bowl title in six seasons. Sanders finished with nine receptions, good for a whopping 193 yards and two scores. That yardage figure remains the second-highest in one game in Super Bowl history behind only 49ers’ wideout Jerry Rice’s 215 yards in Super Bowl XXIII – just one year later.
Mandatory Credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images
12. Denver Broncos RB Terrell Davis (Super Bowl XXXII)
It’s safe to say we have gotten used to hearing about sixth-round draft choices coming up big on Super Sundays. New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady is getting ready to make his seventh appearance in the Big Game.
A few years before Brady was going to a bunch of Super Bowls, Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was busy helping the franchise win consecutive NFL titles. In 1998, he won NFL MVP honors by rushing for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns during the team’s 14-2 season.
Three years earlier, he was the 195th overall pick in the 1995 draft from the University of Georgia. Two seasons later, he was part of the Broncos’ first Super Bowl winning team. His four-game playoff performance was one of the best-ever seen in NFL annals. On the way to a win in Super Bowl XXXII (as a wild-card team), Davis totaled 112 carries for 581 yards and eight touchdowns. He first gashed the Jacksonville Jaguars for 184 yards and two scores. Next up was a win at Kansas City, where he ran 25 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At Pittsburgh in the AFC title game, Davis rushed 36 times for 139 yards and a score. The determined Broncos were headed to San Diego to face the Green Bay Packers.
Davis garnered game MVP honors and overcame migraine headaches to run 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-24 upset of the defending Super Bowl champions. His walk-in one-yard touchdown run with 1:45 to play was the game-winning score, giving the Broncos their first Lombardi Trophy and ending a 13-game winning streak by NFC teams in the championship series.
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 20: Football: Super Bowl XIV, Pittsburgh Steelers Jack Lambert (58) in action vs St, Louis Rams QB Vince Ferragamo (15), Pasadena, CA 1/20/1980 (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X24133)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers MLB Jack Lambert (Super Bowl XIV)
The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the verge of a fourth Super Bowl title in six years. All they had to do was knock off the erratic 9-7 Los Angeles Rams and young quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
But the “Team of the ‘70s” had a bit of an issue. Despite their successes, the only franchise that the Steelers had not defeated during the decade were these Rams (0-3). And this was a talented club, most notably on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Of course, the Steelers were defending Super Bowl champions and had a pretty good defense of their own. But the “Steel Curtain” was starting to show some signs of rust and deterioration. And Chuck Noll’s team would play Super Bowl XIV minus future Hall of Fame outside linebacker Jack Ham.
For the majority of the game, the Rams looked like the better and hungrier team. The Steelers played fairly conservative and uninspired football the first 30 minutes and trailed 13-10 at intermission. Of course, there was at least one member of the Steelers’ defense that appeared fired up for the challenge. Middle linebacker Jack Lambert was his usually fiery self and made sure the Rams and his own teammates knew this was not going to be an easy afternoon for either.
Despite throwing three interceptions on the day, quarterback Terry Bradshaw earned game MVP honors thanks to 309 yards passing and touchdown strikes to Lynn Swann (47 yards) and John Stallworth (73 yards). But it was Lambert that was all over the field. He racked up 14 tackles and picked off Ferragamo in the fourth quarter to squelch a Los Angeles drive. And the Steelers survived a major scare courtesy of a 31-19 win.
Football: Super Bowl XVIII: Los Angeles Raiders Marcus Allen (32) in action, rushing vs Washington Redskins at Tampa Stadium. Tampa, FL 1/22/1984 CREDIT: Tony Tomsic (Photo by Tony Tomsic /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X29571 TK3 )
10. Los Angeles Raiders RB Marcus Allen (Super Bowl XVIII)
We have already heard from one member of the Silver and Black when it came to the team’s 38-9 victory in Super Bowl XVIII over the Washington Redskins.
Now it’s time to take a look at the game’s Most Valuable Player that day. Second-year running back Marcus Allen was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in the league’s nine-game season of 1982. In ’85, he was named NFL MVP and would eventually find a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But there are few plays and few more electrifying moments than his electrifying long-distance touchdown run that isn’t easily described but certainly hard to forget. The game didn’t appear to be in doubt as Allen scored on a five-yard run midway through the third quarter to extend the Raiders’ dominance that day to 28-9. But in what proved to be the final play of that quarter, the young running back headed left on a run, reversed his field, barely eluded a defender trying to tackle him from behind and raced untouched into the Washington end zone from 74 yards out.
The former USC Trojan would touch the ball 22 times that day and roll up 209 total yards from scrimmage. That would include 191 yards rushing and two scores on 20 carries – still the second-best rushing yardage total in Super Bowl history. And while we saw a revival of sorts from the Silver and Black in 2016, the team’s 38-9 win in Tampa 33 years ago remains the last time the Raiders hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
UNITED STATES – JANUARY 18: Football: Super Bowl X, Pittsburgh Steelers Lynn Swann (88) in action, attempting catch vs Dallas Cowboys, Miami, FL 1/18/1976 (Photo by John Iacono/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X20184 TK1 R5)
9. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Lynn Swann (Super Bowl X)
In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended more than four decades of frustration by winning their first NFL championship. An up-and-down 10-3-1 campaign was capped off by postseason wins over the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. The “Steel Curtain” defense rose to the occasion and head coach Chuck Noll had guided the Black and Gold to a title.
A year later, the Steelers were the hunted and responded in a big way. After splitting their first two games, Pittsburgh reeled off 11 straight wins and finished 12-2. Victories over the Colts and Raiders would put the team back in the Super Bowl for the second straight year. This time, it was the wild card Dallas Cowboys in the way of a second Lombardi Trophy.
In what proved to be a very entertaining Super Bowl, the Steelers rallied in the fourth quarter for an exciting 21-17 win. But it was wide receiver Lynn Swann who provided the Orange Bowl crowd with plenty of thrills. He caught only four passes, but they went for 161 yards and what proved to be the deciding touchdown. It began with a 32-yard grab in the first quarter in which he managed to get one foot at a time in bound while straddling the sidelines. It would end with a 64-yard scoring strike via teammate Terry Bradshaw.
In between there would be a 12-yard reception and a 53-yard connection and we can’t do the latter justice without showing it. More importantly, the Steelers were back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
ATLANTA – JANUARY 30: Safety James Washington
8. Dallas Cowboys S James Washington (Super Bowl XXVIII)
It has happened numerous times since. A team loses its first two games and goes onto win the Super Bowl. But it was the 1993 Dallas Cowboys which would be the first. Of course, when you’re down one of the best running backs in NFL history and a player who would go onto win Super Bowl MVP honors later that season, there’s a legitimate reason for opening 0-2.
Losses to the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills would put Jimmy Johnson’s team in an early hole. Then came the return of Smith following a contract dispute and the Cowboys would lose only two more games the remainder of the season.
Dallas’ opposition in Super Bowl XXVIII would be the same team they routed a year earlier in Pasadena. The Bills were back following a 52-17 loss and were determined to snap a three-game losing streak in the Big Game. This was a Buffalo team that had already knocked off the Cowboys once this season (at Dallas) and looked primed to do it again when they took a 13-6 lead at halftime at the Georgia Dome.
But Smith cranked it up in the second half. He would finish with 132 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in his team’s 30-13 win. However, teammate James Washington’s outing that day may have been just as impressive. It was his 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown early in the third quarter that would help tie the game. For the day, he finished with 11 total tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and the aforementioned score. And the Bills were shut out in the second half.
MIAMI, FL- JANUARY 1989: Jerry Rice
7. San Francisco 49ers WR Jerry Rice (Super Bowl XXIII)
Yes, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana’s 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Taylor with 34 seconds to play proved to be the deciding score in the team’s third Super Bowl win in eight years. The 20-16 victory also proved to be the final game of Bill Walsh’s brilliant NFL head-coaching career.
In between, there was mostly shaky football in Super Bowl XXIII. The teams sputtered their way to a 3-3 tie at intermission. Both teams squandered opportunities, especially the 49ers, and while there was a lot on the line, neither the Niners nor Cincinnati Bengals looked interested in winning the game. Sam Wyche’s offense never reached the end zone and the 49ers didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter
But fourth-year wideout Jerry Rice looked like the best player on the field throughout the contest. Yes, Montana would finish with 357 yards through their air and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown tosses. And his 92-yard march to the Cincinnati end zone in the closing minutes is one of the great drives in Super Bowl history.
But it was Rice that enjoyed the biggest day in South Florida. It was his 14-yard TD reception just 57 seconds into the fourth quarter that helped tie the game at 13-all. However, it was his overall performance that was hard to forget. The legendary wideout finished with 11 catches, good for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and the aforementioned score in his first-ever appearance in the Big Game. There would be many more to come.
PASADENA, CA. – JANUARY 30: John Riggins
6. Washington Redskins RB John Riggins (Super Bowl XVII)
What a bummer. The 1982 NFL season obviously counts in the books and it should. But the fact that it was limited to only nine games because of labor issues took a lot of the fun out of it for many.
Two weeks into ’82, the league shut down for what would basically eight weeks. When the 28 teams returned to action, they would play their remaining seven games on the schedule, with another slate of games added by the NFL. It was the best solution for what proved to be an ugly situation.
As for the playoffs, 16 teams would participate. There would be no division titles and the top eight clubs in each conference would be seeded 1-8 and participate in a seeded Super Bowl tournament.
During the regular season, the Washington Redskins finished with an NFL-best 8-1 record. Second-year head coach Joe Gibbs had the team playing good football the previous year and that momentum carried into ’82. The team’s lone loss that season was to the rival Dallas Cowboys.
While quarterback Joe Theismann came into his own that year, this was an offensive attack that revolved around a sturdy offensive line known as the “Hogs” and a veteran running back nicknamed “The Deisel.”
Running back John Riggins would rush for a combined 610 yards and four touchdowns on 136 carries in four postseason games. In his team’s 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII, the Hall of Fame performer totaled a Super Bowl record 38 attempts for 166 yards and a memorable fourth-quarter touchdown run.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 28: Quarterback Joe Montana
5. San Francisco 49ers QB Joe Montana (Super Bowl XXIV)
The San Francisco 49ers were defending Super Bowl champions in 1989. The previous year, they had survived an erratic season, got hot down the stretch and wound up NFC West champions at 10-6. Convincing wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears in the playoffs paved the way for a Super Bowl appearance against the Cincinnati Bengals. The results were a 20-16 win in what proved to be the final game for Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh.
It was George Seifert at the helm in 1989 and there are those who feel this club was the best of the 50 Super Bowl champions. The Niners would finish 14-2 and would win their three postseason games by a combined 100 points. Quarterback Joe Montana would go through these playoffs throwing 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Seifert’s club would score 126 points in victories over the Vikings (41-13), Rams (30-3) and Broncos (55-10).
It’s the latter that came on Super Sunday at the Louisiana Superdome. Those 55 points and the 45-point margin of victory remain Super Bowl records. Montana would be named the game’s MVP for the third time. He hit on 22 of his 29 passes for 297 yards and five scores, with three of those touchdowns going to Jerry Rice. The Niners scored exactly two touchdowns in each of the game’s four quarters.
It capped off a four-game Super Bowl run for the Hall of Fame quarterback in which he combined to throw 11 touchdown passes and zero picks on the NFL’s biggest stage. But as you will see, it wasn’t even his best performance in the Big Game.
Football: Super Bowl XXI: New York Giants QB Phil Simms (11) in action, pass vs Denver Broncos. Pasadena, CA 1/25/1987 CREDIT: Andy Hayt (Photo by Andy Hayt /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X34296 )
4. New York Giants QB Phil Simms (Super Bowl XXI)
It was a team that had built momentum over the course of four seasons and was ready for its moment in the Pasadena sun.
In 1983, the New York Giants replaced head coach Ray Perkins with Bill Parcells. That season, Big Blue finished with a 3-12-1 record. A year later, they were a wild-card team that fell in the NFC Divisional Playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers. In 1985, New York was blown away in the Windy City by the Super Bowl shuffling Chicago Bears, a 21-0 loss in the divisional round as well.
Then came 1986 and a very fascinating season. The Giants dropped their season opener to the Cowboys at Dallas. The team would lose only one more game (Week 7 at Seattle) the remainder of the campaign. They crushed the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs by a 49-3 score. They blanked the Washington Redskins for the NFC title one week later. And two week afterwards, they dominated the second half of Super Bowl XXI on their way to a 39-20 victory over John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
In the final 30 minutes of that contest, Giants’ quarterback Phil Simms would not throw an incompletion. It was part of an MVP performance that saw him complete a Super Bowl record 88.0 percent of his throws (22-of-25) for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The bounces would go New York’s way that afternoon in Pasadena as Simms’ third score went off the shoulder pads of tight end Mark Bavaro and into the arms of wideout Phil McConkey. Regardless, the quarterback’s performance was one of the greatest in NFL postseason history.
STANFORD, CA – JANUARY 20: Joe Montana
3. San Francisco 49ers QB Joe Montana (Super Bowl XIX)
The San Francisco 49ers (15-1) and Miami Dolphins (14-2) arrived at Super Bowl XIX with a combined 29-3 record in the regular season. Led by head coach Bill Walsh, the Niners were vying for their second NFL title in four years. With Hall of Fame sideline leader Don Shula at the helm, the Dolphins were back in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years but were seeking their first Lombardi Trophy since winning consecutive titles in 1972 and ’73.
It had all the makings of an offensive classic and it would live up to billing – at least for one team this day in Palo Alto.
Things would not go well for Dolphins’ quarterback Dan Marino and his club. The second-year sensation and future Hall of Famer was almost superhuman during the 1984 regular season and AFC playoffs. But he looked quite ordinary against a San Francisco defense that was burned for a touchdown on Miami’s first drive of the game and, thanks to some very quick adjustments, did not allow Shula’s talented team to reach the end zone again.
This would be 49ers’ quarterback Joe Montana’s finest hour. A Super Bowl champion three years earlier in Pontiac, he was nearly flawless against a baffled Miami defense. He connected on 24-of-35 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran five times for 59 yards and a score. San Francisco would open up a 28-10 second-quarter lead and the team would rack up 537 total yards by game’s end.
SAN DIEGO – JANUARY 31: Quarterback Doug Williams
2. Washington Redskins QB Doug Williams (Super Bowl XXII)
It is arguably the most remarkable 15 minutes of football played by an offensive unit in NFL history. That’s not an easy claim to make considering the league has 97 years under its storied belt. But thanks to the strong-armed exploits of a certain Washington Redskins starting quarterback, you can be the judge.
Joe Gibbs’ team trailed the Denver Broncos, 10-0, in the second quarter at San Diego in Super Bowl XXII. And just when it appeared things could not get any worse, veteran signal-caller Doug Williams went down and was out of the game. But only for a brief time. Then the fireworks began and seemingly never ended.
By the time the game reached halftime, Williams and the Washington offense had racked up a mind-boggling 356 total yards in the second quarter alone. The Redskins’ quarterback would throw four touchdown passes, covering 80, 27, 50 and 8 yards. Throw in a 58-yard touchdown run by Timmy Smith and Gibbs’ team owned a 35-10 lead faster than you can say Ali Haji-Sheikh.
It would prove to be quite the record-setting out by the Redskins, who rounded out the scoring in the third quarter in a 42-10 rout. Washington would amass 602 total yards, rushing for 280 yards and totaling another 322 through the air. The Broncos managed only 327 yards, 29 less than the ‘Skins piled up in the second quarter.
But the real story was Williams, who finished the game with one interception but completed 18-of-29 passes for 340 yards and those four touchdowns in one quarter. We have rarely seen a flurry like that before and since.
29 Jan 1995: Quarterback Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers runs with the ball during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. Steve Young was the MVP and the 49ers won 49-26. Manda
1. San Francisco 49ers QB Steve Young (Super Bowl XXIX)
His time had finally come. And San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young would come up very big in what proved to be his first and only start on Super Sunday.
From collegiate start at BYU to the USFL’s Los Angeles Express. From the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Niners, Young’s ability to frustrate defense with his legs. But eventually, it was also what he did with his arm that led to having him owning a bust in Canton, Ohio.
After losses in the 1992 and ’93 NFC championship tilts to the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers finally dethroned the two-time Super Bowl champions via a 38-28 win in the conference title game. It was onto South Florida to face the upstart San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. George Seifert’s team wouldn’t waste much time when it came to establishing who the better team would be this day.
Young connected with Jerry Rice on a 44-yard touchdown strike 1:24 into the game. Less than four minutes later, running back Ricky Watters took a Young pass and scored from 51 yards out. With 10:05 remaining in the first quarter, San Francisco owned a 14-0 lead.
The talented signal-caller was just getting warmed up. He would finish with 325 yards through the air and a Super Bowl record six touchdowns through the air. Young hit on 66.7 percent of his throws (24-of-36) and also added a team-best 49 yards on the ground on five carries. San Francisco’s 49-26 victory featured 455 total yards by the club’s offensive unit. It’s safe to say Young went ape when given the chance to get that monkey off his back.
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