
Imago
Credit: BRYAN KELSEN, Associated Press

Imago
Credit: BRYAN KELSEN, Associated Press
Essentials Inside The Story
- Legends rise in one game, whether Brady or little-known David Tyree
- Top performances across all eras, from rookie rushers to seasoned QBs
- Defensive feats and clutch plays define players beyond stat lines
Legends are made in February. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback like Tom Brady or a receiver who never had more than 211 yards in a single season like David Tyree. All it takes is one game in the biggest sporting event on the calendar to make you a legend.
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Every year, there’s at least one player who steps up when the lights are the brightest and helps guide their team to a Super Bowl. We’ve seen it time and time again, and this year will be no different.
Today, we’re taking a walk down memory lane and identifying the top 10 greatest individual performances in Super Bowl history.
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Note: There will be no repeat players on this list. Everyone here must have won the Super Bowl that year.
10. WR Lynn Swann
Kicking off our list is Lynn Swann, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers WR. He may not have put up the most insane stat line, though four catches for 161 yards and a touchdown is still very good, but it was more about the plays that he made. I mean, every catch he made was highlight reel-worthy. And the Steelers needed each one of them, too, as they edged out the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17.
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Stats: 4 receptions, 161 receiving yards, TD
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9. RB Marcus Allen

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Imago
Marcus Allen is one of the most talented running backs in NFL history. He only got to play in the Super Bowl one time during his 16-year career, but he made his moment count, carrying the ball 20 times for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 38-9 victory over Washington. This was Allen’s third season in the NFL, but he and the Raiders could never quite get back to the Super Bowl. At least he made the most of his opportunity.
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Stats: 20 carries, 191 rushing yards, 2 TD
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8. DE Von Miller
The first defensive player to crack our list is none other than Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. There have been a lot of great defensive performances in the Big Game, but few rival Millers’ eight-pressure, 2.5-sack outing. He was all over Cam Newton in Super Bowl 50, and even forced the MVP to fumble a couple of times. The Broncos’ defense held the Panthers’ offense, which was the best in the league in 2015, to just 10 points in the Super Bowl, and Miller was a huge reason why.
Stats: 5 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
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7. QB Phil Simms
Phil Simms played the most efficient game in Super Bowl history. The New York Giants QB1 completed 88 percent of his passes, which still stands as a Super Bowl record to this day. But he wasn’t just dinking and dunking all game. Simms averaged over 10 yards per attempt and threw for three touchdown passes in the Giants’ 39-20 win over the Broncos. Only one other person has completed more than 80 percent of their throws in the Super Bowl (Drew Brees), so there’s a good chance this record is never broken.
Stats: 22-for-25, 268 yards, 3 TD
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6. LB Rod Martin
We may never see another Super Bowl performance like the one Rod Martin had. If you picked off three passes in the regular season, you’d feel pretty good about the year you had, but Martin had three of them just in the Super Bowl. The Oakland Raiders linebacker owns the record for the most picks in the big game, and I’m not sure it will ever be beaten. And on top of that, he also recorded a sack. A great all-around effort.
Stats: 3 INT
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5. RB Timmy Smith
If you’re like me and you weren’t born when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, you may be asking yourself who Timmy Smith is. After all, he only played three years in the NFL from 1988-1990 and had 602 career rushing yards in the regular season. But man, when he got his chance to shine in the Super Bowl, he absolutely did. As a rookie, Smith carried the ball 22 times for 204 yards and two touchdowns as he helped Washington take a 42-10 victory over the Broncos. He totaled more yards in the Super Bowl than he did in his entire rookie season. Such a random, but great, performance from someone you never would’ve heard of otherwise.
Stats: 22 carries, 204 rushing yards, 2 TD
4. QB Joe Montana

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December 28, 1992 – San Francisco, California, U.S – San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park Monday, December 28, 1992. 49ers Beat Lions 24-6. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana NFL American Football Herren USA 1992: 49ers 24:6 Lions – ZUMAg52_ 19921228_zap_g52_008 Copyright: xAlxGolubx
Joe Montana won four Super Bowls during his time with the 49ers, but his best performance came in his last one. Montana completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 297 yards and five touchdowns as the 49ers absolutely destroyed the Broncos, 55-10. It was easily the most dominant effort we’ve seen from any team in the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t the best quarterback performance we’ve ever seen…
Stats: 22-for-29, 297 yards, 5 TD
3. QB Steve Young
Steve Young won three Super Bowls in his career, but two of them came as a backup to Joe Montana. But in the one Super Bowl he won as a starter, Young absolutely balled out, throwing for 325 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions. Jerry Rice was the main recipient of Young’s outing, catching 10 passes for 149 yards and three scores as the 49ers absolutely dominated the Chargers, 49-26, capturing their fifth championship thanks to Young.
Stats: 24-for-36, 325 yards, 6 TD
2. WR Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice could’ve been on this list a few times (including the performance we just talked about in 1995), but since we’re limiting it to one appearance per player, Rice’s 1989 Super Bowl has to be his best. The San Francisco 49ers’ star receiver caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers took down the Bengals, 20-16. San Fran’s offense struggled for most of the game, and without Rice, there’s a real chance the Bengals would have a Lombardi trophy in their building right now.
Stats: 11 receptions, 215 receiving yards, TD
1. RB Terrell Davis
Topping our list has to be Terrell Davis. After John Elway and the Denver Broncos failed to win the Super Bowl three times, they finally got back in 1997-1998. Everyone was waiting for Elway to finally have his Super Bowl moment, but he did not play well, and it was Davis who put the team on his back, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns, while leading Denver to victory. If it weren’t for Davis, Elway would likely be a one-time champion.
Stats: 30 carries, 157 rushing yards, 3 TD.
Every Super Bowl has its hero. Sometimes it’s the veteran QB, other times the rookie nobody expected. In February, legends are made in a single game.
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