The Ten Greatest Performances in Super Bowl History

There have been many unforgettable Super Bowl performances over the past forty years. Many are close to my heart. Phil Simms's MVP performance in 1986 immediately comes to mind. Lawrence Taylor's play in that game is also quite memorable. Richard Dent in 1985 can never be forgotten. Chuck Howley, Roger Staubach, Franco Harris and Tom Brady have all played memorable Super Bowl games. But who were the best of the best? Well, that is subject to a lot of debate, and there really is no way to boil down 40 years of big game history into just the 10 best performances. But I am going to try anyway. Here goes.

By the time the first Super Bowl came around, Max McGee was a 36 year old, semi-retired backup receiver. He caught only 4 passes during the entire regular season. In fact, McGee was so rarely used, that he thought he would see no action in the Super Bowl. So, the night before, he went out on the town, got stinking drunk and came in to his room about 5:00 a.m. He slept only two hours and told Green Bay's top receiver, Boyd Dowler: "I hope you don't get hurt. I am in no condition to play."

But Dowler did get hurt. On the Packers second drive, he separated his shoulder and had to leave the game for good. Coach Vince Lombardi inserted the brutally hungover McGee to play in the biggest game in football history (up to that point). Although he was on the verge of collapsing from the previous night's activities, McGee delivered. He caught the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history and went on to catch 7 balls for 138 yards and 2 Touchdowns. Amazing. To this day, Packer Legend Jerry Kramer swears that he smelled the hooch on McGee's breath the whole game.

Swann only made four catches in this Super Bowl. They were four of the greatest and most exciting catches in NFL history.

Surely, anyone who saw that game remembers Swann's incredible "tip-bobble-dive-fall-catch" of a 40 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw at midfield. Just as impressive, however, was Swann's sideline catch where he leaped over the defensive back, caught the ball with his fingertips, and then somehow managed to keep his toes in bounds. But most impressive of all was Swann's 64 yard touvhdown catch to put the Steelers up 21-10. It was the longest Super Bowl Touchdown reception until Kenny King took one 80 yards to the house 5 years later against the Eagles. Overall, Swann's Super Bowl performances are now the stuff of legend, and helped land him in the Hall of Fame.

If you want to truly appreciate the iced-veined brilliance of Adam Vinatieri, you should look at his entire career. He has kicked 19 game winning field goals with less than a minute to go. Wow. But he saved his best for the Super Bowl. In SB XXXVI, the Rams were heavily favored over the streaking Patriots. The Pats surprised everyone, however, and kept the game close all the way, right up until there were four second left. With the scored tied at 17-17, Vinatieri lined up to attempt a 48 yard field goal. Only Scott Norwood and Jim O'Brien had attempted potential game winning field goals at the end of regulation, with very different results. Vinatieri nailed it. The Patriots won 20-17 and a dynasty was born.

Two years later against the Carolina Panthers, Mr. V. found himself in the exact same position. Four seconds on the clock, game tied, and he faced a 41 yard attempt. If he made it, he would become a legend. If he missed and the Patriots ended up losing, he would probably go down in history as a one-hit wonder who couldn't repeat. He made it. Time ran out, the Patriots took their second Super Bowl title in three years, and Vinatieri became the clutchest field goal kicker in NFL history

Going into Super Bowl XVIII, the Redskins were heavy favorites to demolish the Raiders. They were the defending champs. They also had a 16-2 overall record, scored 541 points in the regular season, and they had a PLUS-43 turnover margin, the best ever. In the playoffs, they destroyed the Rams, 51-7, and then beat a very, very good San Francisco team, 24-21.

But when the game finally started, everyone in America quickly learned how good the Raiders were, and how great Marcus Allen was. Allen's most memorable play was a run that was supposed to go off tackle. When Allen got to his spot, however, he saw that it was filled with four or five 'Skins defenders, ready to take his head off. Allen did not panic, nor did he run straight into a sure tackle for a loss. No. Instead, he reversed his course and began running toward the center of the field with a horde of Washington Players chasing him down. He then spotted a hole right up the middle and took it. Once he got past the broken down defensive line, he sprinted 74 yards to paydirt. Nobody could catch him. He was gone. His TD put the Raiders up 28-9 in a game that would eventually end up a 38-9 blowout.

Allen scored another TD in the 4th quarter and broke the Super Bowl rushing record set by John Riggins the year earlier. He was named the game's MVP.

This was one of the greatest, and most pivotal, Super Bowls in history. Coming into the game, both the Steelers and the Cowboys had both won two Super Bowls in the 1970's. Dallas had also played and lost in two others. Clearly, the winner of this game was going to be the Team of the 1970's. The loser would be just another great team; not an immortal team.

Bradshaw saw to it that his squad would come out on top. He was incredible. He threw four TD passes, including a 75 yard bomb to John Stallworth. It remains one of the best plays in all of Super Bowl history. The Steelers prevailed, 35-31, and Bradshaw earned his first of two Super Bowl MVP awards. The Steelers are remembered as the Greatest Dynasty in NFL history.

Historians and sociologists will remember Doug Williams as the first African-American Quarterback to lead his team to Super Bowl win. Sports will remember him for turning in one of the three best Super Bowl QB performances of all time.

After the first quarter of this game, the Denver Broncos led 10-0. 'Skins fans feared a repeat blowout like the one they had suffered at the hands of the Raiders four years earlier. Then the Second Quarter arrived and Williams exploded. He threw four TD passes in that stanza alone. When halftime arrive, the 'Skins had already built an insurmountable 35-10 lead. The Broncos never made a sound in the second half, and the Redskins won 42-10.

Williams won the MVP. It was his last hurrah as a great Quarterback. He never again ascended to the levels that he had reached in that regular season or in the Big Game. His performance will be remembered forever, however, and for all of the right reasons.

In 40 Super Bowls, Timmy Smith is the only player to rush for more than 200 yards. The amazing thing about Smith is that that game was really the only time he shined in the NFL. In fact, Smith never even rushed for 100 yards in an NFL game. However, on this day in January 1988, he exploded for 204 yards on 20 carries and 2 key touchdowns. It was an unforgettable performance by the young man from Texas Tech. Unfortunately, Smith had many off the field problems and injuries that completely submarined his career. He was out of the NFL by 1990.

Jerry Rice is so good that I cannot possibly pick just one of his Super Bowl performances for this list. Rice played four times on Super Bowl Sunday and dominated all four games he appeared in. His first Super Bowl came against the Cincinnati Bengals. Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. The next year against Denver, in Super Bowl XXIV, he caught 7 passes for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns. Just to prove he wasn't slowing down at age 32, Rice went on to catch 10 passes for 149 yards and 3 scores against the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. Then, at the ripe old age of 40, Rice caught 5 passes for 77 yards and one score for the Raiders against the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

His totals for four games: One MVP, Three Wins, 33 catches, 589 Yards, 8 touchdowns. Sick, sick, sick. No Wide Receiver even comes close to Rice's production or his contribution to the 49ers' victories. He is truly the greatest of all time.

This guy was so great they named a state after him. Montana is the only three-time Super Bowl MVP. Like Rice, it is hard to choose his best game. But I will try. Joe Montana probably played his best game ever against the Broncos on the 28th of January, 1990. (Isn't it a bit unfair that so many players had their best games ever against the Broncos in the Super Bowl??? To wit: Phil Simms, Timmy Smith, Doug Williams, Joe Montana).

Montana led his team to a 55-10 blow-out of the poor Denver Broncos. He passed for a then-record 5 Touchdown passes. Each won twisted the dagger a little more deeply into the backs of the Denver players and fans. The beating was so brutal that I actually found it hard to watch. Montana cemented his legacy as the greatest QB of all time in this, his last Super Bowl appearance. Some people want to say that Tom Brady is the new Joe Montana. Listen, Tom Brady is a great quarterback. But I knew Montana, and Mr. Brady is no Joe Montana.

Steve Young should have been the greatest QB of all time. Yes, he should have. But he screwed up. First, he went to the USFL for two seasons. When that League folded, he came over to play for Tampa Bay, which was really like playing for a USFL team, except you have to play against NFL teams. Tampa sucked. Young had no talent around him and really did not play very well for that awful team. Then, he moved on to San Francisco, where backed up Joe Montana. Not since Earl Morall backed up Unitas (and then Bob Griese) had a team enjoyed such depth at the quarterback position.

When Montana got hurt at the end of the 1990 season, Young finally got what he always deserved. A starting job on a good football team. He made the most of it. From 1991 though 1994, Young put up the best numbers in the NFL. The Niners also won with him at the helm, making the playoffs every season. But Young never won the big one. Never, that is, until his team got past the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game and then faced an overmatched San Diego Chargers squad in the 29th Super Bowl.

Young played miraculously. He threw six (6!) Touchdown passes, and amassed 325 yards in the air. The Niners destroyed San Diego, Young won the MVP and he finally, finally, got that monkey off his back.