There is nothing more memorable in NFL than a Super Bowl performance. Even more than a title of MVP or a record, being decisive in the biggest match of the year ensures a place in the history of this sport. From Steve Young to Joe Namath, return to five memorable performances.
Steve Young (QB, 49ers) – Superbowl XXIX
This top 5 does not include Tom Brady or Joe Montana, because the idea is to enhance an individual performance on a Super Bowl, not a global career. And for quarterbacks the ultimate reference is that of Steve Young against the loaders.
Absolutely irresistible, the quarterback will succeed 6 touchdowns at the pass, an absolute record. He adds a double threat aspect with 49 yards on the ground. If this statistic may seem a detail in the modern NFL, Young was an anomaly in the NFL of the 90s with this ability to run in addition to launching.
Chosen as the first choice of the “Superple Draft” by the Buccaneers, Young entered the small NFL door. Bad in Florida, he is sent to the 49ers to be a simple backup. He will become a hero of the Super Bowl, a legend who has really started his career until 30 years old.
Doug Williams (QB, Redskins) & Timmy Smith (WR, Redskins) – Super Bowl XXII
Historically, the Redskins have never been ahead of the fight to break the racial barrier. Last team to include a black player, nothing intended this franchise to make history on this ground.
And yet it is in these colors that Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Forgotten, relegated to USFL, Williams again became a holder in the 1997 season by an incredible competition of circumstances. Author of 340 yards and 4 touchdowns, Williams succeeds in scoring 35 points in a quarter, record in history.
Well helped by a Timmy Smith Record too, author of 204 Yards on the ground, this victory is that of a warrior, revenge and forgotten team. Doug Williams will forever remain the first. If there are many black quarterbacks today, it is also because players like Williams have opened the door.
Von Miller (LB, Broncos) – Super Bowl 50
There are defensive performances that mark the Super Bowl. That of the Seahawks against Peyton Manning or the Buccaneers of Jon Gruden for example. But individually no one embodied defensive domination in this century as Von Miller did.
A real conductor of the Defense of the Broncos, he made a full match with in particular 2.5 sacks and 2 fumbles forced against the MVP Cam Newton. The first Fumble fumus that leads to a defensive touchdown is considered to be the symbol of victory. But Miller's performance goes further, like the impression that he influences each action, by his pressing or his simple presence.
The Edge had an aura that year, and his super bowl was the embodiment of his dominance, he who had already flew over the conference final.
Jerry Rice (WR, 49ers) – Super Bowl XXIII
There is a man in each sport with unattainable records like Wayne Gretzky in NHL or Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA. In NFL, this man is called Jerry Rice, and he may be the greatest player in the history of this sport.
Record department, among others, in the number of yards in reception (22,895 against 17,492 for the second), Jerry Rice made a specialty to be as decisive in playoffs as in regular season. His biggest match remains the Super Bowl XXIII, during which he crushed a defense of Bengals without solution against him. Author of 215 yards in total, he mainly flew over the fourth quarter when his team did not seem able to win this match.
In three Super Bowl, Jerry Rice achieved 512 yards and 7 touchdowns. Yes, you read that right.
Joe Namath (QB, Jets) – Super Bowl III
There were surprises in the story of Super Bowl, as in 2007 when the Giants beat the invincible Patriots. But none equals the Super Bowl III in dramaturgy is in impact on the League.
If for 50 years the jets have been one of the worst franchises in the league, they have a ring, a story and a hero: Joe Namath. A man and a promise: the jets can beat the colts, favorites of 18 points before the match.
Taken for a madman, Joe Namath and his team will however offer the deceased AFL a first victory against “the ogre” NFL, and particularly the colts of Johnny Unitas. If his match is not statistically monstrous, his leadership and his ability to play clean football and bring the opponent out of his match to mark a generation. He is an icon, one of the first superstar in the league.
