The Most Clutch Player in the History of Every NFL Franchise

Throughout the long and storied history of the National Football League, nearly every franchise has been blessed with not only great players, but great players who were able to take their game to another level to perform at their very best in the clutch.

It's those players we will celebrate here, the NFL greats who possessed that extra gear when the lights were brightest, by taking a look at the most "clutch" player in the history of every NFL franchise.

Arizona Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald (2004-Present)

Shining moments have been few and far between for the Cardinals no matter what city they call home, but in Arizona's lone trip to the big game, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald came up huge, hauling in seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in Super Bowl XLIII.

Atlanta Falcons: Tommy Nobis (1966-1976)

Linebacker Tommy Nobis was the first player ever chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL draft, and while the five-time Pro Bowler never played in a Super Bowl, he was the first player to have his number retired by the Falcons, making him the only No. 60 the team has ever had.

Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis (1996-Present)

No player has personified the Baltimore Ravens or their fearsome defense as much as linebacker Ray Lewis, who has been named to the Pro Bowl a staggering 13 times and is the last player remaining from the team's first season in Baltimore.

Buffalo Bills: Bruce Smith (1985-1999)

With all due respect to Jim Kelly (who was the losing signal-caller in four Super Bowls) and no due respect to O.J. Simpson (who killed two people...allegedly), we'll give the nod here to defensive end Bruce Smith, who racked up 171 sacks for the Bills and was Defensive Player of the Year twice.

Carolina Panthers: Steve Smith (2001-Present)

It's a little difficult to select an all-time clutch player from a team that's only been around since 1995, but we'll go with wide receiver Steve Smith, who's spent his entire 11-year career with the Panthers, topping 1,000 yards receiving six times and making five trips to the Pro Bowl.

Chicago Bears: Walter Payton (1975-1987)

There have been any number of great players in the long history of the Chicago Bears, but running back Walter Payton was arguably the best, retiring as the all-time leading rusher in the National Football League and helping to lead the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX while taking the team on his back innumerable times.

Cincinnati Bengals: Anthony Munoz (1980-1992)

Offensive tackle Anthony Munoz was the cornerstone of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s, playing in both the team's Super Bowl appearances, making 11 Pro Bowls and keeping the jerseys of the likes of Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason nice and clean with his blocking prowess.

Cleveland Browns: Jim Brown (1957-1965)

Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown remains the only ball-carrier in National Football League history to average over 100 rushing yards a game for his career. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his nine seasons in the NFL, was league MVP three times and led the league in rushing in eight of the nine years in which he played.

In other words, he was pretty good.

Dallas Cowboys: Roger Staubach (1969-1979)

This one is as close as close can get between Staubach and fellow Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, but even though Aikman won one more Super Bowl than Staubach, we give the edge to "the Dodger," who could hurt you with his legs as well as his arm and won a stellar 75 percent of his regular-season starts.

Denver Broncos: John Elway (1983-1999)

To know why quarterback John Elway is the most clutch player in Denver Broncos history, one need look no further than the 1987 AFC championship game, where Elway engineered a 98-yard drive to defeat the Cleveland Browns that would propel him and the Broncos to the first of five Super Bowls in which he played.

Twenty-five years later, Browns fans are still bitter—I know I am.

Detroit Lions: Barry Sanders (1989-1998)

Before their recent resurgence the Detroit Lions gave their fans precious little to cheer about over the past several seasons, but back in the 1990s they packed the house to root for electric running back Barry Sanders.

Sanders made the Pro Bowl in each of his 10 seasons, rushed for over 150 yards in a game more times than any player in NFL history and led the Lions to their first postseason win since 1957.

Green Bay Packers: Bart Starr (1956-1971)

There are quite a few Green Bay Packers that merit consideration here, including one quarterback that's just getting going and another that won't go away, but Bart Starr gets the hardware after leading the Packers to five NFL titles, including victories in the first two Super Bowls.

Take that, Brett Favre.

Houston Texans: Arian Foster (2009-Present)

The Texans haven't been afforded many opportunities to come through in the clutch in their franchise's short history, but if Houston is going to make any noise in its first trip to the postseason this year, it's going to need to ride running back Arian Foster to do it; he has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.

Indianapolis Colts: Johnny Unitas (1956-1972)

An argument can certainly be made for Peyton Manning, but we're going a little further back and rolling with quarterback Johnny Unitas, who was voted the league's Most Valuable Player three times, led the Colts to championships in 1958 and 1959 and helped guide the team to a victory in Super Bowl V.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Tony Boselli (1995-2001)

Offensive tackle Tony Boselli was the inaugural pick of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, and for seven seasons he anchored the Jaguars offensive line, earning five Pro Bowl selections and helping propel the Jaguars to the AFC championship game in only the franchise's second year of existence.

Kansas City Chiefs: Len Dawson (1962-1975)

Quarterback Len Dawson of the Kansas City Chiefs was the man under center during what can only be called the glory years for the franchise, leading the team to three AFL championships and a victory over the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, the last game between the champions of the AFL and NFL.

Miami Dolphins: Larry Csonka (1968-74, 1979)

As great a player as quarterback Dan Marino was for the Dolphins, his gaudy statistics are overshadowed somewhat by his inability to bring a title to South Beach, paving the way for bruising fullback Larry Csonka and his two world championships (including the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season) to burst through the line and claim the honor.

Minnesota Vikings: Alan Page (1967-1978)

Defensive lineman Alan Page was one of the key components of the Minnesota Vikings' feared "Purple People Eater" defense of the 1970s, made four trips to the Super Bowl, won the NFL MVP in 1971 and just for kicks got his law degree and now sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Now that's clutch.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady (2000-Present)

Like there was any doubt.

Whether it's his improbable victory over the Greatest Show in Turf in Super Bowl XXVI, the two rings he's won since then or his record-setting 50-touchdown season in 2007, quarterback Tom Brady has gone from an unheralded sixth-round draft pick to one of the greatest players at his position in the history of the NFL.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees (2006-Present)

After spending much of the past two decades as one of the laughingstocks of the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have become one of the elite franchises in the NFL, thanks in no small part to the play of quarterback Drew Brees, who led the Saints to their first Super Bowl title and recently broke Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yards.

New York Giants: Lawrence Taylor (1981-1993)

The New York Giants have won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks, but no player in Giants blue wreaked more havoc on the gridiron than linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who revolutionized his position while being named to 10 Pro Bowls and winning Defensive Player of the Year honors three times.

New York Jets: Joe Namath (1965-1976)

His unfortunate drunken attempt to woo Suzy Kolber aside, it doesn't get much more clutch than Broadway Joe's pregame guarantee that the New York Jets would beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, a claim the team backed up in a 16-7 Jets win that helped set the stage for the AFL-NFL merger.

Oakland Raiders: Howie Long (1981-1993)

The Oakland Raiders have a history replete with great players, making this choice a difficult one, but we'll stick with defensive end Howie Long, an eight-time Pro Bowler, member of the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII championship team and a Hall of Famer who tallied over 80 sacks in his career.

Philadelphia Eagles: Chuck Bednarik (1949-1962)

This selection may raise a few eyebrows, but the way I look at it Chuck Bednarik was about as clutch as they come, seeing as he was the last true two-way player in the National Football League, playing both linebacker and center, and his infamous hit on Frank Gifford is still the stuff that nightmares are made of.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Terry Bradshaw (1970-1983)

No team in the history of the National Football League has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy more times than the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while there have been a multitude of players that had a part in those victories, quarterback Terry Bradshaw was under center for four of them, and a 4-0 mark as a quarterback in the Super Bowl is pretty clutch.

San Diego Chargers: Junior Seau (1990-2002)

Quarterback Dan Fouts got a long look here, as did running back LaDainian Tomlinson, but as far as San Diego Chargers go, it doesn't get much more clutch than linebacker Junior Seau, who terrorized opposing offenses in San Diego for over a decade, made 12 Pro Bowls and was a key component of the Bolts' run to Super Bowl XXIX.

San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana (1979-1992)

Super Bowl XXIII: With 3:10 remaining in the game and trailing the Cincinnati Bengals by three points, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana led the team on a 92-yard march, culminating with a touchdown strike to wide receiver John Taylor that gave the 49ers the championship.

It was one of four victories in the Super Bowl for Montana.

That clutch enough for you?

Seattle Seahawks: Steve Largent (1976-1989)

With all due respect to all the fine players that helped propel the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl XL, long before the team reached those lofty heights, the definition of clutch plied his trade in the Pacific Northwest, as wide receiver Steve Largent set a then-NFL record by making at least one catch in a mind-boggling 177 consecutive games.

St. Louis Rams: Deacon Jones (1961-1971)

OK, I'm calling writer's prerogative on this one. While such stars as running back Marshall Faulk and quarterback Kurt Warner may be more deserving, I've been a huge Deacon Jones fan since I was a kid, and if sacks (a term Jones invented) had been an official statistic during Jones' playing days, his 26.5 in 1967 would still be the standard...almost 45 years later.

Don't like the pick? Tell Deacon...just be ready for the head slap.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lee Roy Selmon (1976-1984)

It would have been a lot easier to choose a more recent player from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one from their more successful teams, but instead we went with defensive end Lee Roy Selmon.

Selmon, who passed away last September, spent nine seasons toiling away on mostly awful teams in Tampa Bay but still managed to find his way to six Pro Bowls and be named the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. That's clutch, boys and girls.

Tennessee Titans: Bruce Matthews (1983-2001)

Precious few players have been more dependable over their careers than Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, who didn't miss a game due to injury in 19 seasons, playing in 296 games, still the NFL record for a lineman, and starting a ridiculous 229 contests in a row.

Washington Redskins: Sammy Baugh (1937-1952)

For our last entrant in the most clutch players on each team in NFL history, we're going to hop in the wayback machine and give some props to Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh, who led the Redskins to two NFL titles playing under center, at punter and at defensive back, where he recorded 31 career interceptions, including 11 in 1943 alone.