The Bruno Boys' Top 10 List: Super Bowl Performances

With Super Bowl XLIII just days away now, we thought it would be interesting to take a trip back in time and look at the best individual Super Bowl performances.

With 42 Super Bowls in the book, it was hard to narrow things down to just 10. Some notable omissions include Lynn Swann in Super Bowl X, Terry Bradshaw in Super Bowl XIII and John Riggins in Super Bowl XVII.

However, as tough as it was to get the top 10, it was even more difficult to decide on No. 1. After much debate, we finally came up with a list that we feel would hold up in any bar room discussion. Below are the top 10 Super Bowl Performances as rated by the Bruno Boys.

1. Joe Montana, San Franciso 49ers, Super Bowl XXIV

One of, if not the, greatest quarterback in Super Bowl history, Joe Montana’s performance in the San Francisco 49ers’ 55-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV was arguably his greatest.

In that game, Montana completed 22-of-29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns. He made the Broncos' secondary look slow and confused in winning his fourth Super Bowl ring.

2. Phil Simms, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI

The New York Giants' Phil Simms led the team to a 39-20 win over the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI with a nearly flawless performance. Simms completed 22-of-25 passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win.

Simms played so well and threw the ball with such precision that then-coach Bill Parcells labeled it the best performance by a quarterback he’d ever seen. The Big Tuna's endorsement is enough for the Bruno Boys to include Simms here at No. 2.

3. Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIII

Super Bowl XXIII will always be remembered for the last-minute heorics of Joe Montana and John Taylor, who hooked up for a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone with 34 seconds left to give the 49ers a 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, it was wide receiver Jerry Rice who paced the team that day, as he caught 11 passes for 215 yards, setting records that still stand today, to go along with one touchdown.

4. Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIX

The success of the 49ers during their era of Super Bowl dominance was largely attributed to Montana and Rice. However, Montana was no longer a 49er during Super Bowl XXIX and Steve Young led the team to a dominating 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers.

Young was magnificent, as he was 24-of-36 for 315 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. Two of his touchdowns came in the first seven plays of the game.

5. Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl XXXIV

Sometimes there’s flawless and other times there’s magnificent, but the performance of Kurt Warner in the St. Louis Rams’ 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV was something out of a story book.

Warner started the season as the third-string quarterback, not long removed from working at a grocery store. However, in securing the starting job, he led the team to the Super Bowl where he threw for 414 yards, 277 of which came in the first half.

He also threw a 73-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce with just two minutes left in the game to secure the Rams' victory as the Titans came up just a yard short on the final play of the game in their attempt to send the affair into overtime.

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Top 10 Super Bowl Performances

6. Doug Williams, Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII

Doug Williams made history in Super Bowl XXII just by stepping onto the field as he was the first African-American quarterback to do so. Williams then went out and helped the Washington Redskins defeat Denver 42-10 as he threw for 340 yards—228 of which came in the second quarter—and four touchdowns.

7. Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Radiers, Super Bowl XVIII

Marcus Allen is one of the greatest running backs in NFL history and in Super Bowl XVIII, he had one of the greatest performances by a running back in Super Bowl history.

In helping lead the Raiders to a 38-9 win over the Redskins, Allen rushed 20 times for 191 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter which stood as the longest run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history up until Willie Parker scampered for a 75-yard score in Super Bowl XL.

8. Timmy Smith, Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII

Williams wasn’t the only player who helped the Redskins win Super Bowl XXII. With the only name on this list that’s unrecognizable, running back Timmy Smith of the Redskins was also spectacular that day.

Smith, a rookie who was a fifth-round draft pick, gashed the Broncos defense for 204 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the second half.

9. Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl III

The New York Jets entered Super Bowl III as huge underdogs to the favored Baltimore Colts. This prompted Jets quarterback Joe Namath to guarantee that his team would upset the Colts and win the Super Bowl, a notion many scoffed at.

Namath went out and led the Jets to a 16-7 upset over the Colts, prompting the now famous scene where Namath is running into the tunnel after the game with his arm raised into the sky and his index finger extended upwards telling the world the Jets were No. 1.

10. Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XXVII

No list of the top 10 Super Bowl performances would be right if it didn’t include the Dallas Cowboys’ Troy Aikman.

In 1993, Aikman led the Cowboys to a 52-17 win in Super Bowl XVII over the Buffalo Bills. He was 22-of-30 for 273 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

It was the Cowboys’ third Super Bowl win while the Bills lost their third in as many years.

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