50 Most Clutch Players in NFL Playoff History

Throughout the history of the NFL there have been some players that were able to elevate their game to the next level in the postseason. On a different note, there have been some players who folded big time when it counted the most.

Each franchise has a player from one of these lists. Each team has been through the ups and downs that comes with the history of this most popular sport.

Even some of the most unheralded names have come through big time when it counts the most. Just look at David Tyree and Larry Brown as two examples in regards to this.

Today, I am going to take a look at the 50 most clutch performers in NFL playoff history.

50. Art Monk

15 NFL playoff games, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Playoff Statistics: 69 receptions, 1,062 yards and seven touchdowns.

Some may be baffled with my inclusion of Art Monk on this list but his performance against the Buffalo Bills in the Redskins final Super Bowl appearance has to go down as one of the greatest. Although Monk did not record a receiving touchdown, he did burn the Bills secondary for the tune of seven receptions, all for first downs.

Over the duration of Monk's Hall of Fame career, he had three postseason games with over ten receptions and helped the Redskins to a Super Bowl title.

49. Michael Irvin

Seven playoff appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships

Playoff Statistics: 87 receptions, 1,315 yards and eight touchdowns.

Michael Irvin was one of the triplets on a Dallas Cowboys team that won three Super Bowl's over a four year span. He might have been the least popular of the trio but Irvin got the job done when it counted the most.

He accounted for six receptions and over 100 yards with two touchdowns in the first of the Cowboys three Super Bowl during the 1990s. Overall, Irving acquired at least 80 receiving yards in 12 of the 16 postseason games that he played in.

48. Thurman Thomas

Ten playoff appearances and four Super Bowl appearances

Playoff Statistics: 1,442 rushing yards, 672 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.

Despite struggling in the Super Bowl like so many of his Buffalo Bills teammates, Thurman Thomas came up big time on the road to that big game. He compiled nine playoff games with over 100 total yards and scored 21 touchdowns in just as many playoff games throughout his career.

If the Buffalo Bills had won one or two Super Bowl Championships, there is no doubt that he would be much higher on this list.

47. Jim Brown

Four playoff appearances and two NFL Championship appearances.

Playoff statistics: 340 total yards and two touchdowns.

Jim Brown played most of his career before the Super Bowl era. So, there was a time when December games in the NFL actually meant playoff games. It was the idea that you needed to win out in order to capture the division title and play in the league Championship Game.

Despite struggling a great deal in two NFL Championship appearances, Jim Brown was the primary reason why the Cleveland Browns were in the situation to win a title year in and year out.

For that he has to be included in this list.

46. Raymond Berry

Three playoff appearances, two NFL Championship apperances and two NFL Championships

Playoff statistics (three games): 20 receptions, 284 yards and one touchdowns.

In Raymond Berry's two NFL Championsip appearances he caught a total of 17 passes for 246 yards. It was the 1958 title game that puts him on this list. In the Colts victory over the New York Giants, Berry caught 12 of Johnny Unitas' 26 completions and helped set up the greatest run in the history of the NFL Playoffs: the Alan Ameche one yard scamper in overtime that brought the title to Baltimore.

45. Marshall Faulk

Seven playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Playoff statistics: 602 rushing yards, 519 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Marshall Faulk, part of the Greatest Show on Turf, was a primary reason that the St. Louis Rams made two Super Bowl appearances during his tenure with the team.

Faulk gained over 100 total yards seven different times in the playoffs, including 117 against the Tennessee Titans in winning the championship in 1998.

44. Bob Griese

12 playoff games, 7-5 record, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Playoff statistics: 53.8 completion percentage, 1,467 yards, ten touchdowns and 12 interceptions

The only reason that Bob Griese is included in this list is because he did "lead" the Miami Dolphins to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances from 1971-1973 and was a member of the last NFL team to go undefeated.

He wasn't the greatest quarterback in the world but Griese did what needed to be done in order for the Dolphins to succeed when it counted the most.

43. John Taylor

Eight postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships

Postseason Statistics: 46 receptions, 734 yards and six touchdowns

It all comes down to XXIII when talking about John Taylor's inclusion on this list. He was held without a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 49ers attempt for a third Super Bowl Championship. Then with less than one minute remaining and the Bengals leading by three, Joe Montana found John Taylor in the back of the end zone for a game winning ten yard touchdown pass. 

It was Taylor's first Super Bowl reception. 

He would later go on and help the 49ers to two more Super Bowl Championships as their No. 2 wide receiver opposite Jerry Rice. 

42. Fred Biletnikoff

Nine postseason appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship. 

Postseason Statistics: 70 receptions, 1,167 yards and ten touchdowns

Despite a failed attempt at the Super Bowl in 1968, Freddie B did everything in his power to lead the Oakland Raiders to the promises land. In two playoff games, Biletnikoff caught a total of 14 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns. This stood as a playoff record until Jerry Rice broke it some three decades later. 

Biletnikoff did make two Super Bowl appearances, helping the Raiders defeat the Minnesota Vikings in XI, a game that he caught another four passes for 80 yards: including three crucial third down receptions against the Purple People Eaters. 

41. Steve Young

11 playoff appearances, three Super Bowl Appearances and three Super Bowl Championships (Only one as a starter). 

Postseason Statistics: .620 completion %, 3,326 passing yards, 594 rushing yards, 28 total touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 

Steve Young didn't have the postseason success as his predecessor, Joe Montana, had but he will always be linked in the annals of Super Bowl history. Young got that monkey off his back in a big way during Super Bowl XXIX, when he led the 49ers to a dominating 49-26 route of the San Diego Chargers. That game saw Young break a single game Super Bowl touchdown record by throwing six. 

40. Andre Reed

Nine postseason appearances and four Super Bowl appearances. 

Postseason Statistics: 85 receptions, 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Andre Reed may go down as one of the greatest postseason wide receivers to never win a Super Bowl. Over the duration of his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, Reed dominated opposing defenses in the playoffs. He compiled five career 100 yard postseason games and caught a total of 27 Super Bowl passes. 

39. Willie Lanier

As the defensive stalwart of a very successful Kansas City Chiefs team for over a decade, Willie Lanier was one of the primary reasons that the Chiefs made two Super Bowl appearances. 

However, it was his interception of a Fran Tarkenton pass in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl IV that sealed the Chiefs first and only Super Bowl Championship. He came up big when it counted and has to be rewarded for that. 

38. Ronnie Lott

Ronnie Lott has to be considered one of the greatest clutch players in the history of the NFL. He has nine career postseason interceptions, including two that went for touchdowns. 

A lot of the glamour and press of the 49ers dynasty of the 1980s went to their offense but if it wasn't for players like Ronnie Lott their success would never have been possible. 

37. Jim Kelly

Eight postseason appearances, 9-8 record and four Super Bowl appearances. 

Postseason Statistics: .591 completion %, 3,863 yards, 21 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. 

Some people look at the Bills Super Bowl failures as a black mark on the legacy of Jim Kelly and his statistics seem to back that up a little bit. However, if it wasn't for this solid quarterback their postseason success in getting to the Super Bowl would never have happened. 

36. Lenny Moore

Two NFL Championships

Lenny Moore helped the Baltimore Colts to back to back NFL Championships over the New York Giants in 1958 and 1959. In those two games he caught a total of nine passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. 

He was one of the primary reasons that the Colts succeeded in dominating the NFL for some many seasons during that span. 

35. Alan Page

Four Super Bowl Appearances

Alan Page was truly a dominating figure for the vaunted Minnesota Vikings defense. The Purple People Eaters, as they were called, were a bunch of no named individuals who worked great together as a unit. 

Page, led a defense that finished No. 1 in scoring seven different times. During his tenure with the Vikings, they would make four Super Bowl appearances: losing all four. 

Still, the domination of Page up the middle in the playoffs can be seen as one of the most clutch performances in the history of the league. 

34. Deion Sanders

Two Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships

Deion Sanders was as dominating of a player that you could find in the NFL over the duration of a five year span in the mid 90s. He left the Atlanta Falcons to join the San Francisco 49ers in 1994 and promptly help lead them to a Super Bowl Championship. The following year Sanders bolted for the Cowboys and led them to another Lombardi Trophy. 

His five career postseason interceptions don't tell the entire story. Deion Sanders was clutch when it counted the most. 

33. Tony Dorsett

Eight postseason appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship.

Postseason Statistics: 1,383 rushing yards, 443 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. 

Tony Dorsett was as workman like as they come in the playoffs as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In 17 postseason games he was only held for less than 50 yards one time and ran for over 80 yards nine different times. 

Dorsett compiled an average of 110 total yards in his two Super Bowl appearances as well. 

32. Shannon Sharpe

Eight postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason Statistics: 62 receptions, 814 yards and four touchdowns. 

Shannon Sharpe won three Super Bowl Championships in a four year span with the Denver Broncos (twice) and Baltimore Ravens (once). In those three games, Sharpe tallied just eight receptions but that doesn't tell the entire story. 

He made a huge third down catch towards the end of the fourth quarter in the Broncos 1997 AFC Championship Game victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. If it wasn't for that acrobatic catch, Denver would of had to punt and put the ball back in the hands of Pittsburgh's offense. 

Then came the reception heard around the world. It was the second quarter of the 1998 AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders. Shannon Sharpe caught a 96 yard touchdown pass from Trent Dilfer to give the Ravens the first score of the game. They never looked back and took the Super Bowl a week later. 

Big players make plays when it counts the most. 

31. Joe Namath

Two playoff appearances, one Super Bowl appearance and one Super Bowl Championship

Postseason Statistics: .427 completion %, 636 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. 

The only reason why Joe Namath makes this list or is an inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is because of the New York Jets 1968 Super Bowl run. Other than that he was nothing more than a marginal NFL quarterback. 

It was the guarantee of a victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III that will be etched into the collective imagination of football fans for the rest of eternity. The upstart AFL Champion New York Jets, as heavy underdogs, taking out the mighty Baltimore Colts. 

As it is, Namath threw his only three playoff touchdowns that year. 

30. Charles Haley

Eight postseason appearances, five Super Bowl appearances and five Super Bowl Championships

Postseason Statistics: 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception.

I am not sure if you can call Charles Haley lucky for being able to be the only player in NFL history with five Super Bowl rings. Charles Haley dominated opposing offensive lines for more than a decade as a member of the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. He was elite by every possible destination. 

You are looking at a player that recorded five Super Bowl sacks the biggest of which came against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII, when he took down Boomer Esiason on the Bengals final drive of the game, pretty much ensuring a 49ers victory. 

29. Alan Ameche

It might have only been a one yard touchdown run and it might be the only thing that Alan Ameche is every remembered for on the football field but it was absolutely amazing. 

It was the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. The scene was Yankee Stadium and the game was the first to be viewed by a national audience. A captivated American television audience got a glimpse of the greatness of the game we call football and the rest is history. 

With the game tied at 17 in overtime, Ameche took the ball in from one yard out to secure a Baltimore Colts NFL Championship and change the way football would be viewed in the United States forever. 

28. Mel Blount

Four Super Bowl Championships

Postseason Statistics: Five interceptions

For a good 14 seasons Mel Blount represented what it meant to be a member of the Steel Curtain. His dominance in the defensive secondary is now something of mythical standards but Blount saved his best for the playoffs and the Super Bowl. 

In the Steelers 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX, Blount spearheaded a Pittsburgh's secondary that forced three Fran Tarkenton interceptions and held the Vikings to a total of 102 yards through the air. 

This type of performance was repeated time and again by the Hall of Fame corner. 

27. Bruce Smith

Seven postseason appearances and three Super Bowl appearances. 

Postseason Statistics: 14.5 sacks. 

Despite missing the Bills second Super Bowl defeat against the Dallas Cowboys, Bruce Smith was a primary reason why this franchise went to four consecutive big games. 

He tallied a total of 14.5 sacks in just 11 postseason games. Additionally, Bruce Smith did not go a single postseason game without acquiring at least a half of sack. His dominance is a thing for the ages, I just wish Smith was rewarded with a ring.

26. Fran Tarkenton

Five postseason appearances and three Super Bowl appearances. 

Postseason statistics: .510 completion %, 1,803 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

Some might ask why I have a player who was 0-3 in the Super Bowl in the top half of this list, and that is a good question. 

You have to look a little Tarkenton's anemic Super Bowl performances and at his whole body of work in the playoffs. After all, he did need to win six playoff games in order to get the Vikings to the Super Bowl. 

Tarkenton's gritty playoff performance in 1974 against the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams puts him on this list. Despite being injured in the regular season finale', he showed up and led the Vikings to two impressive victories before succumbing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. 

25. Mike Webster

Ten playoff appearances and three Super Bowl Championships. 

Mike Webster was as dominating of a center than you will ever see in the history of the NFL. His ability to protect Terry Bradshaw and open up lanes for Franco Harris up the middle was astonishing. There is a reason why Bradshaw didn't face much pressure when it was all said and done in the playoffs. 

For those of you who disagree with my inclusion of Webster on this list, just take a look at some of the game film from the three Super Bowl's that Pittsburgh won with him as their starting center. 

24. Randy White

Three Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Postseason statistics: Nine sacks and one interception. 

It is really hard to gauge exactly what Randy White meant to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s and 1980s. You cannot look at sacks alone because for the first half of his career that weren't an official statistics. You also cannot look at the fact that Dallas lost two of the three Super Bowls that White played in. 

This dude was as dominating as they came and saved his best for the big time. He recorded a total of five sacks in those three Super Bowl games. 

23. Johnny Unitas

Seven postseason appearances, two NFL Championships and one Super Bowl appearance. 

Postseason statistics: .531 completion %, 1,663 yards, seven touchdowns and ten interceptions. 

While Johnny Unitas may not have put up the best postseason statistics in the world and was on the wrong side of one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, he belongs on this list because of two performances alone. 

Those performances were back to back NFL Championships as a member of the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants in 1958 and 1959. Unitas combined to throw for 613 yards and three touchdowns in those two games. Those statistics were completely unheard of during that era of football. 

22. Mel Renfro

11 playoff appearances, four Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason Statistics: Four interceptions. 

The Hall of Fame corner made big play after big play as a member of the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs. He helped them overcome a deficit against the San Francisco 49ers late in the 1970 NFC Championship Game by intercepting a pass that eventually led to a Cowboys game clinching touchdown. Seven years later, Renfro picked off a Frank Tarkenton pass in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game in order to secure another Cowboys Super Bowl appearance.

As far as big time players go, Renfro is right up there.

21. Kurt Warner

Five postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Postseason statistics: 66.5 completion %, 3,952 yards, 31 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 

As far as big time goes, Kurt Warner is right up there with the best quarterbacks in the history of the league. It is just too bad that he has only one Super Bowl Championship to show for it. 

Warner threw for over 300 yards in six of his 13 postseason starts, including all three of his Super Bowl appearances. Overall, Warner averaged nearly 380 passing yards in the big game. 

What has to be more awe-inspiring is the fact that he led the 9-7 Arizona Cardinals to three consecutive playoff victories in 2008. A run that saw Warner throw for eight touchdowns. 

Amazing!

21. Brett Favre

12 postseason appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship

Postseason statistics: .608 completion %, 5,855 yards, 44 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. 

Despite what the younger generation of football fans might think if Brett Favre, he did come up big when it counted a few different times throughout his career. 

Of course this was before Favre was a brand name in of itself and it represented simpler times for the former Southern Mississippi quarterback. 

19. John Elway

Ten postseason appearances, five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason statistics: .545 completion %, 4,964 passing yards, 461 rushing yards, 33 total touchdowns and 21 interceptions. 

Sure it took John Elway to get Terrell Davis in order for him to finally win the "big one." Still, Elway showed a lot of moxie as the only super star on a Denver Broncos football team that went to three Super Bowls in the 1980s. 

He couldn't do it all by himself. 

Once the Broncos were able to provide Elway with something resembling balance on offense, he took off. It must be a great feeling to leave the game of football as a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Not many cam stake claim to that: Elway can!

18. Ray Nitschke

Three NFL Championships and two Super Bowl Championships.

Unheralded among the Bart Starr's and Otis Taylor's of the world, Ray Nitschke was every bit as valuable as any member of the Green Bay Packers during their run of five championships over a seven year span. 

He dominated opposing blockers, creamed running backs and set a precedence for the dominating middle linebacker play that we see with Patrick Willis and Ray Lewis today. 

His performances in the postseason went far above what we saw in the regular season as well. For this he needs to be mentioned among the most clutch postseason performers in NFL history. 

17. Jim Taylor

Three NFL Championships and two Super Bowl Championships

Postseason statistics: 508 rushing yards, 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

16. Roger Staubach

Nine postseason appearances, four Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships

Postseason statistics: .544 completion %, 2,791 yards, 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. 

Roger Staubach threw eight touchdown passes in his four Super Bowl appearances. His three touchdown performance in a losing effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers might actually go down as one of the greatest Super Bowl performances by a losing team in NFL history. 

So great was Staubach under pressure that opposing defenders coined him "Roger Doger," meaning that he was able to elude pressure, find the open guy and limit his mistakes. 

15. Ken Stabler

Seven Postseason appearances, one Super Bowl appearance and one Super Bowl Championship

Postseason Statistics: .578 completion %, 2,641 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. 0

Yes, Ken Stabler only won one Super Bowl. Yes, he didn't have the greatest postseason statistics. Yes, he isn't in the Hall of Fame. 

None of this matters to me. 

He was a winner, who gave it his all every single time out on the football field. Certain circumstances led to failures for the Raiders in the playoffs but a vast majority of that had nothing to do with Stabler himself. 

He was a true winner and played like that in the postseason. 

14. Franco Harris

Ten playoff appearances, four Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl Championships

Postseason statistics: 1,556 rushing yards, 504 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. 

Franco Harris gained 480 total yards and scored four touchdowns in the Pittsburgh Steelers four Super Bowl games. He was a dominating force up the middle and literally carried their offense on his back at times in the playoffs. 

In the Steelers run to the Super Bowl in 1974, Harris gained 343 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns in just three games. 

13. Troy Aikman

Eight playoff appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason statistics: .637 completion %, 3,849 yards, 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. 

Troy Aikman sure did have a lot of help as the starting quarterback for the talented Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s but he did a lot of work on his own to ensure that this team would go down as a dynasty. 

Aikman threw five touchdowns compared to just one interception in the Cowboys three Super Bowl appearances and only turned the ball over a total of one time out of 198 snaps. 

That is pretty amazing if you ask me. 

Overall, the Cowboys outscored their opponents 109-47 in those three Super Bowl games. 

12. Larry Csonka

Six postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships.

Postseason Statistics: 891 rush yards and nine touchdowns. 

Some people might be wondering why Jim Kiick or Mercury Morris aren't on this list. It really is simple, Larry Csonka got the rock when it counted the most for the Miami Dolphins. 

He had five 100 yard rushing games in 12 postseason appearances, and ran for a total of 257 yards in the Dolphins back-back Super Bowl Championships in 1974 and 1975. 

11. Richard Dent

Four postseason appearances, one Super Bowl appearance and one Super Bowl Championship. 

Postseason statistics: 10.5 sacks. 

We really don't need to look any further than the Chicago Bears and their dominating 1985 defense in order to understand why Richard Dent is on this list. 

Not only was Dent named the Super Bowl MVP, he recorded a whopping six sacks in three postseason games that season. Simply put, that is showing up when it counts the most. 

10. Terrell Davis

Three postseason appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason Statistics: 1,140 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns (eight games). 

Terrell Davis made his mark on the history of the National Football League despite a very brief playing career. 

In just eight postseason games, Davis ran for a whopping 1,140 yards and 12 touchdowns but that doesn't even begin to tell the story. His 327 total yards in the Broncos back to back Super Bowl Championships in 1997 and 1998 is still a NFL record. 

9. Len Dawson

Five postseason appearances, one AFL Championship, two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl Championship. 

Postseason Statistics: .569 completion %, 1,497 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

Len Dawson and the Kansas City Chiefs had the honor of taking on the mighty Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I and it didn't turn out too well for them. 

Still, Dawson did lead his Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs team to two different titles. An American Football League Championship in 1962 and a Super Bowl title in 1969. In those two games, Dawson completed over 70 percent of his passes and threw three touchdown passes. 

8. Lynn Swann

Seven postseason appearances, four Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl Championships. 

Postseason Statistics: 48 receptions, 907 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Where to start with Lynn Swann? If it wasn't for his playoff success, he would have never even sniffed a shot at Canton. 

That said, Swann represents exactly what it means to come up big when it counts in the playoffs. It it wasn't for him the Steelers would probably have only won two Super Bowl's during that run. 

A Dallas Cowboys killer in every possible way, Swann caught huge touchdown passes late in each Steeler' Super Bowl victory over the Boys. 

In all, Lynn Swann gained 285 yards on 11 receptions in their two wins over the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. 

7. Emmitt Smith

Eight playoff appearances, three Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff statistics: 1,586 rushing yards, 342 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns

Super Bowl statistics (three games): 289 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Emmitt Smith ran for 100 or more yards in eight of his 17 career postseason games, including twice in the Super Bowl. His 132 yard, two touchdown performance against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, enabled the Cowboys to capture back to back titles. 

Overall, Smith was the engine that made the triplets go in Big D and should be rewarded like it. 

6. Tom Brady

Eight playoff appearances, 14-5 record, four Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff statistics: 62.2 completion %, 4,407 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Tom Brady's book has yet to be finished but he definitely deserves to be in the top six already. After all, the former sixth round pick has led the New England Patriots to four Super Bowl appearances over the course of the last decade. 

He is a representation of what it means to be a big time player. Just take a look at his Super Bowl statistics for a second here: 1,001 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception. 

I think that speaks volumes in regards to Brady's ability to step up when it counts the most. 

5. Terry Bradshaw

Nine playoff appearances, 14-5 record, four Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff statistics: .572 completion %, 3,833 yards, 30 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Terry Bradshaw wasn't the best quarterback to ever play. In fact, an argument could be made that he was below average. 

Well, that is just on the surface. 

What Terry Bradshaw did in the postseason was nothing short of amazing. His 14-5 record is still among one of the best in the history of the league, he became the only quarterback to win four Super Bowls (since joined by Joe Montana) and turned his game up a notch when it counted the most. 

4. Jerry Rice

16 playoff appearances, four Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff statistics: 151 receptions, 2,245 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Super Bowl stats (four games): 33 receptions, 601 yards and eight touchdowns.

Mr. Clutch himself here right now. Not only is Jerry Rice the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game, he came up huge for the 49ers when it counted the most. 

Just look at his Super Bowl statistics and tell me he doesn't belong in the top five. Over 600 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in four games. 

In the 49ers back to back Super Bowl wins in 1988 and 1989, Jerry Rice caught a total of 18 passes for 363 yards and four touchdowns.

3. Bart Starr

Six playoff appearances, 9-1 career record, three NFL Championships and two Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff statistics: .610 completion percentage, 1,753 yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions

Bart Starr not only led the Green Bay Packers to a total of five NFL Championships, he did it in a dominating way, throwing 14 touchdowns compared to just two interceptions in those games. 

It did help that the Packers had Jim Taylor in the backfield and a myriad of different receivers but you cannot take away from Starr the fact that he came up biggest when it counted the most. 

2. Otto Graham

Six NFL Championship Game appearances, three NFL Championships and four All American Football Conference Championships.

Otto Graham still remains the only player in the history of American Football to have a total of seven World Championships. 

He led the Cleveland Browns to utter dominance in the All American Football League before leading them to three more NFL Championships after joining that league in 1950. 

Overall, the Browns were 115-17-4 in the ten years that he was their quarterback, winning seven championships. 

1. Joe Montana

11 playoff appearances, 16-7 record and four Super Bowl Championships.

Playoff Statistics: 62.7 Completion %, 5,772 yards, 45 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

Honestly, who else would be at No. 1 on this list?

Joe Montana just didn't destroy Super Bowl records, he picked them up threw them against the wall, had his way with them, and left them wanting more. 

11 career Super Bowl touchdowns, compared to zero interceptions for a combined quarterback rating of 128.5. His excellence on the football field during the playoffs is something that will continue to be awe-inspiring for generation of football fans to come. 

Just think about it. In order for someone to match Montana's greatness in the Super Bowl they would have to win four championships, on four tries and without throwing an interceptions. 

Wonder if that will ever happen?