ClutchPoints
The Super Bowl is obviously the biggest game in the NFL, and big games are meant for big-time players. Super Bowl 59 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles is right around the corner, and players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are trying to further improve their already impressive big game résumés. They are just a couple of the many stars that have shined in the championship game, though. Some legends continued their dominance in these title games, while other role players seemed to always step up their game when a championship was on the line. With that said, here are the best players in Super Bowl history, ranked based on how impressive their careers were in the Super Bowl only.
John Elway is one of three Denver Broncos players on this list, but he is definitely the most iconic of the bunch. Elway had to go through the trials and tribulations before he could finally win the big game.
Without a lot of talent around him, Elway carried the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the ’80s. Elway didn’t play great in those games, though, and his team was blown out in all three of those games. The quarterback made up for it in his final two title games. Elway won Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII, and he was named the MVP in the latter of those two. Elway has 73 completions and 1,126 passing yards to his name in the championship game.
His three-to-eight touchdown-to-interception ratio in the Big Game prevents him from ranking any higher, but Elway was also a threat with his feet. Elway had four rushing touchdowns during his time in the Super Bowl, and his helicopter run is one of the most famous plays in NFL history.
Those four rushing scores are the second most in Super Bowl history, and he did it as a quarterback. Elway wasn’t perfect in the final game, but he went to the championship enough times to put up lofty numbers, and he ended his career on a high note with two impressive wins.
Rod Martin only played in two Super Bowls, but his three-interception performance with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV is iconic. Martin went on to have a sack and a fumble recovery in Super Bowl XVIII after the Raiders relocated to Los Angeles as well.
We lumped Lynn Swann and Franco Harris together because they were teammates with similarly impressive production on the Pittsburgh Steelers for all four of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl wins in the late ’70s/early ’80s.
During that run, Swann had 364 receiving yards, which is tied for the second most ever, while Harris had 354 yards on the ground, which is the most in Super Bowl history. The Steelers dominated this era of football, and these two star’s heroics were a big reason why.
Swann’s best performance included a...
