TOP 25 GREATEST QB PERFORMANCES IN THE SUPER BOWL

With Super Bowl 50 just hours away, here's a look at the greatest performances by a QB in the history of the Big Game. Same rules apply as the worst list— I'm going on a greatest hits format. If a quarterback has multiple great Super Bowl games under his belt, I'll talk about the one I think is the greatest. 25 unique quarterbacks will be the result. Now let's get to it!

#25

Len Dawson (Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl IV, 1970)

Dawson was among the most accurate quarterbacks of his day, and he kept that up in Super Bowl IV. He completed 12 of his 17 passes (70.6 percent) with 8.4 yards per attempt. While he threw an interception, that would be his only turnover of the game. He threw a touchdown and had a passer rating of 90.8. Even though the Vikings defense sacked him three times, they couldn't stop Dawson or the Chiefs from scoring, despite limiting their yards. The Chiefs won 23-7 in the final game before the NFL-AFL merger, and Dawson was named Super Bowl MVP.

#24

Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLIII, 2009)

Avenging his piss-poor performance from three years prior, Roethlisberger played significantly better in his second go around in the Super Bowl. While Santonio Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP (thanks, in no small part, to doing this), Roethlisberger did a good job of spreading the ball around. He targeted eight receivers in the game and completed 70 percent of his passes for 256 yards (8.5 yards per attempt). That touchdown by Holmes would be Roethlisberger's only one of the game (he also threw a pick and was sacked three times), but he still netted himself a passer rating of 93.2 and, you know, a Super Bowl ring.

#23

Ken Stabler (Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XI, 1977)

It took Ken Stabler 26 years to get into the Hall of Fame, and he didn't live to see it happen, but it was performances like the one he had in Super Bowl XI that made his candidacy possible in the first place. After leading the NFL in the regular season with 27 touchdowns and a 66.7 completion percentage, Stabler kept his pace up in the Big Game. He completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 180 yards (9.5 yards per attempt), throwing one touchdown and no picks and being sacked just one time. Stabler's passer rating of 111.7 is in the top-20 all-time among starting quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Pretty good showing for his one appearance.

#22

Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XLVII, 2013)

The first instance on this list of a quarterback on the losing team. Kaepernick was in his first season as a starter, usurping Alex Smith while the latter was injured with a concussion. Kaepernick had a good season, accounting for 15 total touchdowns (10 passing, five rushing) and just three picks while holding the starting job.

In the Super Bowl, Kaepernick would go 16-of-28 passing (57.1 percent) for 302 yards (10.8 yards per attempt), one touchdown and an interception. He also made hay on the ground, rushing seven times for a touchdown and 62 yards (8.9 yards per attempt), just two yards shy of Steve McNair's Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a QB. Kaepernick was brought down three times by the Ravens defense (he had been sacked twice in the 49ers previous two playoff games), but he still played well in the loss, accumulating a passer rating of 91.7.

#21

Eli Manning (New York Giants, Super Bowl XLVI, 2012)

Unlike his Super Bowl XLII performance, which was a microcosm of his career (where played brilliantly and terribly practically at the same time), Manning's Super Bowl XLVI was exceptional from start to finish. He completed 75 percent of his passes on 40 attempts, threw for 296 yards (7.4 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. He also had zero turnovers in the game despite being sacked three times. To cap everything off, Manning had a passer rating of 103.8 in the game and was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time. This is the best performance by a Manning in the Super Bowl (barring tonight of course, since it hasn't been played yet).

#20

Ken Anderson (Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XVI, 1982)

Another strong outing for the losing QB. Anderson was coming off his finest season as a pro, being named MVP and 1st Team All-Pro while throwing for career-highs in yards (3,754), touchdowns (29) and passer rating (98.4) on a 62.6 percent completion rate and just 10 interceptions. In the Super Bowl, Anderson threw two interceptions (his only turnovers of the playoffs) and was sacked five times. He still went 25-for-34 passing (73.5 percent) for a clean 300 yards (8.8 yards per attempt) and threw two touchdowns while accounting for a third one rushing. Anderson's passer rating was 95.2 and the Bengals lost to the 49ers by only five points.

#19

Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XIII, 1979)

Bradshaw went to four Super Bowls and generally played well in them. His third trip to the Big Game was his finest, though— coming off an MVP season, Bradshaw went 17-of-30 passing (56.7 percent) for 318 yards (he was the first quarterback to have a 300-yard game in the Super Bowl). Bradshaw threw four touchdowns in the game (the most ever in the Super Bowl to that point), which made up for his three turnovers (one interception and two lost fumbles).

The Cowboys' defense made Bradshaw's life difficult in general, as they sacked him four times. Still, Bradshaw managed to get the Steelers to a squeaker 35-31 victory with a passer rating 119.2 (which was the second-highest in Super Bowl history at the time, behind Bradshaw's earlier 122.5 rating in Super Bowl X). He was named Super Bowl MVP.

#18

Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004)

Delhomme was a steady hand for the Panthers for much of his career, rarely being anything but decent. But his Super Bowl XXXVIII performance was one for the ages. Delhomme went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady, throwing three touchdowns and 323 yards despite completing just 48.5 percent of his passes and getting sacked four times. Delhomme lost a fumble, but that was his one turnover of the game. He had a passer rating of 113.6 in the game, which is one of the 20 best ever posted in the Super Bowl and the highest of any losing starting quarterback in history.

#17

Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals, Super Bowl XLIII, 2009)

The greatest effort by a losing quarterback in Super Bowl history. Warner had already done yeoman's work getting the 9-7 Cardinals to the Super Bowl (with a helpful assist from Larry Fitzgerald, who had one of the greatest postseasons in history that year), and proceeded to play out of his mind by going 31-for-43 passing (72.1 percent) for 377 yards (the second-most ever behind Warner's own 414 yard game from Super Bowl XXXIV). While he turned the ball over twice (on one interception and one lost fumble out of two total), Warner still accounted for three passing touchdowns. His passer rating of 112.3 was the highest of his three Super Bowl appearances and a scoatch lower than Delhomme's.

#16

Roger Staubach (Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl VI, 1972)

Staubach played in four of the Cowboys' five Super Bowls in the 70s and largely played well in them, with his only truly bad game coming Super Bowl X (he was sacked a Super Bowl record seven times and coughed up three interceptions). But his winning effort in Super Bowl VI was his best. Staubach went 12-of-19 passing (63.2 percent) with two touchdowns and no turnovers. His passer rating was 115.9, the best in his four Super Bowl appearances and the fourteenth-highest ever recorded in the Big Game. For his efforts, he was named Super Bowl MVP.

#15

Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl XLVIII, 2014)

Wilson was very much the third option on a great Seahawks team, with their defense and run game playing exceptionally en route to a 13-3 record and cruising to the Super Bowl (he still had a great season, but the defense and run game were just more important to the team's identity). But once in the Big Game, Wilson ingratiated himself well. He completed 72 percent of his passes for 206 yards (8.2 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns and no turnovers. He also ran three times for 26 yards (8.7 yards per attempt) and wasn't sacked once. Wilson's passer rating in the game was 123.1, the ninth-best in history.

#14

Jim McMahon (Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XX, 1986)

Obviously, the first thing you think about when it comes to the Bears in Super Bowl XX would be their ferocious defense. But Jim McMahon still had a pretty good game. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 256 yards (12.8 yards per attempt, the second-highest mark in Super Bowl history). While he didn't throw any touchdowns, McMahon ran two in (he was the only Bear to score multiple touchdowns in the game) and committed zero turnovers. A single sack was the only blemish on his stat line. His passer rating was 104.2.

#13

Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV, 2010)

In a year where he led the Saints to 13-straight victories and led the NFL in completion percentage (70.6) and passing touchdowns (34), Drew Brees had a Super Bowl to be proud of. He went 32-for-39 passing for a completion percentage of 82.1, the third-highest among starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history (and even then, Bob Griese only threw seven passes in Super Bowl VIII when he completed 85.7 percent of his passes). Brees also threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over, accumulating a passer rating of 114.5. He was named Super Bowl MVP as the Saints claimed their first-ever championship.

#12

Bart Starr (Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl I, 1967)

Even with the game nearly a half-century old as of this writing, Bart Starr still had one of the best games a quarterback ever had in the Super Bowl. After having an MVP season, Starr went 16-for-23 passing for a completion percentage of 69.6 in the first-ever tilt between the NFL and AFL. Starr threw for 250 yards (10.9 yards per attempt, still ninth-best ever). While the Chiefs defense picked him off once and sacked him three times, Starr threw two touchdowns and had a passer rating of 116.2, still the thirteenth-best mark in Super Bowl history. Unsurprisingly, after the 35-10 drubbing in Green Bay's favor, Starr was named the first-ever Super Bowl MVP.

#11

John Elway (Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999)

I already chronicled Elway's poor play in the Super Bowl, but at least he rode off into the sunset with his best-ever Super Bowl game in his back pocket. Elway went 18-for-29 passing (62.1 percent) and threw for 336 yards, which was the third-most ever thrown in the Super Bowl to that point (his 11.6 yards per pass attempt is still seventh-best ever). While he threw an interception, Elway also threw a touchdown and ran a second one in. His passer rating of 99.2 was the highest mark he ever had in the Super Bowl, and he was named Super Bowl MVP upon securing his second-straight championship.

#10

Tom Brady (New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLIX, 2015)

It's tough deciding on which game to choose for a person who's started six Super Bowls at QB. While Brady had plenty of good games (most notably in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX), I decided on his Super Bowl performance from last year, since he faced the best defense he ever went against in the Super Bowl and still had a great game.

Brady was held to 6.6 yards per pass attempt, despite completing 74 percent of his passes and setting a Super Bowl record for completions (37). The Seahawks also picked him off twice in the game and sacked him once. But Brady still threw four touchdown passes and over 300 yards on a team which led the NFL in points allowed per game (15.88), total yards allowed per game (267.13) and passing yards allowed per game (185.63). His passer rating of 101.1 was his second-best mark in the Super Bowl, and he was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time in his career, tying Joe Montana for the most ever.

#9

Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XXXI, 1997)

After his second-straight of what would be three-straight MVP seasons, the newly-minted Hall of Famer won the only championship of his career. While Favre completed just 14 of his 27 passes, he still threw for 246 yards (9.1 yards per attempt) and didn't turn the ball over once. He threw two touchdowns and ran in a third— despite the fact that he was sacked five times in the game, the most sacks ever taken by a winning quarterback. Favre's passer rating of 107.9 is the 25th-best in history.

#8

Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV, 2011)

Favre's successor had a pretty good Super Bowl himself. Rodgers went 24-for-39 passing (61.5 percent) and threw for 304 yards. Despite getting sacked three times and being held to minus-two rushing yards, Rodgers threw three touchdowns and accumulated a passer rating of 111.5. He was named Super Bowl MVP, something Brett Favre never accomplished in his stellar career.

#7

Doug Williams (Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII, 1988)

Williams made history by becoming the first black quarterback to start and win the Super Bowl, but he played out of his mind as well. He went 18-for-29 passing (62.1 percent) and threw for a then-record 340 yards with 11.7 yards per pass attempt. Williams also threw four touchdown passes, tying Terry Bradshaw's Super Bowl record (and which has only been equaled or surpassed four times since). Even with a sack and an interception, Williams accumulated a passer rating of 127.9, the second-highest one at the time and still sixth-best ever. Shockingly, he was named Super Bowl MVP.

#6

Jim Plunkett (Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XV, 1981)

Plunkett went from being a number-one-overall draft bust in the 70s to revitalizing his career with the Raiders in the 80s. Plunkett shredded the Eagles on 13-for-21 passing (61.9 percent), 261 yards (12.4 yards per attempt, the third-best mark ever), three touchdowns and no turnovers in the Super Bowl. His passer rating was 145.0, the best-ever at the time and still the third-highest ever, and he was named Super Bowl MVP. Now that's what we call a successful rebound.

#5

Joe Flacco (Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XLVII, 2013)

Flacco had a postseason for the ages after the 2012 season, equaling Joe Montana's 1990 postseason with 11 touchdowns with no interceptions (he accomplished this feat while playing in one more game than Montana). Three of those 11 touchdowns came in the Super Bowl, while he also completed two-thirds of his passes and threw for 287 yards (8.7 yards per pass attempt). Flacco's passer rating of 124.2 is eighth-best in Super Bowl history and he was named Super Bowl MVP.

#4

Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XXVII, 1993)

With four Roger Staubach Super Bowl performances already in their history, Troy Aikman played the best Super Bowl game of any Cowboys quarterback ever, and one of the best Super Bowl games period. He completed 73.3 percent of his passes for 9.1 yards per pass attempt while also adding another 28 yards on the ground (good for 9.3 yards per rush). Aikman threw four touchdown passes without an interception, the most recent quarterback to throw that many TDs without a turnover in a Super Bowl, and just the third ever (spoiler alert— we'll be talking about the other two further down). His passer rating was 140.7, still the fourth-best in history, and he was named Super Bowl MVP.

#3

Phil Simms (New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI, 1987)

Despite a fine career, you wouldn't peg Phil Simms to have one of the best games in Super Bowl history. And yet, that's exactly what he did. Simms completed 22 of his 25 passes, which equates to a completion percentage of 88, the highest mark in Super Bowl history. Simms also threw for 268 yards (10.7 per pass attempt), ran for 25 yards on three attempts, and threw three touchdowns without turning the ball over. His passer rating was 150.9, also a Super Bowl record (and just 7.4 points shy of a perfect rating). Shockingly, he was named Super Bowl MVP.

#2

Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIV, 1990)

There has never been a Super Bowl quarterback better than Joe Montana, in terms of overall body of work. What he accomplished is frankly absurd— in four Super Bowls, all victories for the 49ers, he completed 68 percent of his passes, threw for 1,142 yards (9.4 yards per pass attempt) and threw 11 touchdowns without an interception. He also rushed for 105 yards on 17 attempts (6.2 yards per rush) and picked up another two touchdowns. His only blemishes were a fumble in Super Bowl XXIII (which he recovered) and seven sacks across the four title games. That's it!

But this is a list predicated on individual Super Bowl performances. Montana, obviously, never really had a bad game, with his Super Bowls XIX and XXIII being classics in their own rights. But it's just as obvious what his best Super Bowl game was— Super Bowl XXIV.

Montana went 22-of-29 passing, good for a completion percentage of 75.9, still the fourth-highest mark for a starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. Montana also threw for 297 yards (10.2 yards per pass attempt), while picking up an extra 15 yards on the ground on just two rushing attempts. But the real kicker was in his touchdowns— he threw five of them! He was the first quarterback to ever throw that many in a single Super Bowl, and only one other quarterback has repeated that since.

This all happened without Montana losing the ball once, either through an interception or a fumble. His passer rating of 147.6 is still the second-highest mark in history. Why, yes, he was named Super Bowl MVP for the record third time.

So this was a great performance, and, overall, Montana is the greatest quarterback in Super Bowl history. So who could've possibly played a better game in the Super Bowl? How about Joe Montana's backup?

#1

Steve Young (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIX, 1995)

Yup. After backing up Joe Montana in two Super Bowls, Steve Young assumed the starting job in 1991 and got to make his own Super Bowl magic three years later. And what magic it was! Young completed two-thirds of his passes for 325 yards (nine yards per pass attempt) while throwing a Super Bowl record SIX touchdowns. He also got to show off some of his trademark mobility by rushing for 49 yards on five attempts (9.8 yards per run). Young committed zero turnovers and had a passer rating of 134.8, the fifth-highest mark in Super Bowl history, and accounted for all but one of the 49ers' touchdowns in the game. He was named Super Bowl MVP to go along with all the other cool shit he accomplished that season.

All stats and accomplishments found on pro-football-reference.com.

THE 25 WORST QB PERFORMANCES IN THE SUPER BOWL

In honor of Super Bowl 50, we'll be taking a look at 50 notable performances by quarterbacks in the Big Game. Up first, the 25 worst performances by a QB in Super Bowl history, because I'm apparently an inherently-negative person.

Note: I used 25 unique quarterbacks for this list— Any quarterbacks that played in multiple Super Bowls will have their most notable games featured rather than having the same QB show up multiple times.

With that caveat out of the way, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

#25

Stan Humphries (San Diego Chargers, Super Bowl XXIX, 1995)

Humphries was coming off a decent 1994 season and an improbable upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game when he ran into the 49ers. San Fran's defense caused Humphries to connect on just 49 percent of his pass attempts, while throwing for just 5.6 yards per attempt. While he threw a touchdown, Humphries also threw two interceptions. His 56.1 passer rating clinched the decimation, and the Chargers would lose 49-26 (on a side-note, the combined 75 points is a Super Bowl record).

#24

Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XIX, 1985)

Dan Marino is one of the best quarterbacks in history and was coming off an MVP season in which he threw for a then-record 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. The Dolphins cruised to an NFL-best 14-2 record, culminating when they reached the fifth Super Bowl in franchise history. Marino further made history by becoming the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl game at just 23.

That's where the good news ended. Marino, despite being sacked a paltry 13 times in the regular season, got brought down four times in the Super Bowl. He threw just one touchdown compared to two interceptions. Despite throwing for 318 yards (second-most in Super Bowl history to that point, tied with Terry Bradshaw and behind Joe Montana's 331 yards from the same game), the Dolphins got smacked around to the tune of 38-16, the third-greatest margin of defeat in the Super Bowl at the time.

#23

Joe Kapp (Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IV, 1970)

Here's some trivia— Joe Kapp is the only quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl, the Grey Cup and the Super Bowl. He's also in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, thanks to his stellar play with the BC Lions. While he wasn't as successful in the states, 1969 was by far is best season in the NFL— he threw for a career-best 1,726 yards and 17 touchdowns to his career-low 13 interceptions.

While he threw for 183 yards for a pretty-good 7.3 yards per attempt, he threw zero touchdown compared to two interceptions, and was sacked three times by the awesome Chiefs defense in the Super Bowl. The Vikings could only muster seven points compared to Kansas City's 23. Sadly, this was one of the better performances in the Super Bowl the Vikings had in the 70s.

#22

Boomer Esiason (Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XXIII, 1989)

1988 was a good year for ol' Boomer— He had an unlikely MVP season where he threw twice as many touchdowns as interceptions, threw for a career-high 3,572 yards and led the NFL in passer rating (97.4) and yards per attempt (9.2).

In the Super Bowl, Esiason was held without a touchdown and the 49ers forced one interception out of him. He also had 11 completions, connecting on just 44 percent of his passes while getting sacked five times. His 46.1 passer rating was also the fourth-lowest among staring quarterbacks in 80s Super Bowls.

Even then, the game was fairly close. The Bengals were leading with a few minutes left on the clock, but Joe Montana proceeded to rip out the Bengals' hearts with a 92-yard drive to put the 49ers on top 20-16.

#21

Chris Chandler (Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII, 1999)

The Atlanta Falcons had an out-of-nowhere great season in 1998, winning 14 games and knocking off the much better Minnesota Vikings on the road in the NFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight on this Cinderella story just as the Super Bowl got underway.

Chris Chandler, the poor journeyman in charge of quarterbacking the Dirty Birds in the Big Game, played like someone who was in completely over his head against a much better opponent. Fortunately, he was. Chandler completed just 54.3 percent of his passes, getting sacked twice and throwing one touchdown to three interceptions. His passer rating of 47.1 was the fourth-lowest mark by a starter in 90s Super Bowls as the Falcons got rolled by the Broncos 34-19. Despite that, Chandler still didn't have the most embarrassing experience at the Super Bowl that year.

#20

Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl V, 1971)

As a change of pace, here's the quarterback from a Super Bowl-winning team. Johnny U, at the time of his retirement, had more pass completions, pass attempts, passing yards and passing touchdowns than any player before him. He was the first quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a single season, and the first to throw at least 30 touchdowns in a season. He was the first quarterback to throw for over 30,000 yards in his career. He was the first quarterback to win an MVP award, and the first to win multiple MVPs (his three wins were a record until 2009). He also guided the Colts to back-to-back championships over the New York Giants in the late 50s, with the 1958 Championship Game earning the title of the Greatest Game Ever Played.

By 1970, Unitas was on his last legs. He had a decent season at 37, but his Super Bowl V performance was one to forget. The Colts won 16-13 over the Cowboys, in spite of their all-time great quarterback. Unitas threw just nine passes in the game, completing only three of them for just 88 yards. Despite his short stay in the game, he still managed to turn the ball over three times (two interceptions and one lost fumble). Unitas threw one touchdown, which buoyed up his passer rating to 68.1.

Earl Morrall played most of the game in relief, but didn't play a whole lot better. Fortunately for the Colts, the Cowboys' Craig Morton managed to play an even shittier game than either of Baltimore's QBs.

Sadly, despite his legendary career, I actually had a tough time deciding which of Unitas' two Super Bowl appearances was worse. His Super Bowl III stat line was also terrible, but I decided to go with his Super Bowl V game, thanks to his numerous turnovers (by comparison, he only had one turnover in Super Bowl III).

#19

Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XL, 2006)

The single-worst performance by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in history. For context, Roethlisberger was in just his second season as a pro, and was the second-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl after Dan Marino. The Steelers were also very much a run-first team, with the young product from Miami of Ohio getting treated with kid gloves (he averaged just 22 pass attempts per game compared to all non-QB rushers averaging a bit more than 32 a game).

Still, with all that in mind, holy shit did Big Ben suck in Super Bowl XL! He completed just nine of his 21 pass attempts (42.9%) for 123 yards (5.9 yards per attempt), no touchdowns and two interceptions. His passer rating of 22.6 is seventh-worst among starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history. If not for his rushing touchdown in the game, his stat line would be even worse.

The Steelers still managed to beat the Seahawks 21-10, thanks mostly to their run game and the fact that Super Bowl XL is still one of the worst-officiated championship games ever.

#18

Rex Grossman (Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XLI, 2007)

In an era which featured a series of terrible quarterbacks for the Bears, Rex Grossman was one of them. Grossman threw 23 touchdowns in 2006, and he turned the ball over 25 times (20 interceptions, five lost fumbles). And this was still easily his best season in the NFL. (That last sentence is up there as far as the most depressing things I've written on this blog goes.) The Bears still managed to go 13-3 and make the Super Bowl thanks to their tremendous defense. That same defense didn't really show up to the Super Bowl, though.

Grossman, ironically, actually had a decent game by his standards. He completed 20 of 28 passes, but for only 5.9 yards per attempt. He threw one touchdown, but he threw two picks and fumbled twice, losing one. His passer rating in the game was 68.3. How sad is it that this still constitutes a better game than Ben Roethlisberger's from the previous year's Super Bowl?

#17

Neil O'Donnell (Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX, 1996)

If you can say one thing about Neil O'Donnell, it's that he was an NFL quarterback for a while. O'Donnell actually had a decent season in 1995, completing 59.1 percent of his passes for 7.1 yards per attempt. He also threw 17 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. And the Steelers advanced to their fifth Super Bowl after their second-straight instant-classic AFC Championship Game, this one a last-minute victory over the upstart Indianapolis Colts.

In the Big Game, the Cowboys manhandled O'Donnell. He threw one touchdown to three interceptions, and was sacked four times. His passes only went for an average of about five yards. He had a passer rating of 51.3. Shockingly, in spite of handling O'Donnell, the Cowboys' 27-17 victory was their smallest margin of victory in the Super Bowl during their 90s dynasty.

#16

Bob Griese (Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl VI, 1972)

Griese played well for the Dolphins when they won Super Bowl VII and VIII. Super Bowl VI, on the other hand? Not so much. Griese had a great 1971 season, throwing more touchdowns per pass attempt than any other player in the NFL (19 touchdowns for every 7.2 attempts). For that, he was named to his fourth Pro Bowl/All-Star Game, and was named 1st Team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

In the Super Bowl, though, Griese didn't throw a touchdown, instead losing a fumble and throwing a pick. He was also held to just 5.8 yards per attempt for a passer rating of 51.7, the fifth-worst mark for a starter in the Super Bowl during the 70s. The Cowboys held the Dolphins' vaunted run game to just 80 yards in the game (for context, the Dolphins averaged 173.5 rushing yards per game in 1971). As a result, Griese had to throw a lot— 23 passes in all (he would throw just 18 passes in the next two Super Bowls combined). That game plan didn't work, and the Cowboys won the game 24-3. Those three points are the fewest ever scored in a Super Bowl.

#15

Peyton Manning (Super Bowl XLVIII, 2014)

A newie, but a badie. Manning was coming off the finest season of his Hall of Fame career, throwing for a record 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, being named 1st Team All-Pro for the seventh time and also to his fourteenth Pro Bowl, while winning his record fifth MVP. Then he went up against the Seahawks' defense.

Manning was only sacked once officially, but was knocked down a bunch more than that. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes, but only for an average of 5.7 yards. He threw one touchdown late, which bumped up his passer rating significantly to 73.5 (it's still the lowest passer rating for a starter in Super Bowls played in this current decade). And he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble en route to the Seahawks' 43-8 destruction of the Broncos— the most lopsided Super Bowl victory in over twenty years.

#14

Drew Bledsoe (New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXI, 1997)

Bledsoe was coming off the best season of his career to that point when the Patriots qualified for Super Bowl XXXI. Besides going to his second Pro Bowl, he completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 4,086 yards with 27 touchdowns to 15 interceptions (plus three lost fumbles). That was all good for a passer rating of 83.7, the highest of his career at the time.

Bledsoe only completed 52.1 percent of his passes for an average of 5.3 yards in the Super Bowl. The Packers' defense held him in check for pretty much the whole game, sacking him five times and picking him off four times. Even with his two touchdowns, Bledsoe still had a 46.6 passer rating, the third-worst mark by a starter in a 90s Super Bowl. The Patriots lost 35-21.

#13

Ron Jaworski (Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl XV, 1981)

Coming off his only Pro Bowl season in which he had career-highs in completion percentage (57.0), passing yards (3,529), touchdowns (27) and passer rating (91.0), Jaworski proceed to get handled by the Raiders in the Super Bowl. While he threw for an impressive 291 yards (the third-most yards to that point, good for 7.7 yards per pass attempt), he only completed 47.4 percent of his passes and turned the ball over a then-record four times in the game (three interceptions, one lost fumble). The Eagles would lose 27-10 to the Raiders and wouldn't be back in the Big Game for nearly 25 years.

#12

Jim Kelly (Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVI, 1992)

Before you ask, no, I didn't plan for a quarterback who wore number 12 to take the twelfth spot on this list. Jim Kelly often had a rough go of things in the Super Bowl, which means that I sadly had to pick and choose between various bad games he had on the biggest stage. His first Super Bowl, XXV, was his best and cleanest title game, with his final one, XXVIII, being merely okay. Luckily for me, after that process of elimination it becomes a lot more clear which deserves to be on this list— Super Bowl XXVI against the Washington Redskins.

1991 was Kelly's best in the NFL (noticing a pattern?). He had highs in completion percentage (64.1), passing yards (3,844) and touchdowns (33, which led the NFL), and posted the third-best passer rating (97.6) and yards per pass attempt (8.1) in the league while throwing touchdowns on an NFL-best seven percent of his pass attempts.

Naturally, his Super Bowl performance was dreadful that year. He threw a Super Bowl-record 58 passes and connected on just 48.3 percent of them for an average of 4.7 yards. While he threw two touchdowns, he committed five turnovers (four interceptions, one lost fumble out of two total), also a Super Bowl record (one he probably didn't want to break). Kelly was sacked five times and had a passer rating of 44.8, the second-worst mark in the 90s. With the Bills' run game equally stifled, they would go on to lose to Washington 37-24.

While that was definitely bad, I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up Kelly's equally poor performance from the following year. Despite getting knocked out of Super Bowl XXVII early (he threw only seven passes, tied with Bob Griese for the second-fewest pass attempts by a starter in a Super Bowl) he still managed to lose a fumble, throw two picks and get sacked twice.

#11

Frank Reich (Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVII, 1993)

Speaking of Super Bowl XXVII, after Kelly's quick exit the reigns were naturally handed to his backup, Frank Reich. Reich had backed up Kelly in 61 games in the regular season by that time and had started just six games in his career. But he was valuable in relief— he took over for Kelly (who was knocked out early again) in Buffalo's wild card win over the Houston Oilers. The Bills were down by as many as 32 points, but Reich improbably led the Bills to overtime and an eventual 41-38 victory— the biggest comeback in NFL history, in either the regular season or the playoffs.

(In an interesting note, Reich had also come off the bench to complete the biggest comeback in NCAA history in 1984, helping Maryland overcome a 31-point deficit to beat the Miami Hurricanes 42-40. That comeback has since been surpassed when Michigan State overcame a 35-point deficit to beat Northwestern 41-38 in 2006.)

Reich's comeback magic wasn't present in the Super Bowl, though. He was sacked twice and had a passer rating of 60.4 in the game. Reich also fumbled three times (a Super Bowl record) and lost two of them. That went along with his two touchdowns for a total of four turnovers, which didn't help the Bills any. They would lose 52-17 to the Cowboys, the third-worst beat-down in Super Bowl history.

#10

John Elway (Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXIV, 1990)

Speaking of facing adversity in the Super Bowl, the Broncos lost four Super Bowls before the Bills made it cool. John Elway was the signal-caller in three of those four games, and he often laid the football equivalent of a long, wet fart in the Big Game.

Elway played okay in his first Super Bowl, XXVI, but was terrible in his second, XXVII. But Elway saved his most putrid performance for the final Super Bowl his 80s teams qualified for, XXIV.

Going up against the world-beating San Francisco 49ers, Elway completed just 38.5 percent of his passes for 108 yards (4.2 yards per attempt). He was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and fumbled twice (losing one) while being held without a touchdown. His passer rating of 19.4 is the fifth-worst ever posted by a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. As a final indignity, the 49ers rolled over the Broncos 55-10, the biggest blowout in the history of the Super Bowl.

#9

Joe Theismann (Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XVIII, 1984)

Theismann was named to the only 1st Team All-Pro list of his career in 1983 as he threw 29 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, for 3,714 yards while completing 60.1 percent of his passes. His 97.0 passer rating was second-best in the NFL to only the Falcons' Steve Bartowski. Not only that, but the Washington offense was historically great, becoming the first team in NFL history to score 500 or more points in a season (541 to be exact, good for 33.81 points per game). (Just a note: the 1961 Houston Oilers were the first team to score 500 points, period, in 14 games no less, but that was in the AFL and Washington scored 28 more points than they did.)

Then the Super Bowl happened. Theismann completed 45.7 percent of his passes, while committing three turnovers. He was also sacked six times, the second-most ever in the Super Bowl. His 45.3 passer rating was the third-worst for a starter in 80s Super Bowls, and Washington's 38-9 loss to the Raiders was the biggest margin of victory in the Super Bowl in history to that point (a record which stood for one year— we'll talk more about that one later).

#8

David Woodley (Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl XVII, 1983)

After Bob Griese but before Dan Marino there was David Woodley. Woodley usurped Griese as the Dolphins' starting quarterback in 1980. While he wasn't great, the Dolphins still made it to the Super Bowl after the strike-shortened 1982 season. It didn't end well.

Don Shula liked Woodley in part for his mobility— in nine games, he was sacked just 10 times. That mobility didn't really manifest against Washington— Woodley was sacked once and ran four times for 16 yards. He also completed just 28.6 percent of his passes on four-for-14 passing (he didn't complete a single pass in the second half, going oh-for-eight). His one interception and lost fumble didn't help, and the Dolphins lost to Washington 27-17.

Woodley had a passer rating of 50.0 in Super Bowl XVII. But if you take out his one touchdown, and the 76 yards which proceeded it, his rating drops to 7.5, which would be third-worst ever for a starter in Super Bowl history.

Woodley was out of football by 1986, and just over 20 years after becoming the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl at 24 (a record which was broken two years later by Dan Marino), he died at 44 in 2003, becoming the youngest Super Bowl quarterback to die in the process. He had spent the better part of two decades living in seclusion from his former teammates as he destroyed his body and personal life with alcohol. Scratch that— this is the most depressing thing I've written.

#7

Rich Gannon (Oakland Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII, 2003)

Gannon was a revelation for the Raiders in the early 2000s, being named 1st Team All-Pro twice in three years and winning two MVPs in the same time period. In 2002, he had the best year of his career at age 37— he led the league with 4,689 yards (career-high) while throwing 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions on a 67.6 completion percentage (career-high) and a 97.3 passer rating (career-high).

In the Super Bowl, Gannon played nothing like a reigning MVP. He completed 54.5 percent of his passes and was sacked five times. But the turnovers were what really ruined Gannon's, and by extension the Raiders', night— he threw five interceptions, the most any player has ever thrown in a single Super Bowl (and he also tied Jim Kelly for the most turnovers in a single Super Bowl). His 48.9 passer rating was the third-worst in 2000s Super Bowls, and the Buccaneers thrashed the Raiders 48-21, the fourth-most points laid on an opponent in Super Bowl history.

#6

Billy Kilmer (Washington Redskins, Super Bowl VII, 1973)

In his younger days in the early 60s, Kilmer was one of the best mobile quarterbacks around (he rushed for over 1,500 yards, and the 987 yards he rushed for in his first two seasons is still tenth-best in history for any quarterback with at least two seasons under their belts). In 1972 he went to his first and only Pro Bowl thanks to leading the NFL with 19 touchdowns (throwing a TD on 8.2 percent of his passes) to 11 interceptions. He also threw for 1,648 yards, completed 53.3 percent of his passes, and had a passer rating of 84.8, the highest of his career.

Upon guiding Washington to its first championship game in nearly 30 years, Kilmer ran into the undefeated Dolphins. The Dolphins' defense in that era is criminally underrated, and lived up to its fearsome nature. Kilmer completed 50 percent of his passes, but on just 3.7 yards per attempt, the fourth-worst mark for a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. He also threw three interceptions and was sacked twice for a passer rating of 19.6, the sixth-worst ever. The Dolphins completed their perfect season by bludgeoning Washington by a deceptively-close score of 17-14.

#5

Fran Tarkenton (Minnesota Vikings, Super Bowl IX, 1975)

Among the best all-around quarterbacks ever, Fran Tarkenton was the John Elway of his day, despite not at all resembling John Elway from a game-playing perspective. Tarkenton reached the Super Bowl three times, all of which resulted in losses, and he often played badly in the games (his first Super Bowl, VIII, was his only decent title game, and even then it wasn't that great).

Tarkenton's worst performance came in Super Bowl IX. The Steel Curtain Defense absolutely wrecked him. He completed 42.3 percent of his passes for 102 yards (3.9 per attempt, the fifth-lowest mark in history). Despite retiring with the fourth-most rushing yards by a quarterback, Tarkenton ran once for no gain in the ninth Big Game, fumbling once (the Vikings recovered it). He was held without a touchdown and threw three interceptions for a passer rating of 14.1, the fourth-lowest ever by a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl. The Vikings lost 16-6.

#4

Kerry Collins (New York Giants, Super Bowl XXXV, 2001)

Collins went from highly-touted draft pick to journeyman rather quickly, but he had a decent season in 2000 for the Giants. Then he went up against the vaunted Ravens defense, whose 2000 iteration was perhaps the best of the modern era. Collins could only complete 38.5 percent of his passes for 112 yards (2.9 per attempt, third-worst ever). He fumbled once, but the Giants recovered it. They did not recover his four interceptions, though. Without a touchdown to his name, Collins accumulated a passer rating of 7.1, the second-worst ever. Unsurprisingly for a team that could muster barely any offense against one of the best defenses ever, the Giants were creamed 34-7.

#3

Earl Morrall (Baltimore Colts, Super Bowl III, 1969)

Morrall was a Cinderella story come to life in 1968. Johnny Unitas was hobbled by an arm injury in the final preseason game and couldn't play. Morrall came off the bench and proceed to have an out-of-nowhere MVP season at age 34. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 2,909 yards and led the NFL with 26 touchdowns. The Colts, thanks to the combination of Morrall's stellar play and their awesome defense (which allowed just 10.29 points per game and 241.21 yards per game, first and second in the NFL, respectively), cruised to a 13-1 record and slaughtered the Vikings and Browns en route to Super Bowl III.

And that's where things went wrong. The Jets completely disoriented Morrall, forcing him to throw three interceptions (he was, ignominiously, the first quarterback to throw multiple interceptions in a single Super Bowl). Morrall completed just six of his 17 passes (35.3 percent) for a paltry 71 yards, and rushed twice for minus-two yards. His passer rating of 9.3 is the third-lowest ever. Even with Johnny Unitas coming off the bench, the Colts still became the first NFL team to lose in the Super Bowl to the upstart AFL.

#2

Tony Eason and Steve Grogan (New England Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 1986)

Yeah, this one might be controversial, but I think there's one quarterbacking performance worse than this one. And, yes, I am cheating a bit on this one— honestly, does it matter who the quarterback facing the '85 Bears is? (Don't say Dan Marino!)

Steve Grogan was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1975 Draft, and they spent much of the rest of his 16-year career trying to find someone better than him. The latest such attempt was in 1983, when the Patriots took Tony Eason fifteenth overall as the fourth quarterback off the board (ahead of Dan Marino).

Despite more closely resembling Todd Blackledge than John Elway, Eason assumed the starting job in 1984 and showed flashes of brilliance. In the playoffs after the 1985 season, Eason threw five touchdowns and no picks in the Patriots' improbable climb to Super Bowl XX, defeating the New York Jets, the Los Angeles Raiders and the Miami Dolphins— all better teams and all on the road.

And then the '85 Bears happened. The Bears were coming off two-straight playoff shutouts (they're still the only team to ever do that) and had outscored their opponents 45-0. They also featured perhaps the greatest defense ever. Needless to say, things didn't bode well for Tony from Blythe, California.

Eason threw six passes and connected on none of them. He's still the only starting quarterback in Super Bowl history to not complete at least one pass. He also lost a fumble and was sacked three times, which eventually forced Steve Grogan into the game.

Grogan played moderately better— at the very least, he completed a pass. Still, Grogan was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. While he threw a touchdown pass, the Patriots were utterly demolished 46-10, the worst beatdown in Super Bowl history at the time, and still the second-worst ever.

So to recap— the Patriots' quarterbacks combined to go 17-of-36 passing, for a completion percentage of 47.2, 177 yards with 4.9 yards per attempt, a single touchdown, two interceptions, a lost fumble, and eight sacks. Is it any surprise the Super Bowl MVP went to the Bears' defense?

And that was pretty much it for Eason. While he was the primary starter for another season, Grogan (or whomever else the team picked up) took back the starting position, which Eason would never permanently recover. He was eventually traded to the New York Jets where he backed up Ken O'Brien, another guy Eason was drafted ahead of and was not better than. He retired with only eight seasons under his belt after the 1990 season, the same year Steve Grogan hung up his cleats. What a world, huh?

#1

Craig Morton (Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XII, 1978)

I've already mentioned Mr. Morton once before in this article— he was the Cowboys' starting quarterback in Super Bowl V, their loss to the Colts. Morton played terribly in that game, but was never taken out, despite the fact that some guy named Roger Staubach was sitting on the bench.

Morton remained the Cowboys starter through a good chunk of the 1971 season, but Staubach eventually won the job (after Tom Landry spent a whole game literally switching the two out on every other play). Staubach only relinquished the job due to a separated shoulder in 1972, but permanently won the job by 1973. Morton stuck around Dallas until 1974, when he was shipped to the New York Giants.

By 1977, Morton found his way to the Denver Broncos. While he was still pretty mediocre, he had a fine season, thanks in no part to limiting his turnovers (he threw just eight interceptions that year). Backed by the brutal Orange Crush Defense, the Broncos went 12-2 and wound up playing in their first Super Bowl, with Morton improbably becoming the first quarterback to start in a Super Bowl for two different teams. Coincidentally, Morton would be starting against his old backup, Roger Staubach, and his old team, the Dallas Cowboys.

His reunion with the Cowboys went about as poorly as you could possibly imagine. No, that's underselling things drastically— Larry Craig Morton played the single-worst game where a starting quarterback stuck around for the majority of it in Super Bowl history.

Get this stat line— Morton went four-for-15 passing, for a 26.7 completion percentage, 39 yards at 2.6 yards a pop, was sacked twice and threw zero touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating was 0.0. FUCKING ZERO!

Do you know how rare that is? I swear to God, I looked this up— since 1960, there have been 49 instances of a quarterback attempting at least 15 passes in a game and coming away with a passer rating of 0.0. 48 of those were in the regular season. The one time that's happened in the playoffs, the quarterback was, you guessed it, Craig Morton. So Craig Morton not only played the worst game in Super Bowl history, he played perhaps the worst game in playoff history, certainly the worst within the last 56 years. My God, Sammy Baugh's stat line from the 1940 NFL Championship Game was better than Morton's, and Baugh's team lost 73-0!

Think of all the great defenses which played in the Super Bowl— the 60s Packers, the 1969 Chiefs, the Steel Curtain, the Purple People Eaters, the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, the 2013 Seahawks, just to name a few. None of them accomplished what the Doomsday Defense accomplished— getting a quarterback to a 0.0 passer rating!

Back to Morton— oh yeah, I'm still not done riffing on this poor motherfucker. Like I said earlier, he played badly in Super Bowl V. He went 12-for-26 passing, for a 46.2 completion percentage, 127 yards at 4.9 per attempt, was sacked twice and threw a touchdown and three interceptions for a passer rating of 34.1.

Craig Morton has the worst numbers of any quarterback who's played in multiple Super Bowls, and it's not even close. His combined completion percentage is 39! His combined passer rating is 20! He threw one touchdown to seven interceptions! Tom Brady has played in more Super Bowls than anyone else and STILL hasn't thrown seven total interceptions in the Super Bowl, all while playing in four more games than Morton!

Needless to say, the Broncos lost 27-10. But at least they have Morton's historic performance to look back on. ...Okay, I tried.

Stats and accomplishments found on pro-football-reference.com.