Best Offensive Super Bowl Performers


The other Manning connected with Plaxico Burress on a 15-yard fade with 35 seconds left, clinching a monumental 17-14 upset for the Giants while cementing his Super Bowl legend.

The second of Brady's four Super Bowl appearances found the 26-year-old quarterback at his offensive peak. New England's signal-caller completed 32 of his 48 attempts for 354 yards and three touchdowns on his way to MVP honors. But victory over the plucky Panthers wasn't secured until Brady directed a 37-yard drive in the final minute of regulation to put the Patriots into position for Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal.

After throwing 41 TD passes in one of the most out-of-nowhere campaigns in NFL history, the conductor of the prolific Greatest Show on Turf passed for a record 414 yards -- including a game-clinching 73-yard strike to Isaac Bruce with 1:54 remaining -- to lock down MVP honors as St. Louis brought home its first Super Bowl title.

Vegas installed the Broncos as 11-and-a-half-point underdogs against the reigning league champions on the eve of Super Bowl XXXII -- but someone forgot to deliver the script to the Denver locker room. Davis ran for 157 yards and a record three rushing touchdowns against the vaunted Green Bay defense. His third score gave the Broncos a permanent 31-24 lead, securing the Mile High City's first-ever championship.

Young carved out his own legacy with a masterclass performance in San Francisco's 49-26 victory over San Diego. The longtime understudy to Joe Montana completed 24-of-36 passes for 325 yards and a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes as the 49ers stormed to their fifth Vince Lombardi trophy.

Joe Cool completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts and tossed five touchdown passes in a 55-10 thrashing of the Broncos, locking down his third Super Bowl MVP trophy. San Francisco's prolific offensive output -- 55 points -- set a Supe scoring record, which still stands today.

John Taylor reaped the glory with the game-winning touchdown catch -- but Rice's career outing set the stage for San Francisco's nail-biting victory. The Hall of Fame wideout set a Super Bowl standard with 215 receiving yards (on a record-tying 11 catches) as the 49ers edged the Bengals, 20-16, for their third championship in eight seasons.

Smith got a chance to start in the Super Bowl when injuries caught up with aging incumbent George Rodgers. And the rookie running back made the most of his opportunity, exploding for a record 204 yards on the ground, including a luminescent 58-yard touchdown gallop to give the Redskins a two-touchdown edge in the second quarter.

Simms set the Super Bowl standard for passing precision with his surgical display in a 39-20 victory over Denver. The New York signal-caller completed 22 of his 25 pass attempts -- a freakish 88 percent clip -- to help the Giants to a 39-20 victory over the Broncos.

The six-time Pro Bowler carried 20 times for a then-record 191 yards as the Raiders swept aside the Redskins, 38-9. Allen scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter -- including his famous 74-yard cutback touchdown scamper -- to lock down the Most Valuable Player trophy.

In spiriting the Steelers to a thrilling 35-31 decision over the Cowboys, Bradshaw established since-broken Super Bowl records with four touchdowns and 318 yards passing.

Swann became the first wide receiver to earn the Super Bowl MVP award with his standout performance in Pittsburgh's 21-17 victory over Dallas. The wideout brought down four acrobatic catches for a game-record 161 yards, including the decisive 64-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter to give the Steelers a 21-10 advantage.

The longtime Green Bay signal-caller completed 16 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers hammered the Chiefs, 35-10, in the inaugural AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The future Hall of Famer collected MVP honors in leading Green Bay to the fourth of its five league titles during the 1960s.
