Tom Brady is already in a class of his own, but the New England Patriots quarterback can continue distancing himself from other NFL legends when he faces the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Brady is vying for his sixth title and could, in the process, pick up Super Bowl MVP honours for the fifth time. Only Joe Montana is close with three Super Bowl MVPs, while Terry Bradshaw, Eli Manning and Bart Starr are tied with two.
Here’s a look at the five greatest Super Bowl MVP performances in NFL history, with none other than the GOAT kicking off the list.
Tom Brady, Super Bowl LI (2017)
Brady has won some of the most memorable games while producing some of the most clutch efforts, but the crown jewel of his storied career is the masterpiece he put together in last year’s Super Bowl.
With the Patriots’ hopes looking bleak as they trailed 28-3 in the third quarter to the Atlanta Falcons, Brady rose to the challenge and led New England to a 34-28 win for the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Stats: 43-of-62, 466 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 95.2 passer rating
Steve Young, Super Bowl XXIX (1995)
It’s hard to have a better stat line than the one Young put up when he and the San Francisco 49ers crushed the San Diego Chargers 49-26.
The southpaw quarterback torched the Chargers for 325 yards and six touchdowns, which remains a Super Bowl record, as San Francisco found the end zone on their first drives and never looked back.
Final stats: 24-of-36, 325 yards, 6 TD, 134.8 passer rating
Joe Montana, Super Bowl XXIV (1990)
Before Brady took over the title of greatest ever, the quarterback most synonymous with winning was Montana.
The San Francisco 49ers legend was a perfect 4-0 in Super Bowls and his best performance came in a 55-10 blowout victory over the Denver Broncos, which is the most lopsided Super Bowl in history.
Montana tossed five touchdowns before heading to the sidelines in the fourth quarter with the title wrapped up.
Stats: 22-of-29, 297 yards, 5 TD, 147.6 passer rating
Doug Williams, Super Bowl XXII (1988)
Williams didn’t just make history by being the first black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, he also engineered one of the most dominant attacks in Super Bowl history.
He threw for 228 yards and four touchdowns in the second quarter alone as Washington put up a jaw-dropping 35 points in the period, en route to a more than comfortable 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Stats: 18-of-29, 340 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, 127.9 passer rating
Jerry Rice, Super Bowl XXIII (1989)
Quarterbacks often get the glory, but in Super Bowl XXIII, Rice would not be denied the MVP as one of the greatest football players ever put on a spectacular show.
With the San Francisco 49ers battling back late, Rice caught five passes for 109 yards in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying touchdown, while also setting up John Taylor’s winning score in the 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stats: 11 REC, 215 yards, 1 TD
