The 25 best individual Super Bowl performances

Steve Young removed the monkey off his back, otherwise known as the shadow cast down by the legendary Joe Montana, with this surgical performance. Not only did he eclipse 300 passing yards, he tossed an improbable six touchdowns while also rushing for 49 more yards. He was undoubtedly the best player in the game with one of the most dominant big game performances ever.

No receiver has had as good a Super Bowl effort as Jerry Rice. He set a record with 215 yards on a whopping 11 catches. Rice had a key touchdown, too, in a tight 20-16 victory that saw Joe Montana pull off the most famous drive in league history.

Atlanta fans will never forget this performance as much as they'd like to. Tom Brady and the Patriots were down 28-3 and needed a miracle. In order to pull off the most absurd comeback the game has seen, Brady played effortlessly, racking up 466 yards and a pair of touchdowns while shattering the passing attempts record in the overtime win. 

Doug Williams wasn't dominant the entire game. In fact, the bulk of his numbers came even more impressively in just one quarter. The Washington field general led a 35-point second quarter barrage en route to an imposing 42-10 win. He tossed four touchdowns with no turnovers and 340 yards.

Joe Montana was so good in this one that he wound up having the most efficient Super Bowl game ever with a 147.6 rating. He had five touchdowns in the flawless game as the 49ers cruised to a 55-10 beatdown. 

All fans need to remember about this showing by Marcus Allen was that one breathtaking run. Following a broken run play where Allen was all but stopped, he reversed field and ended up busting loose for a 74-yard touchdown. He wrapped up the historic performance with 191 yards and two scores. 

The only blemish for Phil Simms in this one was the three incompletions. He set a record with his 88% completion rate. His near-perfect second half will forever live in Super Bowl lore as he finished up the evening with three touchdowns in the 39-20 win.

There was doubt about how effective Terrell Davis would be in the big game as he was dealing with a severe migraine. He put all of those concerns to rest rather quickly after leading Denver to John Elway’s first Super Bowl ring, finishing with 157 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 win.

No one foresaw a backup quarterback outdueling Tom Brady on the biggest stage, but that's exactly what happened. Foles not only passed for 373 yards and three touchdowns, but he was also on the receiving end of one of the game's most famous plays, The Philly Special. 

Having the game Jalen Hurts did and coming up empty feels wrong. The Eagles' passer had nearly 400 total yards of offense and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the Eagles past Patrick Mahomes, losing to the Chiefs 38-35.

Prior to Super Bowl XXXIV, no player had ever thrown for 400 yards. Kurt Warner was incredible on his way to earning the game’s MVP. He strung together a game-winning 73-yard drive that nearly was usurped by Tennessee's last possession, which famously fell short at the one-yard line. Warner utilized his dynamic wideouts, finding both Isaac Bruce and Torry Holy for touchdowns in the contest. 

In what was his greatest individual season, Joe Montana capped off his MVP campaign by outdueling Dan Marino. In leading San Francisco to a decisive 38-16 win, Montana put up 331 passing yards with scores. He even wreaked havoc with his legs, adding another 59 yards on the ground. 

There may not be a bigger spot where someone made such an impact on so few touches. Swann had just four catches in Pittsburgh's 21-17 title win, but he turned that into 161 yards and one score. To make things even better, all four of his catches highlighted his uncanny acrobatics, including one of the most iconic catches the game has ever seen. 

Even in defeat, Tom Brady looks as good as any quarterback to ever play the game. While Philadelphia came out on top, it was to no fault of Brady's, who set a playoff record with 505 passing yards. He turned the ball over zero times while tossing three touchdowns, as well. 

Denver went into this game knowing what Carolina was going to do. Cam Newton was at the top of his game, and his dual-threat ability had ripped through the league. Von Miller stepped up to the challenge, racking up 2.5 sacks and, more importantly, forcing a pair of fumbles to put a halt to the Panthers' upstart offense. 

The Green Bay Packers needed an elite performance from Aaron Rodgers when facing the stout Pittsburgh defense. That's exactly what Rodgers gave them on his way to a 31-25 win. His ball placement was impeccable, carving up Pittsburgh for 304 yards and three scores. 

Washington didn't hide what it was setting out to do against Miami. The team's game plan was simply to turn around and hand the ball to their bruising back. John Riggins was a force in this game, toting the rock 38 times. He delivered vicious blows to the Dolphins en route to 166 yards, including an iconic 43-yard touchdown run. 

To this day, there has only been one special teams player to take home Super Bowl MVP. Desmond Howard shifted the tide of the game with his big-play ability, taking a kick 99 yards to put away the pesky New England Patriots. In total, Howard registered more than 240 return yards in the Packers' 35-21 win. 

If it wasn't for someone named Tom Brady, there's no way any player who did what James White did against Atlanta would not have won the MVP. He reached the endzone three times, including both the tying and winning scores. Altogether, he amassed 139 total yards and was a menace in the passing game with 14 receptions in New England's 25-point comeback. 

The Philadelphia Eagles' offense saw Rod Martin in their nightmares for months to come after the Super Bowl. He was everywhere on the field as he had a Super Bowl record three interceptions in the Raiders' 27-10 win. 

When it was all said and done, Santonio Holmes had a very good game, turning nine receptions into 131 yards against Arizona on the biggest stage. When really diving into it, though, what he did on the final is the stuff of legends. He caught four passes in the last possession, with none being more valuable than his game-winning toe-tap touchdown in the final seconds. 

The Dallas Cowboys cruised to a 30-13 win and turned the second half keys over to Emmitt Smith. The NFL's all-time leading rusher earned the reputation of being a closer in this outing, taking seven handoffs on the final drive to seal the game. He racked up 132 yards and added two scores in the contest. 

The context matters when including Terrell Owens on this list. Yes, he was on the losing side, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the effort he put forth. Owens wasn't supposed to play after breaking his leg and tearing ligaments. He persevered and gritted his way to 122 yards, showcasing to everyone just how important one single game can be. 

The Miami Dolphins were in control the entire way thanks to Larry Csonka. In fact, the team needed to throw the ball just seven times. Csonka was a force on the ground, battering his way to 145 yards and scoring twice in Miami's 24-7 win. 

Timmy Smith was an unknown. He had just 126 yards on 29 attempts the entire 1987 season. Yet, Washington unleashed him in the Super Bowl and was rewarded with one of the most unexpected performances in professional sports. He ran for the only 200-yard game in Super Bowl history and scored twice in the 42-10 blowout.