The Super Bowl MVP is a pinnacle for a player. Each year someone earns the award. There have been great efforts and some that were merely right spot, right time. A look at how they all stack up.
53. Dexter Jackson (XXXVII)
Dexter Jackson had a pair of picks for 34 return yards in earning honors. The DB didn’t have the most return yards of interceptions on his team as Dwight Smith had 94 and a pair of Pick-Sixes. Meanwhile, Derrick Brooks also had a Pick-Six but Jackson was given the award.
52. Len Dawson (IV)
The Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl. This rekindles memories of their victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Quarterback Len Dawson earned MVP honors with 142 passing yards and one TD pass. WR Otis Taylor could have received consideration. He had six catches for 81 yards and a TD.
51. Larry Brown (XXX)
Larry Brown picked off two Neil O’Donnell passes and returned them for a total of 77 yards. The little-known DB earned MVP honors as the Triplets all had a moderate game despite Emmitt Smith scoring a pair of TDs.
50. Joe Namath (III)
Joe Namath’s prediction was good enough for the MVP award as the Jets jolted the Colts. Broadway Joe threw for 206 yards. There is a strong case to be made for Matt Snell as MVP. The running back had 30 carries for 121 yards and the Jets’ lone TD. He also caught four passes for 40 yards.
49. Roger Staubach (VI)
The Cowboys got their Super Bowl after being thwarted the year before. Roger Staubach added to his All-American resume by earning MVP honors. He only had 119 passing yards but two of the completions went for TDs. If you were looking for an alternative, mercurial RB Duane Thomas had 95 yards rush and scored a touchdown.
48. Fred Biletnikoff (XI)
Throw the ball to Fred Biletnikoff and he was going to catch it. The talented wideout for the Raiders earned MVP honors with four catches for 79 yards against Minnesota. A couple players could have felt jilted. Willie Brown returned a pick 75 yards for a TD and running back Clarence Davis had 137 yards on 16 carries.
47. Terry Bradshaw (XIV)
Terry Bradshaw made it back-to-back MVP awards in the Super Bowl as the Steelers also went back-to-back. The QB threw for 309 yards with two TDs. However, the three picks he threw made this a debatable call. John Stallworth had three catches for 121 yards and a TD.
46. Tom Brady (XXXVI)
Tom Brady earned MVP honors but one has to wonder what it takes for a kicker to get the award. Brady threw for 145 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, Adam Vinatieri nailed a 48-yard field goal to lift the Patriots over the Rams in a stunning finish.
45. Harvey Martin, Randy White (XII)
The Dallas defense forced eight turnovers, so it was only fitting someone would join Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley as a defensive player to win the award. The someone turned into a duo as Randy White and Harvey Martin shared honors.
44. Chuck Howley (V)
The first MVP on the losing side. The Cowboys’ Chuck Howley won the award as Dallas lost the game on Jim O’Brien’s last-second field goal for the Baltimore Colts.
43. Joe Montana (XVI)
Joe Montana threw for only 157 yards and a TD as a balanced Niners attack baffled the Bengals, 26-21.
42. Jake Scott (VII)
The Dolphins’ Jake Scott picked up the MVP Award with a pair of interceptions as Miami completed its perfect season by downing Washington. Scott had 63 return yards on his pair of picks. Larry Csonka also merited consideration as he rushed for 112 yards on 12 carries.
41. Malcolm Smith (XLVIII)
Malcolm Smith was in on 10 tackles and had a 69-yard Pick Six as Seattle crushed Denver. Two other Seattle players were in on 10 tackles, too.
40. Tom Brady (LI)
Tom Brady was 43-of-62 for 466 yards and two TDs as New England overcame a 28-3 deficit to stun Atlanta in overtime. Brady does lose style points for throwing a Pick-Six to Robert Alford in the first half. And, don’t lose sight of the fact he had no choice but to throw the ball on almost every play because of how far behind New England had fallen. Circumstances dictated many of these stats.
39. Ray Lewis (XXXV)
Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis made 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, and blocked 4 passes as the Ravens crushed the Giants.
38. Hines Ward (XL)
Hines Ward had five catches for 123 yards and a TD and one run for 18 yards as the Steelers tripped the Seahawks.
37. Eli Manning (XLVI)
Eli Manning led the Giants back from a 17-9 deficit to a 21-17 victory. He was 30-of-40 for 296 yards and a TD en route to his second MVP Award.
36. Von Miller (50)
Von Miller had 2.5 sacks and was in on six tackles as Denver thwarted a Carolina team that came into the game 17-1.
35. Lynn Swann (X)
Lynn Swann didn’t have a ton of catches for the Steelers against Dallas, but the wideout made them count. He grabbed four passes for 161 yards and a TD.
34. Bart Starr (I)
Bart Starr led the Packers to victory in each of the first two Super Bowls and was MVP in each game. In Super Bowl I, the quarterback threw a pair of TD passes as the Packers clocked the Chiefs.
33. Bart Starr (II)
Bart Starr was MVP for the second straight season as the Packers clipped the Raiders in Super Bowl II. He threw for 202 yards and a TD.
32. Julian Edelman (LIII)
Julian Edelman was Tom Brady’s favorite target, catching 10 passes for 141 yards as the Patriots shut down the Rams and added a sixth Super Bowl to their showcase.
31. Mark Rypien (XXVI)
Mark Rypien threw for 292 yards and a pair of TD passes on 18-of-33 attempts as Washington won over Buffalo. Gary Clark and Art Monk had 114 and 113 receiving yards, respectively.
30. Eli Manning (XLII)
Eli Manning joined his brother as a Super Bowl MVP with a winning performance against the Patriots. The Giants’ QB threw for 255 yards and a pair of TDs.
29. Deion Branch (XXXIX)
Deion Branch did not catch either of Tom Brady’s two TD passes but he did receive 11 passes for 133 yards as New England downed Philadelphia.
28. Richard Dent (XX)
Richard Dent was a defensive demon with a pair of sacks and two forced fumbles as Chicago shuffled its way to a romp over New England.
27. Ottis Anderson (XXV)
The Giants edged the Bills when Scott Norwood missed a field goal. Big Blue dominated time of possession and kept the ball away from Buffalo’s potent offense. Ottis Anderson was a huge reason, rushing for 102 yards on 21 carries and scoring a TD.
26. Joe Flacco (XLVII)
Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a big lead over the 49ers and they held on in a game delayed by a power failure. Flacco was 22-of-33 for 287 yards and three TDs in the game that turned into a thriller.
25. Jim Plunkett (XV)
Jim Plunkett found a home with the Oakland Raiders and the QB from Stanford won MVP honors with 261 yards passing and three TDs in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
24. Desmond Howard (XXXI)
Desmond Howard had a special game for the Packers with 154 kickoff return yards and a TD. He added 90 more yards on punt returns en route to taking home the MVP trophy as Green Bay downed New England.
23. Peyton Manning (XLI)
Payton Manning threw for 247 yards and a TD to earn MVP honors as the Colts bopped the Bears. Another candidate would have been Dominic Rhodes, who rushed for 113 yards.
22. Emmitt Smith (XXVIII)
Emmitt Smith broke the century mark for the second straight Super Bowl and wound up with MVP honors as he rushed for 132 yards on 30 carries and scored a pair of TDs as the Cowboys throttled the Bills, again.
21. Tom Brady (XLIX)
Tom Brady was 37-of-50 for 328 yards and four TDs as New England downed Seattle. One has to wonder how early the voting was in as Malcolm Butler saved the game with his pick as the Seahawks seemed to be going in for a winning score.
20. Aaron Rodgers (XLV)
Aaron Rodgers got his Super Bowl ring as the Packers downed the Steelers. Rodgers was 24-of-39 for 304 yards and three TDs.
19. Drew Brees (XLIV)
Drew Brees led the Saints to their first Super Bowl victory with a big game against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Brees was 32-of-39 for 288 yards and a pair of TDs.
18. Tom Brady (XXXVIII)
Tom Brady put on quite a show as he led the Patriots over the Panthers. Brady threw for 354 yards and three TDs. Again, though, Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal in the final seconds to win the game and did not get the nod.
17. Santonio Holmes (XLIII)
Santonio Holmes had nine catches for 131 yards, including the big one, a six-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the final minute as the Steelers doused the Cardinals’ dream season. Kurt Warner had a huge game in the loss, throwing for 377 yards and three TDs.
16. Joe Montana (XIX)
Joe Montana had a huge game with 331 yards and a trio of TD passes as San Francisco dazzled Dan Marino and the Dolphins, 38-16.
15. Nick Foles (LII)
Nick Foles completed his magic backup-to-starter tour as he led the Eagles over the vaunted New England Patriots. Foles threw for 373 yards and three TDs and famously caught the “Philly Special” pass from Trey Burton.
14. Troy Aikman (XXVII)
Troy Aikman had a great game as Dallas detroyed Buffalo, 52-17. The former UCLA star threw for 273 yards and four TDs in the rout. The Triplets were on fire as Emmitt Smith had 108 yards rushing and Michael Irvin caught passes for 114 yards.
13. John Elway (XXXIII)
John Elway threw for 336 yards and a TD and rushed for another as Denver downed Atlanta’s Dirty Birds, 34-19. Terrell Davis had 152 yards of total offense for the Broncos.
12. Terry Bradshaw (XIII)
Terry Bradshaw wore No. 12 but 13 proved to be lucky number for the QB and the Steelers. He threw for 318 yards and four TDs as Pittsburgh outlasted Dallas, 35-31.
11. Franco Harris (IX)
Franco Harris was a brute in Super Bowl IX. The former Penn State star rushed for 158 yards and a score on 33 carries as the Steelers stifled the Vikings.
10. Terrell Davis (XXXII)
Terrell Davis led the Broncos to victory over Green Bay, rushing for 157 yards on 30 carries. The Hall of Fame running back scored three TDs, including the game-winner late in the fourth quarter.
9. Joe Montana (XXIV)
Joe Montana won multiple MVPs. In Super Bowl XXIV, he completed 22-of-29 passes for 297 yards and five TDs as the Niners crushed Denver, 55-10.
8. Jerry Rice (XXIII)
Jerry Rice did not catch the game-winning TD pass — John Taylor had that honor — but the wide receiver grabbed everything else in sight as the Niners edged the Bengals. Rice had 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD.
7. John Riggins (XVII)
John Riggins was tough to take down. The Washington running back caried the ball 38 times for 166 yards and a TD as his team downed the Dolphins. Thirty-eight carries!
6. Larry Csonka (VIII)
Larry Csonka did not get the award the year before. He left no doubt as to who was the MVP in Super Bowl VIII. The great running back rushed for 145 yards on 33 carries and scored two touchdowns. This was ground and pound as his longest run went for 16 yards.
5. Kurt Warner (XXXIV)
Kurt Warner and the “Greatest Show on Turf” survived the Titans’ last gasp by a yard. Warner threw for 414 yards and a pair of TDs in a classic performance. Three Rams receivers combined for 361 of Warner’s passing yards in the thriller.
4. Marcus Allen (XVIII)
Marcus Allen was his elite, brilliant self as Oakland overpowered Washington, 38-9. The running back from USC only needed 20 carries to rush for 191 yards and a pair of TDs. He added a pair of catches for 18 yards.
3. Phil Simms (XXI)
Phil Simms put on quite a show against the Denver Broncos. The Giants’ quarterback was 22-of-25 for 268 yards and three TDs as Big Blue won its first Super Bowl, 39-20.
2. Doug Williams (XXII)
Doug Williams had an incredible quarter against the Denver Broncos as Washington rolled to a 42-10 victory. Williams threw four TD passes in the second quarter as Washington blew the game open after falling behind 10-0. On the game, Williams was 18-of-29 for 340 yards.
1. Steve Young (XXIX)
Steve Young completed 24-of-36 passes for 325 yards and six TDs as San Francisco crushed the San Diego Chargers, 49-26. Jerry Rice caught three of the passes for TDs en route to 10 grabs for 149 yards. On any other day, that would have been good for the MVP Award.
