subject: Top 5 Greatest Superbowl Performances Of All Time [print this page] This Top 5 List breaks down clutch NFL performances that can only be described as legendary.
5) Timmy Smith: While the number 1 on this list was making quarterback history Timmy Smith was setting an all time rushing record in Superbowl 22. Surpassing the previous mark, Smith became a legend among rookie running backs. He was only told before the game that he would be starting. As a nervous rookie the coaching staff thought it was safer to just throw him in the deep end. The good thing is that Timmy Smith had a pretty good stroke with a strong kick. Although his Timmy Smith Redskins offensive line had a great day Smith ran for 204 yards.
4) Marcus Allen: In Superbowl 18 Marcus Allen was faced with one of the best defenses of the year in the Redskins. A Redskins team that was very confident going into the game as defending champions. Marcus Allen was however a secret weapon that should be monitored. He ran with speed and power while his reaction time was perfect. Marcus Allen stats was an NFL record for rushing with 191 yards and picked up a couple of TD's along the way. When he scrambled in the 3rd quarter to elude defenders the game became spectacular. His finish to that play was not only spectacular but legendary.
3) Jerry Rice: In his first Superbowl this wide reviver showed why he would be the greatest of all time in Superbowl 23. With 11 catches and 215 yards Jerry Rice started his Superbowl career in style. Remember the play when Rice catches the ball up the middle, you can slowly see 3 defenders gently fall one by one. Jerry Rice made his opposition feel helpless. The last drive of the game Rice caught 3 balls and the hole stadium could sense the moment. Even then no one secondary player could compete with the greatest of all time. Not even in Superbowl 24. Jerry Rice NFL records started in the Superbowl.
2) Steve Young: It is hard to imagine any player trying to follow in the shoes of Joe Montana. For Steve Young however Superbowl 29 was the moment all non believers had to sit back and chew on their words. Not only did he throw for 4 TD passes in the first half, he broke Montana's TD record by throwing 6 in a single Superbowl. Young had almost every ackalaide a quarterback could have in a career, except a Superbowl victory. Until Superbowl 29 it was his biggest downfall of his legacy. Young spent years trying to rise from the shadow of a legend. On this night Steve Young got his chance to become a champion and release years of pint up aggression. Not only was the monkey released from Steve Young's back, he also released a lifetime of questions about the Superbowl and his place in history.
1) Doug Williams: If you want a movie like ending to this Top 5 list then you are in luck. In Superbowl 22 one man became a legend and lifted an entire race to victory on a busted leg. Doug Williams wasn't the greatest quarterback to ever play in a Superbowl. He wasn't even the best quarterback on the field that day. But for one quarter of football the Doug Williams Redskins were unstoppable. His offensive line may have been better than the quarterback on this day but Williams threw for 4 TD's and brought his team back from a 10 point defect. A performance that captured Williams the MVP and the Redskins a Superbowl. Its was also the first time a black quarterback has every won a Superbowl. The only one to date. This was not only a inspirational moment in sports but a important part of the history of the NFL.
