Super Bowl Betting: Top Five All-Time Quarterback Performances
As you prepare to take the deep dive with your bet on the Super Bowl at Bodog Casino, there is bound to be a lineup of factors rushing competing for your consideration, including the individual performance of the day’s players. And it’s the quarterback we think of first.
Broadly speaking, it’s rare for, say, a linebacker or a wide receiver to receive the amount of attention that we see lavished upon the quarterbacks. Their role on the field and the sheer weight of their contributions in the game are always far beyond that of their teammates.
But not all quarterbacks are created equal, and some stand head and shoulders above the rest. Some have even carried their teams to Super Bowl victory after Super Bowl victory. Who did it best?
A whisker ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, we look back on the top five quarterback performances of all time as they led their team to glory.
Tom Brady
We could easily make a list of top five Super Bowl performances featuring only Tom Brady, and it would serve as a timely tribute to the newly-retired quarterback extraordinaire. It’s easy to see why, when Brady often brought the might of an entire team in his own performance. And credit has certainly flowed where it was due: the Californian native won seven Super Bowls over his career and earned the Super Bowl MVP on five occasions.
Of all Brady’s successes, Super Bowl XLIX is perhaps his GOAT. That year, his New England Patriots faced the Seattle Seahawks. The Hawks were easily the NFL’s best defensive side that season, and boasted its “Legion of Boom” lineup to strike a well-founded fear in opposing sides.
But there was no fear in Tom Brady, not in the slightest. Even going 10 points behind in the third quarter didn’t deter him.
In fact, he set a new Super Bowl record of 37 completions and was responsible for all four of the Patriots’ touchdown passes, with each landing in the hands of a different receiver. In the final quarter, with his fourth Super Bowl on the line, Brady completed 15 of his 19 passes for 138 yards and helped Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman to their victory-clinching touchdowns.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers has been a QB for the Green Bay Packers since 2005, but despite carrying the team into the playoffs in 11 of the last 13 seasons, he’s made only one Super Bowl appearance in 2010.
The Packers found themselves sharing a field with the Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL’s top-scoring defensive team of the season. Not only that, but the Steelers had Troy Polamalu, the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, making them a formidable opponent. Yet, Rodgers made light work of the Steelers’ defence, throwing an impressive 288 yards, no interceptions, and racking up 24 completions out of 39 for three touchdowns.
That single trophy could be enough for Rodgers, though, with that one-for-one Super Bowl record partnered with the honour of being named MVP. A slew of titles, recognitions and nominations have flowed his way since.
Coming back after two regular-season concussions, Rodgers was on fire throughout the playoffs, becoming only the third NFL player to pass over 1,000 yards in a single postseason, and earning his one and only Super Bowl win in unforgettable style.
Joe Montana
Joe Montana is one of NFL history’s brightest stars, with a career that most successful NFL quarterbacks of the previous generation. Signing with the 49ers in 1979 after years of college football success, and retiring with the Chiefs in 1995. with a career span on the heels of Brady’s 21 years. During this time, he won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs, but it was his last appearance in 1990 that stands out as the most special.
Facing off against the Broncos, Montana was an absolute machine throughout Super Bowl XXIV. He completed 22 of his 29 passes for a total of 297 yards, resulting in five touchdowns – the most of any Super Bowl at the time.
That was only the first record that Montana broke that day; he completed 13 consecutive passes, set the second-highest completion percentage, and became the third player in the NFL history to win both Super Bowl MVP and AP MVP in the same year. Montano ensured the 49ers dominated the field from start to finish, and Super Bowl XXIV went down in history as the most lopsided end to any season, with a final score of 55-10.
Steve Young
Steve Young was also on the field for the 49ers at Super Bowl XXIV, relieving Montana in the fourth quarter. However, it was five years later, at Super Bowl XXIX, that he secured his own place in NFL history.
Going into the game against the San Diego Chargers, the 49ers were the clear favourites, but NFL history has shown time and again that the underdog can unleash and win the trophy. Seizing the opportunity to move out of Montana’s shadow, Steve Young stepped up to help secure an impressive 49-26 victory.
His main contribution began after just three plays when he completed a 44-yard pass to Jerry Rice, who put the first points on the board. He followed with more touchdowns in the next two drives and ended the game with 24 completions from 36 for a total of 325.
Young also got one up on Montana by setting a new record of six passing touchdowns in the Super Bowl.
Troy Aikman
Younger NFL fans probably know Troy Aikman for his work as a sportscaster, but before he retired from playing in 2000, Aikman spent more than a decade as the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. During that time, he won three Super Bowls, the first of which saw him put in one of the most impressive performances in the history of the league.
Super Bowl XXVII came close to matching the skewed dominance of Joe Montana’s 55-10, with a final tally of 52-17. Aikman was the key force behind the major disparity. He completed 22 of his 30 passes for 273 yards, tossing four touchdowns to three different receivers.
For his efforts, Aikman was awarded Super Bowl MVP… before doing it all again at Super Bowl XXVIII.
2022 will see a rare Tom Brady-free Super Bowl as the Los Angeles Rams face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at California’s SoFi Stadium. Their quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow, will both be vying to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday. This will make for an especially riveting round of Super Bowl betting, so make your selections now before the opportunity has flown, and gear up for a great game.
Bodog truly is the home of Super Bowl odds. Not only do we host an array of props, spreads and parlays, we’ve also gone and created a Super Bowl Props Sheet for you and your buddies to enjoy during the big game.
Are you ready for the “Greatest Show On Turf”?