Winning a Super Bowl does not automatically make a player “clutch.” Some players have won multiple championships without producing particularly memorable performances on the biggest stage, while others have delivered extraordinary numbers, game-winning plays and fourth-quarter performances that changed Super Bowl history.
To identify the 15 most clutch players in Super Bowl history, the emphasis here is on what actually happened inside the Super Bowl: late-game production, efficiency, touchdowns,
yards, turnovers, game-winning scores, record-setting performances and performances under extreme pressure. This is not simply a list of players with the most rings.
1. Tom Brady — QB
Brady is the obvious starting point, but the statistical case goes well beyond his seven championships. He owns Super Bowl records for passing yards (3,039), completions (277), attempts (432) and touchdown passes (21). He also owns the single-game Super Bowl passing record with 505 yards in Super Bowl LII and threw for 466 yards during the Patriots’ historic comeback in Super Bowl LI.
His Super Bowl LI performance may be the ultimate definition of clutch: Brady completed 26 of 33 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns during New England’s five possessions from the middle of the third quarter through the winning touchdown.
2. Joe Montana — QB
Montana’s Super Bowl résumé is almost impossible to match for efficiency. In four Super Bowls, he completed 83 of 122 passes for 1,142 yards, 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions, producing a 127.8 passer rating. His 9.02% touchdown rate and 0.00% interception rate are remarkable over that many attempts.
3. Patrick Mahomes — QB
Mahomes has already established himself as one of the greatest pressure performers in Super Bowl history. Even though he has lost two of five Super Bowls and has some statistical flaws, he has led comebacks in the fourth quarter or overtime in all three of his wins.
His back-to-back Super Bowl MVP performances in LVII and LVIII included a combined 515 passing yards and five touchdowns.
4. Jerry Rice — WR
Rice is the greatest Super Bowl receiver statistically. He owns the career records for 33 receptions, 589 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. His 48 Super Bowl points are also a record.
That combination of volume and scoring production makes Rice arguably the greatest non-quarterback clutch performer in Super Bowl history.
5. Eli Manning — QB
Manning’s career Super Bowl statistics are excellent: 49-of-74 passing for 551 yards, three touchdowns and one interception across two appearances.
But the numbers become even more impressive when considering the quality of the opponents. Manning defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots twice, including a 2011 performance in which he threw the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining.
6. Adam Vinatieri — K
If “clutch” means delivering when the game is literally on the line, Vinatieri deserves to be near the top. He made seven Super Bowl field goals, tied for the career record through 2019, and twice kicked game-winning field goals for New England.
7. David Tyree — WR
Tyree’s helmet catch is arguably the greatest catch in Super Bowl history…right alongside player player #8 on this list. Tyree didn’t have the statistical volume but his clutch moment helped the Giants capture their 2007 championship.
8. Julian Edelman — WR
Edelman produced 24 career Super Bowl receptions for 337 yards, including 10 catches for 141 yards in Super Bowl LIII, when he won MVP.
His defining clutch moment, however, came in Super Bowl LI when his improbable fourth-quarter catch kept the Patriots’ comeback alive.
9. Terry Bradshaw — QB
Bradshaw’s four Super Bowls produced 932 passing yards and nine touchdowns. His 112.8 career Super Bowl passer rating ranks among the best quarterbacks with significant Super Bowl volume.
His four-touchdown performance in Super Bowl XIII remains one of the most impressive quarterback displays in championship-game history.
10. Kurt Warner — QB
Warner threw for 1,156 yards and six touchdowns in three Super Bowls. His 73-yard touchdown pass in the final two minutes against Tennessee is one of the most famous late-game scoring moments in Super Bowl history.
Warner only delivered 1 championship in his 3 trips to the big game but Warner is known for racking up 414, 365, and 377 passing yards in each game he played.
11. James Harrison — LB
Harrison’s Super Bowl XLIII performance remains one of the greatest defensive plays in NFL history. He returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first half, giving Pittsburgh a crucial 17-7 lead.
12. Malcolm Butler — CB
Butler played only one Super Bowl in a starring role, but what a role it was. His interception of Russell Wilson at the goal line with Seattle threatening to score ended Super Bowl XLIX and preserved New England’s 28-24 victory.
It is difficult to construct a more literal definition of a clutch defensive play.
13. Von Miller — LB
Miller dominated Super Bowl 50, recording 2.5 sacks, six tackles and a forced fumble while winning MVP.
Miller also helped bring a championship to Los Angeles; registering 2.0 sacks as the Rams defense suffocated Joe Burrow and the Bengals in the second half.
14. Cooper Kupp — WR
Kupp’s Super Bowl résumé consists of one game, but his Super Bowl LVI performance was outstanding: eight catches, 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. He was named Super Bowl 56 MVP.
On the Rams final drive, everyone knew the ball was going to Cooper Kupp. And there was nothing the Bengals could do to stop him.
15. Terry Bradshaw, QB
Terry Bradshaw belongs among the most clutch Super Bowl performers in NFL history because his production consistently rose on the biggest stage. In four Super Bowl victories, Bradshaw threw for 932 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named Super Bowl MVP twice, including after throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s 35-31 victory over Dallas in Super Bowl XIII. Bradshaw’s ability to make explosive plays and deliver in championship moments helped establish the Steelers as the NFL’s dynasty of the 1970s.
