About This Quiz
Even for quarterbacks, the most protected position on the football field, an NFL season is long and grueling, and the intensity only ramps up when the playoffs come around. That's why making a run at a Super Bowl title is such a daunting task. However, as of Super Bowl LIII, 32 quarterbacks have not only reached the Super Bowl but won the whole thing.
What exactly does it take for a quarterback to become a Super Bowl champion? They have to be able to win enough games throughout the regular season, sometimes putting on heroic performances and other times relying on team play to get a victory. Each week is different in the NFL, after all, and no one player is going to win a championship alone, even if they are a superstar at their position. They also have to be great in the playoffs when the intensity is ramped up and every inch counts. Sometimes the smallest play is the difference between advancing or going home.
Are you ready to identify the quarterbacks who were able to make enough of the right plays to take home the Lombardi Trophy? If you think you can, prove it by getting a high score on this quiz.
Peyton Manning's body was a shell of itself when the Denver Broncos reached Super Bowl 50. However, Manning's football IQ still rivaled anyone in NFL history, and he used his knowledge of the game to make just enough plays to win his second and final championship.
When Drew Brees joined the New Orleans Saints in 2006, he completely turned the franchise around. Before Brees joined the team, the Saints had struggled to make the playoffs and had never reached a Super Bowl. In his fourth season with the Saints, that all changed when Brees delivered a championship.
There's much debate on whether Eli Manning will make the Hall of Fame. After all, his regular-season numbers are far from worthy of making it into the Hall of Fame, but his two Super Bowl appearances were legendary and will definitely be a factor for any voter.
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Aaron Rodgers is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but even with that recognition, he only has one Super Bowl appearance on his resume. He came away with a victory in that Super Bowl, but his contemporaries have multiple championships to his one.
One of John Elway's greatest moments was in the 1987 AFC Championship in a season where he didn't win the Super Bowl. During the game, Elway led a 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, where the Broncos secured the victory with a field goal.
After winning Super Bowl XLVIII, Russell Wilson led the Seattle Seahawks back to the Super Bowl the next season. However, he threw a late-game interception near the goal line on an early play. The call was heavily criticized because the Seahawks had one of the best running backs in the league at the time.
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Troy Aikman was never the greatest quarterback when it came to stats, but he did perform well when the moment mattered most. His reliability is one of the main reasons the Dallas Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the '90s.
Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger won a Super Bowl in only his second season in the NFL. Roethlisberger wasn't great in the game, completing less than 50 percent of his passes while also throwing two interceptions. None the less, he was a champion.
After spending most of his career in Green Bay, Brett Favre surprised Packers fans everywhere by joining their rival, the Minnesota Vikings, in 2009. He made an immediate impact on the Vikings, helping them reach the NFC Championship in his first season with the team.
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Steve Young had one of the greatest Super Bowl performances in NFL history when he led the San Francisco 49ers to a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. In the game, Young completed 24 of his passes for 325 yards and set a Super Bowl record with six passing touchdowns.
Known as "Joe Cool," Joe Montana was always clutch in crunch time, leading several comebacks in his NFL career. The stakes for a comeback were never higher than in Super Bowl XXIII, where Montana led a 92-yard drive to take a lead over the Cincinnati Bengals with less than a minute on the clock.
Even though Phil Simms didn't have a great regular season in 1986, he was dominant in the Super Bowl, even earning MVP honors for the game. Matched up against the Denver Broncos, Simms had as many passing touchdowns as incompletions.
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1999 was an outstanding year for Kurt Warner, as he guided the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title. Not only did he perform well in the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl MVP, but he played well all season, earning him the NFL MVP award as well.
Joe Flacco's 2012 playoff run was one for the ages, as Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title. In that pursuit, he tied the NFL record for touchdowns in a postseason with 11.
When Mark Rypien started his first NFL game in 1988, he became the first quarterback from Canada to start an NFL game. So when he won Super Bowl XXVI, Canadians everywhere were excited to see one of their own lead an NFL team to a championship.
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A member of the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, Roger Staubach helped establish the Dallas Cowboys as "America's Team," winning two championships during the decade. Aside from those titles, Staubach was also a four-time NFL passer-rating leader, and six-time Pro Bowler and was later elected to the Hall of Fame.
Even though the Baltimore Colts went into Super Bowl III heavily favored over the New York Jets, Joe Namath promised that the Jets would walk away with a victory. He delivered on his promise, helping the Jets get a 16-7 win over the Colts.
By 1985, Joe Theismann had proven himself to be one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. However, his career came to a close on November 18, 1985, when he suffered a broken leg on a sack that he couldn't recover from.
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Ken Stabler was a major star on the field in 1976, the same year he won his only Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders. That season, Stabler led the league in passing touchdowns and passer rating while also making his second All-Pro Team.
At 32-years old, Jim Plunkett was a backup for the Oakland Raiders coming into the 1980 season, but an injury eventually put him in the starting spot. His first game as a starter was horrendous, as he threw five interceptions in a loss. However, he grew as the season developed and led the Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XV.
The first overall pick in 1970, Terry Bradshaw spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. By the time he retired in 1983, Bradshaw had led the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories and obtained two Super Bowl MVPs.
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Led by Doug Williams, the Washington Redskins put on a scoring frenzy in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXII, scoring 35 of the 42 points in that quarter alone. Williams threw all four of his touchdown passes in the quarter, and the Redskins never lost the lead in the second half.
Nick Foles had a spectacular playoff run in 2017 after taking over for the injured Carson Wentz, who had been having an MVP-caliber season. In Super Bowl LII, Foles played his best football, taking home the Super Bowl MVP after passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
The Miami Dolphins won back to back titles in the 1972 and 1973 seasons behind the play of Bob Griese. The Dolphins only lost two total games between the two seasons, both losses coming in 1973, as they proved to be one of the most dominant teams of the era.
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Jim McMahon was never an MVP-caliber quarterback, but he didn't need to be for the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XX. Instead, the team relied on their stacked defense and a legendary running back in Walter Payton to carry them through the season.
Bart Starr helped define the NFL after the merger with the AFL by winning both the first and second Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers. He was named the MVP of both games, as the Packers easily defeated their opponents.
Jeff Hostetler wasn't the full-time starter for the New York Giants when they made it to Super Bowl XXV. However, an injury to starting quarterback Phil Simms left Hostetler in charge of the Giants offense, and he put on a great playoff run to win his only championship as a starter.
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Tom Brady started off his career as a game manager but was still able to help the New England Patriots win three Super Bowl titles. However, he only got better as his career progressed, eventually becoming a three-time NFL MVP and winning six total titles.
Johnny Unitas was a top NFL quarterback long before the Super Bowl era began, winning two NFL championships prior to the merger with the AFL. He finally captured a Super Bowl title during the 1970 season by helping the Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13.
Thanks to an outstanding defensive performance by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, Brad Johnson didn't have to do much to win the game. Still, he managed to get the ball in the end zone twice through the air, as the Buccaneers blew out the Oakland Raiders 48-21.
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Trent Dilfer wasn't the starter coming into the Baltimore Ravens' championship season in 2000, but he was given the job after the Ravens failed to score an offensive touchdown four weeks in a row. Dilfer didn't win his first game as a starter but went on to win every other game for the rest of the season.
The role of the quarterback has changed substantially since Len Dawson played. Now, for a quarterback to win a Super Bowl MVP, they have to pass for over 300 yards and throw multiple touchdowns, while Dawson earned the award after throwing for just 142 yards and a single touchdown.