Over 49 Super Bowls, there have been many memorable performances, and we combed through the best to put together For the Win’s all-time Super Bowl team. Players were picked based solely on their performance in a single Super Bowl game.

Quarterback

Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIX



The Chargers never had a shot against Young and the 49ers, who had finally gotten over the Dallas hump two weeks before in the NFC Championship. The Hall of Fame quarterback set a Super Bowl record with six touchdown passes. He also threw for 325 yards to go along with the 49 he racked up on the ground. Young took home Super Bowl MVP honors to go along with the regular season MVP award in what was one of the best seasons a quarterback has ever produced. And by finally winning a Lombardi Trophy, Young was able to “take the monkey off his back,” as he famously said during the waning moments of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDOtBnGHH-A

The “monkey,” of course, being the the pressure of winning a ring after replacing Joe Montana, whom Young narrowly beat out for the spot behind center on this team.

Running back

Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders, Super Bowl XVIII



The only thing more pitiful than Washington’s attempt to slow down Allen in Super Bowl XVIII was Ronald Reagan’s joke after the game. No one’s buying your fake laugh, Tom Flores.

Allen set a then Super Bowl record with his 191 rushing yards (it was later broken by Washington RB Timmy Smith in 1988). But Allen’s performance included this, which may be the most iconic run in the history of the game.

Wide receivers

Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIII

You just knew Rice, the greatest player to ever grace a football field, was going to show up on this list, and really you could probably give him all three receiver spots. Instead, we’ll give other guys some recognition and just go with one Rice performance: His 11-reception, 215-yard, MVP-winning performance against the Bengals in 1989.

Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl X



It’s hard to get through a Super Bowl highlight package without seeing one of Swann’s acrobatic catches. His diving grab in Super Bowl X was probably his best and wrapped up the Super Bowl MVP award that year. Terry Bradshaw targeted Swann five times in the game, and the Hall of Famer hauled in four of them for 161 yards and a score.

Ricky Sanders, Washington, Super Bowl XXII

Doug Williams and Timmy Smith get all of the recognition for Washington’s 42-10 win over Denver, but Sanders quietly put up one of the best performances by a receiver in Super Bowl history, doing most of his damage in the team’s record-setting second quarter. Sanders caught an 80-yard touchdown for Washington’s first score and followed that up with a 50-yard score 10 minutes later. He finished with nine catches for 191 yards.

Tight end

Dan Ross, Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl XVI

Let’s be honest: No one really knows who Dan Ross is, but there aren’t a lot of memorable Super Bowl performances by tight ends. Rob Gronkowski went for 68 yards and a touchdown last year, but Ross managed to catch 11 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in Super Bowl XVI. So even in a losing effort, Ross gets the nod.

Offensive line

LT Jim Lachey (WSH, XXVI), LG Gene Upshaw (OAK, XI), C Mark Stepnoski (DAL, XXVII), RG Larry Little (MIA, VII), RT Joe Jacoby (WSH, XXVI)



Washington gets two tackles on the team from the 1991 squad, which dominated the Bills formidable front seven in Super Bowl XXVI. The likes of Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley and Cornelius Bennett could not get close to Mark Rypien, providing him with enough time to carve up Buffalo’s secondary en route to winning MVP. The guards are Upshaw and Little, both Hall of Famers who were integral parts of dominating run games. Stepnoski was the leader of one of the best lines in history and was a big part of Dallas’ blowout win over Buffalo in Pasadena.

Defensive line

Richard Dent, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XX

Dent was the MVP in one of the more dominant displays by a defense in a Super Bowl. The Bears defensive end had two sacks and two forced fumbles in a 46-10 drubbing of New England. I know you are expecting the Super Bowl Shuffle video here, but, somehow, it’s not on YouTube. How is this possible?

L.C. Greenwood, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl X



Greenwood’s four sacks of Roger Staubach in the Steelers’ 21-17 win over Dallas remains a record to this day. He was a very scary dude.

Joe Green, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl IX

Greene’s most memorable contribution to the Super Bowl is probably his commercial for Coke, but he was dominant in the big game as well. Super Bowl IX is probably his best game. In addition to wrecking Minnesota’s rushing game, Greene chipped in with an interception and fumble recovery.

Reggie White, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XXXI

In his only Super Bowl appearance, White was simply unblockable. He finished the game with three sacks but was beaten out for the MVP award by kick returner Desmond Howard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=703Ks09zF5E

Linebackers

Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV

This was Ray Lewis at his peak. He was named the defensive player of the year in 2000 and backed that up with an MVP performance in the Super Bowl. He was all over the field with 11 tackles and four deflected passes.

Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl XXXVII

Brooks’ Super Bowl performance was the culmination of a dominant season for the linebacker. His role on the Buccaneers’ record-setting defense was to make plays from the weakside linebacker spot, and that’s exactly what he did, picking off five passes and scoring four touchdowns during the regular season. He continued his disruptive ways in the Super Bowl, intercepting Rich Gannon and taking it back for a score.

Chuck Howley, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl V

By all accounts, Super Bowl V stunk. And it stunk so bad that the MVP went to a guy on the losing team. Howley picked off two passes but the Colts upended the Cowboys on a last second field goal.

Cornerbacks

Ty Law, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI

The Patriots strategy of getting physical with Rams receivers was, in part, based around the abilities of Law, New England’s best cornerback. He was capable of sticking with both Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce in tight press coverage, which threw off the timing of St. Louis’ potent offense. The Patriots scored only two touchdowns in upsetting the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, and Law had one of them on a pick-6.

Mel Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl IX

The second Steeler on the Super Bowl IX squad to make this team, Blount is a player who probably couldn’t play in this era where corners are flagged for merely placing hands on receivers five yards downfield. But in the 70s, physical corner play was encouraged and Blount was one of the best. He was a key figure on all of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl triumphs in the decade, but the win over the Vikings was undoubtedly the most dominant performance by the Steel Curtain and Blount recorded his first Super Bowl interception in the game.

Safeties

Dexter Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl XXXVII



Jackson is not a memorable player, but he played a damn good game against the Raiders and is the only safety to ever win the MVP award.

Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIII



Lott’s impact isn’t going to show up in a box score, but the imposing figure in San Francisco’s defensive backfield was on the mind of each and every opposing receiver who had the misfortune of being targeted over the middle. The hard-hitting safety was at his peak when the 49ers won their fourth Lombardi trophy.

Correction: A previous version of this post had the incorrect jersey number for Gene Upshaw.