The combatants for Super Bowl XLII have been decided, as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will face Eli Manning and the upset-minded New York Giants in what could be an historical championship contest.
In an effort to combine two of the greatest passions of sports fans -- the Super Bowl and fantasy football -- we've decided to rank the top 10 greatest Super Bowl performances of all time based on fantasy points. Players will be rewarded six points for all touchdowns and one point for each 25 passing yards and 10 rushing or receiving yards with no penalties for interceptions or fumbles.
So without further adieu, let's start our venture down championship lane with a look at the 10 best quarterback performances in a Super Bowl.
1. Steve Young, San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIX): Young's 325-yard, six-touchdown performance in a 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers was the greatest ever for a quarterback in the Super Bowl. He broke the previous record of five touchdown passes (Joe Montana, Super Bowl XXIV) and led the Niners with 49 rushing yards for a total of 53 fantasy points. What's even more impressive is that Young's 53 points were more than Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselbeck scored in the first three weeks of the 2007 season.
2. Joe Montana, San Francisco (Super Bowl XIX): The immortal Super Bowl quarterback had one of the best all-around performances at the position in a 38-16 win over Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. Montana completed 68 percent of his passes, threw for 331 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 59 yards (second on the team in the contest behind Wendell Tyler) and a fourth score. All told, Montana would score 42 fantasy points -- 11 fewer than Young's record of 53 -- en route to his second MVP award.
3. Joe Montana, San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIV): Montana completed 76 percent of his passes and threw for 297 yards and what was a record five touchdowns in a 55-10 blowout win over the Denver Broncos. His entire stat line in the contest totaled an impressive 42 fantasy points -- Montana and Young are the lone players to score more than 40 fantasy points in a Super Bowl. One of the best quarterbacks to ever grace the gridiron, Montana earned a record third Super Bowl MVP award as a result of this terrific performance.
4. Doug Williams, Washington (Super Bowl XXII): Williams brought the Redskins back from a 10-0 first quarter deficit with four touchdown passes and a record 35 points in the second quarter in what would be a 42-10 win over the Denver Broncos. Washington found the end zone five times in 18 plays and in a 5:47 total time of possession. Williams threw touchdown strikes of 80 and 50 yards to Ricky Sanders, a 27-yarder to Gary Clark and an 8-yard pass to Clint Didier. The veteran would total 37 fantasy points in the contest.
T-5. Troy Aikman, Dallas (Super Bowl XXVII): Aikman wasn't considered one of the better quarterbacks in fantasy football during his illustrious career, but his impressive 273-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 52-17 win over the Buffalo Bills was the fourth-best ever in the Super Bowl based on fantasy points. He completed 73 percent of his passes and tossed touchdown strikes of 19 and 18 yards to Michael Irvin, a 23-yarder to Jay Novacek and a 45-yard pass to Alvin Harper. In all, Aikman would score 36 fantasy points.
T-5. Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh (Super Bowl XIII): Bradshaw threw for a solid 318 yards and what was a record four touchdown passes to total 36 fantasy points in a 35-31 win over Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys. The Blonde Bomber would connect on touchdown strikes of 28 and 75 yards to John Stallworth, a 7-yarder to Rocky Bleier and an 18-yard pass to Lynn Swann to win the first of two consecutive Super Bowl MVP awards. Bradshaw would throw for a combined total of nine touchdowns in four championship starts.
7. Tom Brady, New England (Super Bowl XXXVIII): While it took a Super Bowl record 26 minutes and 55 seconds for the first points to be scored, Brady's Patriots and the Carolina Panthers still combined to record 868 yards. The heroic quarterback threw for 354 yards with three touchdowns, scored 33 fantasy points and won his second Super Bowl MVP in the 32-29 win. Brady threw touchdown strikes to Deion Branch, David Givens and Mike Vrabel and led the offense down the field for Adam Vinatieri's 41-yard game winner.
8. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia (Super Bowl XXXIX): McNabb didn't receive a lot of recognition for his lone Super Bowl start, but his final stat line would have been more than solid for fantasy footballers. Though he did throw three interceptions in the 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots, McNabb would finish with 357 yards, three touchdowns and a total of 32 fantasy points. The veteran quarterback hit Terrell Owens nine times for 122 yards and threw his touchdown passes to Brian Westbrook, Greg Lewis and L.J. Smith.
9. Ken Anderson, Cincinnati (Super Bowl XVI): Anderson had one of the best quarterback performances in a Super Bowl with 300 passing yards, 15 rushing yards and three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in a 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Anderson threw for scores of four and three yards, both to tight end Dan Ross, and he rushed for a 5-yard touchdown. Anderson's numbers far exceeded the totals of Joe Montana in the contest, but this success wasn't enough to overcome San Francisco on the scoreboard.
10. Phil Simms, New York Giants (Super Bowl (XXI): Simms had perhaps the most flawless performance from a quarterback ever in a Super Bowl, as he led the Giants to a 39-20 win over the Denver Broncos. The veteran set records for most consecutive completions (10) and the highest completion percentage (88 percent) in a championship game. His final stat line also included 268 passing yards, three touchdown passess and 30 fantasy points. Simms' three touchdown strikes went to Mark Bavaro, Phil McConkey and Zeke Mowatt.
Notables: Jake Delhomme, Carolina (Super Bowl XXXVIII): 30 points; Brett Favre, Green Bay (Super Bowl XXXI): 30 points.
