Best Performances From Georgia Players in the Super Bowl

Georgia has a long history of outstanding performances in the Super Bowl, but which ones were the best?

Georgia is one of only two schools (USC) to have three different players win Super Bowl MVP.

Michigan, of course, holds the record for most total MVPs (6) - Tom Brady’s 5 help - but the Bulldogs and the Trojans are the only programs to have three different athletes earn the award.

Georgia, along with LSU, also holds the longest current streak for players in the Super Bowl, at 22 years.

So which of the legendary performances from former Bulldogs were the best on football’s biggest stage? We rank the top 5 below:

5. Matthew Stafford - Super Bowl LVI

Stafford played 12 years of really good football for the Detroit Lions before pulling a Kevin Durant and joining a super team. The veteran quarterback signed with the Los Angeles Rams prior to the 2021 season. In his first year with the Rams, Stafford would lead the team to a Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Though Cooper Kupp would win MVP, Stafford was impressive in the game: 26-40, 283 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT. Plus, he had this no-look pass:

4. Sony Michel - Super Bowl LIII

Like Stafford, Sony Michel did not earn MVP honors in his Super Bowl win with the Patriots over the Rams, but he does have a relatively unique stat: Michel was the only player to score a touchdown in the game. Micel rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries. His 2-yard touchdown broke a 3-3 tie with 7:00 to go in the game.

3. Hines Ward - Super Bowl XL

First off, Super Bowl “XL” was maybe the coolest Super Bowl ever. You had Jerome Bettis returning to his hometown of Detroit for a championship game. The Steelers had a chance to be the first 6th seed to win a Super Bowl. Shuan Alexander had rushed for 28 touchdowns for the Seahawks. A Steelers defense that featured Joey Porter, James Farrior, and Troy Polamalu. Rolling Stones halftime show. Just plain cool.

But it was Hines Ward that shined the brightest. Ward caught a 37-yard pass on 3rd-and-28 early in the game to give Pittsburgh the longest third down conversion in Super Bowl history. Later in the game, he caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. The image of Hines Ward leaping into the end zone has been featured on countless montages. For his efforts, Ward earned MVP.

2. Terrell Davis - Super Bowl XXXII

John Elway was the storyline entering Super Bowl XXXII. The veteran quarterback was destined for the Hall of Fame, but he was 0-3 in his Super Bowl appearances. Eight years after his most recent appearance, Elway helped lead the Broncos back, but the 36-year-old quarterback was banged up. Enter Terrell Davis. The third-year back had rushed for 1,750 yards in the regular season and another 424 in the postseason.

Elway only had to complete 11 passes in Denver’s 31-24 win over Green Bay, as Davis rushed for 157 yards on 30 carries and scored 3 times. Terrell Davis earned Super Bowl MVP for the performance. He’d follow it up with a 2,000-yard season the very next year, as Denver repeated as champions.

1. Jake Scott - Super Bowl VII

The Miami Dolphins got their first Super Bowl win in January of 1973 with a 14-7 win over Washington. Jake Scott, a 4th-year safety out of Georgia, was the games MVP. Scott intercepted two Billy Kilmer passes as Miami held Washington off the board completely on offense, with Washington’s lone touchdown coming on a fumble recovery.

Scott also made big plays on special teams, sliding through defenders to fair catch footballs and give his offense strong field position, but it wasn’t an individual stat that earns Scott the top ranking on this list. It’s one number: 0. That’s the number of losses Miami suffered that season.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only team in NFL history to go undefeated, and Jake Scott was their Super Bowl MVP.

More Bulldogs will have a chance to add their names to this list when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Other Georgia News:

• Kirby Smart Gets Eyes on Several Top Targets in Latest Recruiting Rounds
• Ranking Every Team of the Kirby Smart Era
• WATCH: Georgia Releases Highlight Reel From 2022 Season

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