Let me paint a picture for you.
Imagine if you will that Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida, is really a saloon.
It is a slow, humid Sunday afternoon and the saloon is filled with vivacious patrons. The room is abuzz as libations flow free and joyous music reverberates off the walls.
Suddenly there is a loud CRASH heard. The music comes to a screeching halt as the room turns in nervous anticipation to see Peyton Manning standing in the doorway. He has kicked the saloon’s swinging doors off their hinges.
In a slow Southern Drawl, Manning says, “I’m lookin’ fer Drew Brees, anybody seen ‘em?”
A mysterious voice bellows from the rear of the room. “Who’s askin’?”
The saloon turns to see Drew Brees seated at a card table. He stands, revealing a pair of six shooters attached to either leg. Manning flashes a wry grin. “I’m askin’”, Peyton says while revealing the guns strapped to the both of his legs.
Without saying another word, Manning turns and exits the saloon. Brees follows amid nervous moans and groans from the patrons. The crowd knows what is coming next. There is but one way that feuds of this sort end. Two men exit the saloon. Only one will return with a Lombardi Trophy in hand.
Unless Sergio Leone was scripting games for the NFL, then this is not exactly how Super Bowl XLIV will play out on Sunday. None the less, the highly anticipated duel between Manning and Brees is certainly one of the most drama filled storylines of the big game.
Over the years, we’ve seen some epic battles waged between rival signal callers with the greatest prize in football at stake. Let’s relive the best quarterback duels in Super Bowl history as we countdown the hours until kickoff.
Cue the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
Super Bowl I – Bart Starr vs. Len Dawson
Two of the most iconic names in football history squared off in the first ever Super Bowl. Starr’s first quarter TD pass was answered by Dawson’s toss in the second. The second half was all Green Bay however as Starr locked up the MVP award by leading his team to three second half scoring drives en route to a 35-10 victory.
Super Bowl X – Terry Bradshaw vs. Roger Staubach
Bradshaw wasn’t great, however his 64-yard connection with Super Bowl MVP Lynn Swann in the fourth quarter proved to be the game winner. Staubach would answer back with a 34-yard TD pass to Percy Howard, but it was too little too late as the Steelers notched their second consecutive Super Bowl title.
Super Bowl XIII – Terry Bradshaw vs. Roger Staubach: The Rematch
Picking up right where they left off in Super Bowl X, Bradshaw’s 75-yard TD strike to John Stallworth in the first quarter was answered by Staubach’s 39-yard scoring toss to Tony Hill and the duel was back on! In the end, Bradshaw notched the MVP award in leading the Steelers to a rousing 35-31 win in Miami.
Super Bowl XVI – Joe Montana vs. Ken Anderson
Anderson’s stats might have looked sexier to fantasy geeks but Montana’s MVP trophy still looks as good now as it did then. Montana was his typical efficient self, made few mistakes, didn’t turn the ball over and ran for a TD in addition to throwing one. Even though the Niners didn’t find the end zone in the second half, they still held on for a 26-21 win.
Super Bowl XIX – Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino
Rookie Dan Marino made his only appearance in the Super Bowl and was outdueled by the man, the myth, the legend of the quarterback position. Marino had Miami leading 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and that was as close as he’d ever come to winning the big game. San Fancisco delighted the home crowd in Palo Alto with a 38-16 demolition of the Dolphins as Montana went home with his second Super Bowl MVP award.
Super Bowl XXI – Phil Simms vs. John Elway
Elway got the Broncos off to a quick start by running for a TD in the first quarter but that only delayed the inevitable. Simms was amazing in one of the greatest performances by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. The Giants got the 39-20 win and Simms got a well deserved MVP award.
Super Bowl XXXIV – Kurt Warner vs. Steve McNair
One of the great games in Super Bowl history was highlighted by contrasting styles of QB play. Warner got the MVP but McNair’s gritty determination won the hearts of a nation. Warner helmed the high powered Rams’ offense yet it would be the final drive which McNair led Tennessee on that would that would define the game as the Titans came up one yard shy of glory.
Super Bowl XXXVI – Tom Brady vs. Kurt Warner
This is the game that spawned the legend of Tom Brady. Warner ran for a TD and threw one in the fourth quarter, giving the Rams what appeared to be a second Super Bowl title in three years. That was until Brady got his hands on the ball and wrote the first chapter of his NFL legacy.
Super Bowl XXXVIII – Tom Brady vs. Jake Delhomme
Brady and Delhomme dueled to the death in this epic battle. Delhomme’s 12-yard TD toss to Ricky Proehl put the Panthers in prime position to win. That was until Brady worked his fourth quarter magic once again. Adam Vinatieri’s 41-yard kick sealed Brady’s second Super Bowl MVP but the 37 point fourth quarter onslaught is what this game will be remembered for. Well, that and Janet Jackson’s ashy nipple.
Super Bowl XXXIX – Tom Brady vs. Donovan McNabb
Once again Brady went toe-to-toe with the opposing QB and once again he came out with a Lombardi Trophy in hand. McNabb had the Eagles on the doorstep of upending the Pat’s reign, but his three picks would prove costly as New England squeaked out another close victory.
Super Bowl XLII – Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady
This was supposed to be the crowing moment for New England. The Pats were gunning for history while the Giants had plans of raining on perfection. A game with little action sprang to life in the fourth quarter with both quarterbacks attempting to one-up each other. In the end, Manning’s elusive effort that led to David Tyree’s miracle catch which would be the defining moment of the game. Eli got the MVP and the Pats finished with an imperfect record of 18-1.
Super Bowl XLIII – Ben Roethlisberger vs. Kurt Warner
Perhaps the greatest Super Bowl ever played was capped off with an epic fourth quarter. Warner and Larry Fitzgerald hooked up for two TDs in the final quarter but it was Big Ben’s game winning drive and miracle catch by Santonio Holmes that sealed the sixth Lombari in Steeler history.
Chris Shellcroft is the lead blogger for Just Blog Baby, occasional contributor on Lake Show Life and an all around righteous dude. You can follow him on Twitter.
