With Super Bowl 50 presenting a banner matchup between Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, let’s take a look at the top 15 quarterback performances of the Super Bowl era.
Super Bowl 50 will feature two iconic quarterbacks: the Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning, one of the greatest ever to line up under center, and the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton, a former Heisman Trophy winner with the Auburn Tigers looking to bring Charlotte, North Carolina its first professional football championship.
In a pass-happy era dominated by the quarterback position, one could argue that the early front-runners for Super Bowl 50 MVP are Manning and Newton. Manning could win his second Lombardi Trophy and ride off into the sunset like the last Denver quarterback to win a title, John Elway. Newton could garner his first Super Bowl victory, yet another stepping stone in an already impressive young career.
Even before the league reached the heights of its current aerial affection, there had been plenty of Super Bowl MVPs from under center. Of the 49 Super Bowl MVPs, 27 times the award has gone to a quarterback who led his team to a Lombardi Trophy.
While it certainly is possible that a member of either powerhouse defense of the Broncos or the Panthers could end up being the difference maker and win the MVP in Super Bowl 50, smart money is on Manning or Newton simply based on the track record of previous Super Bowl MVP award-winners.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 15 greatest quarterback performances in the Super Bowl era.
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