Super Bowl 50: Top 15 quarterback performances of all-time
By John Buhler
5. Doug Williams, Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII
The Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls under Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs, all of which had a different starting quarterback. While people tend to remember Joe Theismann as the standout quarterback for Washington during that era, his only Super Bowl victory came during a strike-shortened 1982 NFL season.
Mark Rypien would help the Redskins capture No. 3 by defeating the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990s, but it was Doug Williams’ performance in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos that changed the game. Williams threw for 340 for yards, completing 18-of-29 passes for four touchdowns, and an interception, annihilating the Broncos, 42-10, in San Diego.
Williams had starred collegiately at Grambling State and went No. 17 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1978 NFL Draft. He is a proud member of both the Redskins and the Buccaneers Ring of Honors. He was also the first African American quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP.
Williams’ aerial destruction of John Elway’s Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII led to one of the most lopsided games in Super Bowl history. The Redskins were a complete team with a strong armed quarterback capable of outplaying Elway on the NFL’s highest stage.
It’s not to say that Williams had a career day for Washington in Super Bowl XXII (he did throw for 100 touchdowns in his NFL career), but it’s almost impossible to top a game with four touchdown passes, leading to a 32-point over Elway’s Broncos, a game where Denver was favored by a field goal.
Next: 4. Super Bowl XIII