Super Bowl 50: Top 15 quarterback performances of all-time
By John Buhler
14. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XLV
The 2010 NFL season was the beginning of the meteoric rise of the new franchise quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers. After being drafted by Green Bay in 2005 and having to spend his first three NFL seasons as Brett Favre’s understudy, Rodgers emerged as an elite quarterback during the 2010 NFL Playoffs, capping it off with a Super Bowl MVP in the Packers’ 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Once Green Bay torched the No. 1 Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round in the NFC Playoffs, it seemed like the Packers were an unstoppable team of destiny that had no choice but two win the fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.
In Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers went on to win Super Bowl MVP by way of completing 24-of-39 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He threw two of his three touchdown passes to Greg Jennings and one to Jordy Nelson.
Pittsburgh battled the whole game, but the Steelers were never able to get within three points of the Packers’ lead throughout the game. Rodgers beat a two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback in Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, and became the third Packers quarterback to win a Super Bowl – joining legends Bart Starr and the aforementioned Favre.
Green Bay won the Super Bowl over Pittsburgh largely because of Rodgers’ near perfect football game. His nearly flawless 2010 playoff run and a 15-1 regular season the following year in 2011 helped the Packers forget about Favre, as they now had a new franchise quarterback, a Super Bowl MVP nonetheless, to rally behind.
Next: 13. Super Bowl XLIX