Super Bowl 50: Top 15 quarterback performances of all-time

iFeb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates victory in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
iFeb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates victory in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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iFeb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates victory in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
iFeb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates victory in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /

13. Tom Brady, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLIX

With Deflategate starting its exhaustive run, and his team not having won a Super Bowl since the Spygate scandal, Tom Brady help the New England Patriots claim their fourth Super Bowl of the Brady/Bill Belichick era in Super Bowl XLIX by defeating the Seattle Seahawks (and their vaunted Legion of Boom defense), 28-24.

People will remember this game for Seattle head coach Pete Carroll’s decision to throw the football during a goal line situation rather than pounding the rock with Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch. Carroll’s play calling proved costly, as then little-known cornerback Malcolm Butler would intercept Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s pass in the end zone, helping the Patriots win in miraculous fashion.

However, it was the strong play of Brady that arguably kept the Patriots in the game against the Legion of Boom. Brady went on to win Super Bowl XLIX MVP by completing 37-of-50 passes for 328 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Brady set a Super Bowl record with his 37 completions and tied an NFL record with his third Super Bowl MVP, joining his boyhood idol Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers. While Brady won his first three Super Bowls early in his NFL career, this fourth one solidified his place on the NFL’s Mount Rushmore for quarterbacks.

Only Montana and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw had won four Super Bowls. Outside of maybe Montana, nobody has been better on the NFL’s highest stage than Brady in the Super Bowl era. This was a legacy game for Brady and he will go down as either the league’s No. 1 or No. 2 NFL quarterback of all-time.

Next: 12. Super Bowl XLVII