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Every NFL player dreams of making it to the Super Bowl. A year of hard work, dedication, film study and everything in between all comes down to one game.
Some take the opportunity with both hands like Tom Brady (seven rings), Joe Montana (four rings), Charles Hayley (five rings) and Terry Bradshaw (four rings). But for others, the moment they had dreamed about all their lives is ruined by their performance.
Here are five NFL superstars who bombed in the Super Bowl.
#5 Joe Theismann - Super Bowl XVIII
Joe Theismann was undisputedly an NFL superstar. He won the Super Bowl in 1982 and followed that up with an MVP season in 1983. Theisman led Washington to a 14-2 regular-season record, throwing for 3,714 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
The following year, he made it back to the NFL's penultimate game, but it was one to forget. Theisman completed just 16 of his 45 passes for 245 yards, threw two interceptions and fumbled once as Washington lost 38-9 against the Los Angeles Raiders. He also had a quarterback rating of just 45.3.
# 4 John Elway - Super Bowl XXIV
A true legend of the game, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway could do anything and everything on the football field. Denver's former number seven is in the Hall of Fame and is a two-time Super Bowl champion.
However, in Super Bowl XXIV, Elway had one of the worst performances of his career. Against the immortal Joe Montana, who is 4-0 in Super Bowls, he was simply horrible.
In the 55-10 loss to Montana and the San Francisco 49ers, Elway completed just 10 of his 26 passes for only 108 yards. He threw two interceptions and fumbled once while having a quarterback rating of just 19.4. Suddenly, Carson Wentz's QBR of four from last year doesn't look so bad thanks to Elway's terrible display.
What compounded Elway's poor day was how perfect Montana was. The 49ers star completed 22 of his 29 passes for five touchdowns and 297 yards.
#3 Cam Newton - Super Bowl L
In what has been Cam Newton's only Super Bowl appearance, he stunk the place up. Facing Peyton Manning and his ferocious defense, Newton and the Carolina Panthers barely fired a shot.
Carolina were the favorites after Newton led the franchise to a 15-1 regular-season record and won league MVP honors as well. He threw for 35 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions along with 3,837 passing yards. Newton also rushed for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns for good measure.
But that meant nothing without a Super Bowl win, and Carolina didn't get it. Newton completed just 18 of his 41 passes and had one interception. He also committed two fumbles, one famously where it looked as if he could have dived on the ball but didn't.
After a near-perfect season, Newton and the Panthers lost to Manning and Denver 24-10.
#2 Patrick Mahomes - Super Bowl LV
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were looking for back-to-back Super Bowl wins. They came up against the legendary Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense in Super Bowl LV.
A 14-1 regular-season record made the Chiefs heavy favorites, with Mahomes leading the charge after throwing 38 touchdowns to just six interceptions. But the Super Bowl matchup was doomed from the first snap.
To say that Mahomes never got going is an understatement. Such was the Buccaneers' defensive power that he was running for his life on every play and did not even score a touchdown.
In the 31-9 loss, Mahomes completed just 26 of his 49 passes for 270 yards and two interceptions and had a passer rating of just 52.3.
#1 Rich Gannon - NFL Super Bowl XXXVII
Rich Gannon was the NFL MVP for the 2002 season after throwing for 4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He also led the Raiders to an 11-5 record and was at the top of his game, taking his side to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for Gannon, his performance on the biggest stage set multiple unsavory NFL records. In the 48-21 loss to Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he threw a record five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. Both were records he wouldn't have liked to have against his name.
Gannon finished the game by completing just 24 of his 44 passes for 272 yards. While he did score two touchdowns for the Raiders, he gave Tampa Bay 21 points from his interceptions. It was the worst Super Bowl performance by quite some distance.
All stats via Pro Football Reference.
