5 Superstar NFL QBs who bombed in the Super Bowl

Making it to the Super Bowl is one of the ultimate goals of most NFL quarterbacks. They dream of their opportunity to one day play in the biggest game on the biggest stage and leading their team to glory.

While many star quarterbacks have put on legendary Super Bowl performances, making the most of the spotlight, others have blown the opportunity when it presents itself.

Here are five of the worst Super Bowl showings by a superstar quarterback in NFL history.

#5 - Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers - Super Bowl XL

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, but it wasn't because of Ben Roethlisberger. Despite his team winning the game, Roethlisberger put up a terrible performance.

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Roethlisberger completed just nine of his 21 passes for 123 yards and zero touchdowns while throwing two interceptions. His poor showing was apparently good enough to earn him a ring, but mostly because of the Steelers' excellent defense.

#4 - Jim Kelly, Buffalo Bills - Super Bowl XXVI

Jim Kelly put together the best statistical year of his career during the 1991 NFL season. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,844 yards and 33 touchdowns, all of which were career highs. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro and ranked second in the MVP voting.

Kelly led the Bills to his second Super Bowl in as many years following the 1991 NFL season. He lost the first one and was looking for redemption in the second, but things didn't go his way. Washington's defense was all over Kelly in their victory, forcing him to fumble twice and throw a massive four interceptions.

#3 - John Elway, Denver Broncos - Super Bowl XXIV

John Elway eventually won two Super Bowl rings at the back end of his legendary career, but they came after some struggles along the way. None were worse than his abysmal showing in Super Bowl XXIV in one of the biggest postseason blowouts of all time.

Elway completed just ten of his 26 passes for 108 yards with two interceptions and a fumble while failing to record a touchdown. The Denver Broncos were destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers in a lopsided 55-10 game. Joe Montana put on a legendary performance, throwing five touchdown passes.

#2 - Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers - Super Bowl L

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton

Cam Newton put together the best year of his career during the 2015 NFL season. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro and also won the NFL MVP award while leading the Carolina Panthers to an impressive 15-1 record.

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It felt like it could be the Panthers year when Newton led them all the way to the Super Bowl, but a poor performance ended the year with major disappointment. Newton completed less than 50 percent of his passes while throwing an interception and fumbling twice during his worst game of the year in a loss to the Denver Broncos.

#1 - Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders - Super Bowl XXXVII

Rich Gannon was chosen as the NFL MVP for the 2002 season after leading the NFL with 4,689 passing yards. He was also selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and second first-team All-Pro in four years. He appeared ready to lead the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl, but the game turned into a disaster for him.

Gannon set a Super Bowl record by throwing five interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns, another Super Bowl record. The Raiders were dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by an ugly 48-21 score.

Edited by John Maxwell