NFL Super Bowl MVP Thumbnails XXXI-XLII
SUPER BOWL MVP THUMBNAILS
Following is a review of the memorable performances
of each Pete Rozelle Trophy Most Valuable
Player Award from Super Bowl XXXI to Super
Bowl XLII:
SUPER BOWL XXXI: KR-PR DESMOND
HOWARD, Green Bay Packers – Howard picked
the grandest of stages to carve out his niche in
NFL history, putting up more than 250 combined
yards on his kickoff and punt returns in a 35-21
win over New England. The key play to his selection
as MVP was perhaps a 99-yard kickoff return
that dashed hopes of a comeback by the Patriots.
Signed as a free agent in the offseason, the former
Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan helped the
Packers to their first Super Bowl title since the
Lombardi era.
SUPER BOWL XXXII: RB TERRELL DAVIS,
Denver Broncos – After leading the AFC in rushing
in only his second year, Davis’ 30 carries and 157
yards proved to be the difference in this 31-24 victory
over quarterback Brett Favre and the Packers.
The fleet-footed Davis utilized his unique combination
of speed and power to become the first player
in Super Bowl history to rush for three touchdowns
in one game.
SUPER BOWL XXXIII: QB JOHN ELWAY,
Denver Broncos – After waiting so long for his first
Super Bowl ring, Elway wasted no time in adding
a second one to his collection. Elway, the only other
quarterback besides Dan Marino to throw for
more than 50,000 career yards, amassed 336
yards in Denver’s 34-19 win over a Falcons squad
led by powerful halfback Jamal Anderson. A member
of the famed Class of ’83 quarterbacks, Elway
walked away from football after winning his second
Super Bowl, ending on the highest of notes.
SUPER BOWL XXXIV: QB KURT WARNER,
St. Louis Rams – Becoming a starter via a journey
through the Arena Football League to NFL Europe
to the Rams, Warner’s Cinderella climb from backup
to superstar captured the imagination of America.
Leading the Rams to their first-ever championship,
Warner’s 414 passing yards are still a single-
game Super Bowl best. He spread the ball
around to everyone on the Rams’ offense, as nine
different players registered at least one catch. The
speedy receiving tandem of Isaac Bruce and Torry
Holt each topped 100 yards receiving and caught
one touchdown apiece. In one of the most exciting
finishes in Super Bowl history, the Rams held on to
their 23-16 lead by just one yard, as Titans wideout
Kevin Dyson was dragged down short of the
goal line by Mike Jones in the waning moments of
the fourth quarter.
SUPER BOWL XXXV: LB RAY LEWIS, Baltimore
Ravens – Becoming only the seventh defensive
player to win a Super Bowl MVP award, Lewis
inspired Baltimore to a 34-7 win over the Giants.
Though his five tackles and four passes defensed
did not jump off the stats page as remarkable, it
was Lewis’ tenacity and leadership that propelled
the Ravens to the win.
SUPER BOWL XXXVI: QB TOM BRADY, New
England Patriots – After stepping in for an injured
Drew Bledsoe during the regular season, Brady
eventually led the Patriots to the first Super Bowl
victory in franchise history over a Rams team featuring
a vaunted offense. After St. Louis overcame
a 14-point deficit to tie the game with just 1:30 left
in the fourth quarter, Brady put together a drive of
five completions in six attempts that set up Adam
Vinatieri’s game-winning kick (20-17) to save the
game from going into overtime. Brady completed
16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and one touchdown.
SUPER BOWL XXXVII: S DEXTER JACKSON,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – A bevy of Bucs
defenders were worthy of the MVP award, but
Jackson’s two first-half interceptions, one of which
led to a go-ahead field goal, was the deciding factor
in his selection. Cornerback Dwight Smith returned
two INTs for scores in the fourth quarter, but
Jackson’s big plays keyed the outcome of the
game.
SUPER BOWL XXXVIII: QB TOM BRADY,
New England Patriots – Brady’s Patriots treated the
fans to another exciting finish that ended with a
game-winning Adam Vinatieri field goal with four
seconds left on the game clock to edge Carolina
32-29. The Michigan product completed 32 of 48
passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns to become
the first quarterback in Super Bowl history to
start and win two title games before his 27th birthday.
SUPER BOWL XXXIX: WR DEION BRANCH,
New England Patriots – The University of Louisville
graduate hauled in 11 receptions for 133 yards
and the Patriots’ defense forced four turnovers en
route to becoming the eighth team to post consecutive
Super Bowl titles. The Patriots also matched
the Dallas Cowboys (Games XXVII, XXVIII, and
XXX) as the only teams with three Super Bowl
victories in a span of four seasons. Branch’s 11
catches tied the Super Bowl single-game record
for receptions (Dan Ross, Cincinnati, XVI; Jerry
Rice, San Francisco, XXIII).
SUPER BOWL XL: WR HINES WARD,
Pittsburgh Steelers – In a game in which the Steelers
were outgained in total offense (396-339) by
the Seattle Seahawks, Ward came up with two big
plays to help Pittsburgh win its first Super Bowl
championship since Super Bowl XIV. Ward made a
leaping 37-yard reception late in the second quarter
to set up the Steelers’ first touchdown (a 3-yard
run by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger). Ward also
came up with the play that decided the game
when wide receiver Antwaan Randle El took a
handoff on a reverse and threw a perfect 43-yard
touchdown pass to Ward. Overall, Ward had 5
recep tions for 123 yards and one touchdown.
SUPER BOWL XLI: QB PEYTON MANNING,
Indianapolis Colts – Manning passed for 247 yards
and 1 touchdown as the Indianapolis Colts defeated
the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. The
victory was the Colts’ first Super Bowl championship
in 36 years. Manning completed 25 of 38
passes, including a 53-yard scoring pass to wide
receiver Reggie Wayne in the first quarter. Led by
Manning and the Colts’ ball-control offense, Indianapolis
outgained Chicago 430-265 in total yards
and maintained a 38:04-21:56 edge in time of
possession.
SUPER BOWL XLII: QB ELI MANNING, New
York Giants – Manning followed his brother Peyton
of the Indianapolis Colts as consecutive Super
Bowl most valuable player winners. Manning’s
13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Plaxico
Burress with 35 seconds remaining gave the
Giants a 17-14 come-from-behind victory over the
New England Patriots. During the game-winning
drive, Manning made the play of the game by
escaping the simultaneous grasps of two Patriots’
defensive linemen, spinning away and launching a
deep pass downfield that wide receiver David
Tyree caught in midair and cradled against his
helmet as he fell to the ground for a 32-yard gain.
Manning completed 19 of 34 passes for 255 yards
and 2 touchdowns (Tyree also caught a 5-yard
scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to give the
Giants a 10-7 lead).
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