The star players typically steal the Super Bowl spotlight, but they can’t win championships unless they get plenty of help from some lesser-known teammates along the way.
As time passes, the impact of other players gets long forgotten, and all that people remember is who won or lost, and perhaps a few key players and moments from those games.
So, it’s time to celebrate the under-the-radar performances that led to Super Bowl glory. The following 10 players did not win a coveted Super Bowl MVP award; if they had, they wouldn’t be included on this list.
In some cases, they might have deserved the honor, but instead, they played key roles as part of the supporting cast. Here are 10 unsung heroes of the Super Bowl, listed in chronological order, with the final one coming from last year’s Super Bowl.
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Max McGee, Green Bay Packers — Super Bowl I
While Bart Starr was the MVP of the first Super Bowl, he threw two touchdown passes to one player — Max McGee. The veteran receiver caught a 37-yard TD pass in the first quarter and then a 13-yard scoring pass in the third quarter to put the game away. McGee finished with seven catches for 138 yards.
Matt Snell, New York Jets — Super Bowl III
Joe Namath got all the attention for his bold guarantee that the Jets would beat the mighty Baltimore Colts. But Snell was the one who helped Namath back up his words on the field. The running back accounted for 161 total yards, 121 rushing, and scored the Jets’ only touchdown in their 16-7 victory. Namath was named MVP, but it should have gone to Snell.
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John Stallworth, Pittsburgh Steelers – Super Bowl XIII and XIV
Stallworth typically took a backseat to his more celebrated receiver teammate, Lynn Swann, but Stallworth was an unsung hero in two Super Bowls. In Super Bowl XIII, Stallworth hauled in two first-half TD passes — one a 75-yarder — and finished with three catches for 115 yards in the Steelers’ 35-31 win over Dallas. The following year, he did it again with a 73-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter to put the Steelers up for good against the Los Angeles Rams in their 31-19 victory.
Ricky Sanders, Washington – Super Bowl XXII
In a Super Bowl that is remembered more for Doug Williams’ MVP performance and for Timmy Smith’s single-game rushing record, Sanders doesn’t get mentioned. But he should. All he did was haul in nine of Williams’ passes for 193 yards and two scores, one an 80-yarder, in one of the greatest performances by a receiver not named Jerry Rice.
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Ricky Watters, San Francisco 49ers — Super Bowl XXIX
The 49ers’ 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers featured Steve Young’s record-setting six TD passes, three of them to Jerry Rice. But Watters, their do-everything running back, chipped three touchdowns as well — two of them receiving and one rushing — and finished with 108 all-purpose yards.
Darrien Gordon, Denver Broncos – Super Bowl XXXIII
In their 34-19 victory, the Broncos intercepted Atlanta Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler three times, twice by Gordon — and they were game-altering plays. The first one came late in the third quarter with the Falcons down 17-6 but deep in Denver territory. Gordon returned it 58 yards to the Atlanta 24-yard line, setting up a Broncos’ touchdown five plays later. And then Gordon did it on the following drive, intercepting a Chandler pass near the end zone and returning it 50 yards, leading to another Denver score. Gordon set a Super Bowl record with 108 interception return yards. John Elway was named MVP in his final NFL game, but Gordon made sure he retired as a two-time Super Bowl champion.
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Jacoby Jones, Baltimore Ravens – Super Bowl XLVII
Jones took full advantage of his opportunities, and without him, the Ravens wouldn’t have beaten the San Francisco 49ers. First, he caught a 56-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco — his only reception of the game — to give the Ravens a 21-3 lead, and then he returned the second-half kickoff a record 108 yards to increase their lead to 28-3. The 49ers rallied to within 34-31, but came up short — mostly because Jones had helped stake the Ravens to such a huge early lead.
Tracy Porter, New Orleans Saints – Super Bowl XLIV
The Saints were up 24-17 late in the fourth quarter against the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts. And Manning was driving the Colts into Saints’ territory for what could have been a game-tying touchdown. But that didn’t happen because of Porter. With 3:24 left, he picked off Manning and took it 74 yards to the house to secure the Saints’ 31-17 win and first Super Bowl title. Drew Brees was the game’s MVP, and rightfully so, but Porter was the defensive star.
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James White, New England Patriots – Super Bowl LI
The Patriots were down 28-3 in the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. But Tom Brady was just getting started. Same with White, who scored three of New England’s final four touchdowns — one on a pass from Brady and the other two on runs — to complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. White, a running back, set a Super Bowl record with 14 receptions, and he finished with 139 total yards, 110 on pass plays.
Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs – Super Bowl LVII
Within 1 minute and 35 seconds of clock time early in the fourth quarter, Toney had two of the most integral plays of the game. First, he caught a 5-yard TD pass from Patrick Mahomes to put the Chiefs on top, 28-27. Then, when the Philadelphia Eagles were forced to punt on their drive, Toney was the return man, and he returned it 65 yards to the Eagles’ 5-yard line. That set up Mahomes for another TD pass — his third of the day — only three plays later, and the Chiefs went up 35-28. Toney’s impact plays helped Kansas City win, 38-35, for the franchise’s third Super Bowl title.
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