The 5 Absolute Worst Quarterbacks To Win A Super Bowl

Winning the Super Bowl cements your place in history and creates a legacy that will be eternally etched in time. This legacy is further amplified if you are the winning quarterback. For some of the games greatest ever quarterbacks including Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Warren Moon Super Bowl immortality eluded them. For others it seems that they were simply in the right place at the right time to find themselves written into the NFL history books. This article takes a look at the five worst quarterbacks to find themselves lifting aloft the Vince Lombardi trophy.

5 – Eli Manning – New York Giants

Manning was a tough call and may be unlucky to find himself on the list. There can be no denying that the two time Super Bowl MVP is clutch when it matters most, nothing highlights this more than when he eluded three Patriots tacklers to launch the ball up for David Tyree to catch with his helmet. Manning makes the list due to the rollercoaster ride he takes Giants fans on weekly. Manning’s career has been plagued by inconsistency, three times he has thrown more than 20 interceptions including a league leading 27 in 2013. This inconsistency has made it impossible for Manning to establish himself amongst the league’s elite and for this reason he makes his way onto the list.

4-Mark Rypien – Washington Redskins

When leading the Redskins to Super Bowl glory in 1991 Rypien produced a career year in which he threw for 3564 yards and 28 touchdowns. If his career had followed this pattern he would have found his name among the league’s all-time greats, sadly for him and the Redskins it didn’t. His decline from Super Bowl winning quarterback was fast, in 1992 he passed for just 13 touchdowns. During his other ten years in the league Rypien was average at best, compiling a 33-29 record as a starter and throwing 87 touchdowns to 77 interceptions. He was to have just three seasons in which he passed for over 3000 yards.

3 – Trent Dilfer – Baltimore Ravens

Dilfer is the ultimate definition of a game manger, riding on the back of one of the games greatest ever defences Dilfer’s mission was simple, don’t lose the game. Dilfer’s Super Bowl winning season was far from spectacular, he threw for just over 1500 yards and 12 touchdowns. He didn’t need to do much more as the Ravens defence shut down opposing offences allowing them just 165 points. Apart from Super Bowl victory Dilfer’s career bears few highlights, he complied a career record of 58 -55 and remains the only quarterback in NFL history to be cut the year after he won the Super Bowl.  

2 – Jim Plunkett – LA Raiders

Plunkett is the only quarterback to start and win two Super Bowls who is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This stat should raise alarm bells, the first overall pick in the 1971 draft and former Heisman Trophy winner compiled a career 500 win loss record. (72 – 72) Over the course of his career Plunkett threw 164 touchdowns to 198 interceptions and in twelve of his sixteen seasons he was to throw more interceptions than touchdowns. He finished his career with a 67.5 career quarterback rating, second worst of all time for a Super Bowl winning quarterback. The one with the worst rating sits atop this list.

1 – Joe Namath – New York Jets

Namath is by far the worst quarterback to win the Super Bowl, if it wasn’t for the ‘guarantee’ Namath’s career would be viewed as a joke. Namath’s career stats do not make for pretty reading. He was to throw just 173 career touchdowns in comparison to 220 interceptions, this includes two seasons in which he threw 28. One of the league’s first true superstars Namath finished with a career rating of 65.5. He was to have just two seasons in which he threw more touchdowns than interceptions and it is quite simple that he is in the Hall of Fame on a Super Bowl performance alone.  

It is clear for all future Super Bowl winning quarterbacks that to knock Namath off the top spot will require something truly special!