Top Super Bowl Dawgs of the past 20 years: Who's next?
There are plenty of moments to pick from when you’re talking about the top Super Bowl Dawgs of the past 20 years.
This year’s Rams-Bengals matchup marks 21 straight, which means another former Dawg has a chance to land on this list of best Super Bowl moments next season.
Matthew Stafford has the straightest shot to control the game in a way that makes him that guy.
I also have a dark horse pick for who it could be. Suspenseful.
But first, let’s look back at the most impressive Super Bowl Dawgs to precede them (sorted by most recent):
Top Super Bowl Dawg: LIII (2019)
Sony Michel scored the only touchdown in a matchup of ‘Running Back U’ Super Bowl Dawgs.
The Patriots beat the Rams, 13-3, in large part because of Michel’s 18 carries for 94 yards. New England stuffed Todd Gurley all night (and everything Los Angeles wanted to do offensively). Gurley was the Rams’ leading rusher with just 35 yards.
Jared Goff’s disappointing game (19-38, 0 TD, 1 INT, 4 sacks) was at least one reason why the Rams pushed so hard to assemble a super team with Stafford at the helm – championships require much better quarterback play.
I have to think Stafford will execute at a higher level than Goff did on the super stage.
Don’t overlook David Andrews in the best Super Bowl comeback of all time: LI (2017)
When the Patriots completed the best Super Bowl comeback of all time against the Falcons (yes, Atlanta helped. But Tom Brady did Tom Brady things along the way), guess who started all 99 offensive plays?
The Boss, David Andrews did, that’s who.
Not only did Andrews have his hand on the ball for each Super Bowl snap, he also helped the Patriots’ offensive line protect Tom Brady en route to 466 passing yards and two touchdowns (along with one pick-six that had everyone thinking the Falcons couldn’t lose. But somehow, they still did. Somehow. They. Still. Did.)
New England also rushed for 104 yards and possessed the ball for 40:31. The Patriots scored 25 straight points in the second half before winning in overtime to complete the top Super Bowl win of all time.
Andrews and company had to be gassed (they did give up five sacks), but that comeback doesn’t happen without them.
Chris Clemons and the Seahawks bring the pain to Peyton Manning: XLVIII (2014)
This was really a terrible Super Bowl to watch, unless you’re a Seattle fan. It was never close. The Seahawks had a 22-0 lead at halftime before Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked the halftime show.
In that 43-8 win, however, former Georgia defensive end Chris Clemons helped Seattle unleash hell on Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ offense.
Denver fumbled four times and lost two of them, and turnovers in a championship are a sure way to lose. Clemons forced two of those fumbles on his own, and one of them happened on a strip sack of Manning.
Hines Ward, even in defeat against the Packers: XLVI (2012)
Critics bash Aaron Rodgers (in a strictly football sense) and the Packers for the fact that they’ve only found a way to win one Super Bowl. Rodgers was stellar against the Steelers in that lone Lombardi moment, with 304 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 35-21 victory.
Even in defeat, Hines Ward gave Green Bay’s defense all they could handle.
When you know that the player you’re supposed to defend is an eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer, and he’s already won a Super Bowl MVP once, and he still gashes your secondary for 78 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, that’s just the definition of a baller.
MVP Hines Ward in victory against the Seahawks: XL (2006)
Super Bowl XL featured an extra large performance from Ward. Not only did he catch five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, he also had an 18 yard rush in the Steelers’ 21-10 victory.
The 43-yard strike from Antwaan Randle El was a beauty. It will be shown on Steelers highlights, and Hines Ward highlights, in perpetuity.
Ward galloped into the end zone, and into a well-deserved Super Dawg MVP award.
“This game did a lot for a lot of people,” Ward said. “It was big for Coach Cowher because people said he couldn’t win the big game. It was big for Jerome (Bettis) because it was the last game of his career. It was big for Ben Roethlisberger because people didn’t know if a quarterback that young could win this game. And it was big for somebody like me because I was covering kicks when I first came into the league. I look back on those days now, and I feel like I’ve come a long way.”
Who’s the next Super Dawg to steal the show?
Obviously Stafford is the favorite.
I’d put my money on Leonard Floyd to disrupt Joe Burrow in a meaningful way, if I gambled on long-shot MVP odds. We’ll see…
