10 NFL Super Bowl Games With The Most Passing Yards, Ranked
Although some assume the evolution of heavy passing offenses in the NFL is a relatively newer phenomenon, the league has seen big passing numbers since Super Bowl I. The first world championship between the NFL and AFL took place in 1967 and featured 478 passing yards. 40 years later, Super Bowl XLI featured only 412 combined passing yards between Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman.
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Many quarterbacks become legends at the Super Bowl thanks to their passing performances. Tom Brady, for example, holds the number one and two spots for the most passing yards in a Super Bowl game (with 505 and 466 yards at Super Bowls LII and LI). This list, however, will rank the games by most combined passing yards in Super Bowl history.
10 Super Bowl XXII - 620 Total Passing Yards
The Washington Redskins dominated the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XXII winning by 32 points. Doug Williams carved the Bronco's defense to pieces and ended the game with 340 yards and 4 touchdowns. John Elway suffered one of the worst performances of his playoff career in this game throwing 3 interceptions, 1 touchdown, and only 257 yards through the air. Both teams combined for 620 passing yards, which was, shockingly, the exact same number of passing yards from a year earlier at Super Bowl XXI.
9 Super Bowl XXI - 620 Total Passing Yards
Super Bowl XXI was the first Super Bowl appearance for the Broncos since 1977. The team was led by future Hall of Famer, John Elway. At 14-2, Phil Simms led a red-hot New York Giants team that only allowed 3 points in the postseason before clashing with Elway and the Broncos.
Phil Simms threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns finishing with a passer rating of 150.9. Elway struggled against the Giant's defense only managing to throw 1 touchdown. The Giants dominated the second half of the game and ended up winning 39 to 20. Both teams combined for 620 passing yards.
8 Super Bowl XLIV - 621 Total Passing Yards
The New Orlean Saints entered Super Bowl XLIV as an underdog. Peyton Manning's Colts got off to an early start in the game leading by 10 points after the first quarter. Drew Brees led his team back from the deficit and ended the game with 288 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Manning threw for 388 yards but struggled in the second half. New Orleans scored a huge win for their state still in recovery from Hurricane Katrina 31 to 17.
7 Super Bowl XXXIV - 628 Total Passing Yards
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Kevin Dyson was one yard away from completing, arguably, the greatest finish in Super Bowl history. The St. Louis Rams battled the Tennessee Titans in a game that came down to the last second. The lead-up to the finish featured two of the top quarterbacks, Kurt Warner and Steve McNair.
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Warner was in prime form throwing for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns. McNair only threw for 214 yards with the bulk of their offense being anchored by running back, Eddie George. The Rams stopped Dyson and defeated the Titans 23 to 16.
6 Super Bowl XLIII - 633 Total Passing Yards
Many NFL fans consider Super Bowl XLIII to be the greatest Super Bowl of all time. Kurt Warner led the Cardinals in his return to the Super Bowl finishing with 377 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger only threw for 236 yards and 1 touchdown. He did lead a game-winning drive that helped score Pittsburgh its sixth Super Bowl trophy, which was more important than any stat could show. In total, both teams threw for 633 passing yards finishing fifth all-time in the history of the Super Bowl.
5 Super Bowl XXIX - 636 Total Passing Yards
The San Francisco 49ers became the first team in history to win 5 Super Bowl trophies in 1995. Super Bowl XXIX featured Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and Deon Sanders battling the San Diego Chargers who were led on defense by Junior Seau.
Steve Young performed one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history. He threw for 325 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jerry Rice ended the game with 3 receiving touchdowns. The 49ers won the game by 23 points and both teams finished with a combined total of 636 passing yards.
4 Super Bowl XIX- 649 Total Passing Yards
Joe Montana was no stranger to big-time performances in a Super Bowl. He had one of the best performances of his career at Super Bowl XIX. He threw for 331 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Dolphins quarterback, Dan Marino, also had a great game.
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Marino was one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and this game was marketed as a clash between two of the top QBs in the NFL. The 49ers dominated the Dolphins winning 38 to 16. This was the first Super Bowl to feature two quarterbacks throwing for more than 300 yards.
3 Super Bowl XXXVIII - 677 Total Passing Yards
Super Bowl XXXVIII is famous for many reasons. It was the night that Tom Brady became one of the "greats" on the path to his future status as the "greatest of all time." Adam Vinatieri also became remembered as one of the greatest kickers of all time in this game. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake also turned pop culture on its head at halftime.
Brady threw for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jake Delhomme led the Carolina Panthers to a close finish with a great team ending the game with 323 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Although Delhomme had a great performance, Brady walked away with his second Super Bowl ring.
2 Super Bowl LI - 750 Total Passing Yards
Super Bowl LI should be remembered as one of the great achievements for the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, it's often remembered as one of the biggest breakdowns in the history of the franchise. Super Bowl LI is also the first game in Super Bowl history to finish in overtime.
Tom Brady finished with the second-most Super Bowl passing yards of all time with 466. Matt Ryan led the Falcons with 284 yards passing with 3 touchdowns and a 144.1 passer rating. The Falcons lost in overtime. The teams combined for 750 passing total passing yards, which is the second most passing yards all-time for a Super Bowl.
1 Super Bowl LII - 879 Total Passing Yards
Although Carson Wentz led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl LII, his backup, Nick Foles started the game due to injury. Foles ended up putting on one of the greatest Super Bowl passing performances of all time, throwing for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, he still underperformed compared to his opposing QB.
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots were led by Tom Brady who also shattered the record books during his performance. He threw for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Eagles ran away with the game in the fourth quarter and not even Brady's record-setting performance could swing the game in his favor.
