Sometimes, the NFL isn’t fair. Even though he lost, Jalen Hurts was the best player on either team during Super Bowl 57. The third-year quarterback had the game of his life, but it wasn’t enough to take down the mighty Kansas City Chiefs. Nobody can deny that Hurts played well, but was it the best performance in a Super Bowl loss ever?
Top 3 Super Bowl Performances in Losses
1. Jalen Hurts
To answer the question above, yes. Hurts took a massive leap during the 2022 season, but every single game he played paled in comparison to his master class in Super Bowl 57. While his fumble was objectively terrible, every other time he touched the ball, he was magic. At the end of the day, the quarterback completed 27 of his 38 passing attempts for 304 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions while making insane throws to A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert, Devonta Smith, and Quez Watkins. While some of those potential big plays were dropped, the ball placement could not have been better.
WHAT A THROW. WHAT A CATCH.
JALEN HURTS. DALLAS GOEDERT. WOW 👏
🎥 @NFLpic.twitter.com/AJx4kq3Fxr
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 13, 2023
Of course, Hurts was more than just a one-dimensional threat in this game. The quarterback devastated the Chiefs defense on the ground, racking up 70 yards and three touchdowns on his 15 carries. The Eagles had no semblance of a run game outside of Hurts, so he truly was Philadelphia’s entire offense.
The best players do their best work in the biggest moments, and Hurts was no exception. Trailing by eight late in the fourth quarter, Hurts put together a masterful drive, taking his team down the field and scoring the game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion. He did all he could do, the defense just didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. The next time Hurts touched the ball, the Chiefs were up by a field goal and Philadelphia only had five seconds left on the clock.
2. Tom Brady, Super Bowl 52
Superstar quarterback Tom Brady has won seven Super Bowls in his decorated career, but there is a strong case to be made that his best performance resulted in a loss. Brady dominated through the air, averaging over 10 yards per completion en route to throwing for 505 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Just like with Hurts, Brady was the entire offense and had three different receivers hit 100 yards.
He did all this despite what almost looked like active sabotage from his teammates and coaches. Having a 38-year-old Brady run a pass pattern is never a good idea, Brandin Cooks’ failed hurdle actively cost the team a touchdown, and the normally-reliable Stephen Gostkowski missed two kicks.
Brandin Cooks tried to hurdle over a defender.
It did not work. #SB52 pic.twitter.com/5jBjSFlzmI
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 5, 2018
The lone blemish on Brady’s resume here is that he had a chance to win the game. Trailing by five, the superstar quarterback had the opportunity to lead the game-winning drive and leave no time on the clock. However, Shaq Mason missed a block on Brandon Graham, and Brady couldn’t hold on to the football.
3. Jake Delhomme
The worse the quarterback, the better they play in the Super Bowl – at least when Tom Brady is on the other sideline. Even at his peak, Jake Delhomme was never anything more than a league-average starter. However, the Carolina Panthers quarterback found an extra gear in Super Bowl 38, finding a way to go blow-for-blow against Tom Brady and an elite New England Patriots defense.
While Delhomme’s 16 completions on 33 attempts don’t jump off the page, the reason for that low completion percentage is that he was constantly pushing the ball down the field. Delhomme averaged 9.8 yards per attempt and found the endzone on three separate occasions, but it ultimately wasn’t good enough. After tying the game at 29 with just over a minute left, Tom Brady got the ball and immediately brought his team into field goal range. Adam Vinatieri nailed the game-winning attempt, leaving Delhomme with no time to try and tie it up again.
Main Photo: Bill Streicher – USA Today Sports
