Peyton Manning's a sure-fire Hall of Famer and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. But on Sunday night, the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 despite him, not because of him.
Was his performance the worst ever by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback? Let's find out.
In Friday's Super Bowl preview, we used a statistic — adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A) — to discuss the disparity between the Panthers' passing offense and the Broncos' passing offense. In that piece, we suggested that even though Manning was awful in 2015, the Broncos could overcome his low ANY/A.
Why ANY/A? It's a statistic that rewards quarterbacks for touchdown passes and penalizes them for interceptions and sacks. Quarterback rating also factors in touchdown passes and interceptions, but it does not factor in sacks. Also, while the average quarterback rating has risen steadily in recent years as quarterbacks settle for shorter, higher percentage throws, the average ANY/A has remained relatively consistent.
ANY/A is simple to calculate. Here's the formula: (passing yards + 20*(passing touchdowns) - 45*(interceptions thrown) - sack yards) / (pass attempts + sacks).
On Sunday, Manning attempted 23 passes, completing 13 for 141 yards. Only five quarterbacks have gained fewer than 141 passing yards in a Super Bowl win (minimum 10 attempts).
The Panthers also sacked Manning five times for 37 yards. Ultimately, he finished with 2.11 ANY/A. Cam Newton, by the way, finished with 3.32.
While 2.11 yards is exceptionally low, it's not the worst, or even the second-worst. Ben Roethlisberger gained only 1.14 yards in the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XL win, and Johnny Unitas gained 2.00 yards in the Baltimore Colts' Super Bowl V win. (A rib injury forced Unitas out of the game in the second quarter. The Colts were losing 13-6.)
Quarterback | Super Bowl | Comp % | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | ANY/A |
Ben Roethlisberger | 2006, Steelers 21, Seahawks 10 | 42.86 | 123 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.14 |
Johnny Unitas | 1971, Colts 16, Cowboys 13 | 33.33 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 |
Peyton Manning | 2016, Broncos 24, Panthers 10 | 56.52 | 141 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2.11 |
Joe Theismann | 1983, Washington 27, Dolphins 17 | 65.22 | 143 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.85 |
Bob Griese | 1973, Dolphins 14, Washington 7 | 72.73 | 88 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3.38 |
John Elway | 1998, Broncos 31, Packers 24 | 54.55 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.55 |
Len Dawson | 1970, Chiefs 23, Vikings 7 | 70.58 | 142 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4.85 |
Trent Dilfer | 2001, Ravens 34, Giants 7 | 48.00 | 153 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5.46 |
Peyton Manning | 2007, Colts 29, Bears 17 | 65.79 | 247 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5.48 |
Troy Aikman | 1994, Cowboys 30, Bills 13 | 70.37 | 207 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5.48 |
By ANY/A, Manning's performance Sunday was the third-worst by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was unremarkable in his other Super Bowl win as well. His 247-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception outing against Lovie Smith's Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI ranks as the ninth-worst.
Among all quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl, Manning turned in the 10th-worst performance (minimum 10 pass attempts). His boss, two-time champion John Elway, holds the dubious distinction of being one of only two quarterbacks to finish a game with negative ANY/A. (In the table below, winners are in bold.)
To Tampa Bay fans' delight, the Buccaneers are responsible for one of the all-time worst performances. In their 48-21 pillaging of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Bucs defenders absolutely mauled Rich Gannon, sacking him five times and forcing an NFL-record five interceptions, three of which they returned for touchdowns.
Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter
You’re all signed up!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Explore all your optionsQuarterback | Super Bowl | Comp % | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | ANY/A |
John Elway | 1990, 49ers 55, Broncos 10 | 38.46 | 108 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -0.40 |
Craig Morton | 1971, Colts 16, Cowboys 13 | 46.15 | 127 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -0.07 |
Ben Roethlisberger | 2006, Steelers 21, Seahawks 10 | 42.86 | 123 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.14 |
Rich Gannon | 2003, Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21 | 54.55 | 272 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1.32 |
Norris Weese | 1978, Cowboys 27, Broncos 10 | 40.00 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.33 |
Drew Bledsoe | 1997, Packers 35, Patriots 21 | 52.08 | 253 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1.40 |
Jim Kelly | 1992, Washington 37, Bills 24 | 48.28 | 275 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1.41 |
Neil O'Donnell | 1996, Cowboys 27, Steelers 17 | 57.14 | 239 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1.74 |
Johnny Unitas | 1971, Colts 16, Cowboys 13 | 33.33 | 88 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 |
Peyton Manning | 2016, Broncos 24, Panthers 10 | 56.52 | 141 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2.11 |
Twelve quarterbacks have played in three or more Super Bowls. Manning ranks in the middle of the pack.
Quarterback | Super Bowls | Record | ANY/A |
Fran Tarkenton | VIII, IX, XI | 0-3 | 2.38 |
Jim Kelly | XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXXVIII | 0-4 | 2.94 |
Bob Griese | VI, VII, VIII | 2-1 | 3.71 |
John Elway | XXI, XXII, XXIV, XXXII, XXXIII | 2-3 | 4.34 |
Ben Roethlisberger | XL, XLIII, XLV | 2-1 | 4.64 |
Peyton Manning | XLI, XLIV, XLVIII, 50 | 2-2 | 4.77 |
Roger Staubach | VI, X, XII, XIII | 2-2 | 4.84 |
Tom Brady | XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLII, XLVI, XLIX | 4-2 | 6.22 |
Kurt Warner | XXXIV, XXXVI, XLIII | 1-2 | 7.94 |
Troy Aikman | XXVII, XXVIII, XXX | 3-0 | 8.56 |
Terry Bradshaw | IX, X, XIII, XIV | 4-0 | 9.50 |
Joe Montana | XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV | 4-0 | 10.41 |
Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.