Five Unexpected Super Bowl Performances

No one is shocked when stars like Joe Montana and Jerry Rice turn in outstanding Super Bowl performances. But occasionally lesser known players unpredictably leave their mark on pro football's greatest stage. Here are five from past Super Bowls who caught us by surprise. (My thanks to both NFL.com and databaseFootball.com for providing statistics.)

Max McGee

The night before Super Bowl I, the seldom-used 34-year-old Packers receiver did not expect to see any action in the game, so he spent the night engaging in his favorite pastimes: booze and broads. Called upon early in the game due to an injury to starter Boyd Dowler, McGee, who snagged just 4 passes all season, responded with 7 catches for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns (including the first in Super Bowl history). And he did it all with one bitchin' hangover!

Tim Smith

Eighteen years before going to prison on a cocaine distribution conviction, Tim Smith was a running back with the Washington Redskins. Smith came off the bench in Super Bowl XXII to stun the Denver Broncos with a record 204 yards in 22 carries while scoring on runs of 58 and 4 yards. Not bad for a guy who totaled just 126 yards in the regular season.

In that same game...

Doug Williams

The Redskins quarterback destroyed the Denver secondary, throwing for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns while leading the offense to 42 points and a mind-boggling 602 total yards. Rather extraordinary numbers from a journeyman QB who played in just five games all year.

Jeff Hostetler

A career backup with a bad mustache, Hostetler replaced injured Phil Simms at quarterback late in the season and took the Giants to Super Bowl XXV. His steady play (20 of 32, 222 yards, 1 td) brought the Giants back from a 12-3 deficit to a 20-19 win over the Bills. Unfortunately, Hostetler's feat was overshadowed by Scott Norwood's missed 47-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds that gave Buffalo the first of their four straight Super Bowl defeats.

Tom Brady

Long before he started knocking up beautiful actresses and cavorting with supermodels, Tom Brady was merely a midseason replacement who led the Patriots on an improbable ride to the Super Bowl. Sure, we aren't surprised by Brady's success now, but his Super Bowl XXXVI performance was unexpected because nobody yet knew that he would eventually become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He responded with a remarkable last-minute drive setting up a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri, upsetting the heavily favored Rams and beginning a football dynasty.