Will any Super Bowl single-game records be broken when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday? We’ll have to wait to find out. In the meantime, let’s run through the best single-game marks in Super Bowl history, a list that contains several performances from Hall of Famers.
List of Super Bowl Single-Game Records
Passing Records
Attempts | 62, Tom Brady (Super Bowl 51)
Tom Brady has played in more Super Bowls than any player in NFL history, so he naturally holds many of the game’s passing records. In Super Bowl 51, Brady and the New England Patriots were forced to fight back from a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons. Thus, it’s no surprise that he managed 62 attempts in that fervent comeback.
Completions | 43, Tom Brady (Super Bowl 51)
Brady completed 43 of those 62 attempts against Atlanta in New England’s eventual 34-28 victory. Seven different Patriots caught passes from Brady in that game. Brady’s 43 completions were the most of his career, including in the regular season.
Yards | 505, Tom Brady (Super Bowl 52)
Brady set several passing records in Super Bowl 51, but it wasn’t until the following season that he set a new mark for passing yards with 505. Both the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles’ offenses were on fire during that game, setting a record for most combined yards in a single Super Bowl (1,151).
Touchdowns | 6, Steve Young (Super Bowl 29)
Finally, a non-Brady record holder! Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers dominated the San Diego Chargers, 49-26. Young threw for 325 yards and ran for 49 more, winning the Super Bowl MVP after having already claimed the regular-season MVP award.
Rushing Records
Attempts | 38, John Riggins (Super Bowl 17)
You might think the most rushing attempts in Super Bowl history came in a blowout game where the winning team was trying to wind the clock. But John Riggins handled 38 attempts in Super Bowl that ended with a 27-17 score (and was 20-17 at the two-minute warning). Riggins managed 4.37 yards per attempt and scored a touchdown in the Washington victory.
Yards | 204, Timmy Smith (Super Bowl 22)
Timmy Smith only played three NFL seasons and managed just 602 career regular-season rushing yards, but he holds the record for most rushing yards in a Super Bowl. 133 of his 204 yards came on three runs as his Washington club blew out the Denver Broncos, 42-10.
Touchdowns | 3, Terrell Davis (Super Bowl 32)
Although a migraine forced Terrell Davis to miss most of the second quarter of Super Bowl 32, he still managed to post a record three touchdowns on the ground in the Denver Broncos’ win over the Green Bay Packers. As of 2023, Davis remains the most recent running back to win Super Bowl MVP.
QB Rushing Yards | 70, Jalen Hurts (Super Bowl 57)
Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts broke the 23-year-old record set by Steve McNair for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a Super Bowl. Hurts ran for 70 yards in Super Bowl 57 vs. Kansas City. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it was in a losing effort — just as McNair’s was when he ran for 64 yards in Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams.
QB Rushing TDs | 3, Jalen Hurts (Super Bowl 57)
Jalen Hurts also scored three rushing touchdowns (plus a two-point conversion) in the team’s Super Bowl 57 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Receiving Records
Targets | 18, Demaryius Thomas (Super Bowl 48)
The late Demaryius Thomas set the Super Bowl record for targets with 18 in Super Bowl 48, which, unfortunately, was a losing effort for the Broncos. Denver fell behind the Seattle Seahawks early and never recovered en route to a 43-8 defeat. Thomas reeled in 13 of those targets for 118 yards and the Broncos’ only touchdown.
Receptions | 14, James White (Super Bowl 51)
Brady set the Super Bowl record for completions against the Falcons, and James White was on the other end of those passes 14 times. White caught a five-yard touchdown near the end of the third quarter that started New England’s comeback. He also scored the last two touchdowns of the game, although those were both on the ground.
Yards | 215, Jerry Rice (Super Bowl 23)
If Brady holds most of the Super Bowl passing records, it’s only right for Jerry Rice to own some of the receiving marks. Rice earned the Super Bowl MVP award after posting 215 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the fourth-most yards of Rice’s career and the fifth time he surpassed the 200-yard threshold.
Touchdowns | 3, Jerry Rice (Super Bowls 24 and 29)
Rice caught three touchdowns in two different Super Bowls and from two different quarterbacks. He hauled in three scores from Joe Montana in Super Bowl 24 before collecting three more from Young in Super Bowl 29.
Defensive Records
Sacks | 4, L.C. Greenwood (Super Bowl 10)
The NFL didn’t officially start counting sacks until 1982, but Pro Football Reference has a record of sacks based on play-by-play accounts, game film, and coaches’ stats. By that mark, L.C. Greenwood holds the Super Bowl sack record with four, managed in his Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Interceptions | 3, Rod Martin (Super Bowl 15)
The 1980 Oakland Raiders’ defense was among the league’s best and was anchored by cornerback and Defensive Player of the Year Lester Hayes. However, it was linebacker Rod Martin who intercepted Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski three times and helped the Raiders to a 27-10 win.