Aaron Rodgers Adds His Name To The List of Best-Ever Playoff Performances

Posted on February 09, 2011 by A.J. Foss

Aaron Rodgers didn't have just one great game, his play throughout the Playoffs lifted Green Bay to the title.

With his MVP performance in Super Bowl XLV, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has just completed on of the finest postseason runs in NFL history.

In light of this accomplishment and recent articles about the greatest individual performances in NFL playoff and Super Bowl history, here are the 10 greatest performances over the course of a single postseason in NFL history.

10. Thurman Thomas-1990 Buffalo Bills
Thomas showed his versatility as he gained 544 yards of total offense in three games during the Bills’ first of four runs to the Super Bowl.

Thomas run for more than 100 yards in all three games, rushing for 390 yards on 72 carries and scored four touchdowns, to go along with 13 catches for 154 yards.

But Buffalo fell short of winning the Super Bowl as Scott Norwood missed his potential game-winning field goal against the New York Giants.

9. Kurt Warner-1999 St. Louis Rams
The former grocery clerk completed his Cinderella season as he became the first quarterback as Warner completed 77 of 121 passes for 1, 063 yards, 414 of those yards coming in Super Bowl XXXIV, and threw eight touchdown passes, including the game-winning touchdown passes in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl, to lead the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title after nine non-winning seasons for the franchise.

8. Marcus Allen-1983 Los Angeles Raiders
In just his second season, Allen helped the Raiders win their third Super Bowl in eight seasons, but first title since they moved to Los Angeles.

Allen carried the ball 58 times for 466 yards and scored four touchdowns, his most memorable score being a 74-yard touchdown run against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.

In addition, Allen caught 19 passes for 118 yards and scored one touchdown over the Raiders’ three postseason victories.

In total, Allen touched the ball 77 times for 584 yards and five touchdowns in the 1983 postseason.

Anthony Carter single-handidly lifted the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 1987.

7. Anthony Carter-1987 Minnesota Vikings
The USFL refugee set the record for most all-purpose yards in a postseason as he gained 642 yards in three games to help the Minnesota Vikings make a surprise run to the NFC Championship Game, before they were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins.

Carter caught 23 passes for 391 yards, 227 coming in the Vikings’ 36-24’ upset of the San Francisco 49ers, returned 12 punts for 221 yards which included a 84-yard touchdown in Minnesota’s 44-10 win over the New Orleans Saints, and carried the ball one time for 30 yards.

6. Jerry Rice-1988 San Francisco 49ers
Rice set the record for most touchdowns by a wide receiver in a postseason as he scored six touchdowns on 21 receptions for 408 yards in the three wins as the 49ers won their third Super Bowl of the 1980s, with his best performance coming in Super Bowl XXIII as he caught 11 passes for 215 yards and scored one touchdown to be named the game’s MVP.

5. Aaron Rodgers-2010 Green Bay Packers
Rodgers led the Packers to three road victories and then put on a MVP performance in their Super Bowl win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the course of the four games, Rodgers completed 90 of 132 passes for 1, 099 yards and threw nine touchdowns, to go along with two rushing touchdowns, his best performance coming against the Atlanta Falcons as he completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).

4. Terrell Davis-1997 Denver Broncos
In seven postseason career games, Davis rushed for more than 100 yards in all seven games.

In the 1997 playoffs, Davis led the wild card Denver Broncos to their first of back-to-back Super Bowl titles as he rushed for 584 yards on 112 carries and scored eight touchdowns, including three touchdowns in Denver’s 31-24 upset of the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.

3. Larry Fitzgerald-2008 Arizona Cardinals
Fitzgerald set postseason records for most receptions, most receiving yards, and most touchdowns by a wide receiver in a single postseason as he helped the 9-7 Cardinals go on a shocking run to the Super Bowl

Fitzgerald caught 30 passes for 546 yards and scored seven touchdowns, gaining more than 100 yards and scoring at least one touchdown in all four of the Cardinals’ games that postseason as Arizona come oh so close of winning the Super Bowl, as they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23.

2. John Riggins-1982 Washington Redskins
“The Diesel” put the Redskins on his back and led them to their first Super Bowl championship.

In the 16-team tournament because of the 1982 strike that wiped out half the season, Riggins carried the ball 136 times for 610 yards, both NFL postseason records, and scored four touchdowns in four games.

Riggins rushed for over 100 yards in each game and carried the ball at least 36 times in three of the four games, including a Super Bowl record 38 carries for 166 yards and his famous 43-yard touchdown run in the Redskins’ 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Joe Montana did a lot of arm-raising during the 1989 Playoffs.

1. Joe Montana-1989 San Francisco 49ers
“Joe Cool” solidified his reputation as perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history with his performance over the 1989 playoffs.

As the 49ers outscored their three opponents 126-26, Montana completed 65 of 83 passes for 850 yards, threw a record 11 touchdown passes, and amazingly zero interceptions.

The icing on the cake was his MVP performance in Super Bowl XXIV as Montana threw for five touchdown passes on 22-of-29 passing for 297 yards in the 55-10 blowout over the Denver Broncos.