58 Super Bowl Fantasy Facts
In this story:
It’s Super Bowl week! Will Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take home another title, or will Brock Purdy and the favored San Francisco 49ers hoist the Lombardi Trophy? It should be one heck of a game, as we get a matchup of the two best teams in the NFL. Currently, the spread is just 1.5, so Vegas likes a close one!
The Super Bowl has been around since 1967, and I love the statistical and historical side of the games as it pertains to, what else, fantasy football. But before I dive into that, here are some pretty cool Super Bowl facts that you might not know:
A single ticket for admission to the first ever Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Green Bay Packers cost fans as little as $6. What’s more, the game didn't sell out! Nearly six decades later, the average cost of a ticket for the past five Super Bowl games is more than $5,000!
[Super Bowl 2024: Latest news and analysis | How to watch]
There's only been one player named Super Bowl MVP who didn't actually play on the winning team. That was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley way back in Super Bowl V. His team lost to the Baltimore Colts in what’s known as the “Blooper Bowl,” 16-13.
The fewest points a team has scored in a Super Bowl contest is three. The Miami Dolphins lost to the Cowboys 24-3 in Super Bowl VI, and the Los Angeles Rams lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII.
There's never been a shutout in a Super Bowl.
In 1983, almost 106 million people watched the final episode of M*A*S*H, making it the most-watched television show in the history of America. That mark was broken by Super Bowl XLIV, as 106.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts. Super Bowl XLIX is the most watched Super Bowl, as the Seattle Seahawks and Patriots played in front of 114.4 million viewers.
Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day in the United States, behind only Thanksgiving. One in seven Americans order take-out, and 60% of those orders are for pizza! Well over a billion chicken wings are eaten, and folks in the U.S. also love avocados … around eight million pounds of it will be consumed!
Those are a few interesting Super Bowl facts you might not know.
Now for something even more interesting ... my 58 fantasy facts for the Super Bowl!
Quarterbacks
1. Three players have scored a combined 100-plus PPR fantasy points in Super Bowls: Tom Brady (192.4), Jerry Rice (141.4) and Joe Montana (110.2). Rob Gronkowski, who has scored 95.4 fantasy points, ranks fourth. Roger Craig (84 points) ranks fifth.
2. The most fantasy points scored by a quarterback in a Super Bowl were recorded by Steve Young, who threw for 325 yards, rushed for 49 yards and had six touchdown passes in a win over the San Diego Chargers (Super Bowl XXIX). He finished with 41.9 fantasy points.
3. Jalen Hurts almost broke that record last year, as he threw for 304 yards, rushed for another 70 yards and scored four touchdowns (one passing, three rushing) in a loss to the Chiefs. In all, Hurts scored 41.2 points, or 0.7 fewer than Young.
With a revord 10 Super Bowl appearances, it’s no surprise that Tom Brady’s all-time fantasy numbers are off the charts.
Jason Getz/USA Today Sports
4. Brady has scored 20-plus fantasy points in four Super Bowls, the most in NFL history. He just missed the mark in Super Bowl LV, scoring 19.8 points. Only four other players have done so more than twice, including Rice, Montana, Craig and Kurt Warner. Each of them has hit the 20-point mark three different times.
5. Brady has thrown for 21 touchdowns in Super Bowls, the most in NFL history. The only other signal-caller with double-digit touchdown passes is Montana (11).
6. Brady has played in more than twice as many Super Bowls (10) as Montana (4).
7. Brady set the Super Bowl record for the most passing yards in a single game with 505 in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. That broke the record of 466 yards he set the previous season against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
8. Brady has thrown for 300-plus yards in four different Super Bowls, the most in NFL history. The only other player to hit the 300-yard passing mark more than twice is Warner, who reached that mark three times in his three Super Bowl appearances.
9. Brady has thrown for 3,039 yards in his 10 Super Bowls, the most in NFL history. Not only does he hold the record, but he has more than double the yardage of any other quarterback. Warner is second in Super Bowl passing yards with 1,156.
10. Brady attempted 62 passes in Super Bowl LI, the most ever in a Super Bowl. Jim Kelly held the record previously with 58 pass attempts back in Super Bowl XXVI.
11. Tony Eason attempted six passes in Super Bowl XX in what was a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears. That's the fewest by a starting quarterback in the big game. Eason was benched in favor of veteran Steve Grogan after failing to complete any of his first six passes while also being sacked three times and losing a fumble.
12. Despite playing in 10 Super Bowls, Brady has thrown just six interceptions. John Elway (8), Jim Kelly (7), and Craig Morton (7) have all thrown more in Super Bowls. None of that trio has played in more than five different Super Bowls (Elway).
13. Morton completed 4-of-15 passes for 39 yards and threw four interceptions on his way to a 0.0 passer rating against the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII. That's the worst ever passer rating recorded by a starting quarterback in a Super Bowl contest.
14. Morton's minus-6.44 points is the fewest by a starting quarterback in a Super Bowl.
Elway had more career rushing touchdowns in the Super bowl than he did TD passes.
RVR Photos/USA TODAY Sports
15. In five Super Bowl appearances as a member of the Denver Broncos, Elway posted just three touchdown passes and had eight interceptions. However, he did rush for four touchdowns, one each in four of his five championship games.
16. No quarterback has more rushing yards in Super Bowls than Mahomes (106). He broke the previous record of 105 yards, set by Montana, last season. If you’re wondering, Brady has just 28 rushing yards despite his 10 Super Bowl appearances.
17. The quarterback with the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game is Hurts, who had 70 yards on the ground last season. He broke the previous record of 64 yards, set by Steve McNair against the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
18. Phil Simms completed 22 of 25 passes against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI, which was good for a completion rate of 88%. That's the highest in a Super Bowl in NFL history. He also had a Super Bowl best 150.9 passer rating in that game.
19. Drew Brees, who had an 82.1 completion percentage in Super Bowl XLIV, is the only other field general with a completion percentage over 80 (min. 10 attempts).
20. Peyton Manning scored 3.6 fantasy points in Super Bowl 50. That is the fewest points scored by a winning quarterback in the big game. He finished 13 of 23 with 141 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Von Miller was the MVP.
21. Joe Burrow (Super Bowl LVI) and Roger Staubach (Super Bowl X) were sacked the most times in a single Super Bowl game. Each was sacked seven times.
22. Jim Kelly threw 58 pass attempts and finished with a ridiculous 30 incompletions against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI, the most ever in NFL history. No other quarterback has thrown more than 25 incompletions in a Super Bowl. That was Stan Humphries, who completed just 49% of his passes in Super Bowl XXIX.
23. Nick Foles is the lone player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass and catch a touchdown pass in the same Super Bowl. His catch was on a 1-yard pass from Trey Burton (the “The Philly Special”) against New England in Super Bowl LII.
Running Backs
24. Only two non-quarterbacks have scored more than 40 fantasy points in a Super Bowl. One was Jerry Rice, who scored 43.9 points in Super Bowl XXIX. The other was … James White! He had 14 catches, 139 total yards, three touchdowns and a Super Bowl-record 47.9 points in the Patriots’ 34-28 comeback win over the Falcons.
25. White also holds the record for the most receptions by a running back in a Super Bowl game (Super Bowl LI - 14). Another Patriots runner, Shane Vereen, ranks second on the list. He had 11 catches against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
26. Roger Craig has scored the most fantasy points (85) in Super Bowls among all runners. He has 20 catches, 410 yards and four touchdowns in his three games.
27. Thurman Thomas put up 30 fantasy points in Super Bowl XXV, which is the most by a running back in a loss in Super Bowl history. He appeared in four Super Bowls in his career, racking up 20 catches, 348 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.
Walter Iooss Jr./SI
28. The lone running back to score more career touchdowns in the Super Bowl than Thomas is Emmitt Smith. He had five total touchdowns in his three appearances.
29. Franco Harris compiled 354 career rushing yards in four Super Bowls as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the most in NFL history. He’s the only runner with more than 300 career yards on the ground playing on the NFL's grandest stage.
30. The next closest back in terms of career Super Bowl rushing yards is Larry Csonka (297). Emmitt Smith ranks third with 289 rushing yards in three Super Bowls.
31. Smith is the lone player to score multiple rushing touchdowns in multiple Super Bowl games (2). In his three career appearances, all wins for the Cowboys, Smith recorded 11 catches, over 300 scrimmage yards and five rushing touchdowns.
32. Smith, Csonka and Terrell Davis are the only backs in Super Bowl history to rush for 100-plus yards in multiple Super Bowls. The Hall of Famers each did it twice.
33. Davis is the only running back in Super Bowl history to ever rush for three touchdowns in a single game (Jalen Hurts did it last year). He accomplished that versus the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.
34. Timmy Smith has rushed for more yards in a single Super Bowl than any running back in NFL history, putting up 204 yards against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
35. Smith is also the only running back in NFL history to ever rush for 200-plus yards in a single Super Bowl. He only rushed for 602 yards in his entire NFL career.
36. The next closest player to Smith’s 204 yards is Marcus Allen, who rushed for 191 for the Los Angeles Raiders in a Super Bowl XVIII victory over Washington.
37. Smith’s 204 rushing yards is tied for the sixth-most all-time in Super Bowls. The six backs ahead of him are Hall of Famers: Harris (354), Csonka (297), Emmitt Smith (289), Terrell Davis (259), John Riggins (230) and Thurman Thomas (204).
38. All those backs played in multiple Super Bowl games. Smith played in one.
39. The top 15 performances among running backs in terms of the most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game includes just three players from the last 20 years. Michael Pittman (124 yards, Super Bowl XXXVII), Dominic Rhodes (113 yards, Super Bowl XLI) and Thomas Jones (112 yards, Super Bowl XLI) are in the top 15.
40. Just one of those performances, Pittman’s 124 rushing yards, ranks in the top 10. The other nine were all accomplished in 1997 or earlier. None of the top four performances in terms of yardage on the ground have come in the past 30 seasons.
41. The Super Bowl record for the longest rush came in Super Bowl XL, when Willie Parker busted a 75-yard touchdown versus the Seahawks. His 13.5 fantasy points on that run is the most recorded on a single rushing play in Super Bowl history.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
42. Jerry Rice has 589 career receiving yards in his four Super Bowls, the most in NFL history. The next-closest wide receiver is Lynn Swann, with just 364 yards.
43. Rice ranks second behind Brady in fantasy points scored in combined Super Bowls. He’s just 51 points behind Tom Brady, who played in six more Super Bowls and he’s a quarterback. Still, he has only outscored Rice by 51 fantasy points!
44. Rice scored 39 or more fantasy points in each of his first three Super Bowl games. In all, he averaged 35.4 points in his four big-game appearances. That’s more points than all but what 12 players have scored combined in Super Bowls.
45. Wide receivers have scored 30-plus fantasy points in a Super Bowl seven times in 57 games. Rice did it three times. The other four are Ricky Sanders (39.9 points), Larry Fitzgerald (31.7), Antonio Freeman (31.6) and Deion Branch (30.3).
Rice had a Super Bowl-record 215 receiving yards in the 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIII win over Cincinnati.
RVR Photos
46. Rice is the only player in NFL history with 100-plus receiving yards in three different Super Bowls. Branch, Freeman, John Stallworth, Julian Edelman and Swann are the only other players to hit that mark in multiple Super Bowls.
47. Rice posted 215 receiving yards in Super Bowl XXIII, the most ever in the big game. It's the lone 200-plus receiving yard performance in the NFL’s biggest game.
48. Since 2000, just one wideout has topped 150 receiving yards in a Super Bowl game. That is Danny Amendola, who had 152 against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
49. Rice also leads all wideouts in combined Super Bowl catches with 33. Andre Reed, who was part of four Super Bowl teams in Buffalo, is second (27 catches).
50. Five different Patriots wideouts are among the top seven in combined Super Bowl receptions. Wes Welker (26) is third, Branch (24) and Edelman (24) are tied for fourth, Amendola (21) is sixth, and Troy Brown (16) is tied for seventh overall.
51. The record for the most catches by a wide receiver in a single Super Bowl game is held by the late, great Demaryius Thomas, who had 13 catches in Super Bowl XLVIII.
52. Including Thomas, seven different wideouts have had 10 or more catches in a Super Bowl (nine times). That list includes Branch (11), Rice (11), Welker (11), Hakeem Nicks (10), Rice (10), Andre Hastings (10), Edelman (10) and Branch (10).
53. The single game record for the most receiving yards per catch among Super Bowl wideouts (minimum three catches) is 35. That was set by Lynn Swann, who had 161 yards on just four catches against the Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
54. Rob Gronkowski has the most combined receptions (29), receiving yards (364), touchdowns (5) and fantasy points (95.4) among tight ends in Super Bowl history. The future Hall of Famer also has appeared in more Super Bowls (5) than any tight end.
55. The tight end who has scored the most fantasy points in a Super Bowl game is Dan Ross. He put up 11 catches for 104 yards with two touchdowns and finished with an impressive 33.4 fantasy points for the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
56. Ross and Gronkowski are the only tight ends to score two touchdowns in a single Super Bowl game. However, Gronkowski is the lone player at the position to do it twice. He found the end zone twice in both Super Bowl LII and Super Bowl LV.
57. Besides Ross and Gronkowski, just three other tight ends have had 20 or more PPR points in a Super Bowl. That list includes Travis Kelce, who has done it twice (Super Bowls LV, LVII), Aaron Hernandez (Super Bowl XLVI) and Jay Novacek (Super Bowl XXXVII). Zach Ertz was close (19.1 points) in Super Bowl XXVII.
58. Trey Burton's touchdown pass to Nick Foles, which will forever be known as the "Philly Special," was not the first time a non-quarterback threw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl. Cowboys fullback Robert Newhouse, running backs Lawrence McCutcheon (Rams) and Joe Mixon (Bengals) and Steelers wideout Antwaan Randle El have also thrown for a touchdown.
