With the Super Bowl nearly upon us, Pro Football Focus has taken the time to rank the performance of every quarterback in each of the last 13 Super Bowls, as well as from the 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons.
That’s 36 Super Bowl quarterbacks, including Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who is of course on there twice.
Since this does not count the 2005 season, it does not include Mass Hasselbeck.
Despite not gaining his reputation as an elite NFL quarterback until after Seattle’s back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, Wilson fared extremely well by PFF’s metrics, finishing with the fourth highest Super Bowl grade for a quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII against Denver, and 18th in Super Bowl XLIX against New England.
PFF credits Wilson with three big-time throws against the Patriots, where he also racked up 178 total passing yards and largely kept the team in the game. Of course, his grade suffered when he threw perhaps the most famous interception in Super Bowl history on the one-yard line with 20 seconds remaining, giving the victory to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Brady posted a PFF grade of 84.2 in the fourth quarter of that contest, and ended up ranked 15th on this list.
None of Brady’s other Super Bowl appearances topped Wilson’s performance in Super Bowl XLVII however, as he placed fourth just behind Aaron Rodgers (XLV), Eli Manning (XLVI) and Nick Foles (LII).
Wilson posted a 92.4 grade from PFF, one of four quarterback to ever earn an elite grade in a Super Bowl. He completed 17 passes on 22 attempts for 199 yards, along with three big time throws.
Seattle’s win in that game was in large part thanks to Wilson’s heroics, but the Legion of Boom defense wasn’t too shabby either, as evidenced by Peyton Manning’s 61.4 grade and 0-6 completion rate on passes 20+ yards downfield.
The Seahawks may have to watch this Super Bowl from their couches, but they’ll do what they can to get Wilson back on this list next season.
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