Super Bowl MVPs: Where does Tom Brady rank in our all-time top five performances?

Winning a Super Bowl requires a team effort, but the difference between hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy and heartbreak often comes down to individual brilliance from a handful of players.

The former Super Bowl MVPs are some of the best to ever play the game, their names forever woven into NFL history.

Another Super Bowl MVP will be added to that list on Sunday, February 8, when the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots clash in Super Bowl LX, which you can watch live on DAZN with your Game Pass subscription.

From surgical quarterbacking to unstoppable receiving displays, here's our take on the five greatest Super Bowl MVP performances.

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5. Doug Williams, QB, Washington - Super Bowl XXII

Originally Washington’s backup to open the 1987 season, Williams earned the starting job and inspired the team to two playoff wins before facing Denver on the game's biggest stage.

After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Williams authored one of the best Super Bowl performances of all time, throwing for 340 yards, four touchdowns and helping Washington put up 42 unanswered points in a 42-10 rout.

4. Jerry Rice, WR, 49ers - Super Bowl XXIII

To say the best receiver in the history of the NFL came up big in the 49ers' 20-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals would be an understatement.

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Even by today's standards, Rice’s 11 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown would be sensational. Back then, before the NFL became more pass-happy, his performance was absurdly impressive.

3. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots - Super Bowl LI

Tom Brady authored one of the greatest comebacks in football history, turning a 28-3 third-quarter deficit against the Falcons into an immortal Super Bowl moment.

Despite a heroic three-touchdown performance from tailback James White, Brady earned the Super Bowl MVP with eye-popping numbers. He finished 43-of-62 for 466 yards and two touchdowns.

2. Joe Montana, QB, 49ers - Super Bowl XXIV

Montana carved up the Broncos, completing 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns, finishing with a staggering 147.6 passer rating.

The performance earned him his third Super Bowl MVP and kept his record in the big game perfect at 4-0.

San Francisco’s 55-10 demolition of Denver still stands as the largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history.

1. Steve Young, QB, 49ers - Super Bowl XXIX

In his first Super Bowl start, Steve Young put on a performance for the ages to inspire his side to victory over the San Diego Chargers in a high-scoring 49-26 affair.

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If the 49ers’ decision to move on from Joe Montana had been in question, Young did more than enough to silence his doubters.

He threw a Super Bowl-record six touchdown passes, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to lead both teams in passing yards (325) and rushing yards (49).

Other deserving mentions

Terrell Davis, Lynn Swann, John Riggins, Kurt Warner, Phil Simms, Troy Aikman and Nick Foles all produced Super Bowl MVP performances worthy of consideration.

In fact, some of the players in our top five, such as Montana and Brady, had multiple Super Bowl performances that merited a mention.

Rankings like these are always subjective, and many will disagree with the order and omissions in our top five. That goes with the territory.

The one thing that can never be disputed is that each player named here, and every one of the Super Bowl MVPs in NFL history, left an indelible mark on the sport's biggest stage.