Top five performances by a running back in the Super Bowl

Usually leading up to the biggest football game of the year the player that gets the most publicity is the quarterback. Everyone is looking at what he will do and how the game plan will be effective from his position, many times there are players that help make that game plan more effective and that is the running back. The running game is key for any offensive production; in order to throw the ball at will without defenses’ teeing off on the quarterback, the team must be able to establish an effective running attack. For many teams having a solid running back to trust in can make all the difference between a victory or a loss. The running back doesn’t need to have a monster game or even rush for over 100 yards, he just needs to be effective and make his presence felt. So in this article we want to name the five top performances by a running back in the biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl. Let’s start with the number five running back:

5. Roger Craig, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XIX

Roger Craig was one of the most versatile runners in the league in his day; he was great for the 49ers style of offense, the West Coast O. It was key in this game Craig rushed for just 58 yards but also caught 7 passes for 77 yards and racked up 3 touchdowns in the win.

4. Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XXVIII

This was Dallas’ second consecutive Super Bowl victory and Smith was a big part of that, he ran the ball in this game 30 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns. What is more impressive is that he ran the ball in the second half 19 times for 92 of those yards and his two TD’s. Emmitt also went on to be named the Super Bowl MVP.

3. Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos, Super Bowl XXXII

One of the hardest runners, he was tough and played through pain in this Super Bowl game. Many don’t realize that Davis had severe migraine headaches as he led his team to a victory. Davis finished with 157 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns, with a game winning touchdown run with under two minutes to go in the game.

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2. Marcus Allen, L.A. Raiders, Super Bowl XVIII

Allen and the Raiders dominated in every phase of the game, Allen rushed for an amazing 191 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Raiders captured their third Super Bowl title. He had an awesome 74 yard touchdown run in the game that is on many Super Bowl highlight reels today.

1. Timmy Smith, Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII

Not many know about Timmy Smith, before the Super Bowl and in many circles even after the big game, but Smith had one game and he made the most of it. Smith rushed for a Super Bowl record 204 yards against a pretty good Denver defense, he ran up, around, over and through the defense. It was Timmy Smith’s time to shine and he came through in a big way, giving him the top spot for running back performances.

There you have it the top five running back performances in the Super Bowl, we hope with Super Bowls to come that there will be others to make this list but as for now, these guys make our list as top performers.

By: Sam Adams
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer