Drew Brees' surgical performance in Super Bowl XLIV cemented his place among legends, earning top 10 recognition for his historic championship outing.
It's Super Bowl week. With that, many are reminiscing about the greatest Super Bowl performances in NFL history. Peak championship performance for all quarterbacks in the biggest game in sports is debatable, but the New Orleans Saints' biggest moment is an easy one to identify.
The pinnacle of franchise history for the Saints came in the 2009 season when a franchise legend completed one of the more impressive turnarounds in NFL history. Saints quarterback Drew Brees won the team its first ever Super Bowl.
Kyle Besson of Essentially Sports ranked his Top 10 quarterback performances in the history of the Super Bowl. Brees' victory over Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning came in at No. 10.
"New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been known as one of the most accurate quarterbacks in league history, and it showed in the team’s 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Brees went head-to-head with Peyton Manning and didn’t disappoint.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback was surgical as a passer, completing 32 of his 39 pass attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Brees’ accuracy was on full display, with his 82.1 completion percentage ranking second in Super Bowl history and his 114.5 passer rating ranking eighth. His efforts led New Orleans to its first and only Super Bowl."
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) drops back to throw against the Indianapolis Colts during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium. John David Mercer-Imagn ImagesBrees is now widely regarded as the most accurate passer in NFL history. His straight over top throwing delivery is as synonymous with precision passing as Stephen Curry's jump shot is with a made three-point basket. That game, however, could play a significant role in how Brees is now remembered.
Prior to the game, Brees was in many ways overshadowed by two of his contemporaries. He, of course, played at the same time as the league's best field general in Peyton Manning and greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. Add in multi-Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger and revolutionary quarterback Aaron Rodgers and it wasn't easy to stand out in the era in which Brees played. Super Bowl XLIV did that for the Saints' quarterback.
Brees would go on to outduel the league's aforementioned top field general in the Super Bowl and do what many would have not thought possible not many years prior: The quarterback took the Saints to the top of the sport.
Now, New Orleans is a well-respected NFL franchise, but Brees validated that claim. The Saints will look to return to the mountaintop with Tyler Shough in the near future.