The Super Bowl is the grandest stage in American sports—the moment where legends are made and legacies are defined. But for every truly heroic performance, there’s an equal and opposite collapse. Some of the biggest names in NFL history had their shot at glory… only to crumble when it mattered most.
Whether it was a costly interception, a game-altering fumble, or a mind-numbing mistake, these players went from potential heroes to Super Bowl scapegoats in the blink of an eye.
Let’s take a look back at the 10 worst chokes NFL stars have had in Super Bowls over the years.
Get to know the 10 biggest fails from NFL stars in a Super Bowl game.
Russell Wilson (Super Bowl XLIX – Seahawks)
You can’t talk about Super Bowl choke jobs without Russell Wilson’s interception at the goal line. It’s THE play—the moment that turned a back-to-back championship run into a legacy-defining disaster.
Super Bowl 49 was an instant classic. The Seahawks and Patriots traded blows for four quarters, and with 26 seconds left, Seattle was on the verge of glory. Second-and-goal from the one. One yard from back-to-back Super Bowl wins. One yard from cementing themselves as a dynasty.
And then? Disaster struck in a way that literally no one – except, apparently, the New England coaching staff, which had prepped Malcon Butler for this exact scenario the week prior, could’ve foreseen.
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Instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch, Pete Carroll, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell decided to get cute. They dialed up a slant route, putting the game in Wilson’s hands. He fired a pass over the middle… straight into the arms of Butler as he jumped the route.
Interception. Game over. Patriots win. And the Wilson found himself under the microscope from the entire nation that was desperate to see New England lose!
The moment was so bad, so shocking, that it immediately became one of the worst play calls in football history—with no one defending it.
But let’s not let Wilson off the hook—he threw the pass. He didn’t see Butler jumping the route, and he delivered one of the most gut-wrenching picks in Super Bowl history that literally changed the entire trajectory of the NFL for the next decade!
Wilson is just fortunate that Seattle hoisted the Lombardi Trophy the year prior… because while it hurts to lose out on back to back rings, it would be infinitely more painful had he never won the big game!
Peyton Manning (Super Bowl XLVIII – Denver Broncos)
Super Bowl 48 was supposed to be the ultimate coronation for Peyton Manning. The NFL MVP, the leader of the highest-scoring offense in league history, the quarterback who had just set the single-season passing touchdown record. The Broncos entered as 2-point favorites, but let’s be real—most people expected Denver to run away with this one.
Instead, Manning and the Broncos proceeded to lay one of the biggest eggs in Super Bowl history.
The disaster started in the very first play. A miscommunication with center Manny Ramirez sent the snap sailing over Manning’s head and into the end zone for a safety. Two points for Seattle. Not exactly a death blow but a sign of things to come.
From there? It got ugly—fast. Manning was under siege from the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom defense all night, throwing two brutal interceptions, including a pick-six to Malcolm Smith that all but ended the game before halftime.
By the third quarter, it was 36 to 0, and the game was a full-blown embarrassment.
The final score settled at 43 to 8, making it the first Super Bowl where a team scored over 40 points while allowing fewer than 10.
And to make matters worse for the future Hall of Famer… Manning seemingly had no answers, no adjustments—just one of the worst performances of his career on the biggest stage. For a guy often knocked for underwhelming playoff performances, this one was the worst of them all.
The legendary 2013 Broncos offense was reduced to one measly touchdown in garbage time.
The narrative had already existed that Peyton was a regular-season quarterback, and this game poured gasoline on that fire. While he would redeem himself to some degree, game managing his way to a Super Bowl win two years later, Manning’s meltdown in Super Bowl XLVIII remains one of the most shocking choke jobs in NFL history.
Julius Peppers (Super Bowl XXXVIII – Carolina Panthers)
Super Bowl 38 was a legendary back-and-forth showdown between the Panthers and Patriots that featured one of the best fourth-quarter comebacks to date. Carolina had its chance to steal the Lombardi Trophy, entering the final frame down just 14 to 10, but as their offense came to life, the wheels came off defensively, as they surrendered 18 points, in no small part thanks to one of their biggest—then budding stars at the time—Julius Peppers—and that vaunted Panther defense choking it all away.
For the first three quarters, Peppers and the Panthers’ defense made life miserable for Tom Brady. They had forced mistakes, pressured him into bad throws, and kept Carolina in control. But when it mattered most? Peppers and co. Disappeared.
Just a brutal way to go out for Carolina, especially considering their defense, which was a strength all year—led by one of the best pass rushers of his era—completely vanished.
No doubt Peppers was an absolute force in his career, but this was the biggest moment of his life, and he came up empty, finishing the game with just two tackles and no sacks.
Rich Gannon (Super Bowl XXXVII – Oakland Raiders)
Super Bowl 37 wasn’t just bad for Rich Gannon—it was historically awful. The 2002 MVP, the leader of the NFL’s top-ranked offense, the guy who was supposed to shred Tampa
Instead, Gannon delivered a five-turnover nightmare and handed the Buccaneers their first Super Bowl on a silver platter.
Right from the start, Gannon looked lost. Tampa Bay’s legendary defense, led by Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch, had him seeing ghosts. The pressure was relentless, and his decision-making? Even worse.
When all was said and done, three of Gannon’s five picks were returned for touchdowns, and his Raiders limped to the finish, losing 48 to 21 on the biggest stage the NFL has to offer.
Donovan McNabb (Super Bowl XXXIX – Eagles)
For years, Donovan McNabb was the face of the Philadelphia Eagles. A strong, mobile quarterback who had guided the team to four NFC Championship appearances in five years—but just one Super Bowl.
And when he finally got his shot at immortality in Super Bowl 39 against the New England Patriots, it looked like he might be ready to seize the moment.
Instead? He collapsed.
McNabb threw three interceptions, including a brutal pick to Tedy Bruschi in the fourth quarter, and played one of the most erratic games of his career. His mistakes killed momentum, stalled drives, and helped the Patriots control the game despite it finishing with just a three-point delta.
The crazy thing is, the worst part wasn’t even the turnovers.
It was the vomit. Yup, in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles driving, McNabb was sucking wind and allegedly puking in the huddle!
It is tough to choke worse than literally throwing up with the game on the line!
Jackie Smith (Super Bowl XIII – Dallas Cowboys)
Jackie Smith’s drop in Super Bowl 13 isn’t just a mistake—it’s a moment that’s been burned into the minds of Cowboys fans for decades. A play so brutal, so gut-wrenching, that even the announcer couldn’t hold back, calling it “the biggest drop in Super Bowl history.” And he wasn’t wrong.
Late in the third quarter, with the Cowboys down 21-14, Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach had Dallas on the precipice of a comeback.
Third-and-three from the Pittsburgh 10-yard line, Staubach saw Smith wide open in the middle of the end zone.
And the throw was right there. The only thing standing between Smith and a game-tying touchdown was… well, nothing—yet, somehow, the ball clanked off his hands, bounced off his chest, and fell helplessly to the turf.
The sight of Smith sprawled out in the end zone, face down in agony, said it all. Instead of tying the game, Dallas had to settle for a field goal, cutting the deficit to four instead of evening the score. That kind of mistake was a death sentence.
The Cowboys would go on to lose 35-31, and while there were other moments that contributed to the loss, Smith’s drop is still talked about to this day. It didn’t just cost Dallas points—it cost them momentum, confidence, and ultimately a Lombardi Trophy.
It was all the more painful for Smith too… as he had spent his entire illustrious career, complete with five-time Pro Bowl selections with the St. Louis Cardinals, only coming out of retirement to join the Cowboys in his final season for one last shot at a ring, only to have his Super Bowl moment turned into a nightmare, and his name became synonymous with one of the most infamous blunders in NFL history.
Kerry Collins (Super Bowl XXXV – Giants)
Super Bowl 25 wasn’t just a bad night for Kerry Collins—it was a football disaster of biblical proportions, largely because Collins delivered one of the most putrid performances in Super Bowl history, getting completely dismantled by Ray Lewis and the most suffocating defense of the era.
Yes, Baltimore put a lot of pressure on him… but the entire game was still a massive choke job.
Four interceptions. A 39% completion rate. Just 112 total passing yards. It was the kind of stat line that makes you wonder if the Giants even practiced for this game. Every drop-back, every throw, every decision Collins made felt like it was happening in slow motion, as Baltimore’s defense bullied him from start to finish.
As a result, the Giants’ offense was so bad that the team’s only touchdown came on a kickoff return by Ron Dixon, and the game was over before halftime.
Granted, Kerry Collins wasn’t a massive star… at least in the eyes of today’s fans looking back.
But keep in mind—this is a former fifth overall pick and two-time Pro Bowler we are talking about… Giants fans were expecting more than a 34 to 7 beat down on the national stage.
Cam Newton (Super Bowl L – Panthers)
Super Bowl 50 was supposed to be Cam Newton’s moment. The MVP, the leader of the 15-1 Panthers, the most unstoppable force in the league that year. All he had to do was finish the job against a Denver team being carried by its defense. Instead? Newton imploded—and then made it worse with one of the most controversial moments in Super Bowl history.
Trailing 16-10 in the fourth quarter, Newton had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, the kind that cements legacies. But on third-and-nine, Von Miller wrecked Carolina’s offensive line and stripped Newton of the football. Chaos ensued. The ball was on the ground. The game—maybe even the season—was right there for the taking.
And Newton? Instead of diving for the ball, he pulled back, making his now infamous “business decision” and completely changing the narrative on that season… and, unfortunately, his career as a whole.
The fallout was brutal. Fans and analysts roasted Newton for avoiding contact, questioning his toughness and commitment to his team.
As Newton would come to learn, the NFL world doesn’t forget moments like that. And then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, Newton walked out of his postgame press conference after barely answering any questions.
Tough scene for sure… After dominating all season long, Cam played his worst game of the year and left Panthers fans wondering what could have been.
Cedric Benson (Super Bowl XLI – Chicago Bears)
Super Bowl XLI was already shaping up to be one of the weirdest championship games in NFL history.
In the opening kickoff, Indy made the mistake of kicking to Devin Hester, who expectedly took it to the house.
And the quarterbacks were as uneven of a matchup as it gets, featuring Peyton Manning and… Rex Grossman—a sentence that still doesn’t sound real.
Chicago’s game plan was built around their dominant running attack, with Benson and Thomas Jones expected to carry the load and take the pressure off Grossman.
But when Benson coughed up the football in the second quarter with the Bears up 14 to 6 and driving, gifting the Colts an easy scoring opportunity, the tides turned entirely.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, he injured his knee on the very next drive, knocking himself out of the game completely.
Granted, the injury was out of his control, but with how their offense was built, the Bears couldn’t endure this mistake.
