49ers’ Brock Purdy to join list of Super Bowl’s youngest starting QBs; here’s how the others fared

As soon as he takes first snap in Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will make history as the third-youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. 

Purdy, who will be 24 years and 46 days old, is hoping to become the second-youngest starting quarterback to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. To do so, he’ll have to best a Kansas City Chiefs defense that held Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to just 10 points in the AFC Championship. 

Purdy will also have to match wits with Patrick Mahomes, who is doing his best to make the greatest quarterback of all-time argument an actual debate. Fortunately for Purdy, he won’t have to beat Mahomes and Co. alone. Not by a long shot. 

Niners GM John Lynch has built a deep and talented roster that incudes some of the NFL’s best players. One of those players is Purdy, who showed during the playoffs that he is capable of elevating his game when the stakes are high. 

As far as history is concerned, history is not completely on Purdy’s side. The 10 youngest quarterbacks to start in a Super Bowl prior to Purdy compiled a 4-6 record. Some of those quarterbacks played well in a losing effort, while several played poorly in defeat. One of these quarterback led his team to victory and was named MVP, while another won despite an abysmal stat line. 

Let’s take a look at how each of them fared in the big game. 

1. Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins (23 years, 127 days)

• SB stat line: 29 of 50, 318 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT 

Marino actually tied Terry Bradshaw’s previous Super Bowl single-game passing record. But his counterpart that day, Joe Montana, threw for a new Super Bowl record 331 yards in leading the 49ers to a 36-16 win in Super Bowl XIX. Marino (who also attempted a then-Super Bowl record 50 passes) gave it his best shot, but the 49ers were simply too good on both sides of the ball. 

No one knew it at the time, but this would be the only Super Bowl appearance of Marino’s Hall of Fame career. 

2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (23 years, 340 days)

• SB stat line: 9 of 21, 123 yards, 2 INT, TD run 

Statistically speaking, Roethlisberger’s performance in the Super Bowl XL is the worst by a starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. But hidden in those stats is his rushing touchdown that gave the Steelers their first lead, a clutch completion to Hines Ward on a 3rd-and-28 play that set up his touchdown run, and his key block on Antwaan Randle El’s game-clinching touchdown pass to Ward. 

3. David Woodley, Dolphins (24 years, 97 days old)

• SB stat line: 4 of 14, 97 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT 

As bad as Woodley’s numbers were, they actually could have been worse. The majority of his passing yards that day were on one completion, a 76-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Cefalo early in the proceedings. 

Woodley did not complete a single pass in the second half, unless you count his pick to Washington defensive back Mark Murphy. Despite their quarterback’s struggles, the Dolphins were still in the game before John Riggins’ 42-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-1 play gave Washington the lead for good. 

4.  Jared Goff, Rams (24 years, 112 days)

• SB stat line: 19 of 38, 229 yards, 1 INT

Goff has the unenviable distinction of being the second starting quarterback of a team that failed to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl. Goff nearly hit Brandin Cooks for what would have been the game-tying touchdown, but the pass was broken up after a great play by Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore picked off Goff on the next play, and the Patriots proceeded to score the game-clinching touchdown moments later. 

5. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (24 years, 138 days)

• SB stat line: 26 of 42, 286 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT 

After being held in check for most of the game, Mahomes and his offensive teammates once again came from behind late in Super Bowl LIV. For a third straight game, the Chiefs overcame a deficit of at least 10 points. They trailed the 49ers 20-10 before scoring three touchdowns in the games’s final 6 minutes and 13 seconds. 

Mahomes threw two touchdowns during that span, but his biggest play was his 44-yard completion to Tyreek Hill on a 3rd-and-15 play that jump-started the comeback. 

6. Tom Brady, Patriots (24 years, 184 days)

• SB stat line: 16 of 27, 145 yards, 1 TD 

No surprise, the best Super Bowl performance by a young QB was submitted by Brady. While his stats weren’t anything to write home about, Brady’s play against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI was nothing short of masterful. His play during the Patriots’ game-winning drive offered a foreshadowing of what was to come from him over the next 21 years. 

On the drive, Brady completed each of his five pass attempts that weren’t spikes to preserve the clock. His 23-yard completion to Troy Brown helped set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal as time expired. 

7. Jalen Hurts, Eagles (24 years, 189 days)

• SB stat line: 27 of 38, 304 yards, 1 TD, 3 TD runs 

Hurts gets my unofficial title as having the greatest Super Bowl performance by a losing quarterback. In defeat, Hurts threw for 304 yards and a touchdown while becoming the second player to run for three touchdowns in a Super Bowl. His 70 yards on the ground broke Steve McNair’s Super Bowl single-game mark for a quarterback. 

Unfortunately for Hurts, his counterpart in Super Bowl LVII, Mahomes, made just a few more plays that allowed the Chiefs to pull out a 38-35 win. 

8. Drew Bledsoe, Patriots (24 years, 347 days)

• SB stat line: 25 of 48, 253 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT 

Bledsoe outplayed league MVP Brett Favre for a good chunk of the first half of Super Bowl XXXI. He even helped the Patriots overcome an early 10-point deficit by throwing a pair of touchdowns against Green Bay’s stout defense. But his four interceptions loomed large in New England’s 35-21 loss. 

T-9. Joe Burrow, Bengals (25 years, 65 days)

Burrow was actually the better quarterback for most of this game. He completed passes of 75 and 46 yards while helping the Bengals take a 20-16 lead over the Rams entering the fourth quarter. 

Unfortunately for Burrow, the Rams’ pass rush proved to be too big of an obstacle to overcome. Aaron Donald and Von Miller combined for four of the Rams’ seven sacks of Burrow, who was hurried by Donald on his final pass of the night that led to a turnover on downs. 

T-9. Russell Wilson, Seahawks (25 years, 65 days)

Wilson’s performance is often overlooked on a night that was mostly remembered for Seattle’s defense, Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes in the second half while ensuing that the Broncos weren’t going to make things interesting. Wilson had success by spreading the ball around to eight different teammates.