Records that could fall in Super Bowl 2026: Is Jerry Rice's iconic mark about to fall?
Rice's record is one of several long-standing marks that could fall this year
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
7 min read
If records are indeed meant to be broken, no one apparently told the teams and players who have played in some of the recent Super Bowls. As we get ready for Super Bowl LX, a number of the Super Bowl's oldest records remain untouched despite some of being set before the creation of the fifirst Nintendo.
Former Raiders linebacker Rod Martin has held the record for interceptions in a Super Bowl (three) for 45 years. No one has come within 40 yards of Timmy Smith's Super Bowl single-game rushing record in the 38 years since he rumbled for 204 in Washington's blowout win over the Broncos. A year after Smith's record-setting day, Jerry Rice racked up 215 receiving yards in the San Francisco come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Bengals, a Super Bowl record that still stands to this day.
One of those records has a decent shot a getting broken when the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks square off. Here's a rundown of that and several other records that might fall during the Super Bowl's 60th edition.
Most Super Bowl wins: 6
- Record-holders: Patriots, Steelers
The Patriots are just one win away from having the record for most Super Bowl wins all to themselves.
Each of New England's Super Bowl wins have come under the ownership of Robert Kraft, a former Patriots season-ticket holder who purchased the franchise in 1994. It didn't take long for the franchise to have success under Kraft; the Patriots reached the Super Bowl in 1996 (losing to the Green Bay Packers) and won their first Super Bowl title in 2001 after upsetting the heavily favored Rams.
Patriots Super Bowl results
| Game | Opponent | Score | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
XX (1986) | L, 46-10 | DE Richard Dent (Chicago) | |
XXXI (1997) | Patriots | L, 35-21 | KR/PR Desmond Howard (Green Bay) |
XXXVI (2002) | Rams | W, 20-17 | QB Tom Bady (New England) |
XXXVIII (2004) | W, 32-29 | QB Tom Brady (New England) | |
XXIX (2005) | W, 24-21 | WR Deion Branch (New England) | |
XLII (2008) | L, 17-14 | QB Eli Manning (New York) | |
XLVI (2012) | Giants | L, 21-17 | QB Eli Manning (New York) |
XLIX (2015) | Seahawks | W, 24-14 | QB Tom Brady (New England) |
LI (2017) | W, 34-28 (OT) | QB Tom Brady (New England) | |
LIII (2018) | Eagles | L, 41-33 | QB Nick Foles (Philadelphia) |
LIII (2019) | Rams | W, 13-3 | WR Julian Edelman (New England) |
LX (2026) | Seahawks | ??? | ??? |
The Patriots' 12 Super Bowl appearances are already a Super Bowl record. No other NFL franchise has more than eight trips to the big game.
Youngest QB to win the Super Bowl: 23 years, 340 days
Record-holder: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (Super Bowl XL)
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye can break Roethlisberger's record 20 years after Big Ben won the Super Bowl at the end of the second season with the Steelers. At 23 years and 162 days old, Maye will become the second-youngest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl.
Hall of Famer Dan Marino was 23 years and 127 days old when he and the Dolphins faced the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX. While the game wasn't close (the 49ers pulled away in the second quarter en route to a 38-16 win), the game was nonetheless a showcase of two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Marino and Joe Montana.
Marino's 318 yards that day tied Terry Bradshaw's single-game Super Bowl record for passing games. Montana, however, broke that record by throwing for 333 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 59 yards (a then Super Bowl record for a quarterback) and added a touchdown on the ground.
Longest field goal: 57 yards
Record-holder: Harrison Butker, Chiefs (Super Bowl LVIII)
Given the accuracy of today's kickers from long range, it's a little surprising that there hasn't been a longer made field goal in the Super Bowl. That could change this year given the two kickers who will be taking part in the game.
Patriots rookie kicker Andres Borregales had a season-high 59-yard field goal during the regular season and made each of his four field goal attempts from at least 50 yards out. Seattle kicker Jason Myers' season-high 57-yard field goal this season matches the Super Bowl's single-game record in terms of distance. He booted a 59-yarder in 2024 made a career-long 61-yard field goal attempt back in 2021.
Myers made all nine of his kicks (including all three of his field goal tries) in Seattle's first two playoff wins. Borregales made each of his six point-after attempts and four of his six field goal attempts during New England's first three playoff games.
Most receiving yards: 215
- Record-holder: Jerry Rice, 49ers (Super Bowl XXIII)
Rice set his still-standing record just one year after Washington receiver Ricky Sanders recorded a then-Super Bowl record 193 yards in a blowout win over the Broncos. Rice's record-setting performance helped the 49ers rally to defeat the Bengals in one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played.
There are several notable players in this Super Bowl who could break Rice's record, most notably Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose dominance this season has conjured up memories of Rice.
While he's never eclipsed 180 receiving yards in an NFL game, Smith-Njigba had a whopping 347 receiving yards in college during Ohio State's comeback win over Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl. Smith-Njigba, who caught 15 passes and three touchdowns in Ohio State's 48-45 win, set an all-time FBS bowl game record for receiving yards.
Most catches: 14
- Record-holder: James White, Patriots Super Bowl (LI)
While it was eventually tied for times, no one broke former Bengals tight end Dan Ross' single-game Super Bowl record for receptions (he caught 11 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns in Super Bowl XVI) until former Broncos wideout Demaryius Thomas pulled down 13 passes during Denver's Super Bowl loss to Seattle in 2014. White broke Thomas' record three years later while also scoring the first overtime touchdown in Super Bowl history as the Patriots overcame a 28-3 deficit.
Smith-Njigba has a chance to break this record, too. Ironically, his career single-game receptions mark in the NFL was set against the Patriots. He caught 12 of 16 targets for 117 yards during Seattle's 23-20 overtime win over New England in Week 2 of the 2024 season.
Most return yards: 244
Record-holder: Desmond Howard, Packers (Super Bowl XXXI)
Like Howard did for the Packers nearly 30 years ago, Rashid Shaheed's special teams prowess this season has played a key role in the Seahawks' Super Bowl run. Shaheed, who started the season in New Orleans before being dealt before the deadline, earned his second career Pro Bowl nod this year after returning a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. He returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown during Seattle's eventual rout of San Francisco in the NFC divisional round.
In Super Bowl XXXI, then-Patriots coach Bill Parcells decided to kick to Howard late in the third quarter despite Howard's success up to that point in the game. Howard made him pay by returning a kickoff 99 yards that proved to be the game's final score. It'll be interesting to see if current Patriots coach Mike Vrabel takes a similar approach regarding Shaheed.
Highest completion percentage: 88%
Record-holder: Phil Simms, Super Bowl XXI
Simms was simply on fire in leading the Giants to their first Super Bowl win. He was actually a perfect 10 of 10 in the second half as the Giants turned a 10-9 halftime deficit into a 39-20 win over the Broncos. Simms finished the game with 268 yards and three touchdowns on 22 of 25 passing.
While Simms isn't worried about his record falling, there's a chance that either Maye or Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold could break it in this year's Super Bowl. Maye completed a league-high 72% of his passes during the regular season and had two games where he completed over 90% of his throws. It should be noted, however, that both of those performances came against two of the NFL's worst teams in the Jets and Titans.
Darnold completed at least 82.4% of his throws in three games this season, including completing a season-high 87.5% of his passes in a win over Washington. Like Maye, though, Darnold's most efficient games this season from a completion percentage standpoint came against several of the league's worst teams.
Most combined punts: 22
Record-holder: Giants/Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV
I'm sure that no one is hoping that this record comes close to being broken in this year's Super Bowl, that is unless you're a fan of defensive rock fights.
While both teams possess top five scoring offenses, they have have two of the league's best defenses. Seattle and New England finished first and fourth in the NFL during the regular season in fewest points allowed, respectively.
As John Madden used to say, a great defense usually beats a great offense. If that comes to fruition on Sunday, it could lead to a low-scoring, defensive affair that could include a slew of punts by both teams.
