Where does Fran Tarkenton rank among every Super Bowl quarterback?
By Adam Patrick
It has been more than 40 years since the Minnesota Vikings last played in a Super Bowl. The Vikings have come close to getting back in a few times since, but something has managed to always stand in their way.
During three of Minnesota’s four appearances in the Super Bowl, they were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
Despite his impressive success throughout his career in the NFL, Tarkenton really struggled during the three times he played in the Super Bowl. In these matchups, the former Vikings quarterback averaged just 163 passing yards per contest while also throwing for a total of six interceptions and only one touchdown.
Is Fran Tarkenton the best former Minnesota Vikings quarterback to play in a Super Bowl?
While Tarkenton and Joe Kapp are the only quarterbacks to start for Minnesota in a Super Bowl, a number of former Vikings signal-callers appeared in the big game while wearing a different uniform.
Some of these former Minnesota passers who made played in the Super Bowl with a different team include Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon, and Jim McMahon.
Recently, NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ranked every single quarterback who has started under center in a Super Bowl. So where did all of the former Vikings passers end up on the list?
Well according to Rosenthal, Favre is the best former Minnesota quarterback to ever play in the Super Bowl, as he came in at No. 6 on the list. But in the No. 13 spot, Tarkenton wound up with the second-highest ranking out of all the former Vikings signal-callers to appear in the big game.
McNabb was next on the list at No. 26, followed by Gannon at No. 33, Johnson at No. 45, McMahon at No. 54, and Kapp at No. 56.
Despite not being able to lead the Vikings to a win in the Super Bowl, Tarkenton actually ended up out-ranking guys like Troy Aikman, Ben Roethlisberger, Terry Bradshaw, Kurt Warner, and Russell Wilson.
So what do we think? Did Rosenthal accurately rank all of the former Minnesota quarterbacks in the right spots?