Super Bowl trivia: Who is the only player to win MVP on a losing team?

If you thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win over the Kansas City Chiefs was bad last year, wait till you hear about the Super Bowl V, more commonly known as the “blooper bowl.” In the Big Game between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys, the teams combined for 6 interceptions, 546 yards of total offense, a missed extra point, and a Super Bowl record 11 turnovers. Yuck.

Even though Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas went down with an injury in the second quarter, Baltimore ended up winning the game 16-13 despite seven turnovers.

Chuck Howley, a linebacker for the losing Cowboys, won the MVP due to his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. And, honestly, he was better than pretty much everyone else on the field. Earl Morrall, the Colts backup, went 7-15 and threw for 147 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. No one on the Colts rushed for over 35 yards and no receiver had a big game.

Howley spoke to VICE a few years ago about losing the Big Game, but winning the MVP. In the Q&A, he recounted where he was when he got the MVP news after Super Bowl V:

“I was in the shower. I think some of my teammates said ‘Congratulations,’ and I said ‘For what?’ It’s one of those types of things. It was hard. I would much rather have been the one to win the ballgame, but we didn’t. I was very satisfied with the award, but it took awhile for it to sink in. You don’t lose the game and then settle for it.”