The best plays in Super Bowl history

1. Montana-to-Taylor, Super Bowl XXIII

The 49ers took the ball from their own 8-yard line, down 16-13 with just 3:10 left. But Joe Montana worked the clock like a shrewd hourly employee, called a timeout from the Cincinnati 10 with 39 seconds left, then beat the Bengals with 20 Halfback Curl, X Up.

Jerry Rice, who had caught 11 passes for a record 215 yards, went in motion from right to left and John Taylor lined up as a tight end on the left side. Primary receiver Roger Craig was double-covered, but Taylor ran up the seam and caught a Montana bullet for his only reception of the day, and the greatest in Super Bowl history.

2. David Tyree catch, Super Bowl XLII

With the Giants trailing the Patriots 14-10 with 1:15 left, they faced a third-and-5 from their own 44. Eli Manning was grabbed by the Patriots’ Adalius Thomas and heaved the ball downfield. Tyree was covered by safety Rodney Harrison, who yanked his right arm away, but Tyree managed to pin the ball to his helmet, make the catch and keep the ball from hitting the ground when he did.

It gave the Giants a first down at the New England 24, and set up the winning TD catch with 39 seconds remaining by Plaxico Burress, who before the game had guaranteed victory to The Post.

3. Riggins 4th-and-1 run, Super Bowl XVII

With the Redskins trailing Miami 17-13 in the fourth quarter, Joe Gibbs elected not to kick a field goal or punt, instead going for it from the 43. Washington chose an I-formation play called 70 Chip, and it was power football perfected.

John Riggins got a great block by tight end Rick Walker and went over left tackle. Even though Dolphins defensive back Don McNeal came up to make the hit, it was Riggins that delivered the blow. He shrugged off McNeal and rumbled down the sideline for a touchdown in the most dramatic run in Super Bowl history as the Redskins triumphed 27-17.

4. Mike Jones tackle, Super Bowl XXXIV

The Rams were high-scoring, but it was a huge defensive stop that won the title. Trailing 23-16, the Titans drove to the Rams’ 10 and called a timeout with :06 to play. Jones wisely didn’t bite on tight end Frank Wycheck, and stayed in good position to tackle Kevin Dyson running a sneaky slant in behind him. Dyson caught Steve McNair’s pass at the 3, Jones hit him at the 2 and brought him down at the 1. Dyson said later, “When he got his hands on me, I thought I was going to break the tackle. But he got my foot, tripped me up and wrapped up nice. That’s what he’s supposed to do.’’

5. John Elway goes helicopter, Super Bowl XXXII

Aging and facing the prospect of his last shot at a title after going 0-3 in Super Bowls, Elway faced the defending champion Packers. Tied at 17-all with three minutes left in the third, Elway took a snap on third-and-6 from the Packers 12, saw nobody open, and tucked and ran.

With a chance to go out near the marker, the 37-year-old Elway challenged safety LeRoy Butler, trying to jump over him. The first hit sent Elway airborne and another by Mike Prior sent him spinning sideways like a helicopter blade. He landed on the 4, got the first down and Terrell Davis added a TD. Denver went on to win 31-24, with Davis saying, “As soon as I saw John do that, I knew the game was ours.’’

6. Lynn Swann catch, Super Bowl X

Acrobatics worthy of Swan Lake. With the Steelers backed up to the 10, Swann went deep, outjumped Cowboys cornerback Mark Washington, and snared the ball. After a bobble, a juggle and a spectacular catch, Swann — who took ballet lessons to help his coordination — had a 53-yard reception en route to his MVP performance.

7. Marcus Allen 74-yard TD, Super Bowl XVIII

On the last play of the third quarter, the Raiders running back took a toss and got stuffed up the middle by Redskins defenders, bounced out left only to get hemmed in, then came back to the middle.

He accelerated through the entire Washington defense for a backbreaking gallop. The eventual MVP finished with a then-record 191 yards, and the Raiders’ 38-9 rout of the Redskins was on.

8. James Harrison 100-yard interception TD, Super Bowl XLIII

The Steelers linebacker jumped a slant to Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, picked it off and raced through a pack of players and down the sideline. He hurdled the Cardinals’ Tim Hightower at the Arizona 30-yard line, stayed up as tackle Mike Gandy dove at him at the 10, and lumbered until Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston ran into him at the 1.

The trio all fell into the end zone, and a review was needed to see if Harrison broke the plane — important since it was the last play of the half, and there was no time left. But it was ruled a touchdown, the Steelers went into the locker room up 17-7, and went on to win.

9. Saints onside kick, Super Bowl XLIV

The Colts led 10-6 at halftime, before New Orleans coach Sean Payton made one of the gutsiest calls in NFL history. He’d never gotten the chance he wanted for a fake punt in the first half, so Payton went with an onside kick to open the second.

He had the officials switch the side of the field his Saints would defend, to make sure they recovered the onside kick in front of their bench, and rookie Thomas Morstead executed a flawless kick, recovered by Chris Reis. They scored their first TD of the game six plays later, and went on to a 31-17 victory.

10. Santonio Holmes TD catch, Super Bowl XLIII

Even after Harrison’s 100-yard interception return, the Steelers trailed 23-20 with 2:37 left. That’s when Holmes had the drive of his life, capped by the catch of his career. He had four receptions and 73 of Pittsburgh’s 78 yards on the winning march.

From the Cardinals’ 6-yard line, the eventual MVP was triple-covered near the edge of the end zone, yet managed to bring in Ben Roethlisberger’s pass and keep his feet in for the winner.