NFL Top Plays

TOP PLAYS IN NFL HISTORY:

MAGNIFICENT MOMENTS

by GREGORY D. SALYER

As we brace for the upcoming NFL season, it is always respectful to pay tribute to the football Gods by remembering some of the few moments that have made the game what it is today. The names Joe Montana, John Elway, Franco Harris and Vince Lombardi ring a bell. Whether it is the first game of the season or the last, the big boys of the NFL come to play and after hearing about them spending the summer months honing their skills, it’s nice to finally witness some of the great plays throughout the season. In this article, we have highlighted some of our favorite and most memorable plays in NFL history.

10. Big Ben’s Drive Super Bowl XLIII

After losing the lead due to a safety and a 65-yard touchdown pass from Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald, which all occurred in about a minute, it looked like it was over for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger had other plans. Big Ben led the Steelers down the field and capped the drive off with an amazing pass to Santonio Holmes, in just two minutes. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 2723 and won their second Super Bowl in four seasons, and the sixth overall for the franchise.

9. A Yard Short of a Super Bowl Victory - Super Bowl XXXIV

While Titans fans won’t remember this one as a great moment, Rams fans will. Trailing 23-17 with under two minutes left and the ball on their own 10-yard line, Steve McNair and the Titans marched down the field. With the game about to end, the Titans had one last shot. Steve McNair threw a bullet to wide receiver Kevin Dyson who had only Mike Jones between him and the endzone. Mike Jones immediately tackled Dyson by the legs as he stretched as far as he could. Dyson ended up stretching the ball to the end-zone, but it was too late, his knee was down while the ball was at the one-yard line and the Rams won the game.

8. The Helmet Catch Super Bowl XLII

In a David versus Goliath match-up, it was third down and five with just over a minute to go in the fourth quarter. Eli Manning and the New York Giants were trailing 14-10 and needed to come up with something big, and did they ever! Avoiding a sack, Eli Manning threw up a prayer to David Tyree who didn’t use two hands to catch the ball, but rather one hand and his helmet! Eli and company were able to keep the drive alive and would go on to score a touchdown, winning Super Bowl XLII and ensuring their spot in NFL history.

7. The Drive 1987 AFC Championship Game

A relatively young John Elway and the rest of the Denver Broncos drove the ball 98 yards down the field and killed five minutes of game time while they were at it to score with just 39 seconds left in regulation. Elway took control as he marched down the field and threw for 64 yards and racked up another 12 yards rushing. He threw a five yard touchdown pass to Mark Jackson to send the game into overtime where the Bronco’s eventually beat the Cleveland Browns 23-20. “The Drive” is widely considered the most clutch performance in NFL history.

6. The Perfect Season 1972 Miami Dolphins

In 1972 the Miami Dolphins became the first team, and the only team to date, to finish an entire season without a blemish on their record. It wasn’t easy, after they went 12-0 in the regular season, they won all three of their playoff games by only a touchdown or less which includes the Super Bowl VII victory over the Washington Redskins. So throughout the years, many teams have come close but none have achieved what the 1972 Miami Dolphins did.

5. The Ice Bowl 1967 NFL Championship Game

In a game that featured cold conditions even for Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys met to play the 1967 NFL Championship. The game time temperature was -13 degrees Fahrenheit and the playing surface had virtually become a solid block of ice. The Referees couldn’t even blow their whistles because it would freeze their lips. With just seconds left in the fourth quarter and trailing by a score of 1714 to the Cowboys, Bart Starr asked coach Vince Lombardi if he could run a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line. Lombardi replied, “Well, run it and let’s get the hell out of here.” Starr did and the Packers won the game and went on to win the Super Bowl II.

4. Broadway Joe Guarantees Victory - Super Bowl III

Even though the Baltimore Colts were heavily favored to win the Super Bowl over the New York Jets, that didn’t stop New York quarterback Joe Namath from putting his money where

his mouth was. Just days before the game Namath showed up at the Miami Touchdown Club and stated, “We’re gonna win the game, I guarantee it.” Just a few years after the AFL-NFL, the AFL was still considered to be a lowly league compared to the NFL and many found it hard to fathom that the Jets could actually beat the Colts. However, Joe Namath came through though earning throwing 17 for 28 while racking up 206 yards and was even named Super Bowl MVP.

3. The Greatest Game Ever Played - 1958 NFL Championship Game

The 1958 NFL Championship between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. The Colts were up 14-3 at halftime but the Giants scored two touchdowns in the second half to take a 17-14 lead. Johnny Unitas was able to lead the team down the field to set up a 20-yard field goal with just seven seconds left to send the game into the first sudden death overtime in NFL history. The Colts would go on to

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win as Alan Ameche ran in a 1-yard touchdown run. As of today, the game featured 17 individuals, coaches and front office staff included, who would go on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

2. The Catch 1982 NFC Championship

This was a play that started one of the NFL’s most prolific dynasties. With under a minute left in the game, the 49ers were facing third and three from the Dallas Cowboys’ 6-yard line. After the snap, Joe Montana ran to the right as half of the Dallas defense was closing in on him. He pump faked the ball and then lobbed up a pass that looked like it was about to go out of bounds, but Dwight Clark was on the other end and grabbed the ball midjump to score a touchdown and win the game 28-27. The 49ers would go on to win their first Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals.

1. The Immaculate Reception 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game

Very few plays in sports history have much been replayed as many times as this one. Down 7-6 to the Raiders and facing fourth and ten on their own 40-yard line, the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw hurled the ball towards John Fuqua only for it to bounce off of the helmet of Raiders safety Jack Tatum. Just when everyone thought the play was over, Franco Harris grabbed the ball about a foot before it hit the ground and ran it to the end-zone for a touchdown. The Steelers won the game and the Immaculate Reception went down as the greatest play in football history.

So while some of these great moments are old and some seem like they were just yesterday, just don’t forget them as they are the moments that still excite the fans today. They’re the moments that we spend the entire off-season watching, just waiting for the upcoming season to start. Last but certainly not least, they’re the absolute greatest moments in NFL history.