Are these these the craziest finishes in NFL history?

Crazy finishes
Super Bowl LVIII
The Music City Miracle
Miracle at the Meadowlands
Miracle in Miami
River City Relay
Wide Right
Roethlisberger to Holmes
The Tuck Rule
Immaculate Reception
The Catch
Vikings v Bills 2022
Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs
Miracle in Motown
2006 NFC Wild-Card Game - Tony Romo fumbles
The Helmet Catch
Miracle at the New Meadowlands
Crazy finishes

The NFL manages to churn out some incredible end-game scenarios at times, with players and teams buckling under the pressure of the big moment and allowing their opponent to sneak a win at the last moment.

Super Bowl LVIII

Super Bowl LVIII saw the Kansas City Chiefs moment a late comeback to beat the 49ers, the crazy finish wasn't just the comeback, but the first usage of new overtime rules that the Chiefs understood and the Niners didn't making for a slightly confusing and crazy finish to give the Chiefs their second Super Bowl in two years.

The Music City Miracle

With 16 seconds left the Tennessee Titans were trailing by a point to the Buffalo Bills in an AFC Wildcard game in 2000. The Bills had taken the lead via a field goal and squib kicked the ensuing kickoff to ensure the clock ran down. The Titans had set their trap beautifully with Frank Wycheck receiving the ball from Lorenzo Neal and throwing (backwards-ish) it to Kevin Dyson to run in for the touchdown and W.

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Miracle at the Meadowlands

The Philadelphia Eagles have had some crazy games against the New York Giants over the years, but this 1978 game was one of the wildest. The Giants were up 17-12 with 30 seconds left and the Eagles out of timeouts. Somehow Larry Csonka never received the handoff from quarterback Joe Pisarcik and Herm Edwards scooped and scored giving the Eagles a 19-17 win.

Miracle in Miami

The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami bore witness to one of the craziest plays in NFL history on December 9th, 2018. The Dolphins trailed the New England Patriots by five points with just 16 seconds left when QB Ryan Tannehill lobbed the ball to Kenny Stills over the middle, the ball ended up in speedster Kenyan Drake’s hand via a Davante Parker later. Drake ran the ball 52 yards for the score and the win.

River City Relay

Perhaps the most anticlimactic finish on this list as the Saints, down by seven, threw lateral after lateral to somehow sneak through a tiring Jacksonville Jaguars defense. One of the all-time great plays was immediately undone on the ensuing extra point as kicker John Carney sailed the ball wide right leaving the Saints defeated by one solitary point.

Wide Right

‘Wide right’ is a phrase that will haunt the city of Buffalo forever. Down by one point with eight seconds left on the clock in Super Bowl XXV the Bills lined up to kick a game-winning field goal from 47 yards out. Kicker Scott Norwood stepped up and hit what looked like the winning kick, only for the ball to fade just outside the posts. Al Michaels’ comments will live long in infamy, “No good...wide right."

Roethlisberger to Holmes

Super Bowl XLIII was a fiercely competitive contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals. After a back-and-forth contest which included a 100-yard interception return and a 65-yard receiving TD, the Cards led by three with 43 seconds left. Roethlisberger floated a perfect pass to Santonio Holmes in the corner of the end zone for a dramatic Steelers win.

The Tuck Rule

This classic between the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders remains controversial. Down by three with just over two minutes left to play, the Raiders seemingly forced QB Tom Brady to fumble giving them a chance to run out the clock. After a long look at the replays, the officials overturned this call due to the newly enforced ‘tuck rule’. Two field goals later the Pats would take the win and a dynasty would start.

Immaculate Reception

One of the most famous plays in NFL history, it comes complete with the best nickname as well. Down by one with just 22 seconds left, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed a miracle to beat the Oakland Raiders and a miracle they got. A Terry Bradshaw pass deflected off Raiders defender Jack Tatum’s helmet into the grateful arms of running back Franco Harris who ran it in for a game-winning TD.

 

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The Catch

Any single play which becomes known simply as ‘the catch’ has to be special, and this certainly was. In a tightly fought battle between two NFL heavyweights, the San Francisco 49ers trailed the Dallas Cowboys by six with 58 seconds left. Joe Montana’s six yard touchdown pass to Dwight Clark will go down as one of the most legendary plays in NFL history.

Vikings v Bills 2022

Perhaps too recent to have earned a nickname, this game deserves one. The Bills led by four with just 41 seconds left, camped on their own goal line needing just one first down for the win. A botched snap by Josh Allen led to Erik Kendricks recovering in the end zone for what looked to be the game-winner. Somehow the Bills responded with a field goal with just two seconds left only to lose in overtime. Nuts.

Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs

Another miraculous victory for the Minnesota Vikings, albeit this was in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The game seemed wrapped up by the New Orleans Saints having gone up one with just 24 seconds left. Looking for a last-second field goal, QB Case Keenum lobs the ball toward the sideline for Stefon Diggs who somehow doesn’t get tackled on the way down and runs in for the walk-off win.

Miracle in Motown

The Detroit Lions are generally considered one of the worst franchises in the NFL so it was a shock to see them lead the Green Bay Packers by 20 in the second half of their 2015 matchup. Unfortunately for them, this joy didn’t last long as they were beaten by a 61 yard Hail Mary throw from Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers as time expired.

2006 NFC Wild-Card Game - Tony Romo fumbles

Before he became a franchise legend for the Dallas Cowboys, Romo was a backup QB and holder on field goals. With just over a minute left the Cowboys were set up for the probable game-winner, a 19-yard chip shot FG to beat the Seahawks in the Wild Card round. Somehow Romo fumbled the snap and despite his desperate attempts to run it, ultimately would cost the Cowboys the game.

The Helmet Catch

The New England Patriots looked set to complete their unbeaten 2007 season in Super Bowl XLII. Unfortunately for them the New York Giants refused to quit. Down four with two minutes left, QB Eli Manning escapes pressure and throws a lob to David Tyree who somehow controls the ball to the ground against the side of his helmet. This would set up the game-winner to Plaxico Burress and remain part of NFL folklore forever.

Miracle at the New Meadowlands

‘History is bound to repeat itself’, or so the saying goes. This was not quite the same as the original Miracle, but the Philadelphia Eagles were once again able to overcome the New York Giants with a crazy walk-off play. Down 31-10 the Eagles dragged themselves back to parity with just 12 seconds left. The Giants are forced to punt to DeSean Jackson who runs 65 yards for the walk-off score.

 

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