The Super Bowl is one of the biggest spectacles in sports. Teams in the NFL go through all sorts of drama to reach that prestigious final. There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of a quarterback. Not just to perform, but to memorize the number of plays their team can perform. Many of these plays come from hours of practice on the training field.
While others occur through unforeseen circumstances. Some perhaps cannot be taught. Not in the sense of being able to replicate them in a pressurized situation. That is what great players can do. This is also what the greatest moments in the NFL show us - that great plays are something very special. We've already looked at the best NFL players of all time ranked by fans, so here are the greatest plays in NFL history.
Ranking factors
Dynasty building - how a play has contributed to a franchise's dynasty.
Athleticism - the quality of individual play.
Drama - the tension and pressure involved in the play.
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10 The Hail Murray
2020: Arizona Cardinals 32-30 Buffalo Bills
Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
With seconds left on the clock, the Buffalo Bills were looking like they would claim a hard-fought victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Although Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had other ideas. Scrambling free of Bills’ defenders on the 55-yard line, he threw a Hail Mary. There were three Bills players surrounding wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The pass came tumbling out of the sky. Somehow, when the bodies fell, the ball was in Hopkins' arms in the end zone with just two seconds left. Cue jubilant Cardinals celebrations. The Bills, on the other hand, looked on in disbelief.
I want to say I knew when it left my hand it had a chance just because [when] you play quarterback, you can tell the trajectory, the touch of the ball," Murray said. "But, I think I was looking at the sideline when everybody ... I just got the reaction from everybody. I don't think I saw him catch the ball. I really don't remember -- it happened so fast. But, I knew once it left my hand, it had a good chance.
9 The Minnesota Miracle
2018: Minnesota Vikings 29-24 New Orleans Saints
Referred to as the Miracle of Minneapolis, this play saw the Vikings claim a last-gasp playoff win over the New Orleans Saints. The Saints had come back from 0-17 to lead 24-23 with 25 seconds left to play.
Vikings quarterback Case Keenum threw a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who caught the ball cleanly right on the touchline. In their eagerness, two Saints defenders got under the flight of the ball. They both lost their footing, allowing Diggs a clear run into the end zone. This gave the Vikings an unlikely late victory.
8 The Ice Bowl game
1967: Green Bay Packers 21-17 Dallas Cowboys
Bart Starr, Green Bay Packers
The 1967 NFL Championship game is known as the Ice Bowl, such were the wintry -4-degree conditions. Played on New Year's Eve in Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers were down 17-14 to the Dallas Cowboys with 16 seconds left on the clock. Having run out of time-outs, it was now or never for the Packers. On the line was the chance to win their third straight Championship.
Their quarterback, Bart Starr, played in some of the Green Bay Packers' best Super Bowl-winning teams. He took the snap from his centre, Ken Bowman, and drove over the Cowboys' defence for a match-winning touchdown. It was not spectacular, but it was dramatic, and it made history.
7 The immaculate interception
2009: Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
James Harrison
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The 2009 Super Bowl between the Steelers and the Cardinals saw a very memorable moment. It is now referred to as the immaculate interception. It saw Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison scoring a 100-yard interception return touchdown. No doubt, Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner was expecting to throw for a touchdown.
He did not see Harrison, who benefited from his colleagues blocking for him. He didn’t face a real tackle until he was mere yards from the end zone. Although he stumbled, Harrison’s momentum took him over the line for a memorable score. At the time, it was the longest play in Super Bowl history.
6 Santonio Holmes' Super Bowl-winning catch
2009: Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
Santonio Holmes
It is quite something that the 2009 Super Bowl had two stunning plays in the game. This one involved the composure and quality of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The quarterback has played in the most iconic games in Pittsburgh Steelers history. The Cardinals were leading by three points in the last minute of the fourth quarter. Step forward, Roethlisberger. The quarterback had completed a series of passes to get the Steelers within touchdown range.
Although it appeared wide receiver Santonio Holmes was heavily marshaled at the back of the end zone. Undeterred, Roethlisberger threw a pass at his teammate. Somehow, Holmes evaded three Cardinals players to take the catch and win the Super Bowl for the Steelers.
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5 Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl-winning interception
2015: New England Patriots 28-24 Seattle Seahawks
Malcolm Butler Super Bowl interception
This play isn’t for a touchdown. Yet it is a Super Bowl-winning moment. With seconds left, the New England Patriots were leading 28-24. But the Seattle Seahawks were in a great position to score a game-winning touchdown. They were a yard away from winning a second straight Super Bowl.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson made a quick and fast pass to Ricardo Lockette, who looked open. But quick as a flash, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler read the play and made the interception. This ran time out and won the Patriots the Super Bowl. Butler didn’t even make the NFL draft. He signed for the Patriots as an undrafted free agent.
4 Kevin Dyson's 75-yard touchdown return
2000: Tennessee Titans 22-16 Buffalo Bills
Kevin Dyson Music City Miracle
There were just 16 seconds of this wildcard game between the Titans and the Bills when something special happened. The Bills had just scored a field goal to take a 16-15 lead. Lorenzo Neal caught the resulting short kickoff and handed the ball to tight end Frank Wycheck.
Then Wycheck threw the ball across the field to wide receiver Kevin Dyson. It was unconventional, but it gave Dyson a run at it on the left. He had a lot of work to do, but he hit the afterburners and made a 75-yard touchdown return. Que some crazy celebrations from the Titans.
3 David Tyree's gravity-defying catch
2008: New York Giants 17-14 New England Patriots
David Tyree, Super Bowl, Helmet catch
Super Bowl XLII saw a surprise as the New York Giants pipped the New England Patriots. The Patriots were looking to emulate the 1972 Miami Dolphins and go a season unbeaten. The Giants, on the other hand, had lost six games during the season. In this play, it looked almost certain that Giants quarterback Eli Manning was to be sacked.
Somehow, he stayed on his feet and got off a pass towards wide receiver David Tyree. He managed to make the catch by pinning the ball against his helmet on the Patriots’ 24-yard line. This vital territory led to a touchdown four plays later. Yet it was this play that summed up this unlikely underdog story.
2 The immaculate reception
1972: Pittsburgh Steelers 13-7 Oakland Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers went on to become the team of the 1970s, winning the Super Bowl four times during the decade. But in 1972, they had yet to win it. They had not yet won a play-off game. So it didn’t look good down by a point for the Raiders with no timeouts remaining and 22 seconds left.
Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw evaded a few opponents before his throw ricocheted off a Raiders player. Millimeters before it hit the turf, Steelers’ running back Franco Harris gathered the ball and set off on a 60-yard touchdown. It gave the Steelers a 13-7 win in the divisional play-offs and with it the belief they later used to dominate the NFL.
1 The Catch
1981: San Francisco 49ers 28-27 Dallas Cowboys
Dwight Clark, The Catch
DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
This moment sums up what a player Joe Montana was for the 49ers. Undoubtedly, Montana is one of the best San Francisco 49ers players of all time. The Cowboys were winning 27-21. With five minutes left, the 49ers needed to advance 89 yards. Montana, then a 25-year-old, showed all the poise and composure he’s now known for. His passing got the 49ers to the six-yard line with less than a minute left.
When receiving the snap, Montana runs to his right into a swarm of three onrushing Cowboys defenders. It looked to all the world as if he would be sacked or intercepted on the right-hand touchline. Yet he remained focused, although a little off balance, throwing it to the back end of the end zone. Dwight Clark got up high to complete the touchdown, and Candlestick Park erupted. This was the launchpad for the 49ers' first Super Bowl win.