Ever since it was introduced back in 1978, then was expanded to two in each conference in 1990, and expanded again in 2020 to three in each conference, the Wild Card Games have, pardon the pun, produced some of the wildest moments in NFL history.
With that in mind, I have decided to comply a list of what I think are the 50 greatest moments in NFL Wild Card history.
While you are reading this article, you will notice I omitted the injuries by Carson Palmer in 2005 and Robert Griffin III in 2012, because I want this to be a celebratory article not an article that features significant injuries.
Instead, this list contains some of the greatest games, plays, performances, and most controversial calls in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs.
So, without further adieu, here now are the 50 Greatest NFL Wild Card Moments:
(Note: in 1982, the NFL held a 16-team tournament, eight per conference, because of the players’ strike that shortened the season from 16 to 9 games, so I counted the opening round of the tournament as Wild Card Games)
50. 2005 Patriots-28 Jaguars-3
Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest sets a playoff record for most quarterback sacks in a NFL playoff game(since sacks were counted by the NFL beginning in 1982) as he sacks Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich 4.5 times in an easy New England victory.
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| Willie McGinest brings down Byron Leftwich for one of his playoff game record 4.5 quarterback sacks. |
49. 1999 Dolphins-20 Seahawks-17
In what would be his final NFL victory, Dan Marino leads the Dolphins on a 11-play, 85-yard drive that ends with running back JJ Johnson’s two-yard touchdown run with 4:46 left as Marino completes four of seven passes for 84 yards in the drive in the last game ever played in the Seattle Kingdome.
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| Dan Marino had his 37th and final 4th quarter comeback victory against the Seahawks in the 1999 AFC Wild Card Game. |
48. 2010 Packers-21 Eagles-16
Packers cornerback Tramon Williams picks off a Michael Vick pass in the end zone with 33 seconds left to preserve the Green Bay victory and help kickstart their run to the Super Bowl.
47. 2003 Titans-20 Ravens-17
Titans kicker Gary Anderson kicks the game-winning field goal from 46 yards out with 29 seconds left to give Tennessee the win over the Baltimore Ravens.
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| Gary Anderson(1) hugs Derrick Mason after Anderson's game-winning field goal. |
46. 2000 Saints-31 Rams-28
It seemed the Saints had locked up their first playoff victory in their 34-year history as they held a 31-7 lead with 11:57 left thanks to quarterback Aaron Brooks’ four touchdown passes, three of them to Willie Jackson.
But the “Greatest Show on Turf” score 21 unanswered points to cut the lead to 31-18 and force the Saints to punt the ball back to them with 1:51 left, only to have Az-Zahir Hakim muff the punt, which is recovered by the Saints’ Brian Milne allowing for New Orleans to run out the clock and earn its first playoff victory ever.
45. 1998 Dolphins-24 Bills-17
Bills wide receiver Eric Moulds catches nine passes for a postseason record 240 yards, but it is not enough as the Bills fall to the Dolphins when quarterback Doug Flutie fumbles the ball on a Trace Armstrong sack on 1st-and-goal at the Dolphins’ five-yard-line, which is recovered by Miami’s Shane Burton with nine seconds to play.
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| Trace Armstrong hits Doug Flutie causing a fumble that the Dolphins recovered to preserve a 24-17 victory. |
44. 2006 Eagles-23 Giants-20
With the game tied at 20 and 4:57 left in regulation, the Eagles drive 46 yards in 10 plays, with running back Brian Westbrook carrying the ball six times for 33 yards, leading to David Akers’ 38-yard field goal as time expires to give the Eagles the victory.
43. 2013 Saints-26 Eagles-24
Saints kicker Shayne Graham hits a 32-yard field goal as time expires to give the Saints their first ever road playoff victory.
42. 2013 49ers-23 Packers-20
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick accounts for 325 yards of total offense, 227 passing on 16-of-30 passing and 98 rushing on seven carries, including 50 of the 65 yards on the game-winning drive that culminates with Phil Dawson’s 33-yard field goal as time expires.
41. 2019 Vikings-26 Saints-20(OT)
Two years after the "Minneapolis Miracle", the Minnesota Vikings break the New Orleans Saints' hearts again as quarterback Kirk Cousins hits tight end Kyle Rudolph for the game-winning four-yard touchdown pass 4:20 into overtime.
Two years after the "Minneapolis Miracle", the Minnesota Vikings break the New Orleans Saints' hearts again as quarterback Kirk Cousins hits tight end Kyle Rudolph for the game-winning four-yard touchdown pass 4:20 into overtime.
40. 1994 Packers-16 Lions-12
After rushing for 1,883 yards during the regular season, Lions running back Barry Sanders is held to -1 yard on 13 carries as the Packers hold off a Lions rally in the final minutes as Herman Moore catches a potential go-ahead touchdown pass out of bounds on 4th-and-14 from the Green Bay 17-yard-line with 1:45 to play.
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| Barry Sanders had the worst game of his career in the Lions' 1994 Wild Card Game loss against the Packers. |
39. 2004 Colts-49 Broncos-24
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning throws for 457 yards on 27-of-33 passing and throws four touchdown passes, two to Reggie Wayne who accounted for 221 of Manning’s 457 yards on 10 receptions as the Colts easily dispatch of the Broncos.
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| Reggie Wayne accounted for the 4th most receiving yards in a playoff game in the Colts' easy win over the Broncos. |
For Denver, this defeat wasn’t nearly as bad as the year before when….
38. 2003 Colts-41 Broncos-10
Peyton Manning exorcises some demons as he wins his first playoff game in dominant fashion after losing his first three playoff starts.
Manning achieves a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 as he completes 22 of 26 passes for 377 yards and throws five touchdown passes in the Colts’ rout of the Broncos.
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| Peyton Manning had more touchdown passes than incompletions in earning his 1st career playoff victory. |
37. 1998 Cardinals-20 Cowboys-7
The Arizona Cardinals win their first playoff game in 51 years, ending the longest drought in NFL history without a postseason win, as they easily dispatched of the Dallas Cowboys, thanks to quarterback Jake Plummer’s 216 yards and two touchdown passes.
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| Aeneas Williams is mobbed by his teammates after one of his two interceptions in the Cardinals' 20-7 upset of the Dallas Cowboys. |
36. 2004 Rams-27 Seahawks-20
After Rams quarterback Marc Bulger fires a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cam Cleeland with 2:16 left breaking a 20-20 tie, the Seahawks drive 59 yards in seven plays setting up a 4th-and-4 at Rams’ five-yard-line when Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck zips a pass to Bobby Engram in the end zone who cannot hang on to make the catch, giving the ball back to the Rams and allowing them to run out the clock and become the first 8-8 team to win a playoff game.
35. 1996 Jaguars-30 Bills-27
In just their second year of existence, the Jacksonville Jaguars make their first playoff appearance and travel to Buffalo when they knock off the Bills, thanks to Natrone Means’ 175 yards on 31 carries and Mike Hollis’ 45-yard field goal that bounced off the right upright and through the goalposts and good with 3:07 left, handing the Bills their first ever playoff loss in Rich Stadium and ending the career of quarterback Jim Kelly.
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| Natrone Means(20) carried the Jaguars to a 30-27 upset win over the Buffalo Bills. |
34. 1987 Oilers-23 Seahawks-20 (OT)
After missing two field goals in the 4th quarter that would have put the game away, Luis Zendejas redeems himself as kicks the game-winning 42-yard field goal 8:05 into overtime to give the Houston Oilers their first playoff win since 1979.
The Seahawks had tied the game after Zendejas had missed a 29-yard field goal with a 80-yard drive that culminated with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dave Krieg to Steve Largent with 26 seconds left in regulation.
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| The Oilers celebrate after Luis Zendejas's game-winning field goal in overtime. |
33. 2010 Jets-17 Colts-16
Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri kicks the go-ahead field goal from 50 yards out to give Indianapolis a 16-14 lead with 53 seconds left.
But after Antonio Cromartie returns the ensuing kickoff 47 yards to the Jets’ 46-yard-line, quarterback Mark Sanchez completes three passes for 28 yards to set up Nick Folk’s game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expires to give New York the victory.
32. 1982 Chargers-31 Steelers-28
Down 28-17 in the 4th quarter, Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts throws two touchdown passes to tight end Kellen Winslow, the second one from 12 yards out with one minute remaining, to lead San Diego to the victory.
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| Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts completed 27 of 42 passes for 333 yards and threw three touchdown passes. |
31. 2021 49ers-23 Cowboys-17
With the ball at the San Francisco 41-yard-line and 14 seconds to go, the Cowboys tried to get a few extra yards before taking a shot at the end zone as quarterback Dak Prescott runs for 17 yards on a quarterback draw.
But with no timeouts, Prescott tries to get his team lined up to spike the ball before time runs out to give Dallas one last shot only for Prescott to spike the ball with no time left on the clock as the Cowboys fall to the 49ers 23-17.
30. 1990 Dolphins-17 Chiefs-16
Down 16-3 in the 4th quarter, Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino throws two touchdown passes, the first to Tony Paige from one yard out, and the second to Mark Clayton from 12 yards out to give Miami a 17-16 lead with 3:28 to play.
The Chiefs drive to the Dolphins’ 34-yard-line to set up a potential game-winning field goal by Nick Lowery, who had made 24 field goals in a row, from 52 yards out, but his kick lands just a few inches short of the crossbar, preserving the win for Miami.
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| Mark Clayton what would be the game-winning touchdown in the Dolphins' 17-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. |
29. 2000 Dolphins-23 Colts-17 (OT)
Lamar Smith carries the ball 40 times for 209 yards, his last carry being the game-winning 17-yard touchdown run with 3:44 left in overtime as the Dolphins come back from a 14-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Colts.
Smith’s touchdown comes on the end of a 11-play, 61-yard drive after Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt misses a 49-yard field goal that would have won the game for Indianapolis.
28. 2008 Chargers-23 Colts-17 (OT)
Chargers running back Darren Sproles has 328 all-purpose yards, the third most in NFL postseason history, and scores the game-winning touchdown, a 22-yard touchdown run 6:12 into overtime giving the Chargers a win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Sproles gets his 328 yards by carrying the ball 22 times for 105 yards, catching five passes for 45 yards, returning three punts for 72 yards and running back four kickoffs for 106 yards.
27. 2004 Jets-20 Chargers-17 (OT)
Drew Brees hits Antonio Gates for a one-yard touchdown with 16 seconds left, one play after a roughing-the-passer penalty on Jets linebacker Eric Barton on 4th-and-goal, to send the game into overtime.
The Chargers have a chance to win the game but kicker Nate Kaeding’s 40-yard field goal sails wide right, giving the ball back to the Jets who take over at their own 30-yard-line and drive 60 yards in seven plays to set up Doug Brien’s game-winning field goal from 28 yards out with five seconds left in the overtime period.
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| Doug Brien and the Jets after Brien's game-winning 28-yard field goal against the Chargers. |
26. 1989 Steelers-26 Oilers-23(OT)
Steelers running back Merril Hoge scored on a two-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime where Pittsburgh defensive back Rod Woodson recovered an Oiler fumble to set up Gary Anderson’s game-winning 50-yard field goal 3:26 into the overtime period to give Hall-of-Fame coach Chuck Noll his 16th and final playoff victory.
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| Gary Anderson kicks his game-winning 50-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 26-23 overtime victory over the Houston Oilers. |
25. 1978 Falcons-14 Eagles-13
Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski throws two touchdown passes in the final five minutes, the first to tight end Jim Mitchell from 20 yards out with 4:57 left and the second being a 37-yarder to Wallace Francis with 1:37 to go that put Atlanta in the lead.
However, the Eagles drive from their own 34-yard-line to the Falcons 16-yard-line thanks to four completions by quarterback Ron Jaworski to set up a potential game-winning 33-yard field goal by Mike Michel.
But Michel’s kick sails wide right giving the Falcons their first ever playoff victory in their first ever playoff game.
24. 2007 Jaguars-31 Steelers-29
The Steelers overcome a 18-point deficit as they score 19 unanswered points to take a 29-28 lead and have a chance to win the game by stopping the Jaguars on 4th-and-2 at the Pittsburgh 43-yard-line.
But Jaguars quarterback David Garrard scampers for 32 yards that sets up Josh Scobee’s game-winning field goal from 25 yards out with 37 seconds to give the Jaguars the win.
But Jaguars quarterback David Garrard scampers for 32 yards that sets up Josh Scobee’s game-winning field goal from 25 yards out with 37 seconds to give the Jaguars the win.
23. 1981 Bills-31 Jets-27
This game seemed poised to be one of the biggest blowouts in NFL playoff history as the Bills jump out to a 24-0 in the game’s first 20 minutes, but quarterback Richard Todd led a furious Jets rally and had a chance to give the Jets an improbable win as he led the Jets on a 69-yard drive to the Bills’ 11-yard-line when Todd is intercepted at the one-yard-line Bills defensive back Bill Simpson with two seconds left to allow for Buffalo to escape with the win.
22. 2002 Falcons-27 Packers-7
The Green Bay Packers entered their Wild Card game with the Falcons having never lost a home playoff game in their glorious history.
But behind quarterback Michael Vick and a defense that forces five turnovers, the Falcons stun the Packers handing Green Bay its first postseason home loss after 13 wins without a loss.
Since this game, the Packers have only gone 6-4 at home during the playoffs.
21. 2017 Titans-22 Chiefs-21
Down 21-3 at halftime, the Titans outscore the Kansas City Chiefs 19-0 in the second half, with quarterback Marcus Mariota(who became the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw a touchdown pass to himself) throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter to give Tennessee its first lead of the game.
The Titans got a late scare when on the first play after the two-minute warning running back Derrick Henry is stripped of the ball, causing a fumble that is recovered by Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson for an apparent 56-yard touchdown, only to have replays show that Henry was down and overturn the call, allowing Tennessee to run out the clock and become the third team in NFL playoff history to overcome a 18-point deficit on the road and win a postseason game.
20. 2014 Cowboys-24 Lions-20
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| Michael Vick only threw for 117 yards, but lead the Falcons to an upset win over the Packers in Lambeau Field. |
Down 21-3 at halftime, the Titans outscore the Kansas City Chiefs 19-0 in the second half, with quarterback Marcus Mariota(who became the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw a touchdown pass to himself) throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker with 6:06 left in the fourth quarter to give Tennessee its first lead of the game.
The Titans got a late scare when on the first play after the two-minute warning running back Derrick Henry is stripped of the ball, causing a fumble that is recovered by Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson for an apparent 56-yard touchdown, only to have replays show that Henry was down and overturn the call, allowing Tennessee to run out the clock and become the third team in NFL playoff history to overcome a 18-point deficit on the road and win a postseason game.
20. 2014 Cowboys-24 Lions-20
With his team in the lead 20-17 and facing a 3rd-and-1 at the Cowboys’ 46-yard-line, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford fires a pass intended for tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
The pass is incomplete but Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens is called for pass interference giving the Lions a 1st down, or so they that.
After the penalty on Hitchens was announced, referee Pete Morelli told the crowd at AT&T Stadium that the flag was being picked up and there would be no penalty on Dallas, forcing a 4th-and-1 in which the Lions punted the ball back to the Cowboys.
After a 10-yard-punt, the Cowboys drive 59 yards in 13 plays, ending with Tony Romo’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams that proves to be the game-winner.
19. 1997 Vikings-23 Giants-22
The Vikings pull off the largest road comeback in a NFL playoff game since 1972 as they overcome a 19-3 halftime deficit to defeat the New York Giants.
After quarterback Randall Cunningham hits Jake Reed with a 30-yard touchdown pass with 90 seconds left to cut the lead to 22-20, Vikings receiver Chris Walsh recovers an onside kick to give the ball back to Minnesota at their own 39-yard-line where Cunningham drives the Vikings to the Giants’ seven-yard-line to set up Eddie Murray’s game-winning 24-yard field goal.
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| Eddie Murray celebrates after kicking the game-winning field goal to complete the Vikings' comeback win against the Giants. |
18. 2015 Steelers-18 Bengals-16
After trailing 15-0 at the start of the 4th quarter and scoring 16 unanswered points to take the lead with 1:50 to go on a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback A.J. McCarron to A.J. Green, the Bengals appeared to lock up their first playoff victory in 25 years when linebacker Vontaze Burfict picks off a Landry Jones pass seven seconds later, giving Cincinnati a chance to run out the clock.
But after Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier strips Bengals running back Jeremy Hill of the football, causing a fumble that is recovered by Ross Cockrell, Pittsburgh is given one last shot to win the game
Ben Roethlisberger, who had been knocked out of the game earlier to a shoulder injury, re-enters the game and leads the Steelers to the Bengals' 47-yard-line when Burfict is called for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, drawing a 15-yard penalty that puts Pittsburgh into field goal range, only for the Steelers to get 15 more yards when Bengals defensive back Adam Jones is called unsportsmanlike conduct for shoving Steelers coach Joey Porter.
The 30 yards in penalties allow for Chris Boswell to kick the game-winning field goal from 35 yards out to give the Steelers a 18-16 win and hand the Bengals their seventh straight postseason loss.
“Montana Magic” strikes again, this time for the Kansas City Chiefs, as he leads the Chiefs back from a 10-point halftime deficit to pull off a win against the Steelers.
Montana is helped by a blocked punt by tight end Keith Cash and 31-yard return by Fred Jones to the Steelers’ nine-yard-line to set up a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tim Barnett on 4th down to tie the game at 24 with 1:43 left.
Then in overtime, Montana completed five straight passes as he drove the Chiefs 66 yards to set up Nick Lowery’s game-winning 32-yard field goal 11:03 into the overtime period.
16. 1993 Packers-28 Lions-24
Brett Favre notches his first postseason win in dramatic fashion as he heaves a 40-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe with 55 seconds left in the game as the Packers overcame a 10-point deficit in the 3rd quarter, thanks to a 101-yard interception return for a touchdown by Packers safety George Teague.
15. 2002 Steelers-36 Browns-33
The Steelers overcome Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb’s 427 passing yards and a 24-7 second half deficit to pull out a win against their division rival as quarterback Tommy Maddox leads Pittsburgh to touchdowns on four of its last five possessions, the last one being a three-yard touchdown run by Chris Fuamuta-Ma’afala with 54 seconds left.
The Browns are able to drive to the Steelers’ 29-yard-line but time runs out before they get a chance to attempt a field goal to send the game into overtime.
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| Tommy Maddox completed 30 of 48 passes for 367 yards and threw three touchdown passes to lead the Steelers to a comeback win over the Browns. |
14. 2019 Texans-22 Bills-19(OT)
Down 16-0 with over six minutes left in the third quarter, the Texans score 19 straight points to take a 19-16 lead with 4:37 left in the 4th quarter but are forced to go into overtime when Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka kicks a 47-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation.
In overtime on a 2nd & 6 at the Bills' 44-yard-line, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson avoids a potential quarterback sack and fires a 34-yard pass to Taiwan Jones to set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's game-winning 28-yard field goal.
Down 16-0 with over six minutes left in the third quarter, the Texans score 19 straight points to take a 19-16 lead with 4:37 left in the 4th quarter but are forced to go into overtime when Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka kicks a 47-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation.
In overtime on a 2nd & 6 at the Bills' 44-yard-line, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson avoids a potential quarterback sack and fires a 34-yard pass to Taiwan Jones to set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's game-winning 28-yard field goal.
It looked like the Vikings were on the verge of winning the third coldest game in NFL history(kickoff temperature was -6) as Blair Walsh come on to attempt the game-winning field goal from 27 yards out with 26 second remaining after successfully making field goals from 27, 43, and 47 yards out.
But Walsh's kick sailed wide left and the Seahawks, who trailed 9-0 at the start of the 4th quarter, escape with the victory.
12. 2018 Eagles-16 Bears-15
Bears kicker Cody Parkey, who had missed six kicks during the regular season after they hit the uprights, has his potential game-winning 43-yard field goal bounce off the left upright, then off the crossbar and no good after it was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Eagles tackle Trayvon Hester, ending the Bears' season as the Eagles hold on for the victory after taking the lead with 59 seconds left on Nick Foles' two-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate on 4th & goal with 56 seconds left.
Parkey's miss is coined the "Double Doink" by NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth.
11. 2006 Seahawks-21 Cowboys-20
It seemed like a lock that the Cowboys were going to take a 23-21 lead as kicker Martin Gramatica came on to attempt the go-ahead field goal from 19 yards out.
But holder Tony Romo drops the snap and then tries to run for the touchdown, only to be tackled by Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux, giving the ball back to the Seahawks who hang on for the win and begin the series of misfortunes for Romo.
10. 2003 Packers-33 Seahawks-27 (OT)
After winning the overtime coin toss, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck told the refs’ “We want the ball and we’re gonna score”.
The Seahawks did not score on their first possession of overtime and on their second possession disaster struck when Hasselbeck is picked off by Packers defensive back Al Harris, who races 52 yards for the game-winning touchdown 4:16 into overtime.
9. 1998 49ers-30 Packers-27
After dropping four passes and losing a fumble, 49ers receiver Terrell Owens goes from goat to hero as he catches the game-winning 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Young with three seconds left to give San Francisco the win over the Packers, who had knocked out the 49ers from the playoffs the previous three seasons.
8. 2022 Jaguars-31 Chargers-30
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's first NFL playoff game gets off to a disastrous start as he is intercepted four times in the first half, three of those by Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr, as Jacksonville falls behind 27-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
But Lawrence turns it around as he completes 24 of his last 31 passes for 258 yards and throws four touchdown passes in leading the Jaguars to the third greatest comeback in NFL postseason history as Jacksonville wins 31-30 on Riley Patterson's 36-yard field goal on the final play of the game.
7. 2010 Seahawks-41 Saints-36
The Seahawks, the first team with a losing record to make the playoffs as they went 7-9 to win the NFC West, stun the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, thanks in large part to an incredible 67-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch with 3:22 left in the game, in which he broke seven tackles on his way to the end zone.
The crowd’s reaction at Seattle’s Qwest Field is so loud that it registers as a tremor at a nearby Pacific Northwest Seismic Network station, giving the play the name “Beast Quake”(Lynch’s nickname is Beast Mode)
6. 2011 Broncos-29 Steelers-23 (OT)
Tebowmania reached its climax when quarterback Tim Tebow hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on a short slant pattern, who then outraced the Steelers secondary for a 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime to give the 8-8 Broncos a shocking win over the 12-4 Steelers.
5. 2009 Cardinals-51 Packers-45 (OT)
The Cardinals and the Packers put together the highest scoring game in NFL postseason history as the two teams combined for 96 points as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 423 yards on 28-of-43 passing and threw four touchdown passes, only to be outdone by his counterpart, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner who threw more touchdown passes then incompletions as he completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and five touchdown passes.
But it was the Cardinals defense that won the game on the third play of overtime when defensive back Michael Adams sacked Rodgers knocking the ball loose, which was recovered by linebacker Karlos Dansby who ran in for the game-winning 17-yard touchdown.
4. 2002 49ers-39 Giants-38
Down 38-14 with 4:29 left in the third quarter, the 49ers score 25 unanswered points on their next four possessions, capped off by quarterback Jeff Garcia’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Tai Streets with exactly one minute remaining to give San Francisco a 39-38 lead.
But the Giants drive to the 49ers’ 23-yard-line with six seconds left to set up a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal by Matt Bryant.
However, Trey Junkin’s snap is bad leader to a mad scramble when holder Matt Allen picks up the ball, rolls to his right, and fires a pass downfield that was intended for guard Rich Seubert, who was pulled down by 49ers Chike Okafor, causing flags to be thrown in the assumption that pass interference was going to be called.
But the officials called ineligible receiver downfield on the Giants which ended the game, but not the controversy as while the Giants had an ineligible receiver, Seubert was eligible and Okafor should have been called for pass interference resulting in offsetting penalties and an untimed down from the 49ers’ 23-yard-line, giving the Giants another chance.
3. 2013 Colts-45 Chiefs-44
The potential legend of Andrew Luck begins as he rallies his team from a 38-10 deficit the not only the second greatest comeback in NFL playoff history, but the second greatest in NFL history.
After throwing an interception on the first play of the 2nd half that leads to a 10-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Knile Davis, Luck goes 17-of-23 for 314 yards and accounts for four touchdowns, three in the air and one when a fumble by running back Donald Brown bounces into Luck’s hands, who runs in for the five-yard touchdown.
Luck gives the Colts the lead with 4:29 left with a 64-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton, who had 13 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the game while Luck finished with 443 yards on 29-of-45 passing and threw four touchdown passes.
2. 1999 Titans-22 Bills-16
It was going to take a miracle for the Tennessee Titans to win after Bills kicker Steve Christie kicked a 41-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds left.
That is when Titans head coach Jeff Fisher decided to call “Home Run Throwback” a play specifically designed for the type of the situation the Titans were in.
Christie’s kick was short and received by Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal around the Titans’ 25-yard-line, who then handed it off to tight end Frank Wycheck, who ran toward the middle of the field and then threw it across the field toward the sidelines when Kevin Dyson was.
Dyson made the catch and then ran 75 yards untouched for the apparent game-winning touchdown.
But the play had to be reviewed as the instant replay official was uncertain that Wycheck’s pass was a lateral because if it had gone forward, the play would be nullified.
After a long review, referee Phil Luckett ruled the pass was a lateral and to give the Titans the victory on “The Music City Miracle”.
1.1992 Bills-41 Oilers-38 (OT)
After four touchdown passes by quarterback Warren Moon and a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown by defensive back Bubba McDowell, the Houston Oilers seemed to have an insurmountable 35-3 lead with 13:19 left in the 3rd quarter.
It seemed that the Oilers had the game wrapped up and had the Bills’ hopes for a third straight trip to the Super Bowl.
But led by backup quarterback Frank Reich, who had led the Maryland Terrapins to the greatest comeback in college football history in 1984 from a 31-0 deficit to knock off the Miami Hurricanes, led the Bills to the greatest comeback in NFL history.
Reich led the Bills to 35 unanswered points as he threw four touchdown passes, three of them to Andre Reed, including a 17-yarder to Reed that gave Buffalo its first lead of the game at 38-35 with 3:08 left in regulation.
However, Moon led the Oilers on a 63-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by Al Del Greco that tied the game at 38 and sent the game into overtime.
Houston won the coin toss but gave the ball right back to the Bills on the third play of overtime when Moon was intercepted by Nate Odomes, setting up Steve Christie’s game-winning 32-yard field goal to complete the greatest comeback in NFL history.
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