On numerous occasions, there has been a team that surprises the football world by making an unlikely run by putting together a series of unlikely victories with some them of making it to the Super Bowl and winning it.
With that in mind, I have complied a list of what I think are the 25 greatest Cinderella runs in NFL playoff history.
For this list, I tried to balance how far a team went in the playoffs and how surprising it was that this team was making this run.
What I'm saying is there will be teams who did not make it to the Super Bowl that will be higher than teams who did.
With that out of the way, here now are the 25 greatest Cinderella runs in NFL Playoff History.
25. 1992 Buffalo Bills
When the Bills fell behind 35-3 in their AFC Wild Card Game against the Houston Oilers, it appeared that the Bills were not going to make it to a third straight Super Bowl, especially with starting quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, and linebacker Cornelius Bennett out with injuries.
But behind backup quarterback Frank Reich, the Bills pulled off the greatest comeback in NFL history as they scored 35 straight points, then won in overtime on Steve Christie's 32-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 41-38 win and a trip to Pittsburgh for the Divisional Playoffs.
Reich remained at quarterback for the Bills' game against the Steelers while Thomas and Bennett returned as Buffalo knocked off the #1 seed 24-3 to earn a trip to the AFC Championship Game where they would face the Miami Dolphins.
Kelly returned to start that game and with the help of Christie's five field goals the Bills won 29-10 for their third straight AFC championship and third straight trip to the Super Bowl, which ended with an embarrassing 52-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
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| Frank Reich led the Bills to two playoff victories in their 1992 playoff run. |
24. 1999 Tennessee Titans
When Steve Christie hit a 41-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to give the Buffalo Bills a 16-15 lead over the Tennessee Titans in their Wild Card game, it looked like the Titans' season where they went 13-3 was going to end.
That was until Tennessee completed "The Music City Miracle" a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kevin Dyson after catching a lateral from tight end Frank Wycheck to give the Titans a 22-16 win and a trip to the Divisional Playoffs, where they would meet Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Titans would knock off the Colts 19-16 earning a trip to the AFC Championship Game where they faced the 14-2 Jacksonville Jaguars, whose only two losses had come courtesy of the Titans.
Tennessee would defeat Jacksonville for the third time that season with a 33-14 win to earn the Titans their first trip to the Super Bowl where they faced the St. Louis Rams.
The Titans would come up one yard short of sending the game into overtime as Dyson was tackled by Rams linebacker Mike Jones as time expired as Tennessee would lose 23-16.
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| Eddie George ran for 449 yards and scored four touchdowns in helping the Titans reach the Super Bowl. |
23. 2000 Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens' defense wasn't just good, it was dominant, allowing only one offensive touchdown during their whole postseason run, as they defeated the Denver Broncos 21-3 in the Wild Card Round, then knocked off the Tennessee Titans 24-10 in the Divisional Round, beat the Oakland Raiders 16-3 in the AFC Championship Game, and finally defeated the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV for the team's first Super Bowl title.
But it would not be the last time the Ravens would win a Super Bowl as a Wild Card...
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| Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis lead a defense that allowed an average of approximately 160 yards per game, complied 14 quarterback sacks, and forced 12 turnovers during their run to a Super Bowl title in 2000. |
22. 1978-79 Houston Oilers
In back-to-back years, the Houston Oilers entered the playoffs as a Wild Card and made all the way to the AFC Championship Game, only to be defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers both times.
In 1978, the 10-6 Oilers went to Miami and knocked off the Dolphins 17-9 behind quarterback Dan Pastorini's 306 yard performance, then traveled to Foxboro where they defeated the New England Patriots 31-14 as Pastorini threw three touchdown passes.
The '78 run would end with a humiliating 34-5 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Oilers came back the next year to finish 11-5 and were considered a threat to Pittsburgh even though they were a Wild Card.
But a rematch with Pittsburgh seemed unlikely even after a 13-7 win against the Denver Broncos in the 1979 Wild Card game as the Oilers lost Pastorini, running back Earl Campbell, and wide receiver Ken Burrough to injuries, leading many to believe the Oilers had no shot at beating the high-powered San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round.
But thanks to rookie safety Vernon Perry's four interceptions and blocked field goal return for a touchdown, the Oilers shocked the Chargers 17-14 to earn a rematch with the Steelers in the AFC Title Game.
That is where a controversial call ended the Oilers' Super Bowl dreams as Mike Renfro appeared to make a game-tying touchdown catch, only to have the referees rule incomplete, which led to Houston's downfall and a 27-13 loss.
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| Running back Earl Campbell(34) and head coach Bum Phillips lead the Oilers to two straight AFC title game appearances in 1978 and 1979. |
21. 2009-10 New York Jets
Three decades after the Oilers' back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship Game as a Wild Card, the New York Jets accomplished that same feat.
In the 2009 playoffs, the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 24-14, then knocked off the San Diego Chargers 17-14 in the Divisional Round, but ended up losing to the Indianapolis Colts 30-17 in the AFC Championship Game.
The Jets would get a matter of revenge on Peyton Manning and the Colts the following year as they defeated Indianapolis 17-16 on Nick Folk's 32-yard field goal as time expired, then traveled to Foxboro where they stunned Tom Brady and the 14-2 Patriots 28-21 to earn a second straight trip to the AFC Championship Game, only to be defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19.
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| Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez lead to New York to four playoff victories on the road and threw nine touchdown passes combined in the 2009 and 2010 playoffs. |
The Titans rode the legs of running back Derrick Henry to to make it to the AFC Championship Game as the #6 seed with a 9-7 record.
First, Henry lead the Titans to a 20-13 win over the New England Patriots as he ran for 182 yards on 34 carries to hand the Patriots their first playoff loss in Foxboro in nine years.
Then, Henry ran for 195 yards on 30 carries as Tennessee knocked off the #1 seeded Baltimore Ravens 28-12 to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in 17 years.
The Titans would jump out to a 17-7 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes would lead the Chiefs to 28 straight points as the Henry was held to 69 yards on 19 carries as the Titans fell 35-24.
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| Titans running back Derrick Henry ran for 446 yards in the Titans' surprise run in the 2019 NFL playoffs. |
19. 1979 Los Angeles Rams
The Rams won their seventh straight NFC West title in 1979, but did so with a 9-7 record.
That plus the fact they had lost in four of the last five NFC championship games and had backup Vince Ferragamo starting at quarterback gave LA fans little hope they would make the Super Bowl.
But the Rams stunned the Dallas Cowboys 21-19 in the Divisional Playoffs thanks to a 50-yard touchdown pass from Ferragamo to Billy Waddy with two minutes to play, then finally won in the NFC Championship Game by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-0.
The Rams faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV where they held a 19-17 lead in the 4th quarter, only to have the Steelers score two touchdowns to pull out a 31-19 victory.
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| Vince Ferragamo replaced an injured Pat Haden at starting quarterback and lead the Rams to their first ever Super Bowl. |
18. 2003 Carolina Panthers
The "Cardiac Cats" who won four overtime games on the road and seven games by a touchdown or less made a surprising run to the Super Bowl during the 2003 playoffs.
After dispatching of the Dallas Cowboys at home 29-10 in their NFC Wild Card Game, the Panthers traveled to St. Louis to take on the Rams in the Divisional Playoffs.
Carolina would win their fifth overtime game of the season as Steve Smith caught a 69-yard touchdown pass on the first play of double overtime to give the Panthers a 29-23 win and a trip to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Behind cornerback Ricky Manning Jr.'s three interceptions, the Panthers handed the Eagles their third straight NFC Title game loss, as Carolina won 14-3 to earn their first ever trip to the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl XXXVIII, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots but would fall short 32-29 as Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-winning field goal, a 41-yarder with four seconds left.
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| Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme(17) and wide receiver Steve Smith connected on three touchdowns during their run to Super Bowl XXXVIII. |
After signing Tom Brady in the offseason, many wonder if the 43-year-old could lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl title.
With the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the preseason, it took almost the entire regular season for Brady to mesh with the Tampa Bay offense as they finished with a 11-5 record and the #5 seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Bucs would take care of the team formerly known as Redskins with a 31-23 win in the Wild Card Round, then knocked off Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints 30-20 in the Divisional Round, and then defeated Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 31-23 in the NFC Championship Game to become the fifth team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl by winning three road games.
Playing in their home stadium, the Bucs routed the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 as to become the first team to ever a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
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| Tom Brady collected his 7th Super Bowl ring and 5th Super Bowl MVP by leading the Tampa Bay Buccanneers to their second Super Bowl title in team history. |
16. 1997 Denver Broncos
The Broncos entered the 1997 playoffs with a 12-4 record, but one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs, forcing them to play in the Wild Card round against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The #4 seeded Broncos easily dispatched of Jacksonville 42-17 before traveling to Kansas City to take on the #1 seeded Chiefs in the Divisional Round where they knocked off the Chiefs 14-10 as cornerback Darrien Gordon knocked down Elvis Grbac's 4th down pass from the Denver 20-yard-line with 20 seconds to go.
The Broncos traveled to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, which they won 24-21 earning them a trip to Super Bowl XXXII where they would face the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
Despite being a two-touchdown underdog, the Broncos would upset the Packers 31-24, thanks to running back Terrell Davis' 157 yards and three touchdowns, to give 15-year veteran John Elway his first Super Bowl title.
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| Terrell Davis ran for 681 yards and scored eight touchdowns in the Broncos' four-game run to the Super Bowl title. |
15. 1987 Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings entered the 1987 playoffs as cold as the Minnesota weather in December as they lost three of their lost four games to finish with a 8-7 record(the 1987 strike cancelled one week of the season)to earn the last Wild Card spot in the NFC.
The Vikings traveled to New Orleans to take on the 12-3 Saints, the team with the league's second best record, and soundly defeated them 44-10 in the NFC Wild Card Game to advance to the Divisional Playoffs, where they would travel to the Bay Area to take on the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers, the team with the league's best record.
Behind wide receiver Anthony Carter's 10 catches for 227 yards, the Vikings would shock the 49ers 36-24 to earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 10 years.
However, the Vikings' Cinderella run would end with a 17-10 loss to the Washington Redskins as quarterback Wade Wilson's 4th down pass intended for running back Darrin Nelson at the Washington six-yard-line with 52 seconds left fell incomplete
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| Anthony Carter caught 23 passes for 391 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings' 1987 postseason run. |
14. 1995 Indianapolis Colts
The Colts made their first trip to the postseason since 1987 a memorable one as they came within an eyelash of making it to the Super Bowl.
The 9-7 Colts first defeated the defending AFC Champion San Diego Chargers 35-20 in their AFC Wild Card game to advance to the next round where they would face the Kansas City Chiefs, the team with the league's best record at 13-3.
Playing in frigid conditions, the Colts pulled off the 10-7 upset as Chiefs kicker Lin Elliott missed three field goals to help Indianapolis earn a trip to the AFC Championship Game where they would face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Colts lead 16-13 late in the 4th quarter when Steelers running back Bam Morris scored a one-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left in the game to give Pittsburgh a 20-16 lead.
Quarterback Jim Harbaugh would lead the Colts to the Steelers' 29-yard-line where he attempted a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game.
The ball was almost caught by Aaron Bailey, but would fall incomplete ending the Colts' magical run.
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| The Colts come oh so close to making it to Super Bowl XXX as Aaron Bailey could not catch Jim Harbaugh's "Hail Mary" pass on the final play of the 1995 AFC Championship Game. |
13. 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars
In just their second season and first trip to the postseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the world by advancing all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
Entering the playoffs as the #5 seed in the AFC, the Jaguars traveled to Buffalo to take on the Bills in the Wild Card Round.
The Jaguars would pull off their first shocker of the playoffs as they knocked off the Bills 30-27 with Mike Hollis' 45-yard field goal in the 4th quarter to earn a trip to Denver where they would face the #1 seed Denver Broncos.
Despite being a two-touchdown underdog and falling behind 12-0, the Jaguars came back and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NFL history as they defeated the Broncos 30-27.
The Jaguars' magic carpet ride would end a week later in the AFC Championship Game as they fell to the New England Patriots 20-6.
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| Natrone Means carried the ball 71 times for 363 yards and scored two touchdowns in leading the Jaguars to the 1996 AFC Championship Game. |
12. 1990 New York Giants
The Giants entered the playoffs with a 13-3 record and were the #2 seed in the NFC, but most experts felt New York would be one-and-done as starting quarterback Phil Simms was out with a broken foot and replaced by backup Jeff Hostetler.
The Giants would win their Divisional Playoff game against the Chicago Bears 31-3, but lost rookie running back Rodney Hampton to a broken leg, making their task against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers ever more difficult in the NFC Championship Game.
However, Matt Bahr would kick five field goals including the game-winner, a 42-yarder as time expired to give the underdog Giants a 15-13 and a trip to Super Bowl XXV where they would face the high-powered Buffalo Bills.
Using a ball control offense that had the ball for 40 1/2 minutes, the Giants were able to pull off the 20-19 upset as Scott Norwood's potential 47-yard game-winning field goal in the final seconds sailed wide right.
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| Jeff Hostetler holds the ball in celebration after leading the Giants to an upset win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV |
11. 1985 New England Patriots
The Patriots made history in the 1985 playoffs as they became the first team to win three playoff games on the road in the same postseason.
First, New England knocked off their division rivals, the New York Jets, 26-14 in the AFC Wild Card Game, earning a trip to Los Angeles where they would face the #1 seeded Raiders.
New England took care of the Raiders, beating them 27-20, earning a berth in the AFC Championship Game where they would face the Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl, a place where the Patriots had not won at since 1966.
But the Patriots would run for 255 yards and force six Miami turnovers in a 31-14 win, earning New England the first of its record 10 Super Bowl appearances.
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| Patriots head coach Raymond Berry is carried off the field after leading New England to their first ever Super Bowl appearance. |
10. 2006 Indianapolis Colts
After years of playoff disappointment and the league's worst run defense, that was not a lot of optimism that 2006 would be the year that Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the Colts would finally win the Super Bowl.
But after holding the NFL's second leading rusher, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson to just 32 yards, in a 23-8 win over Kansas City in the Wild Card Round, then defeating the Baltimore Ravens 15-6 on Adam Vinatieri's five field goals in the Divisional Round, the Colts earned the right to play host to their nemesis Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
After falling behind 21-3 in the second quarter, the Colts came back to win 38-34 to advance to Super Bowl XLI where they defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 to earn the team their first Super Bowl title in 36 years.
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| Colts quarterback Peyton Manning finally got to hold the Lombardi Trophy after leading the Colts to a Super Bowl championship in the 2006 NFL Playoffs. |
9. 2012 Baltimore Ravens
Just like 12 years earlier, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl from the #4 seed in the AFC side of the NFL playoffs.
After taking care of the Indianapolis Colts 24-9 in their Wild Card game, the Ravens traveled to Denver to take Peyton Manning and the #1 seeded Denver Broncos.
Down 35-28 with 44 seconds left and facing 3rd & 3 at the Baltimore 30-yard-line, quarterback Joe Flacco fired a deep pass then went over the hands of a jumping Rahim Moore and into the hands of Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who caught the ball at the Denver 20-yard-line and then ran in to complete the shocking 70-yard touchdown that went with the extra point sent the game into overtime.
The Ravens would then travel to Foxboro to take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots where Baltimore would avenge their AFC Championship Game loss from the previous year at the hands of the Patriots and defeat New England to advance to Super Bowl XLVII where they would face the San Francisco 49ers.
After building a 28-6 lead, the Ravens held on for dear life as the 49ers came back following a 34-minute delay because of a blackout and pulled out a goal line stand in the final minutes to keep the 49ers from scoring the game-winning touchdown and holding on for the 34-31 win.
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| Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 1,140 yards, 11 touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the Ravens' run to a Super Bowl championship. |
8. 2008 Arizona Cardinals
Entering the playoffs with a 9-7 record and having lost four of their previous six games, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth called the Cardinals the worst playoff team in history.
But Arizona would prove Collinsworth and the world with a memorable run that almost resulted in a Super Bowl title.
First, they held on to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in their NFC Wild Card Game, the first home playoff game since 1947 for the Cardinals, then traveled to Charlotte to take on the #2 seed Carolina Panthers for the Divisional Round.
Thanks to a phenomenal performance from wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals shocked the Panthers 33-13 to earn a spot in the NFC Championship Game, which they would host thanks to the #6 seed Philadelphia Eagles knocking off the #1 and #3 seeds on their way to the title game.
The underdog Cardinals would defeat the Eagles 32-25 to earn their first ever trip to the Super Bowl where they would face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After falling behind 20-7, the Cardinals scored 16 straight points with Fitzgerald catching a 64-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 left to give Arizona a 23-20 lead, only to have the Steelers drive down and score the game-winning touchdown, a six-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left to hand the Cardinals a heartbreaking 27-23 loss.
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| Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner(13) connected with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald 30 times for 546 yards and eight touchdowns during the Cardinals' memorable run in the 2008 NFL playoffs. |
The Giants qualified for the 2011 NFL playoffs on the final game of the season as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East title and the #4 seed in the NFC.
The Giants would hold the Atlanta Falcons out of the end zone as they defeated the Falcons 24-2 in their NFC Wild Card game, then stunned the 15-1 Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round with a 37-20 victory.
The Giants would then travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game where Lawrence Tynes kicked the game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime after 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams fumbled the football during a punt return when he was stripped of the ball by Giants linebacker Jacquain Williams and was recovered by Devin Thomas at the San Francisco 24-yard-line.
The Giants would then go to Super Bowl XLVI to face the New England Patriots where the Giants knocked off the Patriots 21-17 to win their second Super Bowl title in five years and become the team with the worst regular season to ever win a Super Bowl.
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| Eli Manning would threw for 1,219 yards and nine touchdown passes in the Giants' 2011 postseason. |
6. 2010 Green Bay Packers
Entering the final week of the regular season, the Packers needed a win over their arch rivals, the Chicago Bears, to qualify for the playoffs.
After a hard-fought 10-3 win, the Packers earned the #6 seed in the NFC and a trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round.
The Packers would defeat the Eagles 21-16 as defensive back Tramon Williams intercepted a Michael Vick pass in the end zone with 33 seconds to go to preserve the victory.
The following week, the Packers traveled to Georgia to take on the #1 seeded Atlanta Falcons where they roundly defeated the Falcons 48-21 behind a stellar performance by Rodgers, who completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards and threw three touchdown passes.
Then, the Packers traveled to Chicago to face the Bears once again, this time in the NFC Championship Game which Green Bay won 21-14 to earn a trip to Super Bowl XLV where they would face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Behind a MVP performance by Rodgers in which he completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and threw three touchdowns, the Packers would defeat the Steelers 31-25 for the team's fourth Super Bowl title.
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| Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had three games where he threw three touchdown passes during Green Bay's four-game run in the 2010 NFL Playoffs. |
5. 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
With four weeks left in the regular season, the Steelers were sitting with a 7-5 record and out of a playoff spot.
But with a four-game winning streak to end the regular season, the Steelers earned the last spot in the AFC as they entered the playoffs as the #6 seed in the AFC.
In their Wild Card Game, the Steelers would come back from a 17-7 deficit to defeat thier division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals 31-17 to earn a trip to Indianapolis to face Peyton Manning and the #1 seed Colts.
The Steelers appeared to have the game won after a 4th down quarterback sack of Manning gave Pittsburgh the ball with a 21-18 lead and the ball at the Colts' two-yard-line with 1:20 to play.
But on the very next play from scrimmage, running back Jerome Bettis fumbled the football after a jarring hit by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett, which was recovered by defensive back Nick Harper, who returned it 35 yards, only to be tackled by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the Colts' 42-yard-line.
The Colts would drive into field goal range and have kicker Mike Vanderjagt attempt a potential game-tying field goal, but his 46-yard kick was way wide right, allowing for the Steelers to escape with the 21-18 win.
Next up, the Steelers traveled to Denver to take on the 13-3 Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, where Roethlisberger would throw two touchdown passes and run for another in a 34-17 win to send Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XL where they would face the Seattle Seahawks.
Behind Willie Parker's record 75-yard touchdown run and wide receiver Antawan Randle El's 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward, the Steelers won the game 21-10 to become the first #6 seed in NFL history to win the Super Bowl.
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| Steelers running back Jerome Bettis got to hold the Lombardi Trophy in his final NFL game. |
4. 2001 New England Patriots
The Patriots' dynasty began with a Cinderella run to their first Super Bowl title.
Even though they were the #2 seed with a 11-5 record, many experts did not believe the Patriots were reach the Super Bowl with their 24-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, who had replaced veteran Drew Bledsoe in the second game of the season due to an injury to Bledsoe.
In the AFC Divisional Round, the Patriots came back from a 13-3 deficit to defeat the Oakland Raiders 16-13 in overtime, which was played in a driving snowstorm.
The Patriots were aided by the "Tuck Rule" which negated Brady's fumble with less than two minutes left as the Patriots trailed 13-10, allowing for New England to drive into field goal range and allow Adam Vinatieri kick a 45-yard field goal to tie the game, then kick the game-winning field goal, a 23-yarder in overtime.
Brady would return the following week to start Super Bowl XXXVI as the Patriots were two-touchdown underdogs to the St. Louis Rams.
New England built up a 17-3 lead but the Rams scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter to tie the game up at 17 with 1:30 left in regulation.
Brady would then drive the Patriots 53 yards to set up Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Patriots a 20-17 win and their first of five Super Bowl titles.
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| The legend of Tom Brady began as he lead the Patriots to a unlikely Super Bowl title in the 2001 playoffs. |
3. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles
Despite having a 13-3 record and having the #1 seed in the NFC, many experts did not give the Eagles much a chance of winning the Super Bowl after starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a knee injury in the 13th game of the season and was replaced by Nick Foles.
The Eagles were even underdogs to the sixth-seeded Atlanta Falcons in their NFC Divisional Playoff game.
But behind a 23-of-30 for 246-yard performance by Foles, the Eagles would hold off the Falcons 15-10 as Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's 4th down pass at the Philadelphia two-yard-line fell incomplete with less than a minute to play.
The following week, the Eagles hosted the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, where again Philadelphia was the underdog.
However, Foles would complete 26 of 33 passes for 352 yards and throw three touchdown passes in 38-7 rout to send the Eagles to Super Bowl LII where they would once be underdogs as they faced Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Even though Brady would throw for a Super Bowl record 505 yards and three touchdown passes, Foles would throw for three touchdowns as well on 28-of-43 passing and catch a one-yard touchdown pass on the famous "Philly Special" play to lead the Eagles to a 41-33 victory and their first NFL championship since 1960.
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| Nick Foles holds the Lombardi Trophy after leading the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl title. |
2. 1980 Oakland Raiders
It seemed the Super Bowl was not in the cards for the Raiders in 1980 especially as they stood with a 5-5 record though 10 weeks of the season and had lost starting quarterback Dan Pastorini for the season to a broken leg.
But behind backup quarterback Jim Plunkett, the Raiders would win their last six games of the season to finish with a 11-5 record and earn a Wild Card berth in the AFC.
The Raiders would defeat former Oakland starting quarterback Ken Stabler and the Houston Oilers 27-7 in the AFC Wild Card Game to earn a trip to Cleveland to face the Browns.
Ahead 14-12 with 49 seconds left, the Raiders were in danger of losing the game as their defense faced a 2nd & 9 situation at the Oakland 13-yard-line.
That is when the Browns called "Red Right 88" a pass play that was intercepted by Raiders defensive back Mike Davis in the end zone to preserve the Oakland victory and send them to the AFC Championship Game where they their AFC West rivals the San Diego Chargers.
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| Jim Plunkett would throw for 839 yards and seven touchdown passes in leading the Raiders to a Super Bowl championship as a Wild Card team. |
After an roller coaster season which saw the Giants get off to an 0-2 start and an embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings where quarterback Eli Manning threw four interceptions(three of them returned for touchdowns), the Giants entered the 2007 playoffs with a 10-6 record and the #5 seed in the NFC.
New York would take care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 24-14 win in their Wild Card game to earn a trip to Dallas where they would play the #1 seeded Cowboys.
The Giants would knock off their division rivals 21-17 as defensive back R.W. McQuarters intercepted Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's 4th down pass in the end zone with nine seconds left to seal the victory.
The Giants then traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game where the game-time temperature was -1 degree with a wind chill of -23.
After missing two chances to win the game with a field goal in regulation, kicker Lawrence Tynes made a 47-yard field goal following a Corey Webster interception of a Brett Favre pass to give the Giants a 23-20 overtime win and send them to Super Bowl XLII, where they would face the 18-0 New England Patriots.
Down 14-10 with 1:15 to play and facing 3rd & 5 at his own 45-yard-line, Manning escaped a potential sack and fired a pass for David Tyree, who was able to make the catch with the ball pinned to his helmet for a 32-yard gain and a 1st down.
This would led to Manning hitting Plaxico Burress for a 13-yard touchdown pass that would give the Giants a shocking 17-14 win for the team's third Super Bowl title and ending the Patriots' chances of completing an undefeated season.
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| David Tyree makes the "Helmet Catch", the play that would lead the Giants to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history and complete the Giants' unlikely run to a world championship. |
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