Football is one of the most thrilling team sports on the planet. There is such immense depth to the game that it provides endless opportunities for exciting, memorable, and outright strange things to happen. We’ve seen our share of remarkable plays happen over the years, and here are some NFL plays we will never forget.
The Miami Miracle
The “Miami Miracle” is one of the most impressive lateral pass plays ever seen in the NFL. This was a stunning come-from-behind victory for the Dolphins, and a play that was awarded the Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year Award. The fateful moment came at the end of a fearsome game in December, 2018. With just seconds to go until the game was completed and trailing by five points, the Dolphins made a drastic maneuver and miraculously scored with a variant of the hook and ladder formation. Not only did they win the game, but this moment was swiftly added to the history books as one of the most magnificent plays in NFL history.
The Immaculate Reception
This play in particular can be credited with changing the fate of an entire franchise. While the Pittsburgh Steelers today are a well-respected team that have multiple championship victories, in 1972 they were just a team that had never had a playoff win. That is, until the Immaculate Reception.
It was the last 30 seconds of the 1972 divisional playoff game between the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Raiders were leading the Steelers 7-6 and hope was looking slim. It was then that Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to John Fuqua. The pass bounced off either Fuqua’s hands or Raiders safety Jack Tatum’s helmet and was sent spiraling towards the grass before it was scooped up by Steelers fullback Franco Harris who returned it for a touchdown, winning the game in style. The Steelers did not go on to claim the Super Bowl that year, but this play did go on to be called “the greatest play in NFL history.”
The Music City Miracle
When you watch the NFL playoffs, you know you are seeing the most elite skills at work. This is the time when teams leave it all on the line and break out the secret plays they’ve been working on. The “Music City Miracle” is one of those NFL playoff moments that will never be forgotten.
In 1999, the Buffalo Bills faced off against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. With 16 seconds left in the game, The Bills had just scored a field goal to take the lead. Now sitting at 16-15 and with practically no time left, it looked like the Bills had won. On the following kickoff return, Titan’s tight end Frank Wycheck threw a controversial lateral to receiver Kevin Dyson, who took it all the way for a touchdown, claiming victory from the pit of defeat. It was a spectacular play, and one that every NFL fan remembers.
The “Butt Fumble”
On this list of memorable NFL plays, we also have to include an infamous one. The 2012 game between the New England Patriots and New York Jets included a play that was far from triumphant, but one we will always look back on and remember. Of course we mean the notorious “butt fumble.”
Moments like these often result from the chaos of a botched play. The Jets lined up in an I formation with quarterback Mark Sanchez intending to hand the ball off. Instead, Sanchez turned the wrong way and missed the handoff. To try to salvage the play, he ran himself and seeing no room to maneuver up ahead, went for a slide. Just then, he immediately ran head first into his right guards’ rear end, knocking the ball from his hands. It was then picked up by Patriots safety Steve Gregory who returned it for a touchdown, adding more insult to an already devastating game for the Jets. To make matters even worse, this was during a nationally televised Thanksgiving game, meaning that all NFL football fans saw this horrific moment happen live.
