One thing you can always rely on sport for is drama. There have been countless last-minute winning scores that have turned defeat into an unlikely victory. In American Football the postseason is the time when the stakes are high, and everything is on the line. With nothing to lose, these teams have gone for broke to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. These are the best game-winning touchdowns in NFL playoff history.
Tennessee Titans – Music City Miracle
There were just 16 seconds left as the Tennessee Titans received the ball. There wasn’t much time, but in this wildcard game there was still hope for the Titans after the Buffalo Bills took a 16-15 lead. As they received the return, the Titans went for the lateral and amazingly pulled off a miracle.
Kevin Dyson ran behind a line of blockers and took the ball the length of the field to the end zone. The Titans secured one of the most famous clinchers in playoff history on that fateful day in 1999.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Immaculate Reception
The play known as “Immaculate Reception” is one of the most famous in NFL history. It happened during a 1972 divisional-round game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. Terry Bradshaw was the Steelers’ quarterback, and it was desperation time.
Bradshaw hurled the ball toward a receiver way up the field with the tiniest of chances it would come off, and it didn’t as his throw was deflected. Luckily it fell into the path of another Steelers player, Franco Harris. The ball landed in Harris’ hands, and he went straight for the end zone, scoring the winner with five seconds left.
Minnesota Vikings – Minnesota Miracle
The Minnesota Vikings played New Orleans in a back-and-forth divisional playoff game on January 14, 2018. The Vikings took an early 17-0 lead, but by the end of the 4th quarter, they were losing 24-23. There were just nine seconds left on the clock, and the Vikings were down to their last play.
With nothing to lose, the Vikings’ quarterback launched the ball down the field and into the grateful arms of receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs received the ball with 35 yards to go and only four seconds to get to the end zone. Amazingly, Diggs put on the afterburners and sprinted all the way to score the touchdown as the clock turned to zero seconds left.
San Francisco 49ers – The Catch
There have been thousands of catches in the history of the NFL, but none perhaps more famous than Dwight Clark’s in the 1981 NFC championship game. Legendary QB Joe Montana was running out of options before he spotted his teammate. Montana only threw the ball about 30 yards, but Clark leaped into the air to bring the ball down in the last yard of the end zone to secure the victory for the 49ers.
These game-winning touchdowns will live long in the memories of football fans, in fact, some already do. They were the last roll of the dice and luckily they worked out perfectly for the winning teams.
