Top 10 clutch comebacks in NFL history
The most clutch games in NFL history led to teams doing the unthinkable, beating records, and creating unforgettable comebacks that are impossible to top.
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Russell Wilson and the Seahawks celebrate their Super Bowl win (Image via Seattle Seahawks)
The NFL has witnessed a string of great comebacks over its 100-year history. Be it the regular season, the playoffs, or the Super Bowl, there have been moments where fans wrote a team off due to the large deficit in the score but the players held on and went on to successfully orchestrate a comeback.
It is not easy to come back and win a game when the opponent is up by 10 or more points. The pressure, the lights, and the urgency to score do not help as it leads players to make more mistakes rather than play better.
However, there have been some games where individual players and teams established their greatness. Their performance was immortalized due to their innate ability to keep their composure and continue playing the game one snap at a time. Here are the 10 most clutch comebacks in the history of the NFL:
10. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans (2020 AFC Divisional Round)
The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the few teams that have found themselves in unfavorable situations over and over. This has proven to be a boon in disguise for the team as they no longer stumble or panic when down by a big margin.
Similar was the case on 12th January 2020 when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs went up against the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round game. The team got off to a terrible start as Houston dropped 21 points in the first quarter alone. The game was supposed to be over and fans had lost hope.
However, from the second quarter onwards, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs locked in. Kansas City went on to score 28 points in a single quarter while limiting the Texans to 3 points. In the subsequent quarters, the Chiefs outscored their opponents and went on to win the game 51-31. This team went on to win the Super Bowl two games later.
9. Indianapolis Colts vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003 Monday Night Football)
It was just another Monday Night Football game for the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams faced off and for most of the game, the latter dominated the former with the score being 35-14 in the fourth quarter of the game.
At this point, most would tip their hat in but not Peyton Manning. The legendary quarterback flipped a switch and put on one of the greatest shows in the history of MNF. In under four minutes, Manning rallied his team to score 21 points. The highlight was a 90-yard touchdown drive with under two minutes to go that tied the game and sent it to overtime.
In OT, Manning set the Colts up within field goal range and Mike Vanderjagt was able to knock a 29-yarder down to complete the comeback. This masterclass from Manning is remembered as ‘Manning’s Monday Night Miracle’ for the quarterback’s incredible performance.
8. San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints (2011 NFC Divisional Round)
For Alex Smith, the quarterback never won a Super Bowl but his iconic throw to Vernon Davis in the 2011 NFC Divisional Round game gave him a feeling similar to having won it all. The 49ers were down 32-29 in the fourth quarter.
It had been a close game throughout with San Francisco trailing by one point at the start of the 4th quarter. However, with 14 seconds left in the game, they were down 3 points and Alex Smith threw a bullet pass to Vernon Davis. The fate of the game lay in this play and Davis did not disappoint.
He caught the pass right in the endzone and held onto the ball despite taking a big hit from the defender. This sealed the game for the 49ers who went on to make the Super Bowl that year.
7. Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers (1957 Championship game)
The Detroit Lions are one team that has come close to tasting victory but failed to do so in the Super Bowl era. The team is yet to make a Super Bowl appearance and despite having a competent team, they fell short this year as well.
However, the last time that Detroit was in the big game, they made sure it was a memorable one. The team got off to a slow start and fell 27-7 to the 49ers through 3 quarters of the game. However, the Lions held on and pulled off a miracle as they went on to win the game 31-27. That was the last time the team tasted glory in the finals and this was before the Super Bowl era.
6. Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers (2014 NFC Championship game)
The Seattle Seahawks nearly fell short of winning the Super Bowl in 2014. The team came close to losing in the NFC Championship round as they went up against a hungry Aaron Rodgers and Packers squad.
Green Bay got off to a roaring start as they kept Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense scoreless for three quarters. They went on to go up 16-0. All the Packers had to do was hold the Seahawks off for another quarter but that was not going to happen.
Seattle’s first score of the night came from a fake field goal attempt. The team wound up successfully throwing a touchdown and scoring their first points of the night. Subsequently, Russell Wilson went on to orchestrate a 69-yard drive that ended with him running for a 1-yard touchdown to bring the score 19-14. Seattle went on to regain possession of the ball and with 2 minutes left on the clock, Wilson led the team to yet another touchdown drive and a two-point conversion that put the Seahawks in the lead for the first time.
However, Aaron Rodgers was not going down easy. He led the Packers to field goal range and the game went into overtime. Fortunately, Seattle won the toss and decided to go on offense. Wilson threw for 4 interceptions that night but his biggest play came in overtime as he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to beat the Packers.
5. Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots (2022 regular season)
Usually, the Patriots are the ones making successful comebacks, however, in this case, things turned out differently. New England was able to build a comfortable 28-7 lead heading into the 3rd quarter.
For the Dolphins, led by Tua Tagovailoa, the game was not yet over. The quarterback went on to have a career night as he threw for 6 touchdown passes, one of which was a remarkable 48-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle with under 2 minutes left in regulation.
The trio of Tagovailoa, Waddle, and Tyreek Hill managed to orchestrate a 21-point comeback to beat the Patriots 32-29.
4. Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Oilers (1993 Wild Card Round)
What would the odds be for a team to come back from a 35-3 deficit with just one quarter left in regulation? Slim to none, right? The Buffalo Bills would beg to differ.
Over the years, the Bills have become synonymous with losing, the team has struggled to make it to the Super Bowl in recent history, and at one point, they lost four championship games.
However, the 1993 Wild Card Game was different for them. Led by Frank Reich, the former Colts and Panthers HC, Buffalo was down 35-3. However, the team orchestrated a comeback for the ages. They went on to tie the score at 38 to force overtime and won 41-38.
The Houston Oilers were unable to hold their ground and a fumbled kickoff and missed field goal in OT cost them the game dearly.
3. Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts (2022)
Kirk Cousins is hard to predict. He can either have the best game of his career or the worst, there is no in-between for him. On the 17th of December, 2022, Cousins chose to do the former.
As the Vikings faced the Colts, they went down 33-0 early on. In the second half of the game, Cousins and Justin Jefferson put on a show for the ages. The quarterback went on to throw for 460 yards and the highlight of the night was a fourth-and-18 catch by Justin Jefferson which kept the Vikings’ aspirations to win the game alive.
Within no time the score was tied at 36 and the game went into overtime. Minnesota won the toss and chose to receive. Kirk Cousins set them in field goal range and Greg Joseph nailed a 40-yarder to secure the win.
2. Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants (2010)
Known as the ‘Miracle at the Meadowlands II’, the Philadelphia Eagles orchestrated a remarkable comeback against the New York Giants. The divisional rivalry game between these two teams has always been heated but on the 19th of December, 2010 it was New York that got off to a heated start.
In three quarters, the Giants led 31-10 and the hopes for Philadelphia to win seemed to have waned. However, Michael Vick put on a clinic as Philly’s offense scored four straight touchdowns while holding the Giants’ offense back. The ending to this game was historic because DeSean Jackson made history by becoming the first player in NFL history to win a game by scoring a punt return.
1. New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl LI)
The word comeback has to be synonymous with the Patriots and Tom Brady. It is not right to talk about the most clutch moments in NFL history and leave out the greatest comeback in Super Bowl and football history.
The Patriots struggled to put points up against Atlanta and made costly mistakes early on in Super Bowl LI. The team went down 28-3 at the start of the third quarter. In a matter of two quarters, Tom Brady led the Patriots offense one play at a time to tie the score up at 28.
The Falcons offense failed to put up a single point in the second half and ultimately, the game went to overtime where New England was able to close out the game by scoring a touchdown to win 34-28. To date, this was the closest Atlanta came to winning a Super Bowl and the team has failed to taste victory since.
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Sumedh Joshi
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