Happy Wednesday friends, I will be posting my top 12 every week on Wednesdays. It will be a small blurb of my top 12 of a specific subject. This week it’s Wildcard games. Remember this is opinion based and always going to be in my lifetime. I cannot be quoting a game from 1978 when I wasn’t around to watch it. I attached youtube links to all of the games, check them out! Thanks for the support and please comment below!!
#12 (2010) HAWKS over saints 41-36
Who can forget this awesome back and forth affair between the reigning super bowl champs and the 7-9 Seahawks. The Saints went up 17-7 early in the second quarter when Julius Jones (remember him?) scampered in from five yards out and it appears the Saints were going to run away and put arguably the worst division winner of all time away. The Seahawks would counter right away and take the lead 24-20 into the half. The Hawks lead would grow the lead to 14 in the third before the Saints made a late push to get to within 34-30. With 3:38 left the Hawks had a second and ten from their own 33 when Marshawn Lynch broke the internet. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r18lHPDMNFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpoMMb-vSl4&t=1s.
#11 (2013) COLTS over chiefs 45-44
The narrative early in the third quarter with Andrew Luck was that he couldn’t win in the playoffs after the Chiefs took a 38-10 lead on an Alex Smith to Knile Davis touchdown early in the third Quarter. Luck would change that narrative in a hurry with the Colts scoring touchdowns on five of their next six possessions and most of them in less than three minutes to take a 45-44 lead with the deciding play on a 64 yard touchdown pass from Luck to T.Y Hilton with 4:21 to play. The Chiefs would be stopped on downs on the ensuing possession when Dwayne Bowe couldn’t get both feet down on a pass from Alex Smith with 2 minutes to play. The Colts comeback was the second biggest comeback in NFL history. The play of the game and when you knew the comeback was inevitable was on what one could call a lucky bounce (no pun intended). Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQo5wkAf8PU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQskgXwhKI4.
#10 (2006) SEAHAWKS over cowboys 21-20
Maybe the most memorable moment of a player walking off the field in a wildcard game was Tony Romo walking off in pure dejection to bitter symphony in the back ground after a last gasp hailmary fell short. The Cowboys appeared to be in control with a 20-13 lead midway through the 4th after a big goal line stand at the Cowboys 2. The following play would flip the game back when Terry Glenn had the ball punched out of the near side of the endzone on a screen pass for a safety to cut the Cowboys lead to five. The Seahawks would take the lead on the ensuing drive with a 37 yard TD pass to Jerramy Stevens with 4:31 left in the game to take a 21-20 lead. Tony Romo would show how clutch he could be to setup the Cowboys for a go ahead chip shot field goal with 1:19 left. What would ensue would be madness. Bill why is Tony Romo still your holder? Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPuhwAIzrYk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na8-8Z0vGDE.
#9 (2019) TEXANS over bills 22-19 (ot)
In what may have been the most excited playoff game of the entire tournament last year took place in Houston in a game that has Bills fans may put behind them in a hurry with a deep run in this years postseason. The Bills jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead with a clever play to start the game with a John Brown to Josh Allen throwback touchdown. The Texans would wake up in the Second half with Deshaun Watson leading the Texans to 19 unanswered before the Bills would drive down at the end of regulation to force a tying field goal from 47 yards out from Stephen Hauschka to force ot. In ot both teams would trade punts before Deshaun Watson would play pinball off a couple of Bills pass rushers before throwing a pass to Taiwan Jones for 33 yards to setup Ka’imi Fairbairn for the game winning kick. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcDhuFjffJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiSv4ReZj7A.
#8 (2002) STEELERS over browns 36-33
The last Browns playoff game Browns (ironically at the Steelers) hopes goes better than this years playoff game (also at the Steelers). The Browns would jump out to a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter behind three touchdown passes from Kelly Holcomb. Halfway through the third the score was still 24-7 when the Steelers would go on a 29-9 scoring run led by Tommy Maddox (yes the MVP of the first XFL Tommy Maddox) that ended with a Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala three yard run with 58 seconds left to take the lead for the first time all game. Kelly Holcomb would valiantly attempt to get the Browns in Field goal range to force ot but Andre King just couldn’t quite get out of bounds on the last play to setup a tying field goal attempt. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVzFReJp0Tc.
#7 (2000) SAINTS over rams 31-28
Drew Brees and Sean Payton Saints have changed the narrative for a team that was once called the aints and were the laughing stock of the NFL for the entire 20th century. The new century started off with a Mardi Gras sized bang as the Saints won their first playoff game over the defending super bowl champions. It appeared to be a rout after the Saints went up 31-7 with a little under 12 minutes to play on a 16 yard touchdown by Willie Jackson from the arm of Aaron Brooks. Nothing ever comes easy when you have been as bad as the Saints were and the greatest show on turf scored 3 quick touchdowns and were about to receive the ball back with a chance to tie or win improbably. Az-Zahir Hakim would break the most forgotten curse in NFL history with a word that rhymes with buff. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4e9dHIwyOk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzfBCaqqTtw.
#6 (2003) PACKERS over seahawks 33-27 (ot)
In a back and forth affair between Brett Farve’s Packers and Matt Hasselbeck’s Seahawks would go to overtime after Ryan Longwell would miss a 47 yard field goal to win it at the end of regulation to win the game for the Pack. Matt Hasselbeck’s Seahawks would win the coin toss in overtime and Matt Hasselbeck said to the refs the cockiest 8 words a player said mic’d up on a coin toss in football history. As the karma gods would say you get what you wish for as Al Harris caught the game winning pass from Matt Hasselbeck (spoiler he does not play for Seattle). Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAgG9XcrDFY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhq1lxJY84.
#5 (2015) steelers over BENGALS 18-16
The only road team to win on this list (guess I like home teams in the Wildcard game!). The Steelers jumped out to a 15-0 with 5 minutes left to play in the third after Martavis Bryant made a touchdown catch with his right quad from Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals would roar back in the fourth quarter with 16 unanswered caped off with a 25 yard touchdown toss from A.J McCarron (he did start a playoff game!) to A.J Green (A.J’s all day). Landry Jones (in for injured big Ben) throws a pick, then Jeremy Hill fumbles the ball back to the Steelers on the next play. Ben comes back into the game. The Steelers are running out of time but the Bengals self destruct with 30 yards of penalties. These penalties sets up a game winning 35 yard field goal from Chris Boswell in one of the craziest final two minutes of a playoff game ever. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6l0881aTyw&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cks99HzXZ7o.
#4 (1993) CHIEFS over steelers 27-24 (ot)
Did anyone forget that Joe Montana finished his career in K.C. I certainly do not and the 1993 wildcard game is proof that the Chiefs still did have some good home playoff moments before the Patrick Mahomes era. The Steelers would go up 17-7 at the half before the Chiefs would make a run to get back into the game with a Marcus Allen Touchdown run early in the 4th to tie the game at 17. Neil O’Donnell would throw a 22 yard touchdown to Eric Green with just over 4 minutes left to take a 24-17 lead. Cool Joe would show that he could take his cool calm clutch demeanor to the midwest as he would lead the Chiefs down the field and throw a game tying 7 yard touchdown to Tim Barnett on 4th and goal with under 2 minutes left to force ot. In ot cool Joe would lead the Chiefs into field goal range to setup Nick Lowery (miss the single bar face mask!) for a 32 yarder to win it. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cks99HzXZ7o.
#3 (1999) TITANS over bills 22-16
In what was a magical first year as the Tennessee Titans the Titans would get all the way the Super Bowl in 99 starting with what is known as the Music City Miracle. Rob Johnson starting for Doug Flutie (which is still heavily debated over 20 years later in Western New York) would lead the Bills to a 41 yard Doug Christie field goal with 16 second left. The most memorable play of the drive was a play in which Johnson lost his shoe. It appears the Titans were going to lose an heartbreaker but Frank Wycheck would do a throwback pass to Kevin Dyson on the ensuing kickoff and no there was not a flag on the play. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_zg-J0q42M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoE0VLUz00o.
#2 (2009) CARDINALS over packers 51-45 (ot)
This game is remembered as the coming out party for Aaron Rodgers and the final bow on the brilliant and unparalleled career of Kurt Warner. This game in the desert would be the most ever points scored in a playoff game with 96. The game appeared to be a blowout early in the third quarter with the Cardinals up 31-10. The turning point to get the Packers back in the game would be an recovered onside kick (spoiler alert to a swing moment in the number one game) and the Packers would eventually tie the game at 45 with an Aaron Rodgers to Spencer Hayner touchdown with a little under 2 minutes remaining. The Packers would get a gift after Warner got the Cards in to field range to win but Neil Rackers missed a 34 yard field goal which would force ot. Aaron Rodgers would get sacked on the third play of ot by Michael Adams (guess grabbing face masks were okay 11 years ago) and Karlos Dansby would pick up the fortuitous bounce for of course a defensive touchdown to win a game that had over 1,000 yards of total offense. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srFXDqRNluk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMhGuBvyp5E.
#1 (1992) BILLS over oilers 41-38 (ot)
This game is special to my heart because this game was the game that got me in to football. I was 9 years old and remembered watching this game with my grandparents on their 20 inch color tube TV (a big deal in the early 90s). The Oilers went up 35-3 early in the third quarter after Bills backup quarterback (and Current Colts head coach) Frank Reich threw a pick six to Bubba McDowell (this is making the Bills Colts game this weekend all the more weird). I remembered my grandfather telling me let’s keep watching because anything can happen. The Bills would score a touchdown, then recover an onside kick and score another touchdown. Then another touchdown, then another one and before the fourth quarter started the game was 35-31 and the fans who left were trying to get back into the stadium. The Bills would take a 38-35 lead with 3:08 left when Frank Reich threw a 17 yard touchdown to Andre Reed in what was mentioned as pandemonium. Warren Moon would show his hall of fame status and guts to get Houston down the field to kick a field goal and to force overtime. But it ot Reich would drive the Bills down the field to setup a game winning 32 yard field goal by Steve Christie to complete the biggest comeback in NFL history which remains so to this day. I remembered my grandfather saying to me to keep watching because anything is possible. Until that clock hits zero the game is never over and Frank Reich one day in January proved that to be fact! Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NwCCrzarZs