Top 10 Super Bowl Plays

Lets take a look back at some of the most improbable, unthinkable, unfathomable plays on the world’s grandest stage.

NFL players have a penchant for making big time plays in big time games, and there’s no bigger game in the world than the Super Bowl. Some of these play’s will go to show just how inhuman football players really are.

Not all plays are created equally, but they’re magnificent in their own right nonetheless. If you disagree with our rankings, believe some plays should be higher or lower, or some play got snubbed from the list, leave us a response at the bottom of the article. We’d love to hear from you.

I’m only going back to the year 2000 to compile this list. Any further back and the decisions become a lot damn harder.

10. Eli Manning to Mario Manningham in Super Bowl XLVI.

This play goes incredibly underrated in super bowl history thanks to a play the Giants made just a few years earlier that you’ll see later on this list. The degree of difficulty it took to make this play is astonishing. First Eli has to make the perfect throw into the perfect place to give his receiver the slightest chance to make this catch. Then he’s stepping up into pressure, making the throw even harder. Next, Manningham has to have the presence of mind to shield the corner back to put himself into position to make a clean catch. After he gets his position he has to catch the ball, absorb a massive hit from the fast approach safety and toe tap both feet inbounds almost simultaneously. The degree of difficulty to make one of those things happen is hard. To do all three at the same time is damn near impossible. This play set up the Giants near midfield with 3 minutes left in the game. They went on to score to beat the Patriots for the second time in 4 years.

9. Kurt Warner to Larry Fitzgerald in Super Bowl XLIII

It looked like this 65 yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald was about to cap off one of the most prolific NFL postseasons for a wide receiver in NFL history that saw Larry Fitz finish with 30 catches for 550 yards and 7 touchdowns!!! In only 4 games. Unfortunately for Fitz and the Cardinals the Steelers came back to steal the game thanks to a play that will be featured later in the list.

8. New Orleans surprise onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV

This is one of the ballsiest plays in super bowl history. There’s no way any sane or logical person would kick an onside kick down by 4 points, with the chance of giving Peyton Manning a short field. But ill be damned that’s why i’m not an NFL head coach or super bowl champion. The craziest part about this play was that Sean Peyton told the officials before the game started that he may try a surprise onside kick at some point during the middle of the game so that they would be on the lookout for it. It looked like the players were fighting for the ball for about 15 real minutes until they finally determined the Saints had recovered the ball. This play changed the tide of the game in New Orleans favour. They went on to take the lead on a touchdown 4 minutes later. They later sealed the game off with a pick-6 of Peyton Manning to win the first super bowl in Saints history. Sean Peyton 1, rest of us 0.

7. Antwaan Randle El double reverse touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL

This play struck a dagger in the hearts of Seahawks players, coaches and fans. The game was very tight all night long, a true defensive battle. This play was executed to perfection with the first reverse drawing all the defenders to one side of the field while Randel El was about to head the other way on the pitch back. The key block here was actually thrown by Ben Roethlisberger, who cut the lone free defender allowing Randel El time to set his feet and throw down field to Hines Ward for the touchdown that would seal the game. This play is a piece of art and one that goes severely under appreciated in NFL circles.

6. Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones in Super Bowl XLVII

This is another play that doesn’t get nearly as much love as it should. First off Jacoby Jones flat out turns the corner inside out as he blows by him down field. Then the ball is under thrown and he needs to adjust backwards to catch the ball as he’s falling down and the corner crosses between his line of sight and the ball. Next he has the presence of mind to immediately get up and spin away from an oncoming defender and immediately juke the next defender. He sprints towards the end zone diving head first between two approaching defenders to secure 6 points and a dominating lead approaching the half. This is one of the single greatest individual efforts in Super Bowl history and it’s time he got some love for it.

5. Jermaine Kearses circus act in Super Bowl XLIX

The level of concentration on this catch is 11/10. You could try to recreate this catch 1000 times and probably never be able to make it again. First off the ball is tipped up by the defender as Kearse is going to the ground. Usually results in an incompletion. Next the ball hits off both of his legs while a defender soars through the air over top of him. Then the ball hits off his arms twice before he’s able to get a hand on it and corral the football. If he had of realized that he actually made the catch a second earlier, he may have been able to get up in time to get to the end zone. The degree of ridiculousness to this catch is literally only second to one other play.

4. James Harrison’s 100 Yard pick-6 in Super Bowl XLIII

James Harrison won the 2008 DPOY because of his ability to rush the passer. This decision by Pittsburgh’s defensive play caller was the ultimate counter move to what the Cardinals offensive play caller was expecting. Being so close to the goal line, there’s very little time to throw the ball into open windows, so instead of rushing Harrison when there’s little chance he will get there in time, they decided to drop him into coverage right underneath the Tight End, a very reliable target that close to the end zone. This was an absolutely brilliant move, but I don’t think in their wildest imaginations that it would yield this incredible of a result. Not only did Harrison intercept the ball, but he returned it the length of the field while fighting off numerous Cardinals players, as well as one greedy Steeler who thought he could do a better job returning the ball (he definitely would not have). Then at about mid field things got interesting. He was able to side step Kurt Warner as well an oncoming blocker and squeeze through a tight gap to continue moving down field. Then he side stepped another player at about the 30. It finally looked like someone would catch him at about the 15 but that defender dove and whiffed at air. Larry Fitzgerald made an honourable run downfield to try and chase him down, but he wasn’t able to get Harrison to the ground before he crossed the goal line. No way a 275 pound man should be able to that nimbly maneuver traffic for that long of a distance. Just another instalment of NFL players are not human.

3. Malcolm Butlers Interception in Super Bowl XLIX

This is one of the most shocking plays in Super Bowl history due to the fact that 1. Pete Carroll didn’t see a reason to run the ball from the 1 yard line, and 2. Malcolm Butler made one of the most instinctual plays on the ball I have ever seen. No one say this coming. Not in their wildest dreams could anyone have predicted the ending to this game. Not even 1 minute ago in game time, Jermaine Kearse and our #5 play on this list, put the Seahawks at the 5 yard line with 1 minute to play. It looked like it was about to happen again. Luck and misfortune would beat the Patriots once again. But then Pete Carroll made the worst decision of his great coaching career.

This play is 1 part incredible individual effort, and 1 part physical domination by Brandon Browner (#39, Cornerback) at the line of scrimmage. If he doesn’t jam Jermaine Kearse as hard as he does, Malcolm Butler doesn’t have a clear run at the ball. The Patriots game planned against this play 10–20 times in practice just days before the Super Bowl and they did not stop it once. Thank God for them they were finally able to figure it out.

2. Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII

This is similar to our #10 play, just on steroids. The degree of difficulty surrounding this catch is astronomical. Ben has to make the absolute perfect throw over three defenders to a spot where Holmes can catch the ball while still being able to keep both feet in bounds (narrowly), all the while taking a big hit at the end of it and holding onto the ball. This is not a play a mere mortal could make. I’m still in awe of how this play was completed.

1. Eli Manning to David Tyree in Super Bowl XLII

In my life I will never witness anything like this play again. I will always remember exactly where I was and who I with, and I will remember the look on every single one of their faces, like what we just witnessed couldn’t be real, there was no way it actually happened. But it did. And it became the most infamous play in Super Bowl History. For starters Eli almost threw a pick on the very previous play (classic Eli). Next the situation is 3rd and 5 with just over a minute to go down 4. Not a very comforting place to be in, knowing the smallest of mistakes could end the game. Now to the play. Eli Manning dropped back and was almost immediately surrounded by Patriots defenders, 3 of which were able to get hands on him, and 2 were able to grab him enough to prevent him from going forward. It was a foregone conclusion at this point that Manning would be sacked and they would have to face a terrifying 4th and 10, until the Jaws of life miraculously saved Eli from the Swarm of defenders. He then proceeded to maneuver backwards, find some open space to set his feet and look down field. Except when he looked down field the only thing he saw between 4 Patriots defenders was David Tyree, someone who saw only 5 targets all season long as a regular backup. Eli had no choice but to chuck it up and give his guy a chance as 3 Patriots defenders were closing in on Manning. David Tyree went up, and with the help of the Hand of God, we was able to pin the ball to his helmet with one hand, absorb contact, and go to the ground securing the catch with only one hand on the ball still. The Patriots are in disbelief. 4 patriots defenders surrounded Tyree, slouched over looking defeated. They can’t believe what just happened, along with the over 50,000 people in the stadium and over 100 million people watch the game at home. This play defies what should and should not be a catchable ball. 3 plays later the Giants scored a touchdown with 35 seconds left that would seal the game, and rob the Patriots of their undefeated Super Bowl season.