Welcome to the MMQB’s Quarter-Century Week. All week we’ll be publishing lists, rankings and columns looking back at the past 25 NFL seasons. You can find all those stories here.
Eight days after everyone survived Y2K, with Britney Spears’s “... Baby One More Time” still playing nonstop on the radio, the Titans beat the Bills in the first NFL playoff game of this century. The wild game-winning kickoff return came to be known as the Music City Miracle.
That was certainly one of the most memorable finishes in NFL history, but it didn’t make our list for best 25 games of the past 25 years. Technically, it was not played in one of the NFL’s most recent 25 seasons. But also, there weren’t enough fireworks throughout the AFC wild-card matchup (which featured 413 total yards) to make our list that was extremely difficult to form.
I did my best to avoid dull games that ended with chaotic finishes, like the Fail Mary between the Packers and Seahawks with the replacement refs in 2012. But don’t worry, there are several dramatic finishes listed below.
All right, let’s get to the top 25 NFL games of the past 25 years.
25. Largest comeback in NFL history
Date: Dec. 17, 2022 | Week 15
Final score: Vikings 39, Colts 36 (OT)
A four-win Colts team probably shouldn’t have received a stand-alone game on a Saturday afternoon late in the season. But to their credit, they jumped to a 33–0 lead on a Vikings team headed for the postseason. It was an embarrassing first half for coach Kevin O’Connell’s team, but cornerback Patrick Peterson told his teammates at halftime they just needed five touchdowns. Just five touchdowns.
The pep talk worked, as the Vikings orchestrated the largest comeback in NFL history. Minnesota got the five touchdowns and kicker Greg Joseph drilled the game-winning 40-yard field goal with three seconds left in overtime for the Vikings to clinch the NFC North.
Matt Ryan was the Colts’ starting quarterback, but blowing a 33–0 lead in the regular season isn’t as bad as the infamous 28–3 Super Bowl that will surely be listed later in this story.
24. Patriots’ record-setting night
Date: Dec. 29, 2007 | Week 17
Final score: Patriots 38, Giants 35
This was a fun, unique regular-season finale that saw the Patriots prioritize history over rest before the playoffs. New England was chasing a perfect 16–0 regular season, and Tom Brady and Randy Moss were eyeing individual records. All three feats were achieved, but not without a fight from Eli Manning’s Giants. Brady got his 50th touchdown pass and Moss recorded his 23rd touchdown reception on a memorable 65-yard connection to give the Patriots a 31–28 advantage with 11:06 left in regulation.
A few weeks later, Manning got something better than a perfect regular season and individual records, when he beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He and the Giants did it again four years later in Super Bowl XLVI.
23. Manning’s comeback in final five minutes
Date: Oct. 6, 2003 | Week 5
Final score: Colts 38, Buccaneers 35 (OT)
I enjoyed this Peyton Manning comeback, but I also dislike it because it has made me sit through countless blowouts. Just when I’m ready to change the channel or shut off the TV, I remember how Manning rallied the Colts from a 21-point deficit with less than five minutes left in regulation. It’s never over until the clock hits zeros! Actually, it usually is with a three-touchdown deficit that late, but you never know because of what Manning did that one time on Monday Night Football.
John Madden labeled the game over when Ronde Barber intercepted a Manning pass and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown to put Tampa Bay ahead 35–14 with 5:09 left in regulation. From there, Manning orchestrated three touchdown drives to send the game into overtime, where Mike Vanderjagt won it on a 29-yard field goal.
22. Monday Night Miracle
Date: Oct. 23, 2000 | Week 8
Final score: Jets 40, Dolphins 37 (OT)
I somewhat remember this game, watching from the floor of my living room as my mom kept telling me to back up from the TV and to go to bed. It was late, but I couldn’t stop watching because the commentary from Al Michaels and Dan Fouts made it easy to tell I was watching something special.
I also remember Dennis Miller and his forced jokes. Can’t believe I stayed up late for a QB matchup between Jay Fiedler and Vinny Testaverde. But they delivered plenty of drama, especially Testaverde (378 passing yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs), who put the Jets on his back during a quiet outing for running back Curtis Martin. Miami jumped to a 20–0 lead and was ahead 30–7 in the final minute of the third quarter. New York scored 23 consecutive points in the final quarter to tie. Then the Dolphins retook the lead on a 46-yard Leslie Shepherd touchdown catch. The Jets tied it again on a pass to big man Jumbo Elliott in the final minute before winning it in overtime.
21. Warner bests Rodgers in shootout
Date: Jan. 10, 2010 | NFC wild card
Final score: Cardinals 51, Packers 45 (OT)
Aaron Rodgers waited five years to make his first playoff start after spending his first three seasons in the NFL as Brett Favre’s backup. His first postseason game was a memorable, high-scoring affair between Rodgers’s Packers and Kurt Warner’s Cardinals. This matchup set a record for most combined points in a playoff game.
Rodgers (423 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) and Warner (379 yards, 5 TDs) put on a show, but it was the Cardinals’ defense that won the game in overtime when cornerback Michael Adams stripped Rodgers and linebacker Karlos Dansby returned the ball for a 17-yard touchdown. Adams was picked on by Rodgers for four quarters before becoming the hero on the first drive of overtime.
20. Botched snap caps 49ers’ wild rally
Date: Jan. 5, 2003 | NFC wild card
Final score: 49ers 39, Giants 38
This was the game that had many wondering why the hell punter Matt Allen was rolling to his right before throwing a pass to an offensive lineman who was ruled as an ineligible man downfield. Kicker Matt Bryant never got a shot to attempt the game-winning field goal because of a botched snap by long snapper Trey Junkin, but Allen had time to spike the ball to possibly get a second attempt.
It was a horrific special teams day for the Giants, which played a huge role in how the 49ers overcame a 24-point deficit in the second half. After a missed field goal by New York, Jeff Garcia (331 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) produced a nine-play, 68-yard go-ahead touchdown drive to give San Francisco a one-point lead in the final minute of regulation. Terrell Owens was sensational with nine catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yarder for the game’s first score.
19. Manning finally beats Brady
Date: Jan. 21, 2007 | AFC championship
Final score: Colts 38, Patriots 34
Manning finally beat Brady in a playoff game, but it took a back-and-forth battle for the Colts’ star QB to get the giant gorilla off his back. Even though Manning was a wizard on the field, he needed this signature victory over Brady to be remembered as one of the best of all time.
It seemed as if the Patriots were going to win again when Stephen Gostkowski made the go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 3:49 left in regulation. But Manning (349 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) delivered the game-winning drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run from Joseph Addai with one minute left. It was a bad start for Indianapolis after Asante Samuel Sr. recorded a pick-six to put New England ahead 21–3 in the first half, but the Colts’ comeback included a touchdown on a fumble recovery by center Jeff Saturday in the end zone.
18. Mahomes to Hardman game-winner
Date: Feb. 11, 2024 | Super Bowl LVIII
Final score: Chiefs 25, 49ers 22 (OT)
I was fortunate enough to cover this Super Bowl and made sure not to take for granted that I was covering the second Super Bowl that went to overtime. I stopped typing on my laptop and soaked in the atmosphere from my seat inside the Allegiant Stadium press box in Las Vegas as the 49ers realized they had made a mistake electing to receive the ball to start overtime.
I also remember the delayed reaction from the crowd after Patrick Mahomes moved to his right and found Mecole Hardman for the game-winning touchdown to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It seemed everyone was confused about the overtime rules in the postseason.
It was a tough way for the 49ers to lose a second Super Bowl in five seasons to the Chiefs, but that’s probably when they found out Brock Purdy (255 yards, 1 TD) was the real deal. San Francisco held a 19–16 advantage with 1:53 left in regulation, but Mahomes (333 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), like he often does, took his game to another level in clutch time.
17. Rodgers’s Hail Mary not enough
Date: Jan. 16, 2016 | NFC divisional round
Final score: Cardinals 26, Packers 20 (OT)
I didn’t exactly watch this game live, but it felt like I did because of the reaction from the crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas after Rodgers made the 41-yard Hail Mary throw to Jeff Janis with no time left on the clock to send the game into overtime. I was covering a UNLV men’s basketball game for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, or I was trying to at least, because I couldn’t stop eavesdropping on people’s conversations about the playoff game. I kept refreshing Twitter for updates and glanced at people’s laptops for the live feed.
Rodgers with the ball and a one-score deficit in the final minutes of regulation was must-watch TV at the time. No one wanted to miss what he would do next. Earlier that season, Rodgers completed a ridiculous Hail Mary game-winner against the Lions. But Green Bay fell to the Cardinals in overtime after Carson Palmer (349 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) found Larry Fitzgerald (8 catches, 176 yards, 1 TD) for a 75-yard play to open overtime and then the game-winning five-yard touchdown two plays later.
16. Miracle at the New Meadowlands
Date: Dec. 19, 2010 | Week 15
Final score: Eagles 38, Giants 31
DeSean Jackson became an Eagles legend after the third-year receiver’s improbable 65-yard, walk-off punt return touchdown in the final seconds of regulation to defeat the Giants. Philadelphia had already overcome a 31–10 deficit midway through the fourth quarter and tied the game on three total touchdowns from Michael Vick in a span of seven minutes. Jackson made up for what looked like a killer fumble early in the fourth quarter and nearly had another lost fumble on his game-winning punt return.
It was a pivotal comeback in the standings because the Eagles swept the season series and moved a game ahead of the Giants in the NFC East. Philadelphia won the division and New York missed the postseason. The wild comeback was reminiscent of the Eagles’ rally vs. the Giants in 1978 that was dubbed the Miracle at the Meadowlands.
15. Smith outduels Brees
Date: Jan. 14, 2012 | NFC divisional round
Final score: 49ers 36, Saints 32
This was the first playoff game of the Jim Harbaugh era in San Francisco. Both teams had identical 13–3 regular-season records and won their respective divisions, but the 49ers got the No. 2 seed via a tiebreaker and had the luxury of playing in front of a raucous crowd at the old Candlestick Park, which was demolished a few years later. Many memorable 49ers games took place at the iconic venue, but what transpired in this divisional round clash is regarded as one of the best, up there with “The Catch” game in the 1981 NFC championship.
At the time, San Francisco hadn’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade, but the drought ended after Alex Smith (299 yards, 3 TDs) connected with Vernon Davis (7 catches, 180 yards, 2 TDs) for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left in regulation. There were four lead changes in the final four minutes. Drew Brees (462 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) was flawless in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough.
14. Delhomme goes toe-to-toe with Brady
Date: Feb. 1, 2004 | Super Bowl XXXVIII
Final score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
Of Brady’s first three Super Bowl wins, the shocking upset over the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams may be the best remembered. But this Super Bowl matchup against the Panthers is my personal favorite.
After a slow start, the two teams combined for 37 points in the fourth quarter. Jake Delhomme (323 yards, 3 TDs), Steve Smith Sr. (four catches, 80 yards, 1 TD), Muhsin Muhammad (four catches, 140 yards, 1 TD) and Ricky Proehl (four catches, 71 yards, 1 TD) did everything they could to beat the Patriots. Delhomme hit Proehl for the game-tying 12-yard touchdown with 1:08 left in regulation. That’s when the legend of Brady grew, with a six-play, 37-yard drive to set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
13. Mile High Miracle
Date: Jan. 12, 2013 | AFC divisional round
Final score: Ravens 38, Broncos 35 (2OT)
This was a shocker because the Broncos’ offense was rolling in their first year with Manning, who quickly showed he had plenty left in the tank after his neck injury led to his exit from Indianapolis. But Joe Flacco would not be denied that year, going on a legendary Super Bowl run that turned Is Joe Flacco elite? into a nationwide debate. I certainly thought he was, especially after his 70-yard touchdown bomb to Jacoby Jones with under a minute left in regulation to send the game into the first of two overtimes. As the two teams traded blows, this game was tied 0–0, 7–7, 14–14, 21–21, 28–28 and 35–35 before the Ravens won it.
Flacco recorded 331 yards and three touchdowns, and Ray Lewis, in his final season, racked up 17 combined tackles against Denver.
12. Patriots’ dynasty delays Chiefs’ dynasty
Date: Jan. 20, 2019 | AFC championship
Final score: Patriots 37, Chiefs 31 (OT)
This was more than just an instant playoff classic; it was a pivotal moment in NFL history. The Patriots were in the back end of their dynasty, battling against a fast-rising Chiefs squad led by first-year starter Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes (295 yards, 3 TDs) gave Brady (348 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) a taste of his own medicine when he guided the Chiefs on a four-play, 48-yard scoring drive in the final 39 seconds to send the game into overtime. But the Patriots won the overtime coin toss and then drove 75 yards on 13 plays, winning the game on Rex Burkhead’s two-yard touchdown run.
It was easy to see then that the Chiefs were going to make it to a Super Bowl sooner rather than later, but they were forced to wait a year. This was the first of seven consecutive AFC championship game appearances, and Kansas City has reached the Super Bowl five times in that span. As for the Patriots, that was the last time they made it to the Super Bowl with Brady or Bill Belichick. It was a true changing-of-the-guard type of game.
11. Helmet Catch
Date: Feb. 3, 2008 | Super Bowl XLII
Final score: Giants 17, Patriots 14
This one gets a pass for being a snoozer for three quarters because of the drama that unfolded in the fourth quarter. Seventeen years later, I still can’t wrap my mind around how David Tyree managed to stick Eli Manning’s pass to his helmet. It was third-and-5, with New York trailing by four points with 1:15 left in regulation when Manning escaped pressure and launched a pass from his own 34-yard line that turned into a jump ball between Tyree and Patriots safety Rodney Harrison.
Not many had heard of the Giants’ wide receiver before he delivered perhaps the biggest play in Super Bowl history at that time. The 32-yard “Helmet Catch” was the final reception of Tyree’s career. The unheralded receiver had only four catches for 35 yards in the 2007 regular season. In the Super Bowl, Tyree recorded three catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Manning doesn’t get enough credit for how he escaped multiple Patriots defenders before unleashing the heave to Tyree. A few plays later, he found Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown. The Patriots were an undefeated juggernaut (the best team of the past 25 years in our Matt Verderame’s rankings), and a 12.5-point favorite. New York prevented their perfect season in what might be the biggest upset in NFL history.
10. Smith’s walk-off in double-OT thriller
Date: Jan. 10, 2004 | NFC divisional round
Final score: Panthers 29, Rams 23 (20T)
When it comes to the best postseason performances for a wide receiver in the past 25 years, Steve Smith Sr.’s run after the 2003 season might be a close second behind only Larry Fitzgerald’s 2008. Smith and the Panthers were so fun to watch in the 2003 postseason, but not many were taking the 11–5 NFC South champs seriously until Smith had the walk-off touchdown in a double-overtime thriller against Marc Bulger’s St. Louis Rams.
This game had six lead changes in the first three quarters, mostly on field goals. Then the Rams erased an 11-point deficit in the final three minutes and sent the game into overtime on a Jeff Wilkins field goal as the fourth-quarter clock expired. Smith, who was in his third season, recorded six catches for 163 yards and the game-winning touchdown that went for 69 yards. Bulger had 332 yards and three costly interceptions, including the turnover that set up Smith’s catch-and-run game winner on the first play of the second overtime.
9. Both teams score 50
Date: Nov. 19, 2018 | Week 11
Final score: Rams 54, Chiefs 51
This matchup was supposed to take place in Mexico City, but was moved to Los Angeles because of concerns over poor field conditions at Estadio Azteca. It turned into a video game that came to life on the iconic L.A. Memorial Coliseum field. Both teams entered this Monday-night game at 9–1 in Mahomes’s first season as a starter and Sean McVay’s second year in L.A. Mahomes and Jared Goff combined for 891 passing yards and 10 touchdowns.
This game had 14 touchdowns, 56 combined first downs and 105 points. This is the only game in NFL history with both teams scoring at least 50 points. Tyreek Hill had 10 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. However, this wasn’t all about the offenses. There were three defensive touchdowns, including two from Rams edge rusher Samson Ebukam, who had a pick-six and a scoop-and-score touchdown.
The Rams went on to the Super Bowl, and we were deprived of a rematch only because the Patriots upended the Chiefs in the No. 12 game on this list.
8. Bostick can’t catch the kick
Date: Jan. 18, 2015 | NFC championship
Final score: Seahawks 28, Packers 22 (OT)
Packers tight end Brandon Bostick will forever be known as the guy who couldn’t catch the onside kick that went directly to him in the final minutes of this NFC title game clash. If Bostick had made the catch, the Packers probably would have gone to the Super Bowl and there wouldn’t have been an improbable comeback by the Seahawks, who trailed 19–7 late in the fourth quarter. But Seattle scored a touchdown four plays after the onside kick and took a three-point lead. Aaron Rodgers then went into hurry-up mode in this wild ending, leading a field goal drive with less than 90 seconds remaining just to force overtime.
Russell Wilson had a rough performance with four interceptions, but he made up for it with a pretty deep ball to Jermaine Kearse in the end zone for the game winner in overtime. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 157 yards and one touchdown.
7. Minneapolis Miracle
Date: Jan. 14, 2018 | NFC divisional round
Final score: Vikings 29, Saints 24
Stefon Diggs’s Gladiator-like moment will forever be remembered as the Minneapolis Miracle. Seconds after Saints coach Sean Payton was taunting Minnesota fans with Skol claps, Case Keenum took a snap with the Vikings trailing by a point and facing a third-and-10 from their 39-yard line with 10 seconds left in regulation. Keenum opted for a deep pass to Diggs near the sideline in hopes of that being enough for a field goal if time was left on the clock. That’s when Marcus Williams inexplicably put his head down for a blind tackle instead of keeping Diggs in front of him to run out the clock.
Diggs (six catches, 137 yards, 1 TD) nearly fell by the sideline, but quickly regained his balance before making his way upfield. Diggs tossing his helmet and looking at the fans as if he was saying, “Are you not entertained?” is such a badass scene.
While that one signature play is unforgettable, this game also featured four lead changes in the final three minutes and one second of game time. Keenum (318 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a career season as the replacement for the injured Sam Bradford, but the Vikings signed Kirk Cousins in the offseason.
6. Tuck Rule
Date: Jan. 19, 2002 | AFC divisional round
Final score: Patriots 16, Raiders 13 (OT)
Oh, man, the nostalgia I get from this game. Back when I was a kid without a care in the world, I watched a snow playoff game as Tom Brady attempted to make a name for himself. I quickly learned that football can be complicated and depressing. I grew up around many supporters of the Silver and Black, and they did not mince words about how they felt they were screwed in this one.
This was the day the football world learned about the tuck rule. Charles Woodson blitzed from the left side for what he believed to be a strip sack to possibly ice the game for the Raiders, who were leading 13–10 with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter. The officials said Brady’s arm was going forward and ruled it an incomplete pass. According to the rules then, Brady pulling back didn’t lead to a fumble because he was initially moving his arm forward with the ball. Again, it was confusing, but plenty occurred after the controversy, including clutch field goals by Vinatieri at the end of regulation and in overtime in the heavy snow.
The play looked like a fumble, and Brady has admitted it might have been (now that he’s a part owner of the Raiders). But that won’t make up for the heartbreak Charles Woodson and the rest of the Raiders felt in this playoff loss.
5. Holmes keeps both feet down
Date: Feb. 1, 2009 | Super Bowl XLIII
Final score: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
There were plenty of fireworks in this Super Bowl, including a 100-yard pick-six from James Harrison to give the Steelers a 17–7 halftime advantage. It was all Pittsburgh until the middle of the fourth quarter, when Kurt Warner (377 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) and Larry Fitzgerald (seven catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs) took over.
Two Fitzgerald touchdowns, including a memorable 64-yard score, and a safety gave Arizona a 23–20 lead with 2:37 left in regulation. That was enough time for Ben Roethlisberger (256 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Santonio Holmes (nine catches, 131 yards, 1 TD) to produce the game-winning drive. There have been many jaw-dropping catches in Super Bowl history, but not many have been as impressive as Holmes keeping both feet down in the corner of the end zone to produce the clutch six-yard touchdown.
4. Philly Special
Date: Feb. 4, 2018 | Super Bowl LII
Final score: Eagles 41, Patriots 33
Tom Brady passed for 505 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, and still lost the game. Brady was incredible, but he did drop a pass on a trick play and his opposing quarterback, Nick Foles, did not.
The Eagles’ creativity won them this epic back-and-forth thriller. They unleashed the iconic Philly Special when Foles went to the sideline near the end of the first half, asking coach Doug Pederson to run the trick play. Foles moved away from the center and allowed running back Corey Clement to take the snap before tossing it back to tight end Trey Burton, who found a rolling Foles for the touchdown connection.
Foles (373 yards, 3 TDs and the receiving TD) became a cult hero in Philadelphia, winning Super Bowl MVP after spending most of the season as Carston Wentz’s backup.
There were 1,151 combined total yards (and only one punt) in this highly entertaining shootout. For context, the 2018 game between the Rams and Chiefs had a combined 1,001 total yards.
3. 13 Seconds
Date: Jan. 23, 2022 | AFC divisional round
Final score: Chiefs 42, Bills 36 (OT)
My fiancé isn’t much of a football fan, but I remember how much she enjoyed watching the final minutes of this epic battle between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Maybe that was the moment she realized football isn’t so bad and she can tolerate being around a football writer for the rest of her life. So thank you for that, Chiefs and Bills.
On a different note, she now knows whenever I say there are only two minutes left in a game, that really means there’s another 30-or-so minutes to go. For Bills fans, 13 seconds must feel like a lifetime.
Allen (329 yards) found Gabe Davis (201 yards) for his fourth touchdown and a 36–33 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation. That was enough time for Mahomes to deliver the game-tying drive, which included a 19-yard pass to Tyreek Hill (150 yards, 1 TD) and 25-yard completion to Travis Kelce (96 yards, 1 TD) to set up Harrison Butker for the 49-yard field goal. After winning the overtime coin toss, Mahomes (378 yards, 3 TDs) connected with Kelce for the winning touchdown in overtime.
This game changed the NFL forever, leading to a rule change in which both teams would be guaranteed a possession in overtime of a playoff game, even if the first drive resulted in a touchdown.
2. Butler’s improbable interception
Date: Feb. 1, 2015 | Super Bowl XLIX
Final score: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
The Seahawks were on the verge of winning back-to-back Super Bowls, but everything changed when coach Pete Carroll put the ball in the hands of Russell Wilson and not Marshawn Lynch. That turned out to be the worst decision in Super Bowl history after Malcolm Butler jumped the pass intended for Ricardo Lockette and made the improbable game-saving interception near the end zone.
Not only was the decision to throw on second-and-1 from the 1-yard line with one timeout left strange, but it also didn’t make much sense to throw in the direction of Butler, who had broken up a few plays earlier and given the defense a spark coming off the bench in the second half. Perhaps Wilson believed luck was on his side, because two plays before the killer interception Butler tipped a pass that bounced around before finding Jermaine Kearse on the ground for 33 yards and putting Seattle in the red zone with 1:06 left in regulation.
The head-scratching decision somewhat marred this battle between two of the best teams of the 2010s. It was best vs. best, but it feels like the better team didn’t win that day. At least Lynch has had fun with his coach’s decision.
As for Butler, he went on to become a full-time starter, making the Pro Bowl in 2015 and being named a second-team All-Pro in ’16. But Butler was benched by Belichick for Super Bowl LII.
1. Brady overcomes 28–3
Date: Feb. 5, 2017 | Super Bowl LI
Final score: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT)
This is the most memorable comeback in NFL history, but it delivered so much more, including epic catches by Julian Edelman and Julio Jones in the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime.
It appeared the Falcons were going to avoid the 25-point collapse after Jones’s unreal 27-yard catch near the sideline with less than five minutes left in regulation. But they went backward on multiple negative plays, forcing them to punt and paving the way for everyone to make 28–3 jokes until the end of time. Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan also received plenty of criticism for how he called the game in the second half.
Edelman one-upped Jones with his incredible 23-yard diving catch before James White scored the game-tying touchdown. White (139 total yards, 3 TDs) later won it with another rushing touchdown in overtime.
Tom Brady set a record with his fifth Super Bowl win, and the season that began with his four-game suspension over Deflategate ended with the Patriots in a familiar position receiving the Lombardi Trophy.
Honorable mention
Patriots vs. Rams, Super Bowl XXXVI (2001 season); Saints vs. Vikings, NFC championship (2009); Colts vs. Chiefs, AFC wild-card (2013); Packers vs. Seahawks, NFC wild-card (2003); Ravens vs. 49ers, Super Bowl XLVII (2012); Broncos vs. Steelers, AFC wild-card (2011); Chiefs vs. Eagles, Super Bowl LVII (2022); Bears vs. Cardinals, “They Are Who We Thought They Were” game (2006); Raiders vs. Chargers, Week 18 Madness (2021)
More From MMQB Quarter-Century Week
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The 25 Best NFL Games of the Past 25 Years.