BETTER THAN SUPER
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY PRODUCES SOME OF NFL’S GREATEST MOMENTS The NFL season culminates with the Super Bowl, but that game often pales in comparison to Championship Sunday. The AFC and NFC championship games, with a pair of Super Bowl berths at stake, often
NFC, 1981: 49ERS 28, COWBOYS 27
This game launched one dynasty and derailed another. “The Catch” by Dwight Clark in the final minute gave the 49ers the lead and a critical tackle by Eric Wright kept Drew Pearson from breaking loose for the winning touchdown on Dallas’ final drive. The Cowboys then fumbled, with the 49ers recovering to clinch their first Super Bowl trip.
AFC, 1986: BRONCOS 23, BROWNS 20 (OT)
The legend of John Elway was born on this dreary day in Cleveland. Down 20-13 with 5:43 left and the ball on his 2-yard line, Elway led the Broncos on what became known as “The Drive” — a 15play, 98-yard march that culminated with the tying 5-yard TD pass to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left. Denver’s Rich Karlis then kicked the winning field goal in overtime.
AFC, 1987: BRONCOS 38, BROWNS 33
One year after enduring The Drive, Cleveland was handed another bitter loss. The Browns were poised to tie the score in the final minutes, but running back Earnest Byner was stripped of the ball near the goal line by Denver’s Jeremiah Castille, with the Broncos recovering. In Cleveland, it’s called “The Fumble.”
NFC, 1990: GIANTS 15, 49ERS 13
Despite losing Joe Montana after a brutal hit by Leonard Marshall, two-time defending champion San Francisco had the lead in the final minutes. But Roger Craig fumbled and New York’s Lawrence Taylor recovered. Matt Bahr then kicked his fifth field goal as time expired to end the 49ers’ three-peat bid.
NFC, 1992: COWBOYS 30, 49ERS 20
The Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty kicked off with this changing-of-the-guard win in San Francisco. Alvin Harper’s late 70yard catch and run set up the clinching touchdown as the Cowboys advanced to the Super Bowl three years after going 1-15. They won three titles in four years.
AFC, 1994: CHARGERS 17, STEELERS 13
The Steelers were so confident they’d win that tight end Eric Green and some teammates made a Super Bowl rap video. But the Chargers overcame a 13-3 deficit, took the lead late in the fourth quarter and then stopped the Steelers on fourth down inside the 5-yard line in the final seconds to seal their upset.
AFC, 1995: STEELERS 20, COLTS 16
This game ended in dramatic fashion. Bam Morris’ TD run with 1:34 left gave the Steelers the lead, but they had to sweat out a Jim Harbaugh Hail Mary that receiver Aaron Bailey couldn’t corral in the end zone as time expired.
NFC, 1998: FALCONS 30, VIKINGS 27 (OT)
Unbeaten at home all season, the 15-1 Vikings had a seven-point lead and a chance to salt the game with a little more than two minutes left, but Gary Anderson missed his first kick of the year, as his 38-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. Atlanta then drove and tied the score with 49 seconds left on Chris Chandler’s 16-yard TD pass to Terence Mathis. The Falcons’ Morten Andersen then made his 38-yard field goal in OT to send Atlanta to its first Super Bowl.
NFC, 1999: RAMS 11, BUCCANEERS 6
The Bucs did what few teams could: Slow down St. Louis’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. But a late Kurt Warner to Ricky Proehl touchdown pass gave the Rams the lead. Tampa Bay then saw a critical catch by Rice product Bert Emanuel wiped out on a controversial replay review (the rule was changed the following offseason), short-circuiting a possible winning drive.
AFC, 2006: COLTS 38, PATRIOTS 34
Peyton Manning finally got the best of Tom Brady, rallying the Colts from a 21-3 deficit. The Colts took the lead with less than two minutes left, and Marlin Jackson intercepted Brady with 18 seconds left to finish off the Patriots.
NFC, 2007: GIANTS 23, PACKERS 20 (OT)
Brett Favre’s last game as a Packer ended with him throwing an interception in overtime at frigid Lambeau Field. That led to Lawrence Tynes’ game-winning 47yard field goal. Tynes had missed from 36 yards out to end regulation.
NFC, 2009: SAINTS 31, VIKINGS 28 (OT)
The last playoff game of Brett Favre’s career brought vintage Favre — the good and the bad. With the score tied and the Vikings in field-goal range late in the fourth quarter, Favre’s ill-advised throw across the grain was intercepted by Tracy Porter, leading to overtime. Minnesota never got the ball back, with Garrett Hartley’s field goal sending the Saints to their first Super Bowl.
AFC, 2011: PATRIOTS 23, RAVENS 20.
Baltimore was dealt a pair of gut punches during the final 30 seconds. First, Lee Evans dropped a go-ahead touchdown pass. Then Billy Cundiff badly shanked a 32-yard field goal attempt that would’ve tied the score, allowing New England to escape with the win.
NFC, 2012: 49ERS 28, FALCONS 24
The host Falcons soared to a 17-0 lead, but Colin Kaepernick rallied the 49ers in the second half. Navorro Bowman then knocked down Matt Ryan’s pass to Roddy White on fourth down at the 49ers’ 10 with a little more than a minute left to clinch the win.
NFC, 2013: SEAHAWKS 23, 49ERS 17
A brutally physical game between the NFC West rivals culminated with a memorable finish, as Richard Sherman tipped away Colin Kaepernick’s pass to Michael Crabtree in the end zone, with Malcolm Smith intercepting the ball to seal Seattle’s win. Sherman then ripped Crabtree in a postgame interview.
NFC, 2014: SEATTLE 28, GREEN BAY 22 (OT)
Green Bay had a 12-point lead with less than three minutes remaining and a Super Bowl berth seemingly in the bag. But a Seattle TD, a botched onside kick recovery and another Seahawks TD and 2-point conversion put the Packers in a 22-19 hole. They recovered to force overtime, but never got the ball again and lost on Russell Wilson’s TD pass to Jermaine Kearse early in extra time.
AFC, 2015: BRONCOS 20, PATRIOTS 18
The last Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning showdown was a memorable one. Patriots coach Bill Belichick eschewed a couple fourth-quarter field-goal attempts and was stopped on fourth down in Broncos territory. In the final seconds, Denver’s Bradley Roby intercepted Brady on a tying 2-point conversion attempt to preserve the Broncos’ win.