This weekend the NFL Playoffs begin with the Wild-Card games. This has historically been a weekend of crazy games as teams pull out all the stops to make it to the next round and beyond on the road to Super Sunday. The eight teams appearing are usually made up of teams that barely made the playoffs, such as the Giants and Broncos this year, and others who won their division going away but fell just short of locking up a bye week, like New Orleans and Houston.
Over the course of time we have had many memorable playoff games, but only a handful of those truly rise to the level of greatness. This weekend has the potential for even more. To prepare for these games, here is a short list of what I believe to be the greatest Wild-Card games of all time, in chronological order. The years listed are the seasons they were from, not the actual year they were played.
1992 Houston at Buffalo
– Any Wild-Card Game discussion must include the greatest comeback in NFL history. Down by 32 points in the third quarter the Bills rallied behind backup quarterback Frank Reich and a home-field crowd that refused to let them lose. Warren Moon and the Houston offense, which couldn’t be stopped in the first half, managed to salvage a late field goal to send the game into overtime, but by then the outcome of this thriller had been decided. Steve Christie’s 32-yard field goal sent the home crowd into a frenzy and continued the Oilers’ futility in the postseason.
1998 Green Bay at San Francisco – “Owens, Owens, Owens!” Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers were intent on returning to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year, but Steve Young and Terrell Owens ended the Packer reign as NFC Kingpins with a heart-stopping touchdown pass to win the game at the final gun. Owens, who had been having a frustrating day up to that point, held on to the ball as he was sandwiched between two Packer defenders on the final play.
1999 Buffalo at Tennessee – This was another great playoff game between two old AFL foes. To a Buffalo Bills fan The Music City Miracle is yet another phrase (along with wide right) that can send them into a deep, dark depression. After taking the lead late in the game it appeared that the Bills had finally won a post-Jim Kelly playoff game. The Titans had other things in mind. On the kickoff following Buffalo’s late go-ahead field goal, the ball was dribbling down the field when a Titans player picked it up, handed it off to tight end Frank Wycheck, who then hurled the ball to the other side of the field. Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Kevin Dyson stepped back to catch the lateral/pass and flew down the near sideline all the way to the end zone. But wait…the Bills were convinced (and some are to this day) that the pass was indeed a forward lateral, which of course was illegal. The game official was called to review the instant replay to see if the call on the field was correct. After several anxious minutes the play was ruled to have been a legal lateral and a touchdown, giving the Titans the win and momentum that would eventually carry them to the Super Bowl.
2002 NY Giants at San Francisco – The 49ers were trailing 38-14 at home in the second half before exploding for 25 consecutive points to pull out a narrow one point victory. The Giants appeared to have the game in the bag in the third quarter, only to watch San Francisco steal one in the end. New York’s special teams mistakes near the end of the game helped to seal their fate. A missed call on a clear pass interference play after a botched Giants field goal attempt only added to the New Yorkers frustration.
2009 Green Bay at Arizona – Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers staged a shootout for the ages. Warner finished the game with 379 yards passing and 5 touchdowns, while Rodgers finished with 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. For a good portion of the game Arizona, the defending NFC Champions, appeared to have it won, only to see the Packers come back and make it a contest again and again. Eventually the game would move into overtime, and in one of the craziest finishes to any game in recent memory, Rodgers was hit while attempting a pass and the ensuing fumble returned by Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby 17 yards for the deciding score.
Will any of this weekend’s games live up to these? Possibly. The potential is always there for a great game, especially in the playoffs. The finality of a “one and done” scenario is what creates the environment for the desperation of the teams involved. Whether you are the favorite or the underdog at this point doesn’t matter. As long as you’re in the tournament you have a shot.
Even if none of the games this weekend can be counted among these historic games, I hope for all of us that they’re at least worth watching. Hey, it’s the playoffs right? They should be!
Next week: a look at history’s greatest games from the divisional round of the playoffs.
