With The First Pick
Fansided

Top 20 Plays (Moments) of the 2016 NFL Season

By Kyle Davis

Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of NFL Wilson Duke football at Twickenham Stadium. The venue will play host to the NFL international Series game between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 23, 2016. The Rams will play in International Series games in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as part of an agreement by Rams owner Stan Kroenke to move the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of NFL Wilson Duke football at Twickenham Stadium. The venue will play host to the NFL international Series game between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 23, 2016. The Rams will play in International Series games in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as part of an agreement by Rams owner Stan Kroenke to move the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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#1.  Eric Berry’s Game vs the Atlanta Falcons

This performance is #1 on this list for so many reasons, and it had to be #1 above anything else.  If you haven’t heard the story of Eric Berry, you should read up.

In December of 2014, Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer.  He left the NFL, entered treatment, and was fighting for his life.  The next season, Eric Berry was given the great news that he was cancer-free, and returned to football.

Fast forward to this game in Atlanta.  Berry’s hometown, and still home to his parents.  Berry told NFL reporters he was very emotional entering this game.  He hadn’t been back to Atlanta since his chemo treatments the year before.  He hadn’t played in front of his parents in a long time.

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But Berry started quick, and just before halftime returned an interception of Matt Ryan back for a touchdown.  He found his mother, and gave her the ball.  This probably would have been enough for one day, but Berry wasn’t done.

With 4:32 remaining on the clock, the Falcons scored a touchdown to take a 1 pt lead.  Like most teams, the Falcons opted to go for 2 to make it a 3 point game.  Matt Ryan took the snap looked right, then looked left, but he didn’t see Eric Berry.

Berry intercepted the ball on the goal line and returned it 100 yards back to the same endzone as he did the first time, this time finding his dad for the ball.  The “pick-2” meant that the Falcons went from having a lead, to now trailing by 1.  And it turned out to be the game-winning play.

The craziness of the play, the 2 game-changing moments by Berry, and the story behind it all make this a no-brainer for No. 1 on this list of NFL top plays.  Hats off to Eric Berry for more than just what he did in this game, and even football.

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