NFL Wild Card Weekend has had some memorable moments and games that are simply identified by: “The Catch II,” “The Comeback” and “The Music City Miracle.” But what is the most memorable wild card matchup?
10. Dolphins 23, Colts 17 (OT)
Dec. 30, 2000
Miami overcame a 14-0 halftime deficit and three first half turnovers to beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in overtime. The Dolphins were led by running back Lamar Smith who set a playoff record with 40 carries for 209 yards. Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a 49-yard field goal in overtime and Smith capped a 61-yard drive with a 17-yard game-winning touchdown.
The wild-card round was truly wild in the strike year, 1982, as eight teams made the playoffs from each conference. The opening weekend of the playoffs included four games Saturday and four Sunday. The Super Bowl-bound Redskins (8-1), with the best record in the NFC, hosted the Lions (4-5) and won, 31-7, as Joe Theismann threw three touchdown passes to Alvin Garrett. The rest of the wild-card round went mostly as expected. The only upset came as the Jets (6-3) toppled the defending AFC champion Bengals (7-2), 44-17, behind Freeman McNeil (202 yards rushing) and Richard Todd. – Kevin Dunleavy
9. Steelers 36, Browns 33
Jan. 5, 2003
Pittsburgh overcame a 17-point deficit and scored 29 points in the second half behind quarterback Tommy Maddox. Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb threw for 429 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. Steelers Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala scored a three-yard touchdown on Pittsburgh’s game-winning drive. Holcomb completed a pass down to the Steelers’ 29-yard line, but time expired before the Browns could attempt a field goal.
8. Saints 31, Rams 28
Dec. 30, 2000
The defending Super Bowl champion Rams were blitzed out of the Superdome by the Saints, who built a 31-7 lead and then hung on for dear life. Kurt Warner rallied St. Louis to 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble as the Saints won their first playoff game in franchise history.
7. Falcons 27, Packers 7
Jan. 4, 2003
Not a close game, but memorable because Michael Vick and the Falcons became the first team to beat the Packers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. It wasn’t as much what Vick did but what Green Bay didn’t do. Atlanta forced five turnovers, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre threw two interceptions and lost a fumble and Ryan Longwell missed two field goals.
6. Packers 33, Seahawks 27 (OT)
Jan. 4, 2004
“We want the ball and we’re going to score,” the famous last words of Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after winning the overtime coin toss. Well, at least Hasselbeck was part of a historic playoff game. Packers cornerback Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for the game-winning touchdown — making it the first playoff game ever to be won by a defensive touchdown in overtime.
5. 49ers 39, Giants 38
Jan. 5, 2003
Either an epic comeback or an epic collapse, depending on who you ask. The Giants led, 38-14, with 4:27 left in the third quarter before Jeff Garcia rallied the 49ers, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another to give San Francisco a one-point lead. New York then botched a last-second field goal when Trey Junkin’s long snap went awry.
4. Dolphins 27, Chiefs 17
Dec. 31, 1994
Joe Montana and Dan Marino — the greatest quarterbacks of their generation — linked up in what would be Montana’s final NFL game. Tied, 17-17, at intermission, the Dolphins forced two turnovers in the second half. Montana threw for 314 yards, but was outdone by Marino, who completed 22 of 29 passes and threw two touchdowns.
3. 49ers 30, Packers 27
Jan. 3, 1999
This game introduced the world to Terrell Owens. It showed his extreme talent: a 25-yard game-winning catch with three seconds left that was dubbed “The Catch II.” It showed the emotional side of T.O.: hugging coach Steve Mariucci with tears in his eyes. And it showed what would plague the talented receiver his entire career: four drops and a lost fumble.
2. Bills 41, Oilers 38
Jan. 3, 1993
Buffalo’s no-huddle offense and Houston’s vaunted run-and-shoot attack put on a fireworks show in this one. Simply remembered as “The Comeback,” the Bills — with backup quarterback Frank Reich at the controls — rallied from a 35-3 second-half deficit. Entering this weekend, it is the largest comeback in a playoff game in NFL history..
1. Titans 22, Bills 16
Jan. 8, 2000
A late field goal gave Buffalo a 16-15 lead with 16 seconds left. On the ensuing kickoff, Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal fielded the ball and handed it to Frank Wycheck, who threw a lateral across the field to Kevin Dyson. With a wall of blockers leading the way, Dyson sprinted for a 75-yard touchdown, completing “The Music City Miracle.”
