Power Rankings: Top miracle finishes
In honor of Aaron Rodgers' Hail Mary on Thursday Night Football, Tank Williams and Chris Simms rank the most surprising end-of-game plays in NFL history.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHRIS SIMS: Yo, Yo, Tank. All right. I got a good one for you here, all right? It's the best miracle finishes. Because Thursday night, you know who's playing?
TANK WILLIAMS: Oh yeah.
CHRIS SIMS: Oh yeah.
TANK WILLIAMS: Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
CHRIS SIMS: You know it. Oh, that's one of my favorites ever, of all time. And we know he's had his fair share of unreal miracle finishes, because he's like Johnny Hail Mary.
TANK WILLIAMS: Dropping from the gods.
CHRIS SIMS: Yeah. Dropping from the gods. (SINGING) Oh, Aaron Rodgers, I love you so much.
But here I go. I had to make a list, right, for top three miracle finishes of all time. Tell me what you think.
Number three. It is the Eagles. I'm going with Miracle at the Meadowlands. You remember that debauchery?
That got my dad drafted in the first round next year. That's why the Eagles got a little extra incentive for me, OK? So that's number three.
Number two, we got the Music City Miracle, right? You remember--
TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah, well you know I know about that. Yeah.
CHRIS SIMS: Yeah. You know--
[CHUCKLING]
Yes, I know you know about that.
TANK WILLIAMS: Come on.
CHRIS SIMS: Damn, I forgot all about that.
And then number one, I'm going with the Immaculate Reception. Neither one of us were alive, but we know how great the Steelers in the '70s were. And we know what that damn play meant to football and the Steelers itself.
All right. So those were my three miracle finishes. You got--
TANK WILLIAMS: You know--
CHRIS SIMS: --anything you want to add.
TANK WILLIAMS: --we're kind of on the same board. I mean, you know, I'm the ultimate homer, so I went with the Music City Miracle at first, just because I know how passionate those Titans fans were. And it ended up pushing them to the Super Bowl. I mean, it came up one yard short of winning the Super Bowl. So I know that was a very important play, especially for the Tennessee Titans.
But at number two, I have The Catch II. Steve Young the TO at the end a playoff game.
CHRIS SIMS: Oh!
TANK WILLIAMS: I mean, come on now. How can you beat that?
I mean, that's when TO like rose to damn near superstardom. I mean, he makes like an unbelievable catch. Steve Young makes an unbelievable throw. I mean, I believe that was almost the end of the 49ers dynasty too. I mean, so you just look at the significance of that play as well, and I mean, it's hard to argue with that being one of the best miracle plays.
CHRIS SIMS: That was pretty good. You're right. And I did not have that on my short list. I guess it just wasn't miracle enough for me. I kind of went with like craziness, like total miracle, gift from the god type plays.
TANK WILLIAMS: Well, if you went with gift from the gods, then how did you leave out the Minneapolis Miracle that happened with the Minnesota Vikings?
CHRIS SIMS: I get it. It was number four.
TANK WILLIAMS: I mean, there is no way in hell that Stefon Diggs should have been able to catch that ball and then run into the end zone. Like no way.
CHRIS SIMS: No I-- and that was on-- if we had a four way list here, that would have been on my list. It didn't make it--
TANK WILLIAMS: The only reason it didn't make the top three for you, I guess, and the reason it was number three for me is because they didn't win the Super Bowl. Like I feel like if it's a miracle, at least finish the deal.
CHRIS SIMS: Well yeah, it's a miracle, they didn't finish the deal, and I also just want to go-- I mean, that was just dumbness on the Saints defense.
TANK WILLIAMS: (CHUCKLING) True.
CHRIS SIMS: So I want to go like, yeah, it was a miracle, but it was also a miracle the Saints are so dumb to play it that way. So that's why I did it.
But you know, I bet that one at the Meadowlands, Joe Pisarcik turning around. I mean the game's over. It's 30 seconds left. The Eagles got no time outs. And he bobbles the handoff.
I mean, can we just kneel on the ball?
TANK WILLIAMS: Right.
CHRIS SIMS: Just kneel on it? Call it quits?
Instead, they try to give it like the reverse like, you know, fullback veer dive to Larry Csonka. And our man, Herm Edwards, is the one that picks it up.
So that was like-- Philadelphia has got about 10 miracles at the Meadowlands. That's what I learned doing this video. It's unreal. I almost went with the miracle at the new Meadowlands with DeSean Jackson picking up that one to win the game too.
TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah. I mean, I think one thing that always stands out to me, even though it wasn't just one play, Brett Favre playing on Monday night after his dad passed away in Oakland. And some of those balls that he threw up to Jevon Walker was straight prayers.
And I don't know how he came down with those balls, but it was one of those things where sometimes you're just like in the zone. It's like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson shooting three pointers. Like whatever Brett Favre threw up, I mean, it was going to get caught and it was going to be a touchdown. So that always stands out to me, being a Mississippi boy.
CHRIS SIMS: Yeah, that was pretty-- it was like his dad was there guiding the ball right into the Packers receivers' hands. That was pretty awesome. I'll never forget that night either, Tank. That was a good one.
TANK WILLIAMS: Ah, yes. I love the football gods.
