Greatest Plays in NFL History
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The NFL has no shortage of amazing plays every season that will be seared into our collective memory forever — depending on what side of the line you fall on that can be a good thing or a bad thing. What's not up for debate is the greatness on display when it all goes down.
One of the reasons the NFL continues to create distance between itself and every other professional sport in the U.S. in terms of popularity boils down to those great plays and those great moments. Here's a look at the 50 greatest plays in NFL history.
50. McGee's One-Handed Catch is First Super Bowl Touchdown
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Date: Jan. 15, 1967
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Final score: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10 (Super Bowl I)
Bottom line: Max McGee wasn't the biggest, fastest or stronger wide receiver to ever play the game. But he was one of the greatest winners and always will be the player who scored the first touchdown in a Super Bowl — a 37-yard pass from Bart Starr.
49. 'The Fumble' Seals Byner's Place in History
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Date: Jan. 17, 1988
Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Final score: Denver Broncos 38, Cleveland Browns 33 (AFC championship game)
Bottom line: The secret to happiness for Browns fans is to never expect anything from their team. Then, they can never be disappointed. Hope leads to gut punches like "The Fumble," which cost the Browns a shot at their first Super Bowl. And they haven't come close again since.
48. Rodgers Throws Game-Tying Hail Mary Against the Cardinals
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Date: Jan. 16, 2016
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Final score: Arizona Cardinals 26, Green Bay Packers 20 (NFC divisional round)
Bottom line: Aaron Rodgers is a master of the comeback, and the Packers' prayers have been answered in many games. But Green Bay can't win them all.
47. Brown Beats Bears By Himself
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Date: Dec. 10, 1961
Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Final score: Chicago Bears 17, Cleveland Browns 14
Bottom line: Jim Brown was hard to catch. In this play alone, he made seven Bears defenders miss. With 2,621 touches in Brown's career, by a conservative estimate, that means at least 10,000 players couldn't touch him.
46. Beebe Runs Down Lett in Super Bowl XXVII
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Date: Jan. 31, 1993
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17 (Super Bowl XXVII)
Bottom line: One play. Two lessons. 1. Don't celebrate too early — Leon Lett is Exhibit A for how things can go awry. 2. Never stop playing hard — see Don Beebe chasing down Lett when the Bills trailed 52-17.
45. Bradshaw's Epic Super Bowl Touchdown to Stallworth
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Date: Jan. 20, 1980
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Los Angeles Rams 19 (Super Bowl XIV)
Bottom line: Getting to the mountaintop is tough. Staying there is tougher. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw rose to the challenge, going 4-0 in four Super Bowls (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979) while passing for 932 yards and nine touchdowns.
44. Bednarik Delivers 'Hit of the Century' on Gifford
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Date: Nov. 20, 1960
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Final score: Philadelphia Eagles 17, New York Giants 10
Bottom line: Chuck Bednarik was one of the toughest players in NFL history. Known as "Concrete Charlie," the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Eagles linebacker lived up to his name by knocking out Giants running back Frank Gifford with a "deep brain concussion." Gifford did not play another NFL game until 1962.
43. Nathan's 'Hook and Lateral' Against Chargers
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Date: Jan. 2, 1982
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Final score: San Diego Chargers 41, Miami Dolphins 38 (AFC divisional game)
Bottom line: The Dolphins dipped into their bag of tricks with a hook-and-ladder play to pull within 24-17 at the end of the first half against the Chargers. Although the Fish lost the "Epic in Miami" in overtime, Tony Nathan's touchdown remains a classic.
42. 'Miami Miracle' Lifts Dolphins Over Patriots
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Date: Dec. 9, 2018
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Opa-Locka, Florida
Final score: Miami Dolphins 33, New England Patriots 33
Bottom line: The Dolphins shocked the Patriots with a reboot of their "Hook and Lateral" from 1982. Miami better savor the win. It might be a while until the team is relevant again in the NFL.
Freeman's Improbable Catch on MNF
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Date: Nov. 6, 2000
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Final score: Green Bay Packers 26, Minnesota Vikings 20
Bottom line: "Monday Night Football" has had its share of strange moments. The Packers have had their share of great ones. Add Antonio Freeman's catch to both lists.
40. Mackey Runs Through Entire Lions' Defense
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Date: Nov. 20, 1966
Location: Tiger Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
Final score: Detroit Lions 20, Baltimore Colts 14
Bottom line: John Mackey revolutionized the tight end position. At 6-foot-2, 224 pounds with speed and strength, it's easy to see why.
39. Campbell Uses Head as a Battering Ram
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Date: Sept. 24, 1978
Location: Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Final score: Los Angeles Rams 10, Houston Oilers 6
Bottom line: Earl Campbell ran with violent intentions. Campbell's move on this play — using his head to plow over a defender — would be illegal in today's NFL. But in 1978, this type of sledgehammer running sent crowds wild and was celebrated as beautiful football.
38. Marino's Fake Spike Play to Beat the J-E-T-S
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Date: Nov. 27, 1994
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Final score: Miami Dolphins 28, New York Jets 24
Bottom line: Dan Marino caught the Jets sleeping with one of the oldest tricks in the book. Touchdown. Victory. You don't throw for over 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns without a little trickery in your arsenal.
37. Sweetness Runs Through the Chiefs
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Date: Nov. 13, 1977
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Final score: Chicago Bears 28, Kansas City Chiefs 27
Bottom line: By NFL standards, Walter Payton wasn't all that big for a running back at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds. But the size of his heart was off the charts. That's what made the Hall of Famer so sweet.
36. Jackson's Ends Game With 65-Yard Punt Return Touchdown
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Date: Dec. 19, 2010
Location: New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Final score: Philadelphia Eagle 38, New York Giants 31
Bottom line: Like Frank Sinatra, a Hoboken legend, DeSean Jackson did things his way on the football field. Jackson may have stirred up memories of the first "Miracle at the Meadowlands" with this punt return for a touchdown, but no NFL game had ever ended with a walk-off punt return before.
35. Dorsett's 99-Yard Touchdown Run on Monday Night Football
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Date: Jan. 3, 1983
Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final score: Minnesota Vikings 31, Dallas Cowboys 27
Bottom line: Great players capitalize on any mistake. The Vikings' defense blinked in a short-yardage bunch defense, and Tony Dorsett made them pay with the first 99-yard run in NFL history. Dallas still lost the game, though.
34. 'Kansas Comet' Returns Punt 85 Yards for Touchdown
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Date: Dec. 12, 1965
Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Final score: Chicago Bears 61, San Francisco 49ers 20
Bottom line: Gayle Sayers was poetry in motion. Fast and physical, Sayers made scoring touchdowns look easy. This punt return was his sixth touchdown of the day, and he finished his rookie NFL campaign with 22 scores.
33. Elway Sacrifices Body in Super Bowl
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Date: Jan. 25, 1998
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Final score: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24 (Super Bowl XXXII)
Bottom line: The most grit wins. John Elway sacrificed his body to lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl title. As Shane Falco said in "The Replacements": "Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever."
32. Porter's Interception Return Seals Super Bowl XLIV
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Date: Feb. 7, 2010
Location: Dolphins Stadium, Opa-Locka, Florida
Final score: New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17 (Super Bowl XLIV)
Bottom line: Who dat say they gon beat them Saints? Nobody on this day. Tracy Porter made sure of that, and New Orleans won its first Super Bowl.
31. Manningham's Miracle Catch in Super Bowl XLVI
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Date: Feb. 5, 2012
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Final score: New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17 (Super Bowl XLVI)
Bottom line: First, David Tyree. Then, Mario Manningham. Did Bill Belichick do something to Tom Coughlin when they were assistants on Bill Parcells' Giants staff?
30. Elway Orchestrates 'The Drive' to Defeat Browns
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Date: Jan. 11, 1987
Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Final score: Denver Broncos 23, Cleveland Browns 20 (AFC championship game)
Bottom line: The numbers tell the story — 15 plays, 98 yards, 5:06 minutes. John Elway threw a fastball strike to Mark Jackson to tie the game, and the Broncos won it in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl. Another excruciating loss for Cleveland.
29. Stabler Connects With Casper on 'Ghost to the Post'
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Date: Dec. 24, 1977
Location: Memorial Stadium, Baltimore Maryland
Final score: Oakland Raiders 37, Baltimore Colts 31, 2OT (AFC divisional game)
Bottom line: Dave Casper was a tough matchup for any defense. "Ghost" (as in Casper) already had three touchdowns against the Colts, and when Ken Stabler called his number again, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end was ready. Oakland tied the game in regulation, won it in overtime, then lost to the Broncos in the AFC championship game.
28. Gleason Blocks Punt in Return to Superdome
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Date: Sept. 25, 2006
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Final score: New Orleans Saints 23, Atlanta Falcons 3
Bottom line: The Saints helped lift up all of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. In the team's first game back in New Orleans since the devastation, Steve Gleason blocked a punt that Curtis DeLoatch picked up for a touchdown. Hollywood screenwriters could not have scripted this any better.
27. Young's Dazzling, 49-Yard Touchdown Run
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Date: Oct. 30, 1988
Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 24, Minnesota Vikings 21
Bottom line: Steve Young was one of the best running quarterbacks in NFL history. He rushed for 4,239 yards in his career, and these legendary 49 yards against the Vikings summed up his greatness.
26. 'The Holy Roller' Gives Raiders Wild Win in San Diego
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Date: Sept. 10, 1978
Location: San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
Final score: Oakland Raiders 21, San Diego Chargers 20
Bottom line: The Raiders and NFL controversy go together like John Facenda's voice with NFL Films. That suited Al Davis fine as long as the calls went the Silver and Black's way and helped his team "just win, baby." This time, they did.
25. Bo Runs Into Tunnel After 91-Yard Touchdown
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Date: Nov. 30, 1987
Location: Seattle Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Final score: Los Angeles Raiders 37, Seattle Seahawks 14
Bottom line: See Bo run. See Bo score. See Bo disappear. Bo Jackson burst on the scene like a flash of brilliance and was gone too soon due to injury. But the legend of Bo continues to grow.
24. Young and Terrell Owens Create 'The Catch II'
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Date: Jan. 3, 1999
Location: 3Com Park, San Francisco, California
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 30, Green Bay Packers 27 (NFC Wild Card)
Bottom line: Sometimes, history is worth repeating. With Steve Young and Terrell Owens, the 49ers produced a sequel to "The Catch." Only this one went for 25 yards and didn't lead to a Super Bowl title.
23. Edwards Returns Fumble for 'Miracle' Touchdown
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Date: Nov. 19, 1978
Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Final score: Philadelphia Eagles 19, New York Giants 17
Bottom line: There are two sides to every great play. For New York Giants fans, this moment will forever be known as "The Fumble." Eagles fans fondly remember it as the "Miracle at the Meadowlands.”
22. Edelman Keeps Ball Off Turf in Super Bowl LI
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Date: Feb. 5, 2017
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Final score: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28 (Super Bowl LI)
Bottom line: Julian Edelman epitomizes the Patriot way. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft (232nd overall), the quarterback out of Kent State was converted to wide receiver. Edelman has helped the Patriots win three more Super Bowls and now is a potential future Hall of Famer. Just another example of how Bill Belichick plays chess while the rest of the NFL plays tiddlywinks.
21. 'Joe Cool' Finds Taylor to Win Super Bowl XXIII
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Date: Jan. 22, 1989
Location: Joe Robie Stadium, Opa-Locka, Florida
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16 (Super XXIII)
Bottom line: If your life depended on one drive, would you want anyone but Joe Montana leading the offense? "Joe Cool" went 14-5 in 19 playoff games with the 49ers, including 4-0 in Super Bowls. He also is the only three-time Super Bowl MVP in NFL history and had a knack for making big plays and no mistakes in the highest-pressure situations.
20. Riggins' Fourth-Down Rumble in Super Bowl XVII
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Date: Jan. 30, 1983
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Final score: Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17 (Super Bowl XVII)
Bottom line: John Riggins marched to his own drummer, but make no mistake, he was a great football player "who played the game with skill, power and intensity," according to former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. This play encapsulates Riggins' career. He finished with 166 rushing yards, a Super Bowl record at the time, and was named Most Valuable Player of the game.
19. Ameche's Winning Touchdown in 'Greatest Game Ever Played'
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Date: Dec. 28, 1958
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Final score: Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17, OT (NFL Championship Game)
Bottom line: Football is a game of inches. Those inches can change lives forever. While Johnny Unitas led the Colts' 80-yard game-winning drive in overtime, Alan Ameche scored Baltimore's winning one-yard touchdown. Thanks to a national television broadcast, they became household names, and this game — the first overtime finish in NFL title history — helped popularize pro football with the masses.
18. Vinatieri Delivers Clutch Field Goal in 'Tuck Rule' Game
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Date: Jan. 19, 2002
Location: Foxboro Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Final score: New England Patriots 16, Oakland Raiders 13, OT (AFC divisional game)
Bottom line: Talk about pressure. All that was riding on Adam Vinatieri's kick was the hopes and dreams of generations of New England sports fans. He made it, along with the overtime game-winner and brought home the Patriots' first Super Bowl championship. And their second and third. Now Vinatieri is a Boston legend for life.
17. 'Sea of Hands' Catch by Davis in AFC Playoffs
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Date: Dec. 21, 1974
Location: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Final score: Oakland Raiders 28, Miami Dolphins 26 (AFC divisional game)
Bottom line: To be the best, you have to beat the best. The Raiders dethroned the two-time defending Super Bowl champions Dolphins with an eight-yard flip from Ken Stabler that Clarence Davis caught amid a "Sea of Hands." Oakland lost in the AFC conference championship game to the Steelers but found its mojo for the rest of the decade.
16. OBJ Makes 'Impossible' One-Handed Touchdown Catch
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Date: Nov. 23, 2014
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 31, New York Giants 28
Bottom line: NFL players had produced one-handed catches before Odell Beckham Jr., but none like this one. Beckham's 43-yard catch of an Eli Manning pass during a Sunday night game was "absolutely impossible," as NBC color commentator Chris Collinsworth said. It also entered the conversation of greatest catch ever.
15. Staubach's Hail Mary Touchdown to Drew Pearson
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Date: Dec. 28, 1975
Location: Metropolitan Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final score: Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 14 (NFC divisional game)
Bottom line: The "Hail Mary" pass became a common football phrase because of this play. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach coined the term after his desperation heave landed in Drew Pearson's hands to give Dallas the win.
"I was kidding around with the writers," Staubach said. "Then they asked the question. I said, 'I got knocked down on the play. ... I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.' It slowly became the term for anybody that was kind of in trouble, and you had a hope. You used to have a wing and a prayer, and now the Hail Mary is used for politics, for business, and for football."
14. Allen Runs for 74-Yard Touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII
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Date: Jan. 22, 1984
Location: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Final score: Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9 (Super Bowl XVIII)
Bottom line: The Redskins entered the game with only two losses on the season, but the Raiders dominated them in every way. Marcus Allen punctuated the rout "running with the night" — as narrated by the great John Facenda. The championship still is a happy memory for Raider Nation, which hasn't had too many new happy memories in recent years.
13. Seattle's Lynch Causes 'Beast Quake'
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Date: Jan. 8, 2011
Location: Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington
Final score: Seattle Seahawks 41, New Orleans Saints 36 (NFC Wild Card)
Bottom line: Marshawn Lynch was a misunderstood football genius. All he wanted to do was play ball, and when he did, in his prime, "Beast Mode" was one of the most dangerous running backs in NFL history. Just look at his "Beast Quake" run against the Saints for proof.
12. Swann's Circus Catch in Super Bowl X
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Date: Jan. 18, 1976
Location: Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17 (Super Bowl X)
Bottom line: Lynn Swann always played well in big-money ballgames. In 16 career playoff games, Swann caught 48 passes for 907 yards (averaging 18.9 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns. His 53-yard circus catch wasn't his longest reception in Super Bowl X. That was a 64-yard touchdown. Little wonder he was named MVP of the game, has four Super Bowl rings and is in Canton.
11. Jones Makes Game-Saving Tackle in Super Bowl XXIV
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Date: Jan. 30, 2000
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Final score: St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16 (Super Bowl XXXIV)
Bottom line: Kevin Dyson smelled the goal line, but St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones made sure the Titans' wide receiver stayed "one yard short." The rest is history.
10. 'Philly Special' Causes Super Bowl Pandemonium
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Date: Feb. 4, 2018
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final score: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33 (Super Bowl XXXIV)
Bottom line: Not too many coaches get the better of Bill Belichick. Eagles coach Doug Pederson did in Super Bowl XXXIV. On fourth-and-1 at the goal line in the second quarter, with Philadelphia leading 15-12, Pederson opted to go for it and called a gutsy trick play — Philly Special, a pass to quarterback Nick Foles. The Eagles scored and went on to win the franchise's first Super Bowl.
9. Diggs Completes 'Minneapolis Miracle' Against Saints
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Date: Jan. 14, 2018
Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final score: Minnesota Vikings 29, New Orleans Saints 24 (NFC divisional round)
Bottom line: Stefon Diggs has shined in the early stages of his postseason career. In his second playoff game, Diggs made a big-time catch over New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams on his way to the game-winning touchdown. In three playoff games, the third-year receiver out of Maryland has 18 receptions for 233 yards. That's a respectable opening chapter.
8. Starr Scores Game-Winning Touchdown in 'Ice Bowl'
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Date: Dec. 31, 1967
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Final score: Green Bay Packers 21, Dallas Cowboys 17 (NFL Championship Game)
Bottom line: Bart Starr's clutchness was underrated. In the "Ice Bowl," with the game-time temperature at minus-13 degrees (minus-48 with the wind chill), Starr led the Packers to the NFL title, then a second straight Super Bowl win. He was the Super Bowl MVP in both games and finished his career with a 9-1 postseason record. In those 10 postseason games, he had 15 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. Now, that's clutch.
7. 'Immaculate Interception' Returned 100 Yards in Super Bowl XLIII
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Date: Feb. 1, 2009
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23 (Super Bowl XLIII)
Bottom line: James Harrison had the same number of interception touchdowns before and after his "Immaculate Interception" in Super Bowl XLIII — none. Harrison's 100-yard interception return to close the first half gave the Steelers a 17-7 lead, and they would need every point to prevail. It was an appropriate way for the undrafted linebacker out of Kent State — the real-life "Deebo" — to achieve immortality.
6. Holmes Makes Acrobatic Catch to Win Super Bowl XLIII
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Date: Feb. 1, 2009
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23 (Super Bowl XLIII)
Bottom line: Santonio Holmes saved his best for last, making the biggest catch of his career to secure a sixth Super Bowl title for Pittsburgh. Holmes had one more productive season with the Steelers before they traded him to the Jets for a fifth-round pick in the 2010 offseason.
5. Pats' Butler Picks off Wilson to Win Super Bowl XLIX
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Date: Feb. 1, 2015
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Final score: New England Patriots 28, Seattle Seahawks 24 (Super Bowl XLIX)
Bottom line: Malcolm Butler made a great play to jump Ricardo Lockette's route and intercept Russell Wilson's pass. But why was Wilson throwing the ball on the 1-yard line with under a minute to play and the Seahawks trailing 28-24? All they had to do was give the ball to Marshawn Lynch. The call remains one of life's mysteries and will haunt Seattle forever.
4. Dyson Returns Kickoff for 'Music City Miracle' Touchdown
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Date: Jan. 8, 2000
Location: Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee
Final score: Tennessee Titans 22, Buffalo Bills 16 (AFC Wild Card)
Bottom line: If you haven't noticed, the NFL has a lot of miracles. The "Music City" variety included two laterals, and Kevin Dyson taking it to the house. The play was reviewed, confirmed, and still remains controversial.
3. Tyree's Helmet Catch in Super Bowl XLII
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Date: Feb. 3, 2008
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale Arizona
Final score: New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Super Bowl XLII)
Bottom line: The Patriots were about a minute away from the second perfect season in NFL history and the first 19-0 campaign. Eli Manning, David Tyree and the Giants had other ideas. Manning avoided a sack and got off a pass to Tyree, who hauled in a 32-yard reception by his fingertips as Patriots safety Rodney Harrison pulled him down after the catch. Somehow, with time running out and the ball pinned to his helmet, Tyree held on tight with both hands. It was a play for the ages, and we still wonder how he did it. The Giants sealed the deal with a Plaxico Burress touchdown. Yet everything about that final drive seems surreal. Still. But it's all real.
2. Montana and Clark Connect for 'The Catch' at Candlestick
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Date: Jan. 10, 1982
Location: Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
Final score: San Francisco 49ers 28, Dallas Cowboys 27 (NFC championship game)
Bottom line: Every drive has a turning point. Just like every dynasty has a beginning. "The Catch" signaled the birth of the 49ers' juggernaut in the 1980s. This 6-yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark has been dissected from every angle almost as much as "Citizen Kane." The final analysis always is the same. Montana is a master with the ball, and Clark has amazing reach/great hands.
1. 'The Immaculate Reception'
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Date: Dec. 23, 1972
Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Final score: Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Oakland Raiders 7 (NFC championship game)
Bottom line: Franco Harris' reception gave the Steelers their first playoff win in franchise history. But the greatest play in NFL history remains the most controversial. Was it a catch or not? Why did a 17-second play take 15 minutes for officials to make a final decision? Were referees reluctant to nullify the Steelers' touchdown and overturn the call in the Raiders' favor because they feared for their safety in Pittsburgh? The answers depend on rooting interests. And the final conclusion won't ever satisfy everyone.