“The Fumble,” “The Drive” and “The Catch” all took place in NFL conference championship games. Here are the best games sending teams to the Super Bowl.
Jan. 19, 2014: Seahawks 23, 49ers 17
Richard Sherman did a CenturyLink Leap in the end zone, tipping Colin Kaepernick’s pass intended for Michael Crabtree to Malcolm Smith for an interception with 22 seconds remaining. Even more memorable was Sherman trashing Crabtree in a postgame interview with Erin Andrews.
Jan. 20, 2013: 49ers 28, Falcons 24
Frank Gore scored a pair of touchdowns, Vernon Davis hauled in five passes for 106 yards and score, and Colin Kaepernick guided San Francisco on a pair of second-half scoring drives as the Niners overcame an early 17-0 deficit to beat the Falcons in Atlanta.
Jan. 22, 2012: Patriots 23, Ravens 20
The Ravens should have won it. Then they should have tied it. Baltimore did neither, and the Patriots escaped with a 23-20 win. Ravens wide receiver Lee Evans had the game-winning touchdown in his hands with 22 seconds left before New England cornerback Sterling Moore jarred the ball free. Then Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining, locking up the Patriots’ rematch with the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.
Jan. 22, 2012: Giants 20, 49ers 17 (OT)
The Giants trailed the 49ers twice on the road, but New York rallied and won the game behind a stout defensive effort and two passing touchdowns from quarterback Eli Manning. After a back-and-forth contest in regulation, the game entered overtime tied at 17. But 49ers punt returner Kyle Williams, who muffed a punt in the fourth quarter to set up a Giants touchdown, fumbled a punt deep in San Francisco territory in overtime. The Giants kicked a field goal five plays later to win 20-17.
Jan. 24, 2010: Saints 31, Vikings 28 (OT)
Favre threw away the NFC Championship for the second time in three years in 2010, getting intercepted late in regulation with Minnesota in position for a game-winning field goal attempt. New Orleans converted on the first possession of overtime, getting a 40-yarder from kicker Garrett Hartley to win 31-28.
Jan. 20, 2008: Giants 23, Packers 20 (OT)
What a way to go out: Playing in a minus-24 degree wind chill, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre’s last pass as a Packer was an interception on the second play of overtime. The pick set up Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes — who had missed two fourth quarter kicks, including a 36-yarder as time expired — for his game-winning 47-yarder that made it 23-20.
Jan. 23, 2000: Rams 11, Buccaneers 6
The defensively stout Bucs held the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” in check for most of the game, but Tampa Bay couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most, giving up a touchdown with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left to lose 11-6.
Jan. 17, 1999: Falcons 30, Vikings 27 (OT)
Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson — who had not missed a kick all season — gave new life to the Falcons when he pushed a late 38-yarder that would’ve sealed the victory. Atlanta quarterback Chris Chandler took advantage of Anderson’s miss, driving his team down the field and throwing a 16-yard touchdown to force overtime. The Falcons won on the fourth possession of the extra period, getting a 38-yard field goal from Morten Anderson to beat the Vikings 30-27.
Jan. 14, 1996: Steelers 20, Colts 16
Pittsburgh took the lead late in this back-and-forth game, getting a touchdown from running back Bam Morris to go up 20-16 with 1 minute, 34 seconds left. The Colts had a good shot at the end zone on their final drive, but wideout Aaron Bailey couldn’t quite haul in Jim Harbaugh’s 29-yard Hail Mary as time expired.
Jan. 14, 1996: Cowboys 38, Packers 27
Running back Emmitt Smith rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cowboys overcome a 27-24 fourth quarter deficit to win 38-27. It was the third straight year Dallas eliminated the Packers from the playoffs.
Jan. 15, 1995: Chargers 17, Steelers 13
The Chargers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to upset the heavily favored Steelers. In one of the greatest games in his career, Junior Seau recorded 16 tackles while playing with a pinched nerve in his neck.
Jan. 20, 1991: Giants 15, 49ers 13
The Giants’ defense — which had earlier knocked Joe Montana out of the game — came up huge with New York trailing 13-12 with 2 minutes, 36 seconds remaining, recovering 49er running back Roger Craig’s fumble to set up the Giants’ decisive drive. New York kicker Matt Bahr capped the final possession, nailing his fifth field goal as time expired to give the Giants a 15-13 victory.
Jan. 17, 1988: Broncos 38, Browns 33
It’s been more than 25 years, but Cleveland fans are still cringing about “The Fumble.” With the Browns trailing 38-31 with just over a minute left in the game, Cleveland running back Earnest Byner coughed up the ball on the Broncos’ two-yard-line to send Denver to the Super Bowl.
Jan. 11, 1987: Broncos 23, Browns 20 (OT)
Browns fans, avert your eyes. John Elway led the Broncos on “The Drive,” a 98-yard, five minute masterpiece to tie Cleveland at 20 with 37 seconds left in regulation. The Broncos would go on to win in overtime, getting a 33-yard field goal from kicker Rich Karlis to win 23-20. It was the first of two consecutive gut-wrenching AFC championship defeats Denver would hand Cleveland.
Jan. 8, 1984: Redskins 24, 49ers 21
Washington entered the fourth with a commanding 21-0 lead, but the 49ers mounted a furious comeback, tying the game at 21 with just over seven minutes left. The Redskins responded with a clinical 13-play, 78-yard drive that took six minutes off the clock and set up kicker Mark Moseley — who was 0-for-4 on field goals in the game — for his game-winning 25-yarder. Washington’s John Riggins (44) rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Jan. 10, 1982: 49ers 28, Cowboys 27
One of the most famous plays in NFL history, Dwight Clark’s leaping, fingertip touchdown grab of a Joe Montana pass — forever known as “The Catch” — gave the 49ers a 28-27 lead over the Cowboys with just 51 seconds on the clock. San Francisco would go on to win the game and the Super Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1978: Broncos 20, Raiders 17
With his team down 7-3 in the third quarter, hard-hitting Raiders safety Jack Tatum appeared to force a Denver fumble on Oakland’s two yard line. Unfortunately for the Raiders, the officials didn’t see it that way, ruling that the Denver running back was down before the ball came out. The Broncos would score on the next play to take a 14-3 lead. They never gave it up; icing the game after Oakland made it 20-17 late in the fourth.
Jan. 4, 1976: Steelers 16, Raiders 10
What had been a defensive struggle turned into an offensive battle in the fourth quarter. The Steelers got on the board first in the final frame, getting a touchdown from Franco Harris to take a 10-0 lead. Oakland responded with a touchdown of its own, but Pittsburgh quickly cancelled it out to take a 16-7 lead. The Raiders cut their deficit to 16-10 with less than a minute left and recovered the ensuing onside kick, but came up 15 yards short on a Hail Mary attempt.
Dec. 29, 1969: Vikings 14, Rams 10
Statistically, the Rams dominated this game. They outgained the Vikings 340 to 269, including more than double Minnesota’s passing yards. But in the only statistic that matters — the final score — the Vikings came out on top 14-10. The critical sequence of the game came midway through the third quarter, when the Rams took the ball from their own one-yard line all the way to the Vikings’ one-yard line. But a defensive stand by Minnesota, capped by a Wally Hilgenberg interception in the endzone, helped Fran Tarkenton’s Vikings advance to the Super Bowl.
Dec. 29, 1968: Jets 27, Raiders 23
Joe Willie Namath’s finest moment may never have happened if not for a gutsy performance after a self-inflicted night on the town, and a heads-up play by the Jets defense. Namath — according to urban legend — tied one on but good the night before the AFL championship game. Namath fought through the hangover well enough to toss three touchdown passes. It still took a Ralph Baker recovery of an errant Darryl Lamonica backward pass for the Jets to seal it, which ultimately led to the “guarantee” and win over the Colts in Super Bowl III.
Dec. 31, 1967: Packers 21, Cowboys 17
A stone-cold classic, the Ice Bowl is remembered as one of the best games in NFL history. The rematch of the 1966 NFL Title Game pitted two of the game’s best coaches, Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry, against each other and lived up to the substantial hype surrounding it, with Packers quarterback Bart Starr scoring a last second touchdown in -20 degree weather to give Green Bay a 21-17 win.
Jan. 1, 1967: Packers 34, Cowboys 27
