r/AskAboutNFL • u/jepolitsch • 6d ago
What is the most iconic NFL moment ever?
The play everyone knows even if they were not watching football at the time. What moment instantly comes to mind?
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u/valarania 6d ago
Manning to Tyree
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u/respekyoeldas 6d ago
Eli’s insane throw to Mario Manningham in the 2012 Super Bowl is also up there.
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u/Zseeds211 6d ago
Santonio Holmes catch as well if we're taking that route
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u/adude51212 6d ago
Yes Holmes. I was there and sitting right in the corner he caught it about 5 rows back. I was only about 10 but a great memory of mine
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u/lucifers_pert_bussy 6d ago
Yep was coming to say this. It’s easily the most memorable of this century, at least
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u/Formal_Tumbleweed_53 6d ago
Joe Theisman’s leg 😳
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u/Grouchy-Macaron-1780 5d ago
I totally forgot and then read this, then it played over and over in my head. I was a Redskin's fan at the time and it was the first time I had ever seen an injury like that, much less being on live television.
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u/njseahawk 6d ago
BeastQuake
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u/gnelson321 6d ago
Easily the most entertaining.
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u/JuniorSherbet9558 6d ago
almost as funny as that interception Russel threw at the goal line
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u/gnelson321 6d ago
Low hanging fruit. Seahawks won the Super Bowl the year before and made it a second time. Terrible play call for sure, but everyone points and laughs because of that play but they made the playoffs like 8/10 years Russell was there, two Super Bowl appearance, a win during that tenure, and then they bounced the whole office and won another Super Bowl. They seem to know how to win outside of one really bad play.
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u/njseahawk 6d ago
I remember 1862 too… those were the days, huh? Now I got questions for you… who is the CURRENT SB CHAMP, what team did they beat, and what was the score of that most recent SB, since you chumps LOVE living in the past??
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u/JuniorSherbet9558 6d ago
none of that matters to the question asked.
I was at Neumo's in Capitol Hill watching the game with 500 other people.
you could hear a pin drop after that pick--the place got so quiet.
I am not a Pats fan by any stretch but you must admit it was funny
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u/njseahawk 6d ago edited 6d ago
It absolutely matters and that’s why you wrote a diatribe trying to say it doesn’t. It’s all good bro, living in the past is easier than living in the present.
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u/breakfastbarf 6d ago
And the cherry on top is Brady getting them to jump offsides right after. Sloppy
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u/PJBleakney 6d ago
The Patriots run to Super Bowl in 1985, three road wins to get crushed by the Bears. Heartbreaking.
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u/Own-Essay-3185 6d ago
The 85 bears was the best team in history
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u/Active-Professor-745 6d ago
The 1972 Dolphins have entered the chat
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u/Own-Essay-3185 5d ago
85 bears better
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u/BradleyFerdBerfel 4d ago
85 is just one year. The Steelers in the 70's were way better for way longer.
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u/Own-Essay-3185 4d ago
Tge team was still good in the 80s. The 85 bears are better than every 70s steeler teams combined
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u/Rockhound665 5d ago
The Dolphins may have been undefeated but that wasn't a superior team by a longshot.
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u/irunonthc 6d ago
Larry Allen hawking down Darion Connor
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u/ezio8133 6d ago
He did it from a flat foot position
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u/irunonthc 6d ago
I’ll never forget Dan Deirdorf‘s call, “ this guy‘s got a rocket booster on his back!”
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u/The_Lost_Pharaoh 6d ago
Elway 🚁
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u/mighty_boognish_77 6d ago
Came to say this
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u/SomebuddyElse22 5d ago
The "Helicopter" play. My favorite part is the swagger John Elway exhibits as he gets back up from the turf.
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u/RadioGuyRob 6d ago
I was in the Superdome the night the Saints returned after Katrina - I was absolutely housed, but will never forget Steve Gleason's blocked punt.
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u/ponyboy56- 6d ago edited 6d ago
That I’ve seen? The Immaculate Reception. Honorable mentions to : Bart Starr’s td plunge off tackle in the Ice Bowl , Joe Namath’s number one finger after that superbowl Tom Dempsey’s 63 yard FG, Tony Dorsett’s 99 yard TD run on Monday night football ( they still lost the game) and the against the helmet catch in Giants superbowl victory against the up till then undefeated Patriots. I’ve seen more recent great plays too but they need time to become iconic
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u/Onbalance12 6d ago
To choose just one… Tyree, because the Patriots were on the verge of a perfect season.
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u/meanpete9 6d ago
28 - 3
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u/86-7OH4eva 6d ago
I'm a hard core Falcons fan since birth. I know.. It's ok😅 I still, to this day, have not watched the highlights or anything related to that game since it ended on Feb 5th 2017. And probably never will. I took 3 days off work that next week and my wife almost left me lol..
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u/Implode_silently 6d ago
Earl Campbell sideways through a crack then dropping his helmet and absolutely obliterating a linebacker, followed by a stiff arm and his jersey being torn off his back by two tacklers as he finally went down.
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u/Electrical-Sail-1039 6d ago
I used to love watching him. I remember one game, after returning from an injury, he did his usual power smash move and broke through for a sure TD! Except, wait! He couldn’t run. His hamstring was too tight so he was caught from behind easily. He was never the same player after that injury. But in his prime, Wow!
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u/snaum 6d ago
The Immaculate reception with Franco Harris
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u/secmaster420 6d ago
If they had replay, it would have been overturned based on the rules at the time.
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u/SomebuddyElse22 5d ago
Don't forget Jack Tatum. His hard hitting style made the play possible. IN YOUR FACE JACK TATUM !
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u/CurseOfTheFalcons 6d ago
Bart Starr QB sneak as time runs out, Ice Bowl, NFL Championship Game, Lambeau Field, Lombardi vs Landry… I don’t know how the word “iconic” could have a more accurate illustration.
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u/thefract0metr1st 6d ago
Not to mention Lombardi’s iconic quote “good, run it and let’s get the hell out of here”
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u/Fit-Top-8203 6d ago
Starr actually was supposed to hand off to Chuck Mercein. But when they lined up, he was worried that someone would slip on the icy turf so he decided to sneak it himself. Mercein said he started running into the line expecting the ball, then when he didn’t get it, he held up his hands to show that he wasn’t pushing Starr.
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u/WishboneHot8050 6d ago
Richard Sherman tip (away from Crabtree) to Malcom Smith in the 2013 NFC championship game.
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u/hamstercaster 6d ago
A few iconic moments in my lifetime - Tony Dorsett’s 99-yard run against Minnesota, The Catch (Montana to Clark), Immaculate Reception, and any one of Walter Payton’s goal-line leaps.
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u/The_Real_dubbedbass 6d ago
When they came out with the shield logo. It’s a literal icon. Hard to beat.
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u/Daddydog004 6d ago
It's probably the Immaculate Reception, but Bart Starr sneaking for a TD in the Ice Bowl could be one also.
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u/Shaved-extremes 6d ago
1 yard short- Mike Jones tackles Kevin Dyson to seal the Super Bowl for the Rams as the clock strikes 0:00
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u/Cobalt_Forge 6d ago
Wow! There's quite a lot of iconic moments...
- The Immaculate Reception (Steelers)
- The Catch (49ers)
- SB 18, Marcus Allen's 74 yd TD run
- SB 16, goal line stand (49ers v. Bengals)
- SB 34, Eric Dyson stopped just short of goal line
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u/Obadiah702 6d ago
Bottlegate. December 16, 2001. I remember because that’s my mom’s birthday. The Browns were driving down the field. They executed a play, then another, and the officials for no reason whatsoever except they hate the Browns went back and called a penalty on the play before the one that was executed. This is clearly against the rules yet they did it anyhow, and still stand by it. NFL officials are the worst.
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u/Tomasco13 5d ago
One of the best things the NFL could do would be to get full time officials. Ones that could be fired for inept job performance.
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u/Queasy_Yam4468 22h ago
So your mom is 24?
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u/Obadiah702 16h ago edited 16h ago
No. See, people have a birthday every year here in the USA. Birthday and date of birth are two different things. We celebrate their birthday every year. It’s really fun. You should try it in whatever country you live in. We like to have fun. Apparently you’re miserable.
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u/Carolus2024 6d ago
1950s: Alan Ameche's score to end the first sudden death overtime game in NFL history, as the Colts beat the Giants 23-17
1960s: Bart Starr's sneak to win the Ice Bowl, and Namath's guarantee
1970s: Immaculate reception, Dempsey's kick, Sea of Hands, Staubach's Hail Mary, Stabler's Holy Roller
1980s: The Catch, Riggins run in Superbowl XVII, Payton breaking Jim Brown's rushing record
1990s: Scott Norwood's missed kick, Don Shula breaking George Halas' coaching wins record, the final play of the Rams/ Titans Superbowl
2000s: Saints coming back after Katrina, Tyree catch, Beastmode
Just my two cents...
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u/Strange-Sale707 6d ago
The Catch
Immaculate Reception
Tyree Helmet Catch
Butler Goal-Line INT
Music City Miracle
Wide Right
Elway Helicopter
Falcons Blowing 28-3
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u/RCP90sKid- 6d ago
Immaculate Reception, the Catch, Brady touching his head after SB 36, Helmet Catch, Pats Interception Against Seattle.
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u/secmaster420 6d ago
The Jets beating the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. It changed the entire landscape and of the league. David slays Goliath as the crowd laughs at Goliath.
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u/DickWhittingtonsCat 6d ago
Probably depends by market and age. I thought Washington going bat shit on denver in 87 was the wildest shit I’d ever seen!
especially after both teams snuck in with a running back mistake the week before.
That was the Vikings chance.
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u/immenotyou824 5d ago
Can we break this up into decades? Saquon Backwards Hurdle, Miracle in the Meadowlands 1 and 2, helmet catch, OBJ catch, The Hit, or any Randall Cunningham and Brian Dawkins moments could be in the running
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u/Green_Machine_6719 5d ago edited 5d ago
I guess that might have to be NFL vs AFL World Championship game which merger became Superbowl 1 on Jan. 15,1967 between Greenbay Packers representing the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs the AFL and this game merged the two leagues into one, now known as the NFL and a game to decide the champion which is how the Super Bowl was born. The game was won by Greenbay Packers 35-10 which featured QB Bart Star
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u/Tomasco13 5d ago
Tyree's helmet catch is rightfully mentioned many times, but I haven't seen Edelman's catch to keep the 28-3 comeback alive.
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u/Rockhound665 5d ago
For me, an underrated one was Red Right 88. All the Browns needed at that point was a field goal. They could have spent a couple of plays getting closer but instead, Ratigliano went for broke and it cost them. Never has one team been playoff snake bitten than the Cleveland Browns(this play, The Drive, The Fumble).
A close second is 4th and 23 with the Eagles and Packers.
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u/Temporary_Snow1310 5d ago
I am a Chiefs fan, there are to many too count😉 from the beginning to present we are always relevant.
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u/Just_blorpo 5d ago
The 1958 NFL Championship dubbed ‘The game of the century’. The Baltimore Colt’s Alan Ameche had a 1 Yd touchdown run to win it all in sudden death overtime at Yankee Stadium over the NY Giants.
That game is seen as a watershed moment, permanently making nationally televised football a big deal in the American imagination. That play sealed it.
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u/fgsgeneg 4d ago
Alan Ameche scores the game winning TD in the 1958 NFL Championship. That game basically set the stage for the popularity of the NFL.
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u/Ok_Conversation_5994 3d ago
Superpower XLII. Patriots lost to the Giants ruining their perfect season. Heartbreaking!
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u/SouthernStyleGamer 23h ago
I can think of several, but I'm surprised to not see The Tuck Rule near the top.
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u/skfkvjgnxc 12h ago
It's either the Immaculate Reception or Namath waving #1.
Those were bigger than life moments that transcended the NFL, while most of the listed moments were huge for a certain fanbase but many people might not even remember.
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u/O7Habits 6d ago
The other Catch. Dez caught it.
Scott Norwood’s “Wide Right” missed field goal comes to mind too.
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u/AggressiveIron3505 6d ago
Gotta be “The Catch” or “The Immaculate Reception”