In the wake of the Indianapolis Colts' remarkable rally to beat the New England Patriots following Bill Belichick's botched gamble on fourth-and-2, one has to ponder: Is it the greatest regular-season game of all-time? Here is a comprehensive selection of classics. Select which game you thought was the best.
On NFL Network:
Relive one of the greatest regular-season games ever played, the
Indianapolis Colts' 35-34 win over the New England
Patriots, on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.
Nov. 1, 1959: Cleveland Browns 38, Baltimore Colts 31
Jim Brown scored five touchdowns, Johnny Unitas threw four touchdown passes and Raymond Berry caught 11 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. It was a signature game of the era, as it featured seven future Hall of Fame players on the field (Unitas, Berry, Lenny Moore, Gino Marchetti, Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Lou Groza), one Hall of Fame coach on the sidelines (Paul Brown) and a player who would go on to become a Hall of Fame coach (Chuck Noll).
Nov. 17, 1968: Oakland Raiders 43, New York Jets 32
The infamous "Heidi" game. Due to the broadcast network taking viewers away from the game and to a made-for-TV children's movie, only those in attendance in the stadium saw the Raiders score touchdowns with 42 seconds and 33 seconds left in the game to wipe out the Jets' 32-29 lead and claim an unlikely victory.
Sept. 24, 1972: New York Jets 44, Baltimore Colts 34
Four years after the Jets' famous upset of the Colts in Super Bowl III, Joe Namath once again got the best of Baltimore, throwing for 496 yards and six touchdowns. In one of his last great moments in a Colts uniform, Johnny Unitas threw for 376 yards and two touchdowns.
Sept. 10, 1978: Oakland Raiders 21, San Diego Chargers 20
What became known as "The Holy Roller" game remains one of the most talked-about games ever played. The Raiders trailed the Chargers 20-14 with 10 seconds remaining and the ball at the Chargers' 14-yard line. Ken Stabler was nearly sacked, fumbled the ball forward, Pete Banaszak batted the ball while appearing to attempt to recover, and Dave Casper stumbled on top of the ball in the end zone for the winning score. Bill King, broadcasting the game for KGO-AM, made this famous call: "The ball, flipped forward, is loose. A wild scramble, two seconds on the clock ... Casper grabbing the ball ... it is ruled a fumble ... Casper has recovered in the end zone. The Oakland Raiders have scored on the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play. Madden is on the field. He wants to know if it's real. They said yes, get your big butt out of here. He does. There's nothing real in the world anymore. The Raiders have won the football game. The Chargers ... they don't believe it. Fifty-two thousand people are stunned. This one will be relived forever."
Dec. 11, 1989: San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 27
With NFC West supremacy on the line, 49ers receiver John Taylor had a career day as the 49ers completed a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback from a 27-10 deficit. Taylor scored on two passes that went for more than 90 yards and finished the game with 286 yards receiving. The 49ers won the game, and the division crown.
Oct. 17, 1994: Kansas City Chiefs 31, Denver Broncos 28
Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and John Elway dueled in one of the greatest Monday Night Football games ever played. For the first time since 1982, it was the Chiefs coming out victorious at Mile High Stadium. After Elway put the Broncos ahead at 28-24 with 1:29 to play, Montana led the Chiefs on a drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to Willie Davis with just seconds left to play.
Sept. 6, 1998: San Francisco 49ers 36, New York Jets 30 (OT)
Garrison Heart's mad dash in overtime went for 96 yards and the winning score in a season-opening win over the visiting Jets. It is a play that NFL Films' Steve Sabol suggests was the greatest run in NFL history.
Oct. 23, 2000: New York Jets 40, Miami Dolphins 37 (OT)
Facing a seemingly insurmountable 30-7 deficit heading into the fourth quarter in a Monday night showdown with the Dolphins, the Jets pulled off the unthinkable by rallying to tie the game in regulation and emerge victorious in overtime. In what is considered one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history (the game checks in at No. 5 on NFL Network's *NFL Top 10* all-time greatest comebacks show), the Jets' triumph is simply known as the "Monday Night Miracle."
Dec. 29, 2007: New England Patriots 38, New York Giants 35
The Patriots were forced to overcome a 12-point deficit to complete a perfect regular season. The awesome aftermath of this showdown was a rematch in Super Bowl XLII, which resulted in a Giants victory, which ruined the Patriots' quest for a perfect season.
Nov. 15, 2009: Indianapolis Colts 35, New England Patriots 34
The game was won on Reggie Wayne's touchdown reception with 16 seconds remaining, but it took a turn for the bizarre a little less than two minutes earlier when Patriots coach Bill Belichick decided to gamble and go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Patriots' own 28-yard line.
