Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

At the old forum, I started a thread on unique touchdowns. The play in Washington in 2009 when Drew Brees threw an interception and the Saints still scored a touchdown was one entry.

This thread is for games that ended on a unique final play regardless of it being a score or not. Both games involving New York teams this past Sunday qualify. The Giants game ended with a play that was not televised in New York. The play itself was a desperation multi-lateral kickoff return. The Jets game ended with a 104-yard non-touchdown interception return. Marcus Maye's interception return tied the record for longest non-scoring plays in NFL history. The two other plays tied for the record were special teams plays. Therefore, that play at the end of the Broncos-Jets game is the record for longest play from scrimmage that did not end with a touchdown.

The "Holy Roller" in '78 Raiders vs. Chargers comes to mind

https://youtu.be/_dYIEjbr0H8

Jets/Chiefs lateral fest from 1988 I believe

Punter Billy Van Heusen running 66 yards for a TD on final play vs. Oilers, 1972.

Bryan wrote:Punter Billy Van Heusen running 66 yards for a TD on final play vs. Oilers, 1972.

What was the circumstances of this? I'm guessing time was expiring but Denver had to get at least 1 play off before it did and had a 4th down? Did the Oiler pretty much give up on the play?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JnCdrj3yBI

Clyde Simmons picking up a blocked field goal in OT and running it in for the game winning touchdown

The OT field goal try by Chester Marcol where the kick was blocked and Marcol caught the blocked kick and ran for the winning score; 1980 season opener for the Packers against the Bears:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... 070gnb.htm

I'm not sure if it counts, but the 2003 Jacksonville New Orleans game where the Saints needed a win to stay in the playoffs and pulled off that long pass play with the multiple reverses and scored as time ran out to pull within a point of the Jags, but John Carney missed the extra point.

The final play in OT of the 2002 Steelers Falcons game where the Steelers went for the Hail Mary and Plexico Burress came down one yard short of the end zone.

The most unique final play in recent history I can remember is the final play of the Falcons-Lions game in 2017 when the referees ruled that Golden Tate was down before he reached the end zone. The Lions then challenged the call, but because no indisputable evidence was found to overturn the call on the field, and because the Lions didn't have a timeout remaining, the officials had to run 10 seconds off the clock, and the game ended on a replay review. The game ended on the officials running time off the clock.

RyanChristiansen wrote:The most unique final play in recent history I can remember is the final play of the Falcons-Lions game in 2017 when the referees ruled that Golden Tate was down before he reached the end zone. The Lions then challenged the call, but because no indisputable evidence was found to overturn the call on the field, and because the Lions didn't have a timeout remaining, the officials had to run 10 seconds off the clock, and the game ended on a replay review. The game ended on the officials running time off the clock.

I thought it was the right call too as Tate's left shin appeared to be down for a fraction of a second and he was being touched by a Falcon while in possession of the ball, which was not yet on the white

If it was ruled a TD on the field it may have stood. But that left shin looked down

sheajets wrote:I thought it was the right call too as Tate's left shin appeared to be down for a fraction of a second and he was being touched by a Falcon while in possession of the ball, which was not yet on the white

If it was ruled a TD on the field it may have stood. But that left shin looked down

As a fan I felt robbed because there were seconds on the clock. I understand the rule, but ending a close game with a “Nah, we’re done” just felt scandalous.

On a related note, in the CFL the game clock can expire but if the play clock still has time, the game continues. If this had happened in the context of the CFL, I wonder if the Lions would have had the remainder of the play clock for a final try.