We are almost at the end of a decade, and what a decade it has been, especially in football. We have seen a reign of dominance from one particular team, but along the way, experienced some of the best games in NFL History. Today, we will be counting down the best ten of them as the first part of our 2010s series.
#10: Ravens 38, Broncos 35(AFC Divisional Round 2012)
This game, known as the Mile High Miracle was the lasting image of the 2012 Ravens Super Bowl squad. In the divisional round, Baltimore faced the Peyton Manning led Broncos in a clash of two excellent teams. They went back and forth the entire game, culminating in the play of the game. Down 35-28 with just 31 seconds left at their own thirty yard line, quarterback Joe Flacco heaved a 70 yard bomb down field into the waiting arms of receiver Jacoby Jones, who caught it over the outstretched hand of safety Rahim Moore, inches away from batting it down. Jones scored on the play to force overtime, and, after a late Peyton Manning interception, the Ravens knocked down a field goal to advance to the AFC Championship, where they would beat the Patriots.
#9: Seahawks 23, 49ers 16(NFC Championship Game 2013)
The NFC Championship Game in 2013 was quite the matchup. It featured to heavyweight division rivals armed with explosive offenses(led by Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick), even better defenses(namely the Legion of Boom), and two excellent head coaches(John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll). San Francisco had the ball and were driving down the field to try and score the game winning touchdown. Against the devastating Legion of Boom, they came so close, yet so far. Kaepernick threw a pass to Michael Crabtree, who was tightly guarded by all-pro corner Richard Sherman. Right as Crabtree was going to catch it, Sherman tipped the pass into the waiting arms of linebacker Malcolm Smith. After the game, Sherman delivered one of the greatest post game interviews of all time.
#8: Rams 54, Chiefs 51(Week 11 of 2018 Regular Season)
Despite being held during the regular season, this game had a Super Bowl like atmosphere. Two incredibly hot teams(at the time) facing off in a battle for the ages. Two offensive minded coaches pitted off against each other was sure to deliver fireworks, but nobody expected this. This game became the first of all time where both teams eclipsed 50 points. There was a total of 1065 yards produced between the two teams. In the fourth quarter, there were four different lead changes. The game culminated with Patrick Mahomes' heave with 25 seconds left being intercepted. It makes sense why this is the only regular season game to make the list, as it quite literally redefined what the word "shootout" means, and gave a glimpse of what might be the future of the NFL someday.
#7: Rams 26, Saints 23(2018 NFC Championship Game)
While this game might go down in history as the infamous PI no-call game, it still was one of the greatest of the decade, perhaps even because of the controversy. Two of the top offenses in the NFL were going head to head with the winner getting a ticket to the Super Bowl. The Saints jumped out to a commanding lead but Jared Goff and company rallied back. The score was 20-20 when the worst call in recent memory occurred. Faced with a 3rd and 10 in the Red Zone, Drew Brees dropped back to pass and threw it to receiver TommyLee Lewis. While Lewis was going up for the catch, Rams cornerback Nickel Robey-Coleman came over and completely decked Lewis before the ball got there but no flag was called. Had there been a PI call on the play, the Saints could have scored the ball and ended the game. Instead they settled for a field goal and the Rams tied the game and then won in OT to go to the Super Bowl.
#6: Ravens 34, 49ers 31(Super Bowl XLVII)
This game went from blowout to classic after the lights went out at the beginning of the third quarter, right after Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a touchdown to put Baltimore up 21-6. After a 34 minute delay, Colin Kaepernick and company started an insane comeback that, if completed successfully, would have been one for the ages. Instead, much like the NFC Championship from the year before, Kaepernick's fade to Michael Crabtree was incomplete, and SanFran fell just short. Ravens coach John Harbaugh emerged victorious over his brother Jim.
#5: Patriots 37, Chiefs 31(2018 AFC Championship Game)
An instant classic the second the game finished, the 2018 AFC Championship was a reminder to the world that the Patriots were not going to go anywhere. The game was hyped up as a potential changing of the guard, where Patrick Mahomes dethrones Tom Brady has AFC champion. However, in a shootout for the ages, Brady outlasted Mahomes in an overtime showdown. Mahomes rallied back from a 14-0 lead to take the lead with just over two minutes left. Brady orchestrated a vintage drive to give the Pats a 3 point lead, but Mahomes fought back and got the Chiefs into field goal range in just 37 seconds and tied it up. After winning the overtime coin toss, Brady went 75 yards down the field, and converted three third and longs en route to going to the Patriots' third straight Super Bowl.
#4: Eagles 41, Patriots 33(Super Bowl LII)
Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. That is what this game was. Defenses just took a break for the whole game. In the end, the team that took the biggest risk won. Faced with a 4th and Goal from the 1 yard line just before halftime, Philly head coach Doug Pederson opted to go for it rather than settle for a field goal. This resulted in "Philly Special" being executed. Running back Corey Clement took the direct snap, handed it to tight end Trey Burton, who lofted a pass to a wide open Nick Foles to take the lead. It seemed like the Patriots would drive down to win, as they were down 38-33 with the ball with over two minutes to play. However, Eagles defensive end strip sacked Brady to stop the Patriots' game winning drive and Philly had their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
#3: Vikings 29, Saints 24(2017 NFC Divisional Round)
"Diggs, Sideline, TOUCHDOWN!!!". This was the call of the incredulous Joe Buck during the 2017 NFC Divisional Round game. After blowing a 17-0 lead, the Vikings had the ball at their own 39 with 10 seconds left and no timeouts.They would need a miracle to win the game, and boy did they get one. Quarterback Case Keenum dropped back, and saw Stefon Diggs running a corner route to the sideline. He dropped in a perfect ball that Diggs went up and caught. It looked like he would go out of bounds and the Vikings would attempt a game winning field goal. Instead, safety Marcus Williams whiffed the tackle on Diggs, who stayed on his feet and ran into the end zone to send the Vikings to the NFC Championship with 0:00 left on the clock.
#2: Patriots 34, Falcons 28(Super Bowl LI)
The greatest comeback in NFL history. 28-3. That was what the score read as Matt Ryan threw a touchdown to Tevin Coleman with 8 and a half minutes left in the third quarter. No team had even attempted to overcome such a deficit in the Super Bowl, and yet, the Patriots did it. They scored a quick touchdown to make it 28-9, and then kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive. The Falcons had every opportunity to end the game, and failed each step of the way. Dont'a Hightower strip sacked Ryan on a 3rd and 2(why the Falcons didn't run puzzles me even today), and New England scored. 28-20. The Falcons still had all the cards in their hand. After a ridiculous Julio Jones catch to put Atlanta in field goal range, it looked like all was over for the Pats. Atlanta managed to get sacked and then get penalized out of field goal range, giving the Pats the ball back. Julian Edelman made a shoestring catch and the Pats scored to force OT. After winning the coin toss, they completed the "drive for 5", culminating in a James White touchdown.
#1: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24(Super Bowl XLIX)
"Aaaand the pass is....INTERCEPTED AT THE GOAL-LINE BY MALCOLM BUTLER! Unreal!". Football fans around the world stood shocked at the end of this showdown between the #1 offense and #1 defense in football. Seattle had driven down the entire length of the field to score a touchdown and win their second Super Bowl in two years. Aided by an insane Jermaine Kearse catch, the Seahawks had it all but wrapped up. Marshawn Lynch rumbled his way down to the one yard line, but a herculean one handed tackle by Dont'a Hightower stopped him. The Seahawks elected to throw the ball, leading to Butler's interception and the Patriots 4th Super Bowl of the century, and first of the decade. Pete Carroll's decision to throw the ball remains one of the most debated arguments ever.
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