10 most memorable Hail Marys in NFL history, including ‘Madhouse in Maryland’-ZoomTech News

The Washington Commanders delivered one of the crucial thrilling performs in sports activities on Sunday.

Jayden Daniels turned the most recent quarterback to throw a game-winning Hail Mary landing move when he did so towards the Chicago Bears, serving to the Commanders win 18-15. Daniels’ move was deflected a few yards wanting the tip zone, inflicting the ball to bounce to an open Noah Brown.

The play created one of the crucial talked-about regular-season moments within the NFL in recent times. Let’s check out a few of the different memorable Hail Marys in NFL historical past.

1975: The Hail Mary Recreation

What we consider as a Hail Mary move — a last-minute game-winning heave — was a phrase popularized within the 1975 playoffs.

On fourth-and-16 from the 50-yard line and trailing 14-10 to the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys dialed up a move to the tip zone. Future Corridor of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach hit fellow future Corridor of Famer Drew Pearson on a deep move that resulted in a landing for the Cowboys, giving them a 17-14 lead within the NFC Divisional Spherical recreation.

There was truly sufficient time on the clock for the Vikings to run two extra performs, with Fran Tarkenton getting sacked on each.

“I closed my eyes and stated a Hail Mary,” Staubach advised reporters after the sport.

The Cowboys gained the NFC Championship Recreation the following weekend however misplaced to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tremendous Bowl X.

1980: Miracle on the Met

The Vikings had been on the best facet of a Hail Mary 5 seasons after their playoff loss to the Cowboys. Dealing with a playoff-contending Cleveland Browns group late within the season, the Vikings had been behind by double digits for a lot of the recreation. They obtained the ball again with 14 seconds left and no timeouts as they trailed 23-22.

Minnesota referred to as a hook-and-lateral on the primary play, bringing it to Cleveland’s 46-yard line with 4 seconds left. Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer launched a move down the sideline that was tipped by a Browns defender across the aim line. The tip allowed Vikings large receiver Ahmad Rashad to snag the ball with one hand on the 1-yard line earlier than falling into the tip zone to provide Minnesota a 28-23 win.

The play is sometimes called the “Miracle on the Met” by Vikings followers and helped the group win the NFC Central that season. 

The Jaguars had been the beneficiary of a similar Hail Mary play in 2010. They had been locked in a 24-24 tie with the Houston Texans within the ultimate seconds of their Week 10 matchup. With the ball on the 50-yard line, Jaguars quarterback David Garrard remained within the pocket earlier than hurling a move to the aim line earlier than his receivers even reached the Texans’ 10-yard line.

As Jaguars receivers nonetheless trailed the move, Texans defensive again Glover Quin batted the ball again towards the sector of play. That deflection induced Jaguars large receiver Mike Thomas to give you a catch on the 1-yard line, tightly securing the ball earlier than shifting ahead to achieve the tip zone for the game-winning rating.

Jacksonville wound up going 8-8 that season and missed the playoffs, however the catch gave the franchise an unforgettable second.

2011: Eli Manning’s Hail Mary helps New York Giants upset Packers

The 9-7 Giants had an answered prayer of their upset over the 15-1 defending Tremendous Bowl champion Inexperienced Bay Packers within the Divisional Spherical of the 2011 playoffs. New York obtained out to a shocking 13-10 lead early within the recreation and had an opportunity so as to add extra factors earlier than halftime. When the Giants obtained to Inexperienced Bay’s 37-yard line with 6 seconds left, they opted to go for it as an alternative of kicking a area aim on a frigid night time at Lambeau Discipline. Eli Manning put a ball close to the again nook of the tip zone, permitting Hakeem Nicks to leap greater than Packers defenders to make the landing seize.

Nicks’ landing catch did not determine their 37-20 win over the Packers, but it surely did give the Giants momentum heading into the second half. It was additionally an indication of issues to come back as they went on to defeat the New England Patriots within the Tremendous Bowl that postseason. 

2012: Fail Mary

Simply over eight months after the Giants’ Hail Mary, the Packers had been on the unsuitable finish of one other painful landing, this time towards the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks, down 12-7, obtained to the Packers’ 24-yard line with eight seconds left. On fourth-and-10, Seattle took its final shot on the finish zone. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambled all the best way again to the 40-yard line earlier than getting the move off.

Because the ball reached the again left nook of the tip zone, Packers security M.D. Jennings and Seahawks large receiver Golden Tate wrestled for the ball. One substitute ref referred to as for a lifeless ball to see what occurred, whereas one other dominated a landing, marking the beginning of the controversy surrounding the play. The landing name was upheld as there wasn’t proof to overturn it, though Jennings appeared to have a clearer grip on the catch.

The play immediately turned referred to as the “Fail Mary” and induced the labor strike the NFL had with its officers to finish.

2015: The Miracle in Motown

After heartbreak on a pair of Hail Marys earlier within the decade, the Packers obtained slightly vindication twice in lower than two months. Their first profitable Hail Mary got here in a Week 13 matchup towards the Detroit Lions. A Lions penalty gave the Packers an untimed down and put Inexperienced Bay at its personal 39-yard line, trailing 23-21 in Detroit. Aaron Rodgers evaded a number of pass-rushers earlier than scrambling to his proper and airing it out from his personal 35-yard line. His move made its approach into the tip zone, the place Richard Rodgers leaped up and grabbed it in entrance of Lions defenders for the game-winning rating.

The win helped the Packers attain the postseason, the place Aaron Rodgers had one other Hail Mary in him.

2015: Aaron Rodgers does it once more

Aaron Rodgers had two extremely clutch throws within the Packers’ Divisional Spherical recreation towards the Arizona Cardinals within the 2015 playoffs. First, the Packers, behind 20-13, confronted a fourth-and-20 from their very own 4-yard line with beneath a minute left. As a substitute of throwing a ball to the first-down marker, Rodgers launched a ball down the sector to Jeff Janis for a 60-yard achieve, placing Inexperienced Bay on the Arizona 36-yard line.

The Packers had been referred to as for a penalty on the following play, pushing them again to the Cardinals’ 41-yard line. Two performs later, the Cardinals blitzed Rodgers with 5 seconds left. Rodgers purchased himself sufficient time earlier than lobbing a deep move. With the Cardinals’ blitz, Janis was capable of attain for the ball over two defenders for the tying rating to ship the sport to time beyond regulation. 

The Cardinals wound up profitable in time beyond regulation, however they misplaced within the NFC Championship Recreation the following weekend.

2016: Aaron Rodgers will get revenge on Giants

Rodgers continued to cement himself as the best Hail Mary passer of all time one 12 months after his heroics towards the Cardinals. He obtained some revenge, too. 

Inexperienced Bay held a 7-6 lead with six seconds left within the first half of its wild-card matchup towards New York. The Packers opted to go for it on a fourth-and-2 from the Giants’ 42-yard line. Rodgers went again roughly 10 yards earlier than throwing a move that in some way went behind the final Giants defender and landed in Randall Cobb’s arms behind the tip zone. The landing set the stage for a dominant second half for the Packers, who gained 38-13. They went on to make the NFC Championship Recreation, falling to the Atlanta Falcons.

2020: Hail Murray

The Cardinals ran an improvised Hail Mary to beat the Buffalo Payments in 2020. Trailing 30-26, the Cardinals reached the Payments’ 43-yard line with 11 seconds remaining. Arizona had journeys proper and star large receiver DeAndre Hopkins alone on the left facet. As Buffalo introduced strain, quarterback Kyler Murray scrambled to his left. As a substitute of taking a brief achieve, he launched a move to the tip zone, the place Hopkins was capable of win a contested seize towards a trio of Payments defenders for the game-winning landing with two seconds left. 

2024: Madhouse in Maryland

The Commanders entered NFL historical past on Sunday once they turned the most recent group to finish a Hail Mary. After giving up a landing that gave the Bears a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds left, the Commanders had sufficient time to get to their 48-yard line. On the final play of the sport, Daniels evaded strain from a few Bears rushers earlier than tossing a move from his personal 35-yard line. The ball did not attain the tip zone, getting tipped at across the 2-yard line. However the deflection induced the ball to go straight to Commanders large receiver Noah Brown, who was on their own in the long run zone.

After the sport, a video emerged of Bears defensive again Tyrique Stevenson taunting the gang within the first few seconds of the play. Stevenson was late to choose up his task, dashing to the scrum, the place he tipped the ball earlier than it went to Brown. 

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