Denver Broncos

The most clutch plays from the last 10 Super Bowl Champions

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:19 p.m. ET

Fansided, Sayre Bedinger/FanSided via NFL Mocks

Taking a look at the most clutch plays from each of the last 10 Super Bowl Champions. Which plays were critical to sealing the deal?

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) and Atlanta Falcons strong safety Keanu Neal (22) dive to catch a tipped pass in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Super Bowl is the stage where NFL legends are made. We’ve seen some of the most ridiculous plays in football history when the ultimate prize is on the line, and that’s what this piece is dedicated to.

Over the last decade, we’ve been treated to some really great Super Bowls. This article will reflect the greatness of the overall games, despite some duds here and there. As we take a look at these games, we also want to put them under the microscope and identify the most ‘clutch’ plays from each game, or plays that turned the tide.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that we picked the go-ahead or game-winning score in each case. Football is a game of momentum, and as momentum swings, so does the course of the game as a whole. We saw a prime example of that in Super Bowl LI, as the Atlanta Falcons had a 28-3 lead at one point before the Patriots seized momentum.

We’ll take a look at that game, but let’s take a dip into the past and some of the most clutch plays in recent Super Bowl memory…

‘The Catch’

Perhaps the greatest play in Super Bowl history, known simply as The Catch.

Eli Manning somehow avoids the pressure, on a play that might even be called dead today before he even has a chance to get off a throw. There’s no reason this play even exists today, other than pure effort on the part of Manning and wide receiver David Tyree, who didn’t make all that many catches in the NFL.

But he made this one.

Tyree’s catch against Rodney Harrison is improbable to say the least. The ball is somehow trapped against his helmet, and despite the tugging of one of the best safeties of all time in Rodney Harrison, the ball doesn’t come loose and never hits the ground.

This inexplicable play was a catalyst for the Giants’ victory.

Santonio Holmes’ Incredible Grab

Just one year after David Tyree’s remarkable catch, Santonio Holmes delivers this gem to propel the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald had just taken the game over and given the Cardinals a lead in the fourth quarter, when Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers drove the ball right back down the field. With the game on the line, Ben drops this dime and Santonio Holmes makes one of the great catches you will ever see in the NFL.

There’s so much at work here in this play, starting with the throwing window. Roethlisberger probably couldn’t hit this target if he tried it again 1,000 times, but he hit it this one time, and Holmes was in the right place at the right time. He not only has the awareness to not go out of bounds, but he fully extends his body to make the catch, keeping both feet in bounds and maintaining control of the ball.

Incredible catch, and a game-winner.

Porter Picks Off Peyton

Just when Peyton Manning was about to tie the game, Tracy Porter makes the play of his life.

The Colts were down seven points in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 44 when Manning had his offense on the move. It was truly a vintage ‘Manning’ situation. Down by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, there’s not many other quarterbacks you would want to see with the ball in their hands historically.

Manning was driving the Colts down the field, making all of his throws, until Porter stepped in a throwing lane and made one of the most dramatic interceptions in the history of the Super Bowl.

Porter’s interception was not only a game-sealing play for the Saints, but has become an iconic representation for the healing of a city in New Orleans that had been through so much with Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath of it.

Packers Hold Off Rally

This was a tough game to pick a single clutch ‘play’. There were a number of situations in this game that called for clutch plays, so I’m going to vote for the way Aaron Rodgers and company responded after Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers came within just three points after Green Bay looked to be in control.

Rodgers was sacked on the first play of their final fourth quarter possession, and wound up hitting Greg Jennings on a beautiful pass over the middle of the field to convert the initial third down. The Packers’ offense found some momentum after that, and ended up kicking a field goal, increasing their lead to six points.

That six-point lead forced the Steelers to have to go and get another touchdown late in the game, perhaps altering their sense of urgency and they wound up missing that fourth down attempt. Not every game has a defining play like The Catch but the Packers made a number of huge plays in this game to cement the ‘W’.

Mario Manningham’s Unbelievable Catch

I don’t know what Eli Manning eats on Super Bowl gamedays, or what he preaches to his receivers before the game, but there’s some kind of magic when he takes the field and gets into clutch situations.

The Giants were down by two points, and Eli Manning works some serious magic with this throw. Mario Manningham ended up also making a lot of money with this catch after the game, but this catch has undeniably defined his NFL career.

Manningham’s ability to stay in-bounds at the end of this catch and maintain concentration enough to actually hold onto the ball is astounding to me. The throw by Manning was ridiculous enough, but the catch on the back end is just as fantastic. The Giants would go on to score and beat the Patriots 21-17 in another iconic Super Bowl.

Baltimore’s Goal Line Stand

There were a number of huge plays in this game, but the most clutch plays came when the 49ers were knocking on the doorstep of a Super Bowl victory.

Baltimore seemed to be cruising along in this game, dubbed the ‘Harbaugh Bowl’, but the 49ers kept on fighting and put themselves in position for a game-winning score late in the fourth quarter. However, instead of leaving time on the clock, the Niners opted to burn time off, and getting the ball down to the five-yard line down by five points, it seemed only a matter of time before the Ravens’ magical postseason ended in disappointment.

Baltimore stood their ground defensively against Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers, and kept the door to the end zone shut as San Francisco attempted a fourth down play and did not convert.

Percy Harvin Puts It On Ice

As far as the Seahawks were concerned, this game was in the bag when the Broncos snapped the ball 20 yards into the end zone on their first play from scrimmage. The game was officially put on ice, however, on the first play of the second half, when Percy Harvin took the kickoff for a touchdown.

Harvin had a number of excellent plays in this game, but this one was a back-breaker. The Broncos came out of halftime down 22-0, and the Seahawks were looking to put the final nail in the coffin. Harvin provided it as Matt Prater sort of kicked the ball high and short, so the coverage unit could get down the field and make a play on one of the league’s most explosive return men.

The Broncos ‘outkicked the coverage’ and Harvin took off, burning the Broncos’ special teams and effectively ending any hopes of a miraculous second half comeback. The Seahawks went on to win this game 43-8.

Malcolm Butler’s Interception

On a play that will go down as one of the most questionable play calls in NFL history, Malcolm Butler made a name for himself by picking off a Russell Wilson pass at the goal line and turning the tides of history.

The Seahawks were looking to be the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions of this decade, and were denied at the goal line. A simple hand-off to Marshawn Lynch — despite the statistics that said otherwise — would have seemed the more efficient route. However, the Seahawks opted a quick slant and Malcolm Butler made them pay.

For Butler, it was the birth of a star. He picked off Wilson’s pass, sealing a Super Bowl win for the Patriots, who have certainly had a flare for the dramatic and clutch in their Super Bowl wins. Nothing ever comes easy, but this was about as nerve-wracking as it gets.

It was an incredible effort by Butler to take away the throwing lane in an obvious running situation, but to come away with the ball is what makes this play legendary.

Von Miller’s Strip-Sack

One of the best defenses in NFL history went up against one of the most explosive offenses and dynamic quarterbacks we have seen in the modern day NFL. Von Miller helped put the first touchdown of Super Bowl 50 on the board and give the Broncos a 10-0 lead when he beat right tackle Mike Remmers and stripped the ball from Cam Newton.

Miller had taken it upon himself to dominate the postseason, and the Super Bowl was his best performance to date. He and the rest of the Broncos’ defense terrorized Cam Newton all night, but this play defined the game.

The Broncos set the tone early on, rattling Newton and forcing too many turnovers for the Panthers to eventually overcome. This particular strip-sack resulted in Malik Jackson’s touchdown recovery, and helped propel Miller to Super Bowl MVP honors.

The Catch, Part II

The latest and greatest Super Bowl play will go down as one of the best in NFL history. As three Atlanta Falcons defenders converge on the football, the ball is tipped in the air and Julian Edelman just goes and gets the football, snatching it out of the air and somehow keeping it off the turf.