> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.grumpybuck.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The 10 Craziest Endings in Pro Football History - URL: https://www.grumpybuck.com/the-10-craziest-endings-in-pro-football-history/ - Published: 2026-10-11T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T09:58:48.000Z - Description: After the Jaguars' last-second win over the Eagles in London, here are the 10 craziest endings in pro football history, from the Heidi Game to the Immaculate Reception. - Author: Brad Riddell - Tags: Sports History, Top 10, Football, NFL This morning in London, the Philadelphia Eagles kicked a 48-yard field goal to take a 17-16 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars with 8 seconds left. That should have been the end of it. Instead, Ameer Abdullah took the kickoff back 53 yards, to the Philadelphia 39, with 1 second on the clock. Jaguars kicker Cam Little, the man who owns the NFL record with a 68-yarder last November, walked out and made a 57-yarder on the final play. The snapper was a defensive tackle, DaVon Hamilton, because the regular long snapper had gotten hurt in the 1st quarter. Jaguars 19, Eagles 17\. "The craziest game I've ever been a part of," Trevor Lawrence said. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni took the blame for not having his kicker boot it out of bounds: "I didn't make the right decision, and I lost us that game." ![The Jaguars celebrate Cam Little's 57-yard walk-off in London, Oct. 11, 2026.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/jags_i.jpg) The Jaguars celebrate Cam Little's 57-yard walk-off in London, Oct. 11, 2026. It was crazy. But pro football has been finding ways to end games like this for almost 60 years. Here are the 10 craziest endings in its history, ranked. ## 10\. Tom Dempsey's 63-yarder **Nov. 8, 1970, Tulane Stadium. Saints 19, Lions 17.** Detroit's Errol Mann kicked a field goal to put the Lions up 17-16 with 11 seconds left. The Saints got the ball back, completed one pass to their own 45, and sent out Tom Dempsey with 2 seconds on the clock. The holder set up at the New Orleans 37\. The kick was 63 yards, 7 more than anyone had ever made in an NFL game. Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot, his kicking foot, and no fingers on his right hand. He kicked in a custom shoe with a flat front, and it went through. (In 1977 the NFL adopted what everybody calls the "Tom Dempsey Rule," requiring that a shoe on a deformed kicking foot have a normal kicking surface.) "If I'd known it was 63 yards," he said years later, "I might have messed it up." ![Tom Dempsey's 63-yarder, Nov. 8, 1970. Joe Scarpati (21) holds.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/td_ii.jpg) Tom Dempsey's 63-yarder, Nov. 8, 1970\. Joe Scarpati (21) holds. ![The Times-Picayune, Nov. 9, 1970: "Miracle 63-Yard Kick by Dempsey Stuns Lions."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/10-dempsey-sports-front-times-picayune-1970-11-09.jpg) The Times-Picayune, Nov. 9, 1970: "Miracle 63-Yard Kick by Dempsey Stuns Lions." Here's the strange part. Dempsey's game ended 19-17 over Detroit. Justin Tucker's 66-yard record in 2021 ended 19-17 over Detroit. And this morning's game in London ended 19-17, won by the man who holds the record now. ## 9\. The Music City Miracle **Jan. 8, 2000, AFC Wild Card, Adelphia Coliseum. Titans 22, Bills 16.** Buffalo's Steve Christie kicked a 41-yard field goal to put the Bills up 16-15 with 16 seconds left. Then Christie pooch-kicked, and the Titans ran a play their special-teams coach, Alan Lowry, had named "Home Run Throwback." Lorenzo Neal caught the kick and handed it to tight end Frank Wycheck. Wycheck turned and threw the ball across the field to Kevin Dyson, who went 75 yards down the sideline for the touchdown with 3 seconds left. Was the throw a lateral or a forward pass? Referee Phil Luckett went under the hood and announced that the call on the field stood. On Titans radio, Mike Keith shouted, "Tennessee has pulled a miracle!" ![The Titans celebrate the Music City Miracle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mmmi.jpg) The Titans celebrate the Music City Miracle. ![Buffalo, after the Music City Miracle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mmmii.jpg) Buffalo, after the Music City Miracle. ![The Tennessean, Jan. 9, 2000.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/tennessean_music_city_miracle_2000-01-09.jpg) The Tennessean, Jan. 9, 2000. "I was the backup's backup," Dyson said. "I wasn't supposed to be in the game." 3 weeks later, in Super Bowl XXXIV, he was tackled a yard short of tying the game on the final play. ## 8\. The Minneapolis Miracle **Jan. 14, 2018, NFC Divisional, U.S. Bank Stadium. Vikings 29, Saints 24.** New Orleans went ahead 24-23 on a field goal with 25 seconds left. Minnesota had the ball at its own 39, 3rd-and-10, with 10 seconds to go. Case Keenum threw to Stefon Diggs along the right sideline. Saints safety Marcus Williams went for the tackle, missed Diggs entirely and took out his own teammate. Diggs stayed in bounds and ran the rest of the way, 61 yards. "Diggs! Sideline, touchdown! Unbelievable! Vikings win it!" Joe Buck said on Fox. On the Vikings' radio, Paul Allen gave it the name: "It's a Minneapolis Miracle!" ![Stefon Diggs makes the catch at the sideline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mmiracle_i.jpg) Stefon Diggs makes the catch at the sideline. ![Star Tribune, Jan. 15, 2018: "BELIEVE IT."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/08-minneapolis-miracle-star-tribune-2018-01-15.jpg) Star Tribune, Jan. 15, 2018: "BELIEVE IT." It was the first NFL playoff game ever to end on a touchdown as time expired in regulation. The teams had to come back out of the locker rooms for the extra point, and Keenum took a knee. ## 7\. Leon Lett's snow game **Nov. 25, 1993, Thanksgiving, Texas Stadium. Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14.** It snowed in Irving, Texas. Dallas led Miami 14-13 with 15 seconds left when Jimmie Jones blocked Pete Stoyanovich's 41-yard field-goal try. Game over. The ball spun on the icy turf, and the Cowboys waved each other away from it, because nobody had to touch it. Then defensive tackle Leon Lett came running in, slipped, and kicked the ball. That made it a live ball. Miami recovered and got it back at the Dallas 1, and Stoyanovich got a second try, a 19-yarder with 3 seconds left. Good. "It was just a big mistake and at the wrong time," Lett said. 10 months earlier, he'd been the man who slowed down to showboat on a fumble return in Super Bowl XXVII and got the ball knocked out of his hand at the goal line by Don Beebe. Dallas won that game anyway. And it won the Super Bowl again after the snow game, too. ![Snow and sleet at Texas Stadium, Thanksgiving 1993.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/lett_ii.jpg) Snow and sleet at Texas Stadium, Thanksgiving 1993. ![Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nov. 26, 1993: "Letting it slip away."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/07-leon-lett-thanksgiving-fort-worth-star-telegram-1993-11-26.jpg) Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nov. 26, 1993: "Letting it slip away." ## 6\. The Miracle in Miami **Dec. 9, 2018, Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins 34, Patriots 33.** New England led 33-28\. Miami had the ball at its own 31 with 7 seconds left. Ryan Tannehill threw to Kenny Stills, who flipped it to DeVante Parker, who flipped it to Kenyan Drake. That left Drake with one man to beat: Rob Gronkowski, a tight end, whom the Patriots had sent out to play deep safety. Drake ran right past him. "I don't believe what I just saw!" shouted Joe Rose on Dolphins radio. It was the first walk-off touchdown with multiple laterals in NFL history. Miami didn't bother kicking the extra point. ![The final play of the Miracle in Miami.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mim_i.jpg) The final play of the Miracle in Miami. ![The Dolphins in the end zone as time runs out.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mim_iii.jpg) The Dolphins in the end zone as time runs out. ![Miami Herald, Dec. 10, 2018: "MIAMI MIRACLE."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/06-miracle-in-miami-miami-herald-2018-12-10.jpg) Miami Herald, Dec. 10, 2018: "MIAMI MIRACLE." The loss cost the Patriots the No. 1 seed. They won the Super Bowl anyway. ## 5\. The Miracle at the Meadowlands **Nov. 19, 1978, Giants Stadium. Eagles 19, Giants 17.** The Giants led 17-12, they had the ball, and the Eagles were out of timeouts. All New York had to do was kneel down. Instead, offensive coordinator Bob Gibson called a handoff to fullback Larry Csonka, the same play that had gained 11 yards on 2nd down. In the huddle on 3rd down, Csonka reportedly said, "Don't give me the ball." Quarterback Joe Pisarcik's handoff hit Csonka on the hip and bounced loose. Eagles cornerback Herm Edwards picked it up and ran 26 yards for the winning touchdown. "I don't believe it!" Merrill Reese yelled on Eagles radio. "I don't believe it!" "I never had control," Pisarcik said. Gibson was fired the next morning and never coached football again. The next week, the Giants lined up to kill the clock with a quarterback kneel behind a wall of blockers. Every team in football has done it that way since. It's called the victory formation, and this is where it came from. ![The Eagles and Giants at Giants Stadium, 1978.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mm_i.jpg) The Eagles and Giants at Giants Stadium, 1978. ![Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 20, 1978: "Giant ball bounces Eagles' way."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/05-miracle-at-the-meadowlands-philadelphia-inquirer-1978-11-20.jpg) Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 20, 1978: "Giant ball bounces Eagles' way." And 32 years later, the Eagles did it to the Giants again. On Dec. 19, 2010, Philadelphia scored 4 touchdowns in the final 7:28 to tie the game at 31, and then DeSean Jackson returned a punt 65 yards on the last play. It was the first walk-off punt-return touchdown in NFL history. ![DeSean Jackson (10) on his walk-off punt return, Dec. 19, 2010.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/mm_iii.jpg) DeSean Jackson (10) on his walk-off punt return, Dec. 19, 2010. ![Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 20, 2010: "MIRACLE AT THE NEW MEADOWLANDS."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/05-miracle-at-new-meadowlands-2010-philadelphia-inquirer-2010-12-20.jpg) Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 20, 2010: "MIRACLE AT THE NEW MEADOWLANDS." ## 4\. The Holy Roller **Sept. 10, 1978, San Diego Stadium. Raiders 21, Chargers 20.** Oakland trailed 20-14 with 10 seconds left, at the San Diego 14\. As Chargers linebacker Woodrow Lowe dragged him down, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler "fumbled" the ball forward. Running back Pete Banaszak batted it toward the goal line. Tight end Dave Casper batted it, kicked it into the end zone and fell on it. Touchdown. Errol Mann, the same kicker who'd been on the wrong end of Dempsey's kick, made the extra point. In San Diego they called it the "Immaculate Deception." Years later Stabler was asked whether he'd fumbled on purpose. "No, I can't convince you of that," he said, "because I did." Banaszak and Casper admitted they'd batted it on purpose, too. ![The Holy Roller: the ball rolls loose in the final seconds at San Diego Stadium.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/hrii.jpg) The Holy Roller: the ball rolls loose in the final seconds at San Diego Stadium. ![Raiders and Chargers chase the ball.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/hri.jpg) Raiders and Chargers chase the ball. ![Daily Times-Advocate (Escondido, Calif.), Sept. 11, 1978: the fumble-forward play, frame by frame.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/04-holy-roller-escondido-times-advocate-1978-09-11.jpg) Daily Times-Advocate (Escondido, Calif.), Sept. 11, 1978: the fumble-forward play, frame by frame. The NFL changed the rules the next season. Now, on 4th down or after the 2-minute warning, only the player who fumbles can advance the ball. ## 3\. The River City Relay **Dec. 21, 2003, Alltel Stadium. Jaguars 20, Saints 19.** The Jaguars led 20-13\. The Saints had the ball at their own 25 with 7 seconds left. Aaron Brooks threw to Donté Stallworth at midfield. Stallworth lateraled to Michael Lewis. Lewis lateraled to Deuce McAllister. McAllister lateraled to Jerome Pathon, who dove into the end zone. It was a 75-yard play, with 3 laterals, on the final snap. All the Saints needed was the extra point to send it to overtime. John Carney missed it wide right. "He missed the extra point!" shouted Jim Henderson on Saints radio. "Oh my God, how could he do that?" ![The Saints in the end zone after the River City Relay.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/rrr_i.jpg) The Saints in the end zone after the River City Relay. ![Saints players at Alltel Stadium.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/rrr_ii.jpg) Saints players at Alltel Stadium. ![The Florida Times-Union, Dec. 22, 2003: "…And the miss."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/times_union_and_the_miss_2003-12-22.jpg) The Florida Times-Union, Dec. 22, 2003: "…And the miss." It's the only entry on this list where the miracle happened and the team still lost. (For the record, a win wouldn't have put the Saints in the playoffs. Dallas clinched that same day.) Fittingly, the winner was the same franchise that won this morning in London. ## 2\. The Heidi Game **Nov. 17, 1968, AFL, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Raiders 43, Jets 32.** This one wasn't technically an NFL game. It was the AFL, 2 seasons before the leagues merged, which is why this list says "pro football." ![The game program from Oakland, Nov. 17, 1968.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/program.jpg) The game program from Oakland, Nov. 17, 1968. Jim Turner kicked a field goal to put the Jets up 32-29 with a little more than a minute left. At 7 p.m. Eastern, NBC did what its schedule said it would do: it cut away from the game to start its movie, a new version of *Heidi*. Viewers flooded NBC's switchboard so badly they blew its fuses, so the executives who wanted to stay with the game couldn't get through to master control. Most of the country never saw what happened next. Daryle Lamonica hit Charlie Smith for a 43-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left. On the kickoff, the Jets' Earl Christy fumbled, and the Raiders' Preston Ridlehuber recovered it in the end zone. That was 2 Oakland touchdowns in 9 seconds. NBC eventually ran a crawl across the bottom of the movie: "RAIDERS DEFEAT JETS 43-32." ![What NBC viewers saw instead: the movie Heidi.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/heidi.jpg) What NBC viewers saw instead: the movie Heidi. ![Staten Island Advance, Nov. 18, 1968: "NBC boots screen pass to Heidi."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/02-heidi-game-nbc-uproar-staten-island-advance-1968-11-18.jpg) Staten Island Advance, Nov. 18, 1968: "NBC boots screen pass to Heidi." ![The Jets and Raiders in Oakland.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/heidi_game_i.jpg) The Jets and Raiders in Oakland. ![San Francisco Examiner, Nov. 18, 1968: "Raiders, Fans Survive Cliff-Hanger."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/02-heidi-game-raiders-comeback-sf-examiner-1968-11-18.jpg) San Francisco Examiner, Nov. 18, 1968: "Raiders, Fans Survive Cliff-Hanger." NBC installed a separate phone line so it could never happen again. It became known as the "Heidi phone," and to this day, NFL TV contracts require games to air to the end in the visiting team's market. The Jets beat Oakland in the AFL title game 6 weeks later, then won Super Bowl III. ## 1\. The Immaculate Reception **Dec. 23, 1972, AFC Divisional, Three Rivers Stadium. Steelers 13, Raiders 7.** The Raiders' Ken Stabler had run 30 yards for a touchdown to give Oakland a 7-6 lead with a little more than a minute left. The Steelers, who had never won a playoff game in their 40 seasons, were down to 4th-and-10 at their own 40 with 22 seconds left and no timeouts. Terry Bradshaw scrambled and threw over the middle for Frenchy Fuqua. Oakland safety Jack Tatum arrived at the same moment as the ball. It caromed backward, and rookie Franco Harris scooped it up off his shoe tops, at full speed, near the Oakland 44\. He stiff-armed Jimmy Warren and ran the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown. ![Franco Harris on the run.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/ir_i.jpg) Franco Harris on the run. ![Fans mob Harris at Three Rivers Stadium.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/ir_iii.jpg) Fans mob Harris at Three Rivers Stadium. ![The Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 24, 1972, with the ball's path drawn in: "'Miracle' Play Saves Steelers, 13-7."](https://storage.ghost.io/c/6a/b0/6ab0eb2f-edcf-411e-aaff-39e6be3d4e39/content/images/2026/10/01-immaculate-reception-diagram-pittsburgh-press-1972-12-24.jpg) The Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 24, 1972, with the ball's path drawn in: "'Miracle' Play Saves Steelers, 13-7." The rule then was that if an offensive player touched a pass, no other offensive player could catch it unless a defender touched it too. Did the ball hit Tatum, or only Fuqua? Referee Fred Swearingen got on the phone with the NFL's supervisor of officials, Art McNally, before signaling touchdown. More than 50 years later, nobody has ever proved who touched it. The NFL dropped the rule in 1978. "Franco Harris pulled in the football," Jack Fleming said on Steelers radio. "I don't even know where he came from!" It was the first playoff win in Pittsburgh history, and the start of 4 Super Bowl titles in 6 years. Harris died on Dec. 20, 2022, 3 days before the play's 50th anniversary. **Which ending would you put at No. 1? And where does this morning's game in London rank? Tell us in the comments.**