Before we close out a wild decade in America’s most popular sports league, we’re looking back at some of the best of the 2010s in the NFL.
Here’s a breakdown of the 10 best professional football playoff games from the last 10 seasons. (And no, they’re not all Super Bowls, because that wouldn’t be very unique.)
10. Super Bowl XLVI, 2011: Giants 20, Patriots 17
This might not have been as epic as the Super Bowl game between the two four years earlier, because New England wasn’t unbeaten to that point. But the Giants were a 9-7 wild-card team that barely made the playoffs, and they beat three Goliaths in a row to win the Super Bowl. This one came down to the wire in Indianapolis, and it included one of the best clutch completions in NFL history.
9. Divisional Round, 2011: 49ers 36, Saints 32
The Saints came back from a 17-0 first-quarter lead, and the two teams combined for 31 fourth-quarter points in a wild back-and-forth battle that culminated in some Vernon Davis magic on an unforgettable eleventh-hour drive that won the game for San Francisco.
8. NFC Championship, 2014: Seahawks 28, Packers 22 (OT)
Aaron Rodgers vs. the Legion of Boom with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, and Green Bay might have pulled of the upset if not for a second-half collapse that included a successful onside kick from Seattle.
7. Wild Card Round, 2011: Broncos 29, Steelers 23 (OT)
This was the game in which Tim Tebow broke Twitter but slaying the heavily favored Steelers. Considering Tebow’s struggles as a passer, the ending really was unreal.
6. Divisional Round, 2015: Cardinals 26, Packers 20 (OT)
This was another ridiculous back-and-forth prime-time playoff contest. Arizona came back to take a 20-13 lead late in the fourth quarter before Aaron Rodgers did his Hail Mary thing, but then the Cardinals won thanks to Larry Fitzgerald magic in overtime.
5. Divisional Round, 2012: Ravens 38, Broncos 35 (2OT)
The 13-3 Broncos were overwhelming favorites, but the two sides went back and forth in an insanely entertaining shootout which culminated in Rahim Moore’s infamous screw-up and the “Mile High Miracle.” Then it inexplicably became a defensive battle before the Ravens won in double-overtime.
4. Wild Card Round, 2013: Colts 45, Chiefs 44
The Colts trailed the Chiefs 38-10 before pulling off the second-largest comeback in NFL playoff history. Andrew Luck’s most epic moment.
3. Super Bowl XLIX, 2014: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
A tremendous back-and-forth championship tilt that ended with one of the most widely debated plays in league history. Pete Carroll will go to his grave thinking about this one.
2. Super Bowl LII, 2017: Eagles 41, Patriots 33
“Philly Special,” an upset of the Patriots, the highest-scoring one-score game in Super Bowl history, and the Eagles’ first-ever title in modern NFL history. Throw in the Nick Foles factor and this was pretty much perfect.
1. Super Bowl LI, 2016: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT)
Guys, it was 28-3…
