The 10 Best Defensive Plays in the History of the NFL
It’s clear from the number of defensive players that have been made MVP that stronger emphasis and more attention are often paid to the offensive players rather than the defensive. As that age-old saying goes: the best defense is a good offense. An offense is all well and good: you have to have warriors on the frontlines charging at the enemy full tilt and hopefully scaring the daylights out of them…but what happens when that fails or is not enough on its own? When an offense fails, the players in the NFL hot seat are the defensive ones. Defensive players and the plays they run are often looked at as “backstage”: contributing to a win but not often being the stars of the show. Well, we’re here to tell you that offensive plays and players deserve some time in the spotlight too! So, with no further ado, we present to you the ten best defensive plays in the illustrious history of the NFL.
10. Glen Edwards’ Interception Against the Cowboys
With just 3 minutes and 3 seconds left on the clock, the Cowboys were trailing 21-10 but were after a touchdown at the two minute warning. The Steelers decided not to kick on 4th&9 from the Dallas 41, and ran it with no luck setting up the Cowboys on their own 39 with only 1:22 left on the clock. They drove to the 38 of the Steelers, threw an incomplete pass and an incomplete Hail Mary. The final throw was intercepted by Glen Edwards, and the game was stolen, just like that.
9. Dan Bunz’s Tackle on 3rd Down
The 49ers were leading 20-7, but the Bengals were driving hard and just converted their 4th down, advancing to the 3-yard line and stopping for nothing. Two runs took them to the 1, and the Bengals called out for a play-action pass. Ken Anderson dumped it straight to RB Charles Alexander, who was intending to run his route all the way into the endzone. Catching it on the 1-yard line, he was completely rocked by Bunz and forced into the 4th downplay.
8. Clay Matthews forces Rashard Mendenhall’s Hand
The Steelers were falling far behind in the Super Bowl 45, but Pittsburgh had a comeback to within 21-17 and were driving hard in Green Bay territory as the fourth quarter kicked off. Matthews suggested to teammates that they may be about to come his way, and what do you know, Mendenhall hurdles in his direction. Matthews delivers a 10 out of 10 hit and forces the turnover. The Packers went on to score 8 plays later and a 28-17 lead in a 28-25 victory.
7. Leon Lett forces Thurman Thomas to Fumble and Erases the Bills Halftime Lead
Though it’s easy to forget, Buffalo led the Dallas Cowboys 13-6 at halftime of the Super Bowl 28. The Bills got the second-half kick and drove. Thomas had an unfortunate fumble which was followed by Washington weaving his way to the endzone and tying up the game.
6. Jack Squirek and the Shortest Pick-6 in History
The Redskins were leading 14-3 with just 12 seconds left in the half, and LB Jack Squirek remembers that Redskins had just run a screen pass setting up a field against them. He was on it like white on rice, picking it off and walking that ball the 5 yards into the endzone, scoring a 21-3 lead on the way to an upset route 38-9 in favor of the Raiders.
5. Mike Curtis’ Dramatic Punch-Out on the Goal-Line
In a game that is remembered as being marred from the start, one of Curtis’ most well-remembered plays in Super Bowl 5 was an interception of a pass on the way to Dan Reeves. He returned it into a game-winning field goal range. But the most famous play he made was knocking the ball out of Cowboys RB Duane Thoma’s hands as he was about to cross the goal line. Baltimore got back in the game for a touchdown, and if Dallas had scored, they would have gone up 20-6, but instead, they went on to lose the game 16-13.
Wrap Up
These plays are some of the most surprising and most exciting ever made in the history of the NFL. The defensive players who made them were at the top of their games and supported by incredible teams. Being in the right place at the right time didn’t seem to hurt them either! Did we leave any of your favorite defensive plays out?
