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

National Football League

Published Oct. 29, 2024 11:21 a.m. ET

The Washington Commanders delivered one of the most exciting plays in sports on Sunday.

Jayden Daniels became the latest quarterback to throw a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown pass when he did so against the Chicago Bears, helping the Commanders win 18-15. Daniels’ pass was deflected a couple of yards short of the end zone, causing the ball to bounce to an open Noah Brown.

The play created one of the most talked-about regular-season moments in the NFL in recent years. Let’s take a look at some of the other memorable Hail Marys in NFL history.

1975: The Hail Mary Game

What we think of as a Hail Mary pass — a last-minute game-winning heave — was a phrase popularized in 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 pass to the end zone. Future Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach hit fellow future Hall of Famer Drew Pearson on a deep pass that resulted in a touchdown for the Cowboys, giving them a 17-14 lead in the NFC Divisional Round game.

There was actually enough time on the clock for the Vikings to run two more plays, with Fran Tarkenton getting sacked on both.

“I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary,” Staubach told reporters after the game.

The Cowboys won the NFC Championship Game the next weekend but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X.

1980: Miracle at the Met

The Vikings were on the right side of a Hail Mary five seasons after their playoff loss to the Cowboys. Facing a playoff-contending Cleveland Browns team late in the season, the Vikings were behind by double digits for most of the game. They got the ball back with 14 seconds left and no timeouts as they trailed 23-22.

Minnesota called a hook-and-lateral on the first play, bringing it to Cleveland’s 46-yard line with four seconds left. Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer launched a pass down the sideline that was tipped by a Browns defender around the goal line. The tip allowed Vikings wide receiver Ahmad Rashad to snag the ball with one hand at the 1-yard line before falling into the end zone to give Minnesota a 28-23 win.

The play is often referred to as the “Miracle at the Met” by Vikings fans and helped the team win the NFC Central that season.

Minnesota Vikings receiver Ahmad Rashad (28) made a one-handed catch on a Hail Mary pass in a win over the Cleveland Browns in 1980. (Joe Oden/ MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images)

2010: Jacksonville Jaguars get a lucky bounce

The Jaguars were the beneficiary of a similar Hail Mary play in 2010. They were locked in a 24-24 tie with the Houston Texans in the final seconds of their Week 10 matchup. With the ball at the 50-yard line, Jaguars quarterback David Garrard remained in the pocket before hurling a pass to the goal line before his receivers even reached the Texans’ 10-yard line.

As Jaguars receivers still trailed the pass, Texans defensive back Glover Quin batted the ball back toward the field of play. That deflection caused Jaguars wide receiver Mike Thomas to come up with a catch at the 1-yard line, tightly securing the ball before moving forward to reach the end zone for the game-winning score.

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

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

The 9-7 Giants had an answered prayer in their upset over the 15-1 defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the 2011 playoffs. New York got out to a surprising 13-10 lead early in the game and had a chance to add more points before halftime. When the Giants got to Green Bay’s 37-yard line with 6 seconds left, they opted to go for it instead of kicking a field goal on a frigid night at Lambeau Field. Eli Manning put a ball near the back corner of the end zone, allowing Hakeem Nicks to leap higher than Packers defenders to make the touchdown grab.

Nicks’ touchdown catch didn’t decide their 37-20 win over the Packers, but it did give the Giants momentum heading into the second half. It was also a sign of things to come as they went on to defeat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl that postseason.

2012: Fail Mary

Just over eight months after the Giants’ Hail Mary, the Packers were on the wrong end of another painful touchdown, this time against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks, down 12-7, got to the Packers’ 24-yard line with eight seconds left. On fourth-and-10, Seattle took its last shot at the end zone. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambled all the way back to the 40-yard line before getting the pass off.

As the ball reached the back left corner of the end zone, Packers safety M.D. Jennings and Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate wrestled for the ball. One replacement ref called for a dead ball to see what happened, while another ruled a touchdown, marking the start of the controversy surrounding the play. The touchdown call was upheld as there wasn’t evidence to overturn it, even though Jennings seemed to have a clearer grip on the catch.

The play instantly became known as the “Fail Mary” and caused the labor strike the NFL had with its officials to end.

2015: The Miracle in Motown

After heartbreak on a pair of Hail Marys earlier in the decade, the Packers got a little vindication twice in less than two months. Their first successful Hail Mary came in a Week 13 matchup against the Detroit Lions. A Lions penalty gave the Packers an untimed down and put Green Bay at its own 39-yard line, trailing 23-21 in Detroit. Aaron Rodgers evaded multiple pass-rushers before scrambling to his right and airing it out from his own 35-yard line. His pass made its way into the end zone, where Richard Rodgers leaped up and grabbed it in front of Lions defenders for the game-winning score.

The win helped the Packers reach the postseason, where Aaron Rodgers had another Hail Mary in him.

2015: Aaron Rodgers does it again

Aaron Rodgers had two incredibly clutch throws in the Packers’ Divisional Round game against the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 playoffs. First, the Packers, behind 20-13, faced a fourth-and-20 from their own 4-yard line with under a minute left. Instead of throwing a ball to the first-down marker, Rodgers launched a ball down the field to Jeff Janis for a 60-yard gain, putting Green Bay at the Arizona 36-yard line.

The Packers were called for a penalty on the next play, pushing them back to the Cardinals’ 41-yard line. Two plays later, the Cardinals blitzed Rodgers with five seconds left. Rodgers bought himself enough time before lobbing a deep pass. With the Cardinals’ blitz, Janis was able to reach for the ball over two defenders for the tying score to send the game to overtime.

The Cardinals wound up winning in overtime, but they lost in the NFC Championship Game the next weekend.

2016: Aaron Rodgers gets revenge on Giants

Rodgers continued to cement himself as the greatest Hail Mary passer of all time one year after his heroics against the Cardinals. He got some revenge, too.

Green Bay held a 7-6 lead with six seconds left in the first half of its wild-card matchup against New York. The Packers opted to go for it on a fourth-and-2 from the Giants’ 42-yard line. Rodgers went back roughly 10 yards before throwing a pass that somehow went behind the last Giants defender and landed in Randall Cobb’s arms in the back of the end zone. The touchdown set the stage for a dominant second half for the Packers, who won 38-13. They went on to make the NFC Championship Game, falling to the Atlanta Falcons.

2020: Hail Murray

The Cardinals ran an improvised Hail Mary to beat the Buffalo Bills in 2020. Trailing 30-26, the Cardinals reached the Bills’ 43-yard line with 11 seconds remaining. Arizona had trips right and star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins alone on the left side. As Buffalo brought pressure, quarterback Kyler Murray scrambled to his left. Instead of taking a short gain, he launched a pass to the end zone, where Hopkins was able to win a contested grab against a trio of Bills defenders for the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left.

2024: Madhouse in Maryland

The Commanders entered NFL history on Sunday when they became the latest team to complete a Hail Mary. After giving up a touchdown that gave the Bears a 15-12 lead with 25 seconds left, the Commanders had enough time to get to their 48-yard line. On the last play of the game, Daniels evaded pressure from a couple of Bears rushers before tossing a pass from his own 35-yard line. The ball didn’t reach the end zone, getting tipped at around the 2-yard line. But the deflection caused the ball to go straight to Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown, who was all alone in the end zone.

After the game, a video emerged of Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson taunting the crowd in the first few seconds of the play. Stevenson was late to pick up his assignment, rushing to the scrum, where he tipped the ball before it went to Brown.

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