The Cowboys won the game 24–21, giving the Redskins their first loss after an 11–0 start.ġ995 - Denver Broncos vs. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw the Hail Mary in the right corner of the end zone where Alvin Harper cleanly caught the ball for a touchdown, putting the Cowboys up 14–7. With the game tied 7–7 with time running out in the second quarter, the Cowboys faced a 4th down from Redskins 34 yard line. Washington Redskins: The Cowboys were playing the undefeated Redskins in 1991. The Falcons would go on to qualify for the playoffs, with this victory and a stunning road win at Candlestick Park earning them the tiebreaker over the 49ers.ġ991 - Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers: Falcons quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver found Michael Haynes for 44 yards with one second left to beat the 49ers, 17–14, in a key NFC West battle. The touchdown put the game out of reach, and the Vikings defeated the Saints 44–10.ġ991 - Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints: In the Saints' first-ever playoff game, the Vikings were ahead 24–10 near the end of the first half, when Wade Wilson completed a Hail Mary pass to Hassan Jones, to make the halftime score 31–10. On the game's final play, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana threw a touchdown pass to Jerry Rice as time expired, and the successful point after touchdown gave San Francisco a 27–26 winġ987 – NFC Wild Card Playoffs – Minnesota Vikings vs. The 49ers stopped the runner with :02 remaining, giving them possession. Cincinnati Bengals: Leading 26–20, with 0:06 remaining, Bengals coach Sam Wyche inexplicably called a 4th-down running play instead of a punt. Ken Anderson, who was recovering from a shoulder injury that he had received earlier in the season, replaced an ineffective Boomer Esiason and rallied the Bengals to a 24–21 victory.ġ987 – San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: The Saints' Dave Wilson completed a 54-yard Hail Mary pass, deflected by Bengal safety Robert Jackson, to Hoby Brenner on the last play before halftime to take a 7–3 lead.
TV coverage showed that it was very close to being "down at the 1 foot line" but a second referee raised his arms indicating touchdown, as Johnson's left shoulder hit the ground as he was putting the ball over the goal line with his right.ġ984 - New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers: Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski threw a Hail Mary pass 47 yards to Billy "White Shoes" Johnson on the final play of the game to give the Falcons a 28–24 win over the 49ers. The win secured Buffalo the last AFC playoff spot in 1981.ġ983 - Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots: Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson threw a 36-yard pass that was tipped in the end zone, and caught for a touchdown by running back Roland Hooks to give Buffalo a 20–17 victory. As a result of the victory, the Vikings qualified for the playoffs and would lose to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.ġ981 – Buffalo Bills vs. This pass is also known as the "Miracle at the Met." Kramer passed for 456 yards in the game. Minnesota Vikings: Using a play from their playbook called "Squadron Right", Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer completed a Hail Mary pass to Ahmad Rashād as time expired resulting in a 28–23 victory for the Vikings. The play was known as "Big Ben" and was practically repeated by the Falcons against the Saints only two weeks later in the "Big Ben II" game.ġ980 - Cleveland Browns vs.
New Orleans Saints: The Falcons beat the Saints 20–17 on a 57-yard Hail Mary pass from Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski to Alfred Jackson. Although this touchdown appears to be more of a traditional, scripted "bomb" pass play to a designated receiver, Pearson, Staubach's post-game comments about the play are thought to have popularized "Hail Mary" as a football term.ġ978 - Atlanta Falcons vs. 1975 - NFC Divisional Playoffs - Minnesota Vikings vs Dallas Cowboys: With 24 seconds left in the game, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson to defeat the Minnesota Vikings.