Sports have stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic, and sports fans everywhere are looking for what to do with all the time normally spent watching games every night. NFL Game Pass, which usually comes at a cost, is now free to all. Since most everyone is stuck in their house for the foreseeable future, we can enjoy some of the greatest games in league history during all this newly-minted downtime.
When assigned this post, my first thought as a Bostonian was to include six particular Super Bowls (maybe you've seen them), with the AFC Championship games to match. Before fans of the other 31 teams stop reading, I held back and didn't do that. You're welcome.
With this complimentary access, the NFL announced that fans will be able to rewatch games from 2009-2019, including full broadcast replays and condensed 45-minute versions. You can even watch preseason games from 2010-2019 if that interests you.
With playoff and Super Bowl replays included, you can relive the stressful moments of your team playing in a do-or-die matchup, except Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns fans, you guys haven't made the playoffs recent enough to be included here.
If you don't feel like transporting back to the most stressful moments as you watched your team try to make a championship run, or you can't because your team just hasn't made it, there are plenty of other iconic games you can re-live.
With so many great ones to choose from, it was hard to narrow them down, so don't tweet at me angrily saying your favorite team or game didn't make it. Or do, I'm stuck in my house with nothing better to do than look at Twitter anyway.
Here's what I came up with (in no particular order):
Super Bowl LI:
Remember when I said I wasn't going to only pick Patriots games, well that doesn't mean I wasn't going to select any. Can you blame me though, this is a classic. If you're looking for the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time, or unbelievable catches or an unlikely finish, look no further. If you are a New England fan looking to watch happier days when Tom Brady was still your quarterback, this is one of the happiest days to look back on. The other five New England Super Bowl wins are honorable mentions.
Cowboys vs. Packers 2014 NFC Divisional Game:
For those who don't have an immediate reaction just reading the matchup, this is the "Dez caught it" game. This game lives in infamy so unless you're a Dallas fan, it's wild to rewatch what happened and be reminded of what could have been. The question of what is a catch is still up in the air, so to speak, in the NFL, and this was a pinnacle moment in that debate. The Green Bay Packers went on to defeat the Cowboys 26-21.
Cowboys vs. Broncos, 2013:
If points are something you like, boy are you going to love this one. This back-and-forth, down to the wire, high-scoring matchup between Peyton Manning and Tony Romo is exceptional, with almost 900 passing yards between the two QBs. It ended with a Matt Prater game-winning field goal as time expired (what's more exciting than that), giving the Broncos a 51-48 win.
Rams vs. Chiefs, 2018:
I'm going to stick with this high-scoring trend and bring up a more recent example of explosive offenses. Both teams were Super Bowl favorites heading into this matchup and neither disappointed. Would-be MVP Patrick Mahomes put up just under 500 passing yards and Rams QB Jared Goff came in with just over 400. The Monday night matchup ended with a 54-51 Rams victory.
Super Bowl XLVI:
Told ya I could be unbiased. This Super Bowl rematch between the Patriots and New York Giants was New England's chance to get revenge. It was not that long beforehand that the Giants ruined the Patriots undefeated season with a Super Bowl win. Rather than revenge, the Giants stepped up once again and secured their second championship in six years. Eli Manning outplayed Tom Brady and took home the MVP trophy.
Packers vs. Cardinals 2015 NFC Divisional Game:
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems to have perfected the Hail Mary, and any list of iconic games would be missing something without one of these games. The 61-yard throw is listed as 10/10 difficulty and "total drama score" on NFL.com. Down seven with time expiring, Rodgers chucked it in the air in a near-impossible manner, finding Jeff Janis in the end zone. The pass sent the game to overtime, though the Cardinals eventually got the W.
Minneapolis Miracle:
Any game that can be identified with a nickname including 'miracle' deserves to be on some list somewhere. The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings met in the divisional round of the 2017 playoffs, With mere seconds left in the game, down by one and back at their own 39-yard-line, Case Keenum connected with Stefon Diggs for an incredible play to win the game that is cemented in Vikings history.
Miracle at the New Meadowlands:
Hey would you look at that, another game with 'miracle' in the title. The Philadelphia Eagles trailed the New York Giants by 21 points at two different points in the game, including a 31-10 deficit in the third quarter. Between an electric comeback, a successful onside kick and finally a muffed punt turned 65-yard touchdown return by DeSean Jackson as the clock hit zero, the game lives on in the annals of NFL history as one of the all-time great finishes.
Steelers vs. Cowboys 2016
In the mood for a Steelers fake spike with less than a minute left to lead by one, a failed 2-point conversion turned into a Cowboys interception, some key penalties, an Ezekiel Elliot touchdown run to regain the lead, another failed 2-point conversion and a last-minute failed attempt by Antonio Brown to seal Dallas' win? No? ... THEN DO I HAVE THE GAME FOR YOU.
Pass Interference No-Call:
Care to watch a game that possibly sent the wrong team to Super Bowl (relax Rams fans, I said possibly), includes one of the worst calls in league history and changed the future of the NFL? Then turn on the Rams vs. Saints 2018 NFC Championship. Unless you're a Saints fan, because life is hard enough -- particularly after the Minnesota Miracle -- and you don't need to add more pain to it.
Other honorable mentions: Marshawn Lynch Beast Quake game, Replacement Refs game, Odell Beckham Jr.'s iconic catch game, Super Bowl XLVII (Ravens vs. 49ers) and Super Bowl LII (Eagles vs. Patriots).
