The 10 Greatest Catches In NFL History

There are few things more exciting in an NFL game than a great catch. Especially the type of catch that makes you rewind several times and ask, “How did he catch that?!” In this slideshow, we’re counting down the 10 greatest catches in NFL history.

Several elements add up to make a great catch. There’s the difficulty, the element of luck, the importance of the catch, and of course, the role the defense plays in the play.

While there were far more than 10 good options, in this list we counted down what many consider to be the 10 greatest catches in NFL history.

10. Joe Jurevicius Goes Tip-Drill Against The Philadelphia Eagles On Monday Night Football

By the opening week of the NFL season in 2003, it was clear that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles didn’t like each other very much.

Philadelphia knocked Tampa Bay out of the 2001 playoffs, while the Bucs then returned the favor in the 2002 NFC Championship Game, handing Philly a loss in the final game at Veterans Stadium.

The two teams played in the first game at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night Football in 2003, and Jurevicius capped a 17-0 Tampa Bay victory with an incredible catch.

Quarterback Brad Johnson rolled right and threw high to Jurevicius, who used one hand to tip the ball over an on-rushing cornerback before evading him and turning to catch the ball with two hands in the end zone for an improbable touchdown.

9. Santonio Holmes Gets 10 Toes Down to Win Super Bowl 43 Against the Arizona Cardinals

Sometimes, a great catch is as much about the situation as it is the difficulty of the catch itself. That’s the case here.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 43 ahead 20-7. But the Arizona Cardinals came roaring back to take 23-20 lead, capped by a 64-yard Larry Fitzgerald touchdown catch with just over two minutes remaining.

Pittsburgh regrouped itself, however, and marched right back down the field. With time running down, Ben Roethlisberger rolled right and found Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the end zone. Holmes was able to stop on a dime, keeping both feet barely in the end zone to make the catch for the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining.

8. Dwight Clark Makes 'The Catch' Against The Dallas Cowboys

As we mentioned when we counted down the greatest MLB catches of all-time, any time you make a catch that everyone knows as “The Catch,” it’s a lock for our list.

Clark’s leaping touchdown catch with just under a minute to play to win the 1981 NFC Championship Game might not score high on the modern difficulty scale, but it set in motion a series of events that saw the San Francisco 49ers begin their reign as the predominant power in the NFC in the 1980s.

While the Dallas Cowboys fan and hater in me wants to play down the catch itself, there’s no denying its massive impact on the NFL.

7. The Immaculate Reception

One look at the photo above, and it’s easy to say that there’s no way that somebody catches that ball. But a waiting Franco Harris, standing just out of frame, somehow did, and the rest is history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced 4th-and-10 from their own 40-yard line, trailing the Oakland Raiders 7–6 with just 22 seconds remaining.

Quarterback Terry Bradshaw dropped back to pass, rolled right, and threw a prayer in the direction of running back John Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum and Fuqua collided as the ball came to them, sending it ricocheting several yards away and somehow into the fingertips of Franco Harris, who scooped it right before it hit the ground and ran for a 60-yard touchdown with five seconds remaining to win the game.

The Immaculate Reception has since become one of the most controversial plays in NFL history. But what most forget is that Pittsburgh went on to lose in the AFC Championship Game to the Miami Dolphins, who went on to complete the only undefeated season in NFL history.

6. Jermaine Kearse Somehow Comes Down With It In Super Bowl 49

The result of this game is the only thing keeping this catch from being higher on the list.

With the Seattle Seahawks trailing Super Bowl 49 and driving late in the game, Russell Wilson hung a ball up the right sideline intended for Jermaine Kearse.

Patriots safety Malcolm Butler knocked the ball away, but it bounced off Kearse’s knee, then his high, then into his waiting arms. The play gave Seattle first-and-goal at the 5-yard line with a just over a minute to play.

But Butler redeemed himself, later picking off a Wilson pass in the end zone to seal a 28-24 victory for New England.

5. Justin Jefferson Pulls Off The Impossible Against The Buffalo Bills

Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson has established himself as the best wide receiver in the NFL. So much so, even, that he’s managed to make Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins look like star quarterbacks over the last five years.

But this catch against the Buffalo Bills in 2022 was undeniably the best of his career.

The 7-1 Vikings trailed Buffalo 27-23 with 1:59 to play and were facing a 4th-and-18 from their own 27-yard line.

Cousins then did what any self-respecting quarterback would: he found Jefferson. The Minnesota QB chucked the ball up in the direction of Jefferson, but seemingly overthrew him.

Buffalo defensive back Cam Lewis got both hands on the ball, but Jefferson went up with one hand and yanked the ball away from Lewis, maintaining possession on the way down and making an improbable catch.

Minnesota went on to score a touchdown on the drive and won the game 33-30 in overtime.

4. Julian Edelman Saves Super Bowl 51 From The New England Patriots

Everyone remembers the New England Patriots coming from 28-3 down to win Super Bowl 51 over the Atlanta Falcons. But it almost didn’t happen.

With just over two minutes remaining, the Patriots trailed 28-20 and faced first-and-10 from their own 36-yard line.

Tom Brady dropped back to pass and looked deep over the middle. But his pass intended for Julian Edelman was underthrown and almost intercepted by Dee Alford.

Instead, Allford knocked the ball straight up into the air. Four players, three Falcons defenders and Edelman, dove for the ball as it came tumbling down. Only one came down with it, Edelman. The Patriots’ wide receiver got his fingertips under the ball just inches away from the turf. New England went on to tie the game before winning in overtime, and nobody ever remembers how Brady almost threw the game away.

3. Antonio Freeman Pulls A Rabbit Out Of His Against The Minnesota Vikings

Before there was Jermaine Kearse in Super Bowl 49, there was Antonio Freeman on Monday Night Football.

The Green Bay Packers and NFC North rival Minnesota were tied at 20 in overtime of a “Monday Night Football” Game on Nov. 6, 2020.

On second-and-4 from the Vikings’ 43, Packers QB Brett Favre dropped back and threw a deep ball to Antonio Freeman.

Minnesota cornerback Cris Dishman knocked the ball away. Freeman attempted to dive for the falling ball, but he couldn’t come up with it. However, the ball never hit the ground. Instead, it landed on Freeman’s shoulder, and as he rolled over, it dropped into his waiting arms.

Freeman then got up and ran into the end zone to win the game 26-20 as the commentary team of Al Michaels and John Madden looked on in disbelief.

2. Odell Beckham Needs Just One Hand Against The Dallas Cowboys

By late November of his rookie season, Odell Beckham Jr. had already established himself as one of the NFL’s top wide receivers.

But this catch against the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football” solidified his place as a budding superstar.

With the New York Giants leading the Dallas Cowboys, 7-3, to start the second quarter, Giants QB Eli Manning dropped back to pass. He chucked a deep ball down the right sideline in the direction of Beckham, but Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr, who was beaten badly on the play, grabbed Beckham and pulled him to the ground.

As Beckham was falling, he reached back over and behind his head to pull the ball out of the air for a touchdown, and a play that Cris Collinsworth called the greatest catch he’s ever seen in his life.

1. David Tyree Pulls Off 'The Helmet Catch' In Super Bowl 42

Like with Clark and Harris before him, Tyree’s ‘Helmet Catch’ in Super Bowl 42 has its own Wikipedia entry, so you know it was special.

Super Bowl 42 pitted the 18-0 New England Patriots, looking to become only the second team in league history to complete a perfect season, against the 13-6 New York Giants, who snuck into the playoffs via a Wild Card spot.

But nobody told the Giants they weren’t supposed to win. With 1:05 left on the clock, New York faced third-and-5 from its own 43-yard line, trailing 14-10.

Quarterback Eli Manning dropped back to pass and fought off several tackles before heaving a prayer in the direction of little-known wide receiver David Tyree, who made just four catches in the regular season.

Tyree out-jumped star safety Rodney Harrison to grab the ball, then pinned it to his helmet on the way to the ground to keep Harrison from dislodging it.

The unbelievable catch gave New York a first down at the New England 24-yard line with just under a minute to play.

A short time later, Manning his Plaxico Burress in the back of the end zone for a game-winning touchdown, cementing Tyree’s spot in history and ending New England’s chances at perfection.