The 11 Greatest NFL Divisional Round Performances Of All-Time

The Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs is just around the corner, and eight teams are looking to take one more step toward the Super Bowl and immortality.

Each year, the round presents us with some of the most remarkable and improbable games of all time. But those games would not be special if it were not for a number of special individual performances as well.

Today, we’re taking a look at the top individual performances in the history of the divisional round, which first began all the way back in 1967.

Because it would be a matter of splitting hairs to rank them, we’ve decided to put these performances in chronological order. But they are each, in their own right, some of the top performances that the NFL has ever seen.

1971: Ed Podolak Sets The NFL Playoff Record For All-Purpose Yards

Raise your hand if you’re familiar with the name Ed Podolak.

Now put your hand back down, you liar!

Podolak, a second-round pick in the 1969 NFL Draft out of Iowa, played nine seasons in the NFL, all for the Kansas City Chiefs.

His most impressive showing game in the Divisional Round of the 1971 playoffs when, in a double-overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins, he put up 350 all-purpose yards, a playoff record that still stands 55 years later.

Podolak racked up 85 rushing yards, 110 receiving yards, and 155 return yards in what was and still is the longest game in NFL history, coming in at 82 minutes and 40 seconds.

1976: Terry Bradshaw Throws For The Equivalent ‘Perfect Game’ In The Playoffs

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw occasionally goes overlooked when it comes to all-time great quarterbacks because his numbers aren’t the most gaudy.

But in the 1976 Divisional Round against the Baltimore Colts, Bradshaw wasn’t just great; he was perfect.

Bradshaw completed 14 of 18 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, achieving a perfect 158.3 passer rating for his efforts. He is one of only four players to have ever achieved a perfect passer rating in an NFL playoff game, with Peyton Manning in 2004 being the most recent.

1979: Vernon Perry Picks Off Dan Fouts A Record Four Times

Much like Podolak, Vernon Perry wasn’t exactly a star in the NFL. He was undrafted in 1976 and went on to play just five seasons.

But in the 1979 AFC Divisional Round against Dan Fouts and the Chargers, Perry had the game of his life. In fact, he had one of the all-time games of anyone’s life.

The Jackson State product picked off Fouts a record four times in the victory, and also recorded a blocked field goal that he returned 57 yards before being tackled.

Perry continued his insane playoff run with a 75-yards pick six in the AFC Championship Game against Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers, although Pittsburgh went on to win the game, 27-13.

1982: Kellen Winslow Lights It Up In San Diego’s Air Coryell Offense

From 1978 to 1983, the San Diego Chargers led the NFL in passing a record six times in a row thanks to head coach Don Coryell and his legendary Air Coryell offense.

One of the top products and producers of and for the system was Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. In the 1982 AFC Divisional Round against the Miami Dolphins, Winslow could not be stopped.

The legendary pass catcher hauled in 13 catches for 166 yards and a TD for the Chargers in a win against the Miami Dolphins. Oh, and he also had a game-saving blocked field goal with seconds to go that sent the game to overtime, where San Diego picked up the 41-38 victory.

1983: John Riggins Rumbles To A Huge Day Against The Vikings

These days, John Riggins would almost certainly be typecast as a fullback. But in his heyday, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound running back was a force that could not be stopped.

In 1983, Riggins set a record with 610 rushing yards in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl victory with Washington.

Perhaps the most impressive of those performances came in the Divisional Round when he carried the ball 37 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

1986: Eric Dickerson Torches The Dallas Cowboys

In the 1970s and 1990s, the Dallas Cowboys were the team to beat in the NFC.

However, the 1980s were a different story, and they learned that the hard way in the 1986 NFC Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams and Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson.

Dickerson made a big play seemingly every time he touched the ball, carrying it 34 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns, setting the NFL playoff single-game rushing record in a 20-0 victory.

That record still stands today.

1994: Ricky Watters Finds The End Zone Five Times Against The New York Giants

If there was one team that could compete with the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s, it was the San Francisco Giants. The two teams played in three consecutive NFC Championship Games, with the second coming in 1994.

In order to get there, however, the Niners needed to first dispatch of the New York Giants. As it turns out, that wasn’t much of a problem.

Superstar running back Ricky Watters rushed for 118 yards, caught five passes for 46 yards, and scored an NFL playoff record five touchdowns as San Francisco destroyed the Giants, 44–3. Although they’d go on to fall to Dallas the following week.

2000: Kurt Warner Introduces The World To ‘The Greatest Show On Turf’

Kurt Warner wasn’t meant to be a Hall of Fame quarterback. But he scratched and clawed to make it to the NFL, and then he found himself in the perfect situation, quarterbacking one of the most talented offenses in league history.

In the 2000 NFC Divisional Round, the St. Louis Rams and their “Greatest Show On Turf” offense took on the high-powered Minnesota Vikings.

Warner threw for 391 yards and five touchdowns in his first career playoff start, and the Rams went on to take a 49-37 victory, their first of three that year en route to winning the Super Bowl.

2006: The Chicago Bears Cannot Stop Steve Smith

It didn’t take long for Steve Smith to make an impact in the NFL after the Carolina Panthers selected her in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Smith was an All-Pro as a rookie.

But his biggest moment came in the 2006 playoffs when, in the Divisional Round against the Chicago Bears, Smith caught 12 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-21 victory over the Chicago Bears.

It marked the crown jewel in a remarkable season for Smith, who led the NFL in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns.

2008: Tom Brady Cannot Miss Against The Jacksonville Jaguars

These days, everyone more or less acknowledges that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. In the 2007-2008 season, Brady was at the peak of his powers, throwing for 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions on the way to winning the NFL MVP award.

Brady continued his incredible run in the AFC Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, completing 26 of 28 pass attempts for 263 yards and three touchdowns.

The fact that the ball ever hit the ground in the game came as a bit of a surprise. Ultimately, the Patriots’ perfect season came undone in the Super Bowl at the hands of Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

2013: Colin Kaepernick Outduels Aaron Rodgers In Epic Showdown

While Colin Kaepernick’s NFL career may have ended in controversy, at the peak of his powers, Kaepernick was a dynamic offensive weapon for then San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.

In the 2012-13 season, Kaepernick took over for an injured Alex Smith and never looked back, taking the starting job. He then had the game of his career in the NFC Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers, outdueling Aaron Rodgers, who a year prior had been named the NFL MVP.

Kaepernick not only threw for 263 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 45-31 victory, but he also rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns. The 181 rushing yards are the most in NFL history for a quarterback, in either the postseason or the regular season.