The Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones is Matt Ryan’s favorite target. The Falcons’ embarrassed the Green Bay Packers’ defense in the NFC Championship game. Jones racked up 180 yards and two touchdowns. Making big plays is part of what makes Super Bowls worth watching. One spectacular catch can make the difference between a Super Bowl ring and a loss to forget. Quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, and Russell Wilson have helped make incredible plays to wide receivers that gave them Super Bowl magic. Jones and Ryan are sure to put some razzle dazzle through the air.
Here is their competition in wild super bowl catches, as we look back over the past 17 years to find the top Super Bowl catch. NFL Network aired a series of half hour Super Bowl clips this past month.
Steve McNair and Kevin Dyson
Everyone thought the Tennessee Titans were fated to win the Super Bowl in 2000. Their last minute “Music City Miracle” win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wildcard game put them on a divine path. Quarterback Steve McNair used his feet and scrambling ability to propel the Titans down the field with less than two minutes to go. McNair’s magical throw to Kevin Dyson, who fell short of a game-tying touchdown at the one-yard line, was almost good enough. Time ran out, as the Titans lost the game to the St.
Louis Rams 23-16. Yet, most fans remember that reception.
Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald
Super Bowl 43 was a back-and-forth game from the beginning to the end. Kurt Warner’s pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald for a 64-yard touchdown helped the Arizona Cardinals take the lead against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Steelers pulled off a score shortly after, which helped them win the match-up.
Yet, Fitzgerald’s reception is a memory of wide receiver magic.
Eli Manning and Victor Cruz
In 2012, the New England Patriots were the favorites to beat the New York Giants. The odds were stacked against Eli Manning and the Giants. Yet, Manning found Victor Cruz for an amazing sideline catch. Cruz was somehow able to keep his feet in bounds.
The Cruz reception led to a game-winning score that the Patriots could not answer. The Giants got their second ring in 4 years.
Russell Wilson and Jermaine Kearse
Two years ago, The Seattle Seahawks were battling the New England Patriots to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. With less than a minute in the game, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson aired a 33-yard pass that appeared to be broken up by Patriot defenders. With Jermaine Kearse on his back, he bobbled the pass three times and somehow kept his concentration to pull the pass in. While Wilson’ s interception to Malcolm Butler lost him the game a few plays later, Kearse’s amazing reception is one of the best catches in NFL history.
Eli Manning and David Tyree
The New York Giants fought hard to get into the 2008 Super Bowl. At 9-7, the Giants were not a favorite to enter the final game that year. Yet, they made it anyway and challenged the undefeated New England Patriots. On 4th down with under a minute left in the game, Manning wriggled out of three sacks, his shirt grabbed by Patriot defenders, and hurled the ball toward a double covered David Tyree. Jumping a few feet into the air, Tyree secured the ball on his helmet and managed to make a dynamic play. The Giants scored shortly after and won Super Bowl 42. The combination of Manning escaping high defensive pressure and Tyree’s catch make it the number one catch in Super bowl history.
Ryan and Jones
Will Matt Ryan and Julio Jones end up on this list? Watch Super Bowl 51 tomorrow to see how Ryan and Jones fare against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
