The NFL has had a great month for Hail Mary passes with Aaron Rodgers hitting a record fourth Hail Mary touchdown against Buffalo two weeks ago. But rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took things to another level on Sunday when he connected with Noah Brown on a game-winning Hail Mary for one of the best finishes in NFL history to beat the Chicago Bears.
Where does that play rank among the best Hail Mary finishes in NFL history? There haven’t been a ton of them in history, which is why they become so instantly memorable when it does happen.
At the same time, don’t you get the sense that teams would hit them more often if they actually tried them more instead of saving them for desperate, end-of-half situations? Instead of throwing a screen on 3rd-and-18 from your own 48, why not run a Hail Mary in the third quarter? Instead of the Hail Mary success rate feeling like 1-in-100, what if it was more like 11-in-100? But we can save that discussion for another day.
These are the top 10 Hail Mary finishes in NFL history. But first, let’s make sure we are defining Hail Mary properly before we get to the list.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is a Hail Mary Pass?
The phrase “Hail Mary” in sports dates back to at least the 1920s when players at Notre Dame and other Catholic schools would reference the prayer of the same name before attempting a desperate play. It soon became synonymous with low-percentage pass plays where you felt like you literally needed a prayer to make them work.
In the late 1950s, this type of throw also became known as an “Alley-Oop” thanks to Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle connecting on it to receiver R.C. Owens. You can even hear the announcer call it the Alley-Oop in this clip below, and that’s how the term “alley-oop” originated in sports with a football play. It was adopted as a basketball play name a few years later.
But what really made the term so widespread was the ending of a 1975 NFC divisional round playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings when Drew Pearson caught a Hail Mary from quarterback Roger Staubach to win the game for Dallas. But more on that controversial finish below.
College football soon made the Hail Mary very popular too with iconic plays like Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary to beat Miami in 1984 and Kordell Stewart’s Hail Mary to help Colorado beat Michigan in 1994.
What separates a Hail Mary from a normal desperate pass is that it usually comes at the end of the game (or half) by the trailing team, and it is thrown deep, usually from midfield or longer, into a crowd of receivers and defenders at or near the end zone as the goal is to score a touchdown.
So, for the purpose of this article, we’re going to ignore the passes that were deep throws mostly into single coverage like this game-winning touchdown from John Elway to a then-unknown Rod Smith in 1995.
We’re also not considering a play like the 2003 Cardinals knocking the Vikings out of the playoffs with this completion from Josh McCown to Nate Poole that was ruled a force out (a rule that no longer exists) a Hail Mary. That’s a desperation pass.
We want to see the ball launched into a sea of humanity near the goal line to count it as a Hail Mary. Also, since we are hyping this up as the best Hail Mary finishes, that means we’re not going to include any play that happened in the second quarter like Rodgers against Buffalo this year, or when Eli Manning and Rodgers exchanged Hail Mary touchdowns at Lambeau Field before halftime in playoff games in the 2011 and 2016 seasons.
Eli Manning in the 2011 NFC divisional round vs. Packers:
Aaron Rodgers in 2016 NFC wild card vs. Giants:
All of the plays listed below won or tied the game. Let’s get on with the list.
10. Mike Thomas Shocks the Texans (2010 Week 10)
2010 Jaguars vs. Texans: David Garrard to Mike Thomas for 50 yards to break a 24-24 tie with 0:00 left in a 31-24 win.
The top question for the defense on a Hail Mary has always been should you try to catch it or knock the ball down? There are persuasive arguments for both sides, but in this 2010 AFC South battle, the “knock it down” side took a big loss when Houston’s Glover Quin knocked the ball right into the trailing Mike Thomas, who had the fast reflexes to catch the ball and walk into the end zone for a stunning win with no time left.
Adding to the play’s legacy was having excitable announcer Gus Johnson on the call for CBS. The game was a pick ‘em at the sportsbooks, and this was about as close as any game has ever gone to overtime without getting there thanks to a wild Hail Mary finish.
The loss dropped the Texans to 4-5 and the Jaguars improved to 5-4, but neither team ended up making the playoffs as the Colts (10-6) won the AFC South again that year.
9. The Fail Mary (2012 Week 3)
2012 Seahawks vs. Packers: Russell Wilson to Golden Tate for 24 yards while trailing 12-7 with 0:00 left in a 14-12 win.
By far the shortest play on our list at 24 yards, a young Russell Wilson in just his third NFL game made sure it’d still be a throw of over 45 air yards after he scrambled and fired this one into the end zone on 4th-and-10 in the closing seconds of a Monday Night Football game.
What ensued was pure chaos as this was the 2012 season with the replacement refs while the real officials were on a lockout. There was mass confusion on the play after Seattle wideout Golden Tate was fighting with Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings on the ground for the ball. The officials ruled simultaneous possession, which goes to the offensive team, so it was a touchdown for Tate and the Seahawks.
Most will tell you it was an interception and the Packers were hosed by the replacement refs, who lost their jobs two days later when the real refs ended their lockout to return. This play was largely the last straw for that.
But to this day, I will still contend that Tate caught the ball and satisfied the simultaneous possession ruling.
My name and old article is still quoted in the Wikipedia entry for the Fail Mary, acknowledging that Tate got away with offensive pass interference for pushing off, but the ball did touch his left hand first before Jennings closed his hands around the ball, creating the struggle down to the ground where you never see Tate let that grip slip off the ball. We know these receivers have strong hands and can make one-handed catches, so I think you had to go with the ruling on the field and would still rule it the same way today in my view.
It might not have been a fun week for Green Bay fans, but I enjoyed the controversy that play unleashed. It was a push-off by Tate, but we know the refs (replacement or not) are afraid to call that in those spots to this day.
8. Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis in Arizona (2015 NFC Divisional Round)
2015 Packers vs. Cardinals: Aaron Rodgers to Jeff Janis for 41 yards to tie the game at 20 and force overtime with 0:00 left in a 26-20 loss.
This is one of the most unique Hail Mary’s in NFL history as you rarely see a defense blitz seven rushers the way the Cardinals went after Rodgers, who already hit a Hail Mary that season (keep reading for that one). The rush chased Rodgers behind his own 45, but he was able to uncork a deep throw that ended up pitting Jeff Janis, one of his lesser-known receivers after everyone was injured, against just two defenders in the end zone, and Janis came down with the ball for a touchdown.
The crazy thing about this one is that it wasn’t even the most impressive Rodgers-to-Janis connection on that drive. They hooked up on a 4th-and-20 for 60 yards to get in this position, a great example of the difference between a desperation throw and a Hail Mary.
But the reason this isn’t higher is because it didn’t win the game. Should it have, though? The Packers likely made a huge mistake as they settled for the extra point and overtime instead of going for the 2-point conversion and the win on one play as they were the underdog to a very good Arizona team. Rodgers never touched the ball in overtime, and Larry Fitzgerald scored a long touchdown to end Green Bay’s season.
This Hail Mary would be remembered more fondly had the Packers gone for the win, and if there wasn’t a better Janis play on the drive.
7. The Hail Mary or the Push-Off? (1975 NFC Divisional Round)
1975 Cowboys vs. Vikings: Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson for 50 yards while trailing 14-10 with 0:24 left in a 17-14 win.
Even though this is the play that made “Hail Mary” a household term in the NFL, I’m only ranking it No. 7 as it wasn’t technically a Hail Mary by the way we’re used to seeing them. The safety was late in getting over there, so Drew Pearson was really in single coverage here. There wasn’t a group of players jockeying for position to catch the pass.
Also, Pearson has been accused of pushing off to create that final separation, which should have been offensive pass interference. The Cowboys went on to lose the Super Bowl that year, so it didn’t reward them in the end with a ring. However, that felt like the year for Minnesota, which never won a Super Bowl in that era with Fran Tarkenton at quarterback, and he was MVP that season, making it hurt more.
6. The First Win for Cleveland Browns 2.0 (1999 Week 8)
1999 Browns vs. Saints: Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson for 56 yards while trailing 14-10 with 0:00 left in a 21-16 win.
The Cleveland Browns made their return to the NFL in 1999 after hated owner Art Modell had moved the original team to Baltimore, becoming the Ravens in 1996. But while the Browns were back and had the No. 1 overall pick at quarterback (Tim Couch), they were 0-7 and having a rough season as an expansion team.
In a game on Halloween in New Orleans, Couch uncorked a bomb for a Hail Mary on the final play and rookie wideout Kevin Johnson was down there waiting for the deflection to win the game on a stunning 56-yard score. The Browns 2.0 finally had a win.
Incredibly, this wouldn’t be the last time Couch won a game on a Hail Mary. While not as impressive looking, he hit one to Quincy Morgan for 50 yards to beat the Jaguars in 2002.
That puts Couch on a short list of quarterbacks to hit multiple Hail Mary touchdown passes. We know Aaron Rodgers has the record with four, and Couch and another No. 1 overall pick listed next have two each. However, Rodgers only won two of his games, which ties him with Couch and the forgotten man from Atlanta.
5. The Atlanta Falcons Sometimes Get Lucky Too (1978 Week 11)
1978 Falcons vs. Rams: Steve Bartkowski to Alfred Jackson for 57 yards while trailing 17-13 in a 20-17 win (Big Ben Right)
The Atlanta Falcons are known for blowing leads in excruciating fashion, a legacy they cemented in Super Bowl LI. But they’ve also had more Hail Mary success than most NFL teams.
Their best is their oldest in a 1978 game when Steve Bartkowski ran “Big Ben Right” as a Hail Mary that was designed to tip the ball to Alfred Jackson since it was 57 yards away from the end zone. The play worked with Jackson’s athletic reach back to pluck the ball out of the air making it one of the most aesthetically pleasing Hail Mary finishes in NFL history.
That play also helped the Falcons make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, culminating with their first ever playoff win.
But that’s not all for Bartkowski and the Falcons. In 1983, he beat the 49ers with a Hail Mary after Billy “White Shoes” Johnson caught it off a deflection and did a great job to get into the end zone. Or at least they say.
I think if that one was reviewed today – they didn’t have a replay in 1983 – that would have been overturned with Johnson short of the end zone. The clock would have expired and Atlanta would have lost.
But in 1991, quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver definitely beat the 49ers on a Hail Mary as Michael Haynes came down with it in the end zone. That also helped Atlanta reach the playoffs and win a playoff game that season, and it kept the 49ers out of the playoffs, one of the strongest 10-6 teams to ever miss the postseason as that was Steve Young’s first year in replacing Joe Montana.
https://x.com/_FALCOHOL_/status/1428531006592651269
You can’t say the Falcons always choke. They have these three Hail Mary finishes to their credit. They also aren’t on the losing end to anything in our list.
4. Rodgers to Rodgers (2015 Week 13 TNF)
2015 Packers vs. Lions: Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers for 61 yards while trailing 23-21 with 0:00 left in a 27-23 win.
This was a big one on Thursday Night Football in 2015 as it started the Hail Mary legacy for Aaron Rodgers. The Packers were down 23-14 with 7:06 left to the underdog Lions. To this point in his career, Rodgers was 0-26 when trailing by multiple scores in the second half of games.
Things were looking bleak. But after a touchdown, Rodgers got the ball back in a 23-21 game with 23 seconds left and the ball was 79 yards away from the end zone. Tough spot to be in, for sure. But after two incompletions, just six seconds remained. The Packers tried to run a lateral play, but Rodgers was tackled to end the game.
Or so we thought.
A facemask penalty was called, and that was controversial as it looked like a grazing of Rodgers’ facemask rather than a hard pull that would warrant 15 yards.
Alas, the game was extended by an untimed down, but the Packers were still 61 yards away from the end zone. Detroit coach Jim Caldwell did not respect Rodgers’ arm strength enough, so the Detroit defense actually lined up in a prevent to defend another lateral play instead of the Hail Mary. Rodgers took advantage of this by launching a bomb, and tight end Richard Rodgers was down there waiting for it as he backed into the end zone and used his height to tower over the group behind him for the touchdown. A stunner.
At 61 yards, it is the longest Hail Mary in the NFL books, and it was the longest walk-off touchdown in regulation since 1960. It led to Rodgers establishing himself as the Hail Mary King of the NFL.
That 2015 season was a weird one as the Lions played prevent for the lateral against Rodgers, and the Cardinals sent seven on a blitz on his Hail Mary to Janis. Not sure either strategy (two extremes) is ideal against someone with his arm talent.
3. Miracle at the Met (1980 Week 15)
1980 Vikings vs. Browns: Tommy Kramer to Ahamad Rashad for 46 yards while trailing 23-22 with 0:00 left in a 28-23 win.
Late in the 1980 season, the Vikings were down 23-9 in the fourth quarter to the Browns. Quarterback Tommy Kramer threw a pair of touchdowns, but the Vikings still trailed 23-22 after botching an extra point on the first one.
But they got the ball back with 14 seconds left at their own 20. They called a hook-and-lateral trick play that worked for 39 yards and took the ball out of bounds with just seconds left. It was time for the Hail Mary, and Kramer’s pass was tipped by the defense before it was pulled in by one hand from talented wideout Ahmad Rashad, who scored his second touchdown of the quarter to give the Vikings a 28-23 win.
The play became known as the Miracle at the Met, and it helped the Vikings reach the playoffs that season as their ninth and final win.
2. Noah’s Arc (2024 Week 8)
2024 Commanders vs. Bears: Jayden Daniels to Noah Brown for 52 yards while trailing 15-12 with 0:00 left in a 18-15 win.
I did not want to be a prisoner of the moment and rank this No. 1, but it was one of the most stunning finishes I’ve ever watched live, and it could end up going down as the best Hail Mary finish depending on what happens in the future with these teams and players.
But for some context, let’s remember that this game was flexed into the 4:25 p.m. slot with the top CBS broadcast team because of the renewed interest in these rookie quarterbacks, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels. So, that helped the game end late, allowing most of the country to see this finish as the last game to wrap up in the late window.
Jayden Daniels had injured ribs, and it wasn’t even clear if he was going to play. He did, and he had the Commanders up 12-7 late before the Bears scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds. It looked like Washington was going to lose as Daniels only had 19 seconds and a timeout at their own 24.
But that timeout was crucial, and their decision-making on the drive was strong to give themselves a chance at a Hail Mary from their own 48. Daniels seemingly held the ball forever, running around before he felt comfortable enough to get the ball the distance, and then he launched it deep. The crowd was there, the pass was tipped, and there was Noah Brown all alone in the end zone for the 52-yard touchdown with time expired. I actually screamed watching that one.
What a way to win 18-15 for Washington, which improved to 6-2 and is in first place in the NFC East. Instantly adding to the legacy of the play was the video angles that show Chicago defensive back Tyrique Stevenson was jawing with fans in the crowd while the play was happening. His assignment was supposed to cover Noah Brown too, and he’s the player who actually tipped the ball to Brown for the touchdown. Yikes.
Just an unbelievable finish, but the fact is we have to wait and see what the legacy will ultimately be.
- If Daniels goes on to win MVP as a rookie, something that hasn’t been done by a quarterback since Bob Waterfield in 1945, then this play’s legacy grows.
- If he leads Washington to a deep playoff run and possibly becomes the first rookie quarterback to start a Super Bowl, the legacy grows.
- If Daniels vs. Williams becomes the next great quarterback rivalry, this ending to their first meeting will be even more memorable.
But on its own, it’s definitely one of the most impressive as it lacks the controversy of the Fail Mary, the Pearson Hail Mary, and the Rodgers one in Detroit after the facemask. It won the game unlike the Rodgers one in Arizona. It was a true Hail Mary with Daniels buying so much time (12 seconds) with his rib injury.
It’s legitimately one of the greatest Hail Mary finishes in NFL history. We just don’t want to jump the gun on No. 1. But if this was a playoff game? Easy call for No. 1 given everything else here.
1. Hail Murray (2020 Week 10)
2020 Cardinals vs. Bills: Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins for 43 yards while trailing 30-26 with 0:02 left in a 32-30 win.
I’m not sure if this immediately jumps out as No. 1 to most people, but it checks so many boxes. It was a great play to end a great game between two young quarterbacks (Kyler Murray and Josh Allen), the way DeAndre Hopkins caught the ball over three defenders was fantastic, and it instantly had a cool nickname in the “Hail Murray” named after the quarterback who threw it after evading pressure.
It wasn’t controversial or cheap. It won the game. It didn’t lead to a playoff season for the Cardinals, but for the Bills, it was their only loss in a 12-game span that season before they lost in Kansas City to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
With respect to a Hall of Famer like Pearson, Hopkins is probably the best player on the receiving end of any of these plays listed, so that adds to its legacy, and the way he won that battle for the ball is so impressive. This was a really cool finish to see during the pandemic season of 2020.
This one didn’t have the luxury of being a national game (island game) to raise its profile like many on the list had going for it. But to me, this is a solid choice for the best Hail Mary finish in NFL history.
But if teams start throwing these more, I think we can see some new entries crack this list any week now. Just give the receivers a chance.
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