10 of the Greatest Leaps in NFL History

Highlights

• In honor of Leap Day 2024, GIVEMESPORT is rolling back the clock to take a look at the 10 best leaps in NFL history.
• Moments like David Tyree’s Helmet Catch and Jerome Simpson’s front-flip TD live on in NFL lore.
• Players like Cam Newton and John Elway performed heroic acts during crucial moments in the game.

The NFL is home to some of the best athletes in the world.

Every Sunday—and the occasional Monday and Thursday—players pull off incredible feats of athleticism in an effort to capture victory for their teams. Sometimes, those impressive displays include demonstrations of blazing speed, superior strength and… other-worldly jumping ability.

You’ll see many a snap over the course of a single weekend where the play’s outcome is determined because of how high or far someone skies for the ball, a ball-carrier, or the goal line. On this Leap Day, which is also the first day of combine workouts, GIVEMESPORT looked back on a few of the league’s most iconic plays involving a leap, a jump, or some variation of the two.

A fair warning: this list presents ten unique PLAYS. As a result, the Lambeau Leap is not eligible for inclusion. The exercise wouldn’t be as fun if everyone knew what was going to be in the No. 1 spot.

1 The Helmet Catch

100% reason to remember David Tyree’s name

It resides alongside the Immaculate Reception, the Music City Miracle, and The Catch, among others, in the annals of the greatest plays in NFL history.

In an era where the ball could essentially not come into contact with the ground in any way, shape or form and remain a catch, Tyree managed to keep the pigskin pinned on his helmet while being hit and dragged to the grass by a three-time All-Pro and 2024 Hall of Fame finalist. Eli Manning is pigeonholed as the supporting actor despite his own incredible efforts at the front end of the operation.

Tyree’s overall anonymity in the NFL world beyond that night raises the level of appreciation one has for the moment. He actually made the Pro Bowl as a special teams player in 2005, but as a receiver, he only totaled more than the 43 yards he tallied in Super Bowl 42 in five of 83 appearances. In seven other playoff games, he made just one catch for four yards.

A.J. Brown posted more receiving yards in Weeks 3-7 of the 2023 campaign (701) than Tyree did in his entire career (650). Yet, when push came to shove, he rose to the occasion in a way many others have only dreamed of on the biggest stage.

With one giant leap, Tyree prevented the potential best team in league history from going 18-0 and ever being acknowledged as such, while also temporarily ending a dynasty. There’s not much more one could do for NFL-kind than that.

2 The Catch

Dwight Clark sparked a dynasty

Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, and Dwight Clark all arrived in the Bay Area in 1979. It took some time for the trio to put things together, but by 1981, the San Francisco 49ers were well-positioned for a playoff push. While Jerry Rice was still four years away from making his NFL debut, Clark recorded the second of five consecutive seasons with over 800 receiving yards and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the first and only time in his career.

Down 27-21 with less than a minute in regulation, Montana couldn’t find an open man as he rolled out to his right on 3rd-and-3 from the Dallas Cowboys’ six-yard line. He and Clark insist they were in sync on a backup plan, resulting in the sky-walking, game-winning connection. Many postulate Montana was trying to throw the ball away and set up fourth down.

You can watch the play’s various angles and make your own assertions. What’s undeniable is, San Francisco captured its first Super Bowl two weeks later and rattled off three more in the next eight seasons.

3 John Elway gets to the chopper

The legend laid it all on the line for his first ring

At 37 years old, John Elway was running out of time.

Not only in his career, which had spanned 15 seasons to this point, but in Super Bowl 32, the fourth chance he had at finally earning a Lombardi Trophy. Facing 3rd-and-6 from the Green Bay Packers’ 12-yard line while tied 17-17, a first down was an absolute necessity. He wasn’t going to be denied again.

The team’s elder statesman saw a crease on the right side of the defense and catapulted himself towards the Packers’ six-yard-line, getting smacked in the air by multiple defenders in the process before landing on the ground with a first down and one of the most iconic displays of heart and determination in Super Bowl history.

The game’s MVP, Terrell Davis, punctuated the drive with his second of three one-yard rushing scores two plays later. Elway ultimately claimed his first Super Bowl title in Denver’s 31-24 win, and went back-to-back while winning a Super Bowl MVP of his own in Super Bowl 33 the next year before retiring.

4 Sherman catapults Seattle into the Super Bowl

The ultimate trump card in an intense rivalry

In the mid-2010’s, the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks did not like each other. Their rivalry was one of the best in all sports and in contention for the NFL’s top spot. The disdain they had for one another was never more evident than during the 2013 NFC Championship.

With a Super Bowl bid on the line, the loudest voice of them all provided the biggest play in Seahawks history. Richard Sherman’s twirling, leaping pass deflection into the hands of soon-to-be Super Bowl 48 MVP Malcolm Smith propelled Seattle to its first-ever Super Bowl victory—and ensured a postgame thrashing of 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree by Sherman. San Francisco has still not won a ring in nearly 30 years after dropping Super Bowl 58 in overtime.

5 Mariota lunges for momentum and glory

His heroic effort kickstarted an impressive playoff comeback

Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, never realized his true potential as a Titan. He did take Tennessee to the AFC Divisional Round in 2017 though, in large part because of the inconceivable act with which he mystified spectators in the third quarter of a Wild Card battle against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in their final season before the Mahomian era.

Trailing 21-3, facing 3rd-and-Goal from the six-yard line, Mariota knew he couldn’t afford to take a sack or settle for a field goal. He escaped his pocket and bolted left, scanning the field for any sign of an open man while venturing closer to the line of scrimmage.

Mere inches prior to crossing it, he threw a pass toward the back of the end zone. As he continued drifting left, his throw was knocked directly back at him. He proceeded to catch it and dive into the pylon for the Titans’ first touchdown of the game.

The crazy play shifted the entire tenor of the proceedings. Tennessee would hold Kansas City scoreless the rest of the way and score touchdowns on their next two drives to take the lead and win 22-21. The victory was the Titans’ first in the playoffs since 2003.

6 Superman arrives on-scene

Newton embodied his moniker with this rushing score

Cam Newton earned the “Superman” nickname well before he picked up the 2015 NFL MVP award and set the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns (75) by a quarterback. But against the Houston Texans during the Carolina Panthers’ run to Super Bowl 50, he quite literally took to the skies to give his team the lead on a two-yard rushing touchdown late in the third quarter.

The enigmatic superstar has not played in the NFL since a brief second act with the Panthers in 2021, but remains more than 20 rushing touchdowns ahead of the closest active quarterback in terms of rushing TDs (Josh Allen – 53).

7 Antonio Brown was Kung-Fu Fighting

A jump-kick as fast as lightning

This play took place in the second quarter of the Steelers’ season-opening clash with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. Younger fans may not know how lethal Antonio Brown was as a punt returner early in his career. Older fans may have forgotten. Spencer Lanning won’t ever forget.

Brown was assessed an unnecessary roughness penalty and fined for the Kung Fu kick that punctuated his big punt return. The Browns nearly swiped this one from the Steelers after overcoming a 27-3 halftime deficit as well, but Pittsburgh escaped on Shaun Suisham’s game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired.

8 Polamalu flies over the offensive line

The HOF safety was truly an unstoppable force

Troy Polamalu did just about anything you can think of a defensive player doing on a football field. He delivered bone-crunching hits, snared interceptions through seemingly impossible means, and, perhaps most notably, possessed an uncanny ability to time the opposing team’s snap count and finish a play before it even began. You can find numerous examples of him doing just that via simple YouTube search.

Failing to find a spot on this list for one of Polamalu’s stupendous stops would have been malpractice. His lone-wolf attack on Kerry Collins’ attempted quarterback sneak near the end of a regular season affair versus the Tennessee Titans stands out as the most dominant of all his reps.

9 Jerome Simpson springs into NFL lore

He earned a perfect 10 on the judges’ scorecards

The arrival of A.J. Green and Andy Dalton in the 2011 NFL Draft immediately changed the Cincinnati Bengals’ fortunes following former No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer’s unceremonious exit from the franchise. However, it was Simpson who stole the show on Christmas Eve through his flawless execution of a front-flip into the end zone to cap a 19-yard receiving touchdown.

The Bengals filled their fans’ stockings with tidings of comfort and joy by defeating the Arizona Cardinals, 23-16.

10 Patriots pounce and pin the punt

Say that five times fast!

It’s sure to be a fun time whenever the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers get together. In the final matchup between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger at Heinz Field, the Patriots’ special teams unit yanked a rabbit out of its hat by somehow preventing this Ryan Allen punt from resulting in a touchback.

It took three contorted leaps—from Jonathan Jones, Rex Burkhead, and the recently retired Matthew Slater—for New England to flip field position here. In response, the Steelers pulled off a magic trick of their own: they beat the Patriots, 17-10. Pittsburgh improved to just 4-11 versus New England in the 21st century with the victory, though they have failed to win again in three tries since this December 2018 contest.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.