It seems like yesterday… The New York Giants shocked the world and defeated the then-undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
The Giants have since won their fourth Super Bowl title in their history, but the memory of the crucial David Tyree helmet catch lives on as arguably the greatest play in Giants history.
Last week, ESPN ranked the Best Playoff Moments in NFL History and the Tyree catch ranked fourth on the list.
What this play meant to NFL history: The final catch of Tyree’s otherwise prosaic career — a play after cornerback Asante Samuel dropped what would have been a game-sealing interception — kept alive the Giants’ improbable winning drive and allowed the undefeated 1972 Dolphins to pop some corks. Yeah, the Giants beating New England ended the Patriots’ epic season, one in which they won their first 18 games before losing in the Super Bowl. Oh, and those Dolphins? They are still the only team to go unbeaten and untied in a season at 17-0. Manning, who was nearly sacked three times on the play, called it the “luckiest” play in NFL history.
The plays ranked ahead of Tyree’s miraculous catch were the “Ice Bowl QB Sneak” (1967), “The Catch” (1982) and the “Immaculate reception” (1972).
The helmet catch was the lone Giants play that made the list.
One of the bigger plays for some of the older Giants fans was, of course, “Wide Right.” Mario Manningham’s catch in Super Bowl XLVI is a huge play for the franchise but likely didn’t get much consideration for the list.
Between the helmet catch, the Santonio Holmes touchdown, the Music City Miracle, Malcom Butler’s game-sealing interception and Stefon Diggs’ game winning-touchdown against the New Orleans Saints just a few years ago, there have been plenty of great plays in recent memory.
Like most lists, there were plenty of notable plays left off. But David Tyree is still a name that will follow Giants (and Patriots) fans around for a long time. The helmet catch is certainly deserving of being on the list and one could argue that the play should have been ranked higher.
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