New England Patriots

The best Super Bowl catches of all time

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:31 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Daniel Rapaport/Sports Illustrated

Julian Edelman's unbelievable fourth-quarter catch will go down as one of the best in Super Bowl history. But was it the best in Super Bowl history?

That's hard to say. But it's definitely one of the best catches in Super Bowl history, along with a select few others.

Here are some of the all-time greats, in no particular order.

Super Bowl LI: Julian Edelman keeps it off the turf

The Patriots were down 28-3 in the third quarter and seemed dead in the water. But Tom Brady is never out of a game; he orchestrated the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and led his Patriots to a 34-28 victory. This incredible catch by Edelman gave the Patriots some serious momentum.

Watch the catch here.

Super Bowl XLII: David Tyree pins it to his helmet

Down 14-10 with 1:15 left, the Giants faced a 3rd-and-5. The Patriots, looking to become the first team to go 19-0 at all time, pressured Eli Manning, but Manning escaped and heaved up a prayer in the direction of little-used tight end David Tyree. Tyree pinned the football to his helmet and somehow made the catch, and the Giants would go on to win 17-10.

Super Bowl XLIX: Jermaine Kearse's juggling grab

After this fortuitous catch, it seemed like the Seahawks were destined to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler made a great effort to get a hand on the ball, but it bounced softly off Kearse's right leg. He was able to make the catch to get the Seahawks into the redzone down 28-24 with 1:06 remaining. The Seahawks advanced to the 1-yard line before famously electing to pass, and Malcolm Butler made a Super-Bowl winning interception.

Super Bowl X: Lynn Swann brings it down off the deflection

Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw completed just 9 passes during the entire game, but four of them went to Swann, who was named the game's MVP. This was the most impressive of the bunch; Bradshaw heaved one from his own goal line, and Swann was able to come down with it off a deflection. The Steelers would go on to win 21-17.

Super Bowl XLIII: Santonio Holmes toe-taps for the win

Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes in the corner of the endzone with just :42 remaining. It was an incredible catch—I'm still unsure as to how Holmes managed to get both feet down—but it's the clutchness of the grab that makes it one of the absolute best in Super Bowl history.