National Football League

A YouTube look at the NFL's greatest final-week memories

Published Dec. 25, 2014 11:32 p.m. ET

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FOX Sports South offers a chronological-based look at some of the NFL's greatest moments/occurrences on the season's final weekend -- which hearkening back to the NFL-AFL merger (1970), covered Week 14 (before the NFL expanded to 16 games), Week 16 (no byes), Week 17 or Week 18 (when each club had two byes).

A few years before the NFL upgraded to a 16-game schedule (circa 1978), a 2,000-yard rushing season was viewed as a sports impossibility -- much like the 4-minute mile in track and field.

After all, if the iconic Jim Brown could only produce 1,863 rushing yards in his best-ever 14-game campaign (1963) ... what chance would future backs have -- especially with the continual evolution of the passing attack?

Simpson accomplished both feats, racking up 200 yards against the Jets on the season's final day. For his last six games, the future Hall of Famer would roll for an amazing 899 rushing yards and four TDs.

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The Chicago Bears had the incredible foresight to land Hall of Famers Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers in the same draft (1965); but a rash of injuries -- along with having to overcome the great Packers, Lions and Vikings teams of the 1960s and 70s -- led to 13 straight years without a postseason berth (1964-76).

Everything changed in 1977, however, thanks to Walter Payton piloting the Bears to six straight season-ending victories -- including a 12-9 overtime win over the Giants in Week 14, as kicker Bob Thomas booted a 28-yard field goal in the snow ... as the clock struck zero.

Had Chicago settled for a 9-all tie against New York, the Washington Redskins (9-5) would have qualified as the NFC's final wild-card entrant.

For that '77 campaign, Payton rolled for 2,121 total yards (1,852 rushing) and 16 TDs, while taking home NFL MVP honors. During that dream year, the future Hall of Famer produced three straight outings of 200-plus total yards -- a feat that was recently replicated by Pittsburgh Steelers tailback Le'Veon Bell.

The Bears, who got crushed by the Cowboys during the 1977 playoffs, would eventually become world champions during the latter stages of Payton's career (1985 season) -- a year after 'Sweetness' broke Jim Brown's all-time NFL rushing mark.

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The 1979 season would be the career capper for Staubach, the future Hall of Famer and one of the NFL's most iconic superstars of the 1970s.

Here's the scene: The 10-5 Cowboys needed to win at home to clinch a tie for the NFC East crown (with 11 -5 Philly). The 10-5 Redskins had a similar setup heading into the finale at Texas Stadium -- knowing a defeat would keep Washington out of the division-title hunt ... and out of the playoffs altogether, since the Chicago Bears owned the wild-card tiebreaker at 10-6.

For the game itself, Hall of Famer John Riggins sprinted for a 66-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Redskins a seemingly commanding 34-21 lead. On the day, Riggins racked up 151 yards and two scores.

The Cowboys forged an awe-inspiring comeback, with Staubach (336 yards passing, three TDs) first hitting Ron Springs for a 26-yard touchdown pass. And then, in the final minute, Staubach nailed Tony Hill for a picture-perfect scoring fade pass (8 yards) -- clinching one of the most memorable victories in Cowboys franchise history.

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Everyone remembers the exhilaration of Dorsett's record-breaking 99-yard run against Minnesota. But very few recall how that Cowboys-Vikings game from January 1983 almost didn't occur, since the Hubert H. Metrodome roof had nearly collapsed just a few days prior, due to heavy snow.

That '82 season was the Vikings' first indoors, but when viewing the above clip, the turf and the building itself hardly had the look of a shiny, state-of-the-art sports complex.

Very few might also recall how the Vikings absolutely needed a victory against the Cowboys, one that would preserve their playoff standing at 5-4 -- the 1982 season was a strike-shortened campaign of only nine games -- and secure a first-round home game at the same time.

And Minnesota responded with an exciting 31-27 win ... but one that, 30-plus years later, takes a backseat to Dorsett's electric 99-yard run -- or one that Monday Night Football announcer Don Meredith qualified as "99 yards ... and a half!"

Speaking of which: When Dorsett produced his dash for all time, the Cowboys offense only had 10 men on the field.

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The 1993 Cowboys had everything to gain and everything to lose in their season-finale clash with the Giants for Week 18 (back when the NFL had two byes per club).

At stake for the Cowboys and Giants -- both 11-4 at the time: The East division title and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs; and for the loser, the No. 4 seed (wild-card entrant), behind the three division winners.

Dallas raced to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter; but that elation was quickly tempered by Emmitt Smith incurring a separated shoulder after a long run down the right side. Upon impact, the future all-time rushing champion knew the severity of the injury ... but had no interest in leaving this crucial clash for playoff seeding.

The Giants rallied for 13 points in the latter half to force overtime, but the Cowboys produced a game-winning kick (Eddie Murray -- 41-yard field goal) during the extra period, clinching the NFC East title.

For the day, Smith heroically rushed for 168 yards and one TD, while also accounting for 229 of the Cowboys' 339 total yards.

And thanks to Smith, Dallas preserved the homefield edge, which it absolutely needed to handle Green Bay and San Francisco during the NFC playoffs, before knocking off Buffalo for back-to-back Super Bowl championships.

The Giants weren't so lucky. After their wild-card win, they were bludgeoned by the home-standing 49ers during the Divisional Playoff round, getting trounced by 41 points.

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The 1996 season wasn't a banner one for kicker Morten Andersen, the NFL's all-time points leader. But that's still no reason to miss a virtual chip shot on the season's final play.

With 3-12 Atlanta trailing Jacksonville by two points with a few ticks left, Andersen readied himself for an eminently doable kick from 33 yards -- one that would keep the fledgling Jaguars (8-7) out of the playoffs.

But the prospective Hall Famer's boot sailed wide right, vaulting Jacksonville into the playoffs as a No. 6 seed.

In the postseason, the Jaguars upended the Bills on the road. A week later, Jacksonville (led by QB Mark Brunell) produced one of the NFL's biggest upsets of the last 20 years, racing to a 23-12 lead against Denver -- the AFC's top seed -- and then holding on for a 30-27 stunner.

On that day, Brunell tallied 289 total yards (245 passing) and two TDs. He also ran for some momentum-changing first downs in the fourth quarter, raising his profile as one of the NFL's most clutch quarterbacks.

Which brings us to this: If Andersen never misses a chip-shot kick during the regular-season finale ... then QB John Elway most likely reaches his fourth Super Bowl. And who knows, maybe the Broncos of 1996-98 become the first team of the Super Bowl era to claim three straight Lombardi trophies.

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The good folks at NBC couldn't have asked for a better close to the 1997 regular season. The Jets and Lions -- both sitting at 8-7 -- were faced with "win-or-go-home" scenarios, in terms of making the AFC and NFC playoffs, respectively.

The secondary storyline was a headline-grabber, as well, with Sanders -- a four-time rushing champ -- needing 131 yards to hit the 2,000-yard mark. And the future Hall of Famer would hit that level ... but only after struggling mightily in the first half.

Down 10, the Lions rallied for a 13-10 victory, led by Sanders' 184 rushing yards and one touchdown. But the victory was tempered by the career-altering injury to Lions linebacker Reggie Brown -- whose spinal-cord contusion momentarily frightened a nationally televised audience, fearing the on-field death of a rising star.

As for Sanders (15,269 career rushing yards, 109 TDs), he would abruptly retire on the eve of Training Camp 1999 and decline the eminently doable chance to eclipse Walter Payton's all-time record for rushing yards (around Christmastime, barring injury).

For what it's worth ... Sanders (six 1,300-yard rushing campaigns) had a mathematical shot at toppling Payton's record in his 11th NFL season, whereas Emmitt Smith accomplished the feat in his 13th year.

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The 2003 Vikings were virtual shoo-ins for the NFC playoffs in mid-October, possessing a 6-0 record after seven weeks and headlining a division that -- at the time -- had three sub-.500 clubs.

And yet, come Week 17, Minnesota and Green Bay were deadlocked at 9-6 and both requiring a season-ending victory to make the playoffs.

Adding to the intrigue, the Packers (vs. the Broncos) and Vikings (@ the Cardinals) were playing in the same 4 p.m. (EST) TV window on the final Sunday, prompting both clubs to simultaneously focus on their games and do a little scoreboard-watching on the sly.

Against Arizona, Minnesota grabbed a 17-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter -- on the strength of a Randy Moss touchdown. The prospective Hall of Famer would notch perhaps the most complete season of his decorated career, rolling for 111 catches, 1,632 yards and 17 TDs in 2003.

But things went south after that ... with Cards QB Luke McCOwn tossing a TD at the 2-minute warning. And then 116 seconds later, with Arizona trailing by five, MCown hit Nate Poole with a crazy touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone, giving the Cardinals one of their greatest triumphs in franchise history.

Checking in to the north ... Green Bay didn't need any last-second heroics to beat Denver on the final Sunday. But with the Seahawks and Cowboys posting 10-6 records and enjoying better in-conference marks, Green Bay could only make the NFC playoffs as the North champ.

And that's how things shook out -- thanks to McCown's last-gasp TD against Minnesota.

A week later, Green Bay would beat Seattle in the wild-card round, the result of Al Harris's 52-yard pick-six in overtime -- just minutes after Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck infamously bragged during the pre-overtime coin flip, "We want the ball ... and we're going to win!"

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For the 2003-04 seasons, the Patriots set an NFL record for most consecutive victories (21) and then captured back-to-back Super Bowl titles. And yet, the 2007 campaign stands as New England's most dominant period of the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era.

It happened under the dark cloud of the Spygate controversy, as well.

The Patriots' perfect regular season was more than just an unblemished record; it was an across-the-board reckoning for a club that genuinely wanted to win every game 45-7.

No exceptions.

How else does one reconcile otherworldly production in point differential (19.7), turnover margin (+16), wins by 10 points of more (12) and a 6-0 mark against playoff teams -- including three division winners? But alas, there's a fine line between being universally hailed as the greatest club in NFL history (on the precipice of 19-0) ... and begrudgingly accepting the FOX Sports South award for Best Team To Not Win A Super Bowl.

But that's a reality of the ultimate bittersweet season. On the positive side, Brady set an NFL record with 50 TD passes, with Randy Moss collecting an NFL-record 23 scoring receptions.

And realistically speaking, only the Ravens and Giants had fourth-quarter opportunities to spoil the Patriots' run of perfection during the regular season -- a stunning achievement in a parity-driven era.

But a loss in Super Bowl XLII (to the Giants) slightly downgrades New England's once-in-a-generation dominance from September-December ... to a mere footnote.

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In 2012, Peterson officially crossed the elite-level threshold that separates man from machine, eclipsing the 2,000-yard rushing mark just 12 months after reconstructive knee surgery.

For Week 17, the Vikings had to stealthily serve two masters on that day: Beat Green Bay at home to clinch an NFC wild-card slot ... and help Peterson get his 103 rushing yards, in hopes of becoming the seventh player to rush for 2,000 yards.

Thankfully for the Vikings, the two goals worked hand-in-hand against the Packers, as Peterson notched 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns (one receiving) and spurred his team to a thrilling 37-34 victory.

His dominance was so profound that Peterson (2,097 yards) incredibly finished eight yards from Eric Dickerson's single-season NFL record (2,105 yards).

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