The NFL's unbreakable playoff records
Tom Brady has had plenty to smile about during his career. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire)
January 10th, 2020
The playoffs are where legends are born, and there are some NFL playoff records that will likely never be matched. There are single-game performances that blow the mind and remarkable cumulative records. Here the most untouchable records in NFL playoff history.
Largest comeback: 32 points (Buffalo Bills, 1992 AFC Wild Card Round)
We all know 28-3, and the significance of that score in NFL history. The comeback by the Patriots over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI was mind-blowing and instantly became legend. It also was a full touchdown less than the largest comeback in NFL history.
That record belongs to the 1992 Buffalo Bills, who rallied from a 35-3 deficit in the third quarter, forced overtime and won, 41-38, to stun the sporting world. “The Comeback” or “The Choke”—depending on which side you were on—was so improbable because star running back Thurman Thomas left the game with a hip injury on the drive that pushed the deficit to 35-3, after an interception was returned for a touchdown by the Oilers.
The comeback was aided by a pair of fourth-down conversions on the Bills' first two touchdown drives and an onside-kick between them. They also forced an interception and a forced fumble during the rally, and it was a 17-yard touchdown pass that put the Bills ahead for the first time. However, Warren Moon, who had an outstanding game in his own right, drove the Oilers down the field to set up an equalizing field goal that sent the game to overtime. The Bills intercepted Moon again in overtime, and Doug Christie nailed a 32-yard field goal to win the game.
The Bills' play in the first half was so ugly that many fans left the game and tried to come back, which forced the stadium to re-open the gates to stop fans from climbing fences. Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly, who also missed the game with an injury, joked that “150,000 people went to the Buffalo Bills game” after it was over. Steve Tasker once joked that he met “1.2 million people” who claim they attended the game. The Bills won their next two games but fell 52-17 in the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys.
Most sacks in a game: 4.5 (Willie McGinest, 2005 AFC Wild Card Game)
In 2005 the Jacksonville Jaguars went 12-4 in the regular season to earn a Wild Card berth. Their reward was a road game against the defending champion New England Patriots. It was not a fun reward for quarterback Byron Leftwich, who was sacked six times in a 28-3 loss.
Most of those sacks were registered by Willie McGinest. The previous record of 3.5 sacks was held by Rich Milot and Richard Dent, and they are the only three players to record more than three sacks in a playoff game.
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