{"id":245,"date":"2023-12-01T17:29:13","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T21:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/pfr-blog\/?p=245"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:38:49","slug":"the-10-best-plays-in-super-bowl-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/pfr-blog\/2023\/12\/the-10-best-plays-in-super-bowl-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Plays in Super Bowl History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(last updated on February 12, 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction: Playmaking in the Big Game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The NFL\u2019s modern-day championship game, called the Super Bowl since the late 1960s, has become so big that it is almost a national holiday. The annual contest has the league\u2019s best teams and some of the top players. The athleticism and talent of the players, combined with the high-pressure moments in front of a large worldwide audience, have provided some of the top plays in NFL history. Please sit back and relax as we present some of the Greatest Super Bowl Plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Kick Returns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most exciting plays in football are during special teams, where a foot is put to the ball. Punts, kickoffs, and field goal tries seem mundane on the surface, but just let one thing go wrong, and they can lose a ball game. The Biggest Game of the Year in Professional Football is no exception, as it has had some big moments during a kicking play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andre Coleman\u2019s<\/a> kickoff return on January 29, 1995 in Super Bowl XXIX<\/a> for the San Diego Chargers helped brighten the game for SD fans against the San Francisco 49ers. The game was somewhat out of hand for the Chargers, but Coleman\u2019s third quarter 98-yard return for a score was electrifying.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1995 return was not the longest nor the most dramatic in Super Bowl history. However, that honor belongs to Desmond Howard<\/a> and his shifty 99-yard return for a score during Super Bowl XXXI<\/a> for the Green Bay Packers on January 26, 1997, just as the New England Patriots were mounting a comeback in the game with a Curtis Martin<\/a> 18-yard touchdown run. This response by Howard sealed the Most Valuable Player of the game trophy for the wideout and Super Bowl title for the Pack, 35-21.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\t\n\n
\n\t

\n\t\tDesmond Howard<\/a><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\n\n \n \n\n\n\n \n

\n \n Desmond Kevin Howard\n  (Magic<\/span>)\n <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tPosition<\/strong>: WR\n\t\n<\/p>\n\n

5-10<\/span>, 185lb<\/span> (178cm, 83kg) <\/p>\n\n\n

\n Born:<\/strong> \n \n\t\tMay 15<\/a>, 1970\n \n \n in Cleveland, OH<\/a><\/span>\n \n<\/span> (Age: 53-188d)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

College<\/strong>: \n \n\t\tMichigan<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t (College Stats<\/a>)\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

Weighted Career AV (100-95-…)<\/a>:<\/strong> 18 (5929th overall since 1960)\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High School<\/strong>: \n \n\t\tVilla Angela-St. Joseph<\/a> (OH<\/a>)\n\t\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draft<\/strong>: Washington Redskins<\/a> in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n

Twitter:<\/strong>\n @DesmondHoward<\/a>\n \n\n<\/p>\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n