NFL Play of the Year: Ranking the 2011-12 Season's Top 5 Plays

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The 2011-2012 NFL season was yet another exciting campaign, with plenty of precision passes, acrobatic catches and thundering hits.

The season also included any number of jaw-dropping plays. While it's hard to narrow it down to just a handful, here's one man's take on the top five plays of the season.

No. 5: LeGarrette Blount Rumbles Against the Packers

It was a disastrous 2011 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there were a few bright spots, such as running back LeGarrette Blount's 54-yard rumble against the Green Bay Packers in Week 11.

Of course, the Buccaneers still lost the game 35-26. Like I said, a few bright spots

No. 4: Welcome to the NFL, Randall Cobb

It didn't take very long for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb to make his presence felt in the NFL.

In the third quarter of the speedster's debut, Cobb returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 season's first game.

You can't coach speed.

No. 3: Cruzing for 99 Yards

Down 7-3 to the New York Jets in a pivotal Week 16 matchup the New York Giants faced third-and-10 from their own one-yard line in the second quarter.

Quarterback Eli Manning found wide receiver Victor Cruz, who broke a tackle and sped 99 yards to the end zone.

His big play helped propel the G-Men all the way to Indianapolis and Super Bowl XLVI.

No. 2: The Steelers Get Tebowed in Overtime

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The NFL instituted new playoff overtime rules for 2011, assuring that unless the receiving team scores a touchdown on their initial possession each team gets at least one shot with the ball.

However, that was all rendered moot in last month's wild-card matchup between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Denver quarterback Tim Tebow found wide receiver DeMaryius Thomas with a pass over the middle on the first play of overtime for an 80-yard catch-and-run score, sending the Broncos to New England and the Steelers home to momma.

No. 1: Jerome Simpson Flips Out

You've undoubtedly seen this play ad nauseum on television, though it didn't have a whole lot of bearing on the game, the Bengals season, or Simpson's career (which is in serious jeopardy after his indictment on drug trafficking charges).

But he stuck the landing.