10 Craziest NFL Playoff Pushes Ever

The NFL Playoffs are less than two weeks away and there are a couple teams still vying to complete their push for a playoff spot. This got us thinking. What are some of the craziest playoff pushes in NFL history?

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have been the most recent team to make a push late towards the playoffs only to tear through the postseason towards the Super Bowl.

Several teams have made playoff pushes but I chose to only select teams that made their conference championship game. That was the minimum requirement to weed out the lesser accomplished teams.

Let's kick this thing off.

New York Giants 2007

The New York Giants entered the playoffs with a fair 10-6 record after stumbling through December going 2-2. The last game of the season New York faced the undefeated New England Patriots but were unable to stop their momentum.

Tom Coughlin's team pushed through the NFC playoffs and won an overtime thriller in Green Bay in arctic-like temperatures.

Eli Manning and the Giants ended up knocking off the 18-0 Patriots in what has to be considered one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. New York won Super Bowl XVII in miraculous fashion to end one of the craziest playoff performances by any team in history.

Philadelphia Eagles 2008

The Philadelphia Eagles overcame several obstacles to get into the playoffs. In Week 17 they needed numerous cards to fall in the right place for them to even have a shot at a playoff birth.

Philadelphia needed to beat the Dallas Cowboys at home and hope that both the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be upset at home. The Eagles slaughtered the Cowboys 44-6 after hearing the news that both the Bears and Bucs lost in the early games.

The Eagles would make a run to the NFC Championship game but would be stopped short of the Super Bowl by the Arizona Cardinals.

Green Bay Packers 2010

The Green Bay Packers weren't even going to make the playoffs if it weren't for the right cards falling into place. The Philadelphia Eagles—their eventual divisional opponents—helped the streaking Packers slide into the playoffs by knocking the New York Giants out with DeSean Jackson's miraculous punt return.

The Packers caught fire in the last two weeks of the season and never looked back as they tore threw the NFC on their way to Dallas for the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers and the injury riddled Packers overcame more than 14 players on injured reserves and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

New York Jets 2009

Rex Ryan had his team pushing hard for a playoff spot towards the end of the season. They finished out that year winning five of their last six games to make the playoffs. The remarkable part is that they were 4-6 prior to making their dash towards the postseason.

The New York Jets and their unknown running back Shonn Greene surfaced out of nowhere to reach the AFC Championship game as the No.6 seed in the AFC. However, their fairytale run was cut short when they ran into Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game.

Miami Dolphins 1972

The only team to ever run the table and finish the entire season unscathed in the loss column must be included on this list. The Miami Dolphins started their playoff run from Week 1 and didn't stop pushing forward until after the Super Bowl.

Miami won 14 straight. No team has accomplished the feat that the '72 Dolphins did. Several have come close but Don Shula and Co. still pop champagne every year to celebrate their unmatched record.

St. Louis Rams 1999

They were partying like it was 1999. The St. Louis Rams evolved into the "Greatest Show on Turf" that season as they pushed towards the playoffs winning seven of their last eight.

Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt gave teams nightmares as they underwent an offensive explosion. St. Louis beat the Minnesota Vikings and barely escaped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC Championship.

The Rams would hold off the Tennessee Titans to win Super Bowl XXXIV by a yard, which easily went down as one of the greatest Super Bowls in history.

Atlanta Falcons 1998

Who could forget the year of the "dirty bird?" The Atlanta Falcons were red hot in 1998 as they won their last nine games in a row to enter the playoffs on a terror. Led by Dan Reeves and running back Jamal Anderson, the Falcons entered the playoffs red-hot.

They would squeeze by the San Francisco 49ers and knock off the one loss Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome on a field goal in overtime. Atlanta, however, would lose the next week to John Elway and the Denver Broncos down in Miami for Super Bowl XXXIII.

Dallas Cowboys 1978

In the NFL's first season with a 16-game schedule, the Dallas Cowboys took a couple months to find their way. Dallas sat a couple games above .500 at 6-4 before they reeled off six straight to close out the regular season.

The Cowboys carried that momentum into the first two rounds of the playoffs beating the Atlanta Falcons at home and the Los Angeles Rams on the road to win an NFC Championship. Dallas' run would be stopped by the "Steel Curtain" in Super Bowl XII versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Minnesota Vikings 1976

The 1976 Minnesota Vikings set out to make amends for their early exit from the previous year's playoffs. Minnesota finished the 1976 season winning five of their last six games.

Frank Tarkenton led the way behind center as he threw 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions during that season. The Vikings would continue their momentum into the playoffs beating the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams at home to win the NFC Championship.

Minnesota would end up losing to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl X.

Green Bay Packers 1966

The Green Bay Packers were out to defend their championship from 1965 except they were now playing for the Super Bowl. Green Bay won the first Super Bowl in the 1966 season after making a strong push into the playoffs.

Vince Lombardi's team won five straight at the end of the regular season. Heading into the NFC Championship game with such momentum allowed the Packers to skim by the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas.

The Packers would play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I to take home their second of three consecutive championships.