8 Greatest Comebacks in NFL History

It is officially Week 8 of the 2013 NFL season.

This year has already seen its share of memorable comebacks (and a few comeback attempts that fell short) but none quite memorable enough to be considered among the greatest of all time.

In honor of Week 8, we will take a look back at eight NFL comebacks that do deserve to be considered among the greatest in sports history.

To make this list, the comeback must have been impacting, memorable and historic. Most importantly, the team attempting the comeback must have pulled off the victory (no Super Bowl blackouts on this list).

The Drive

January 11, 1987

The 1987 AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns has become one of the most memorable contests in all of sports history because it was the game that made John Elway a legend.

Down 20-13 with 5:32 remaining in the game, Elway engineered a 15-play, 98-yard touchdown drive to send the game into overtime. Kicker Rich Karlis went on to seal the victory with an overtime field goal.

Elway's fourth-quarter drive may have been one of the best clutch performances of all time. However, "The Drive" ranks at the bottom of our list because it was, after all, only a seven-point comeback.

The Second-Half Monday Night Massacre

Harry How/Getty Images

October 15, 2012

The visiting Denver Broncos appeared to be doomed at halftime on Monday Night Football.

The team was down 24-0 to the San Diego Chargers, and new Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning did not seem to be in sync with his offense in the least.

However, the script was rewritten after halftime as Denver would outscore San Diego 35-0 in the second half. Manning tossed three touchdowns and just one incompletion after the break, while Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw a game-sealing interception that was returned for a touchdown.

There have been several 24-point comebacks in NFL history, but this defining game for Manning and his new team is the only one to end with an 11-point margin of victory.

The Cardinals Goodbye Comeback

November 8, 1987

Do you remember when the St. Louis Cardinals was an NFL franchise?

If so, you might remember quarterback Neil Lomax. He rallied the Cardinals from a 25-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 1987 strike-shortened season.

Lomax tossed three touchdowns and helped St. Louis score 28 points in the fourth quarter to earn a 31-28 home victory.

It would be one of the final home victories in St. Louis. The Cardinals would move to Phoenix, Arizona the following year and would not reemerge as a relevant force until some guy named Kurt Warner was called off the bench to lead the team to a Super Bowl.

Buffalo Blasts Colts

September 21, 1997

The second-biggest comeback in NFL regular-season history came in 1997.

Quarterback Todd Collins and the Buffalo Bills found themselves down 26-0 in the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Jim Harbaugh (yes, that Jim Harbaugh).

Buffalo stormed back with the aid of three Antowain Smith touchdown runs to take a 37-29 lead in the fourth quarter.

Marvin Harrison (yes, he was around before Peyton) scored with 14 seconds left to play, but the Colts' two-point conversion attempt failed and Buffalo held on to win.

The next year, the Colts would draft Peyton Manning, changing the franchise's history forever.

A Giant Collapse

Donald Miralle/Getty Images

January 5, 2003

The remarkable comeback by the San Francisco 49ers against the New York Giants in the 2003 NFC Wild Card Game probably should have never happened.

San Francisco quarterback Jeff Garcia was never known as a game-changer, yet he somehow led San Francisco back from a 24-point third-quarter deficit to take a 39-38 lead.

Wide receiver Terrell Owens had a career-defining game with nine catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns. However, New York had an opportunity to win with just six seconds left in the game.

A 41-yard field goal would have given the Giants the win, but a botched snap by Trey Junkin cost New York the playoff victory.

Manning's Breakthrough Moment

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

January 21, 2007

The 2007 AFC Championship Game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots looked to be well in hand by halftime.

The Patriots, who had knocked Peyton Manning's Colts out of the playoffs the previous two years, had jumped out to an early 21-3 lead and led 21-6 at halftime.

However, Manning engineered touchdown drives on the Colts' first two possessions of the second half, which, along with a two-point conversion, tied the game at 21.

An interception of a Tom Brady pass would eventually seal the 38-34 victory for the Colts and send Manning on to earn his first and only Super Bowl victory.

Montana Makes Magic

December 7, 1980

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana made a career out of coming through in the clutch. However, his ability to work late-game magic was just beginning to show in 1980.

Late in his second NFL season, Montana found his team down 35-7 at halftime to Archie Manning and the New Orleans Saints.

While most second-year quarterbacks would have folded, Montana did not. Instead, he led his 49ers on a 28-0 second-half run to send the game into overtime.

Ray Wersching booted a 36-yard overtime field goal to win the game for San Francisco and its upstart quarterback.

It was the first of many legendary performances for Montana and remains the largest regular-season comeback in league history.

Buffalo's Wild Wild-Card Finish

January 3, 1993

The 1993 Wild Card Game between the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills remains one of the craziest playoff games in sports history.

Warren Moon and the Oilers jumped out to a 32-point lead early in the third quarter and appeared to have the game in hand. 

The week prior, Buffalo had lost to Houston 27-3 and had lost starting quarterback Jim Kelly in the process. It didn't appear that backup signal-caller Frank Reich would be able to rally the Bills in the playoff rematch. 

However, Reich threw three second-half touchdown passes and pushed Buffalo to a three-point, fourth-quarter lead. Houston would send the game into overtime with a field goal, but the Oilers' spirit was broken by the furious comeback.

The Bills would take home a most improbable victory with an overtime field goal from kicker Steve Christie, capping the wildest comeback in NFL history.