NFL Power Rankings: The Top 25 Most Ridiculous Touchdowns in NFL History

There have been so many touchdowns scored over the years in the NFL, but only a small few of them have been characterized as "ridiculous."

By ridiculous, we are talking about some of the most bizarre, incredible touchdowns that the game has ever seen.

Some of these touchdowns are so lucky that they can't be characterized as anything other than ridiculous; others are so incredibly that it is just unbelievable.

With so many incredible touchdowns occurring in NFL history, Bleacher Report took the time to simplify all of them to just 25 incredibly ridiculous touchdowns.

25. Roger Staubach Hail Mary

Roger Staubach coined the term "Hail Mary" after this touchdown pass in the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, as he said he closed his eyes and said "Hail Mary" as he let the ball fly.

It landed right in the arms of Drew Pearson, and thus, the Hail Mary play was revealed.

24. Chargers Fumblerooski

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The San Diego Chargers opted to run the good old fumblerooski in 2006 against the Denver Broncos.

Surprisingly, the play actually worked and they scored a touchdown, but that doesn't mean it looked pretty.  Check it out for yourself.

23. Marvin Harrison Juggling TD Against New England Patriots

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Marvin Harrison was one of the best receivers of his time and one of the premier receivers the game has ever seen.

This incredible catch against the New England Patriots makes you wonder exactly how these players do such things.

Not only did Harrison change direction on a dime, he somehow managed to keep two feet in bounds.

22. The Catch Part Two

In this Wild Card matchup in 1998, the San Francisco 49ers found themselves with one last ditch effort to win the game. 

Young dropped back and found Terrell Owens streaking over the middle and threw it up.  Owens hauled in the pass in the middle of a crowd of Packers defenders, and the 49ers advanced to the NFC Divisional Round.

While not as big of a deal as "the catch," it was still quite ridiculous that Owens hauled in the pass and that the Green Bay defense collapsed at such a crucial moment.

21. Brad Johnson to Brad Johnson

Not only is this one of the luckiest plays of all-time, it is by far one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.

Brad Johnson is one of the least mobile QBs I have ever seen, and there is no doubt he had no idea what to do when he got this ball.

He kind of looks like a fish out of water, but he somehow stumbles into the endzone for six points.

20. Santonio Holmes Game Winning Super Bowl TD

While we have all seen a catch like Santonio Holmes' game winner in Super Bowl 43 before, this may have been one of the most incredible touchdowns in Super Bowl history.

With the Steelers trailing late and in need of a touchdown to win the game, Holmes hauled in a near impossible catch to seal the win for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Looking back, I still can't believe he caught this pass.

19. Bo Jackson Against Denver Broncos

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Bo Jackson was one of the most explosive backs the NFL has ever seen.  Unfortunately for NFL fans, his career did not last as long as it should have, but he left us with some incredible moments.

One of Jackson's most famous runs was the touchdown he scored while running over Brian Bosworth, but that is nowhere near as impressive as the cut-back touchdown against the Broncos.

Jackson fielded the ball and immediately stopped and switched directions before plowing over a Broncos' defender and heading into the endzone.

18. John Riggins TD Run in Super Bowl XVII

Known as "The Play" in Washington Redskins history, the Redskins found themselves trailing the Miami Dolphins as they lined up for a fourth and one.

Riggins cleared the corner and took out Don McNeal en route to one of the most epic runs in NFL history.

It may not be the flashiest run, but there is no doubt that it was ridiculous for the Dolphins defense to allow Riggins to take off down the sideline 43 yards to give the Redskins the lead and the victory.

17. Marcus Allen Super Bowl Run Against the Washington Redskins

Marcus Allen sealed the fate of the Washington Redskins and gave the Oakland Raiders a Super Bowl XVIII victory with this 74-yard cut-back touchdown.

This touchdown still haunts the fans of the Washington Redskins, probably about as much as the Dan Snyder buying the team.

Either way, this was an incredible run by Marcus Allen that Raiders fans will never forget.

16. Joe Jurevicius Catch Against the Philadelphia Eagles

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Joe Jurevicius isn't the wide receiver that comes to mind when thinking about insane circus catches, but this one jumps off the charts.

Not only did Jurevicius tip this ball over a defender's head, he changed direction and made a diving catch as the ball was just out of reach of another defender.

This may have been one of the luckiest catches I've seen, but it certainly classifies as ridiculous.

15. Brandon Stokley Game Winning TD Against Cincinnati Bengals

A remarkable play from recent memory, I remember watching this game and thinking it was one of the worst football games I had ever seen.

Both teams were stagnant on offense the entire game until Kyle Orton lofted a pass into triple coverage that happened to get tipped up and landed right into the arms of Brandon Stokley for the game winning touchdown. 

If that isn't ridiculous, I don't know what is.

14. Walter Payton's Numerous Leaps into the Endzone

Walter Payton was known for his vertical leap and he put it on display on a regular basis.

Payton was the king of the goalline leap and while it is tough to pick out a single one as the most ridiculous one, here is a Walter Payton highlight real that highlights some of his premier leaps into the endzone.

13. Desean Jackson Punt Return Against the New York Giants

With just 14 seconds remaining in a December 19 game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants thought it would be a great idea to punt the ball to Desean Jackson.

Jackson fielded the ball, then fumbled the ball, then picked it up and ran straight up the field between the Giants punt team, which parted like the Red Sea.

This has to be one of the most ridiculous finishes to a game I have ever seen, especially when you consider the fact that this game was all but over halfway through the fourth quarter.

12. Walter Peyton TD Run Against the New Orleans Saints

There was no way that one Walter Payton highlight would be enough to suffice this list.  Arguably the greatest run of Walter Payton's career, he torched the New Orleans Saints for this long run after it appeared he was going to be tackled multiple times in the backfield

Payton was a force to be reckoned with during his NFL career and left the game as the greatest RB to ever play the game, thus making him more than worthy of being on this multiple times.

This ridiculous touchdown run starts three minutes into this highlight reel, but feel free to bask in all of its glory.

11. Dante Hall Punt Return Against the Denver Broncos

Possibly the greatest punt return in NFL history, Dante Hall had no right even returning this punt.  He was trapped at his own five yard line and surrounded by Broncos' players before somehow breaking out of the pack and taking it all the way to the house.

Hall provided us some incredible moments as a punt returner for the Kansas City Chiefs but saw his career hit the fan once he left for St. Louis.

10. James Harrison Super Bowl Interception

With the Arizona Cardinals on the doorsteps and threatening to take a 14-10 lead into halftime, James Harrison picked off Kurt Warner and took it 100 yards for a score to turn the tide on Arizona.

Harrison continues to break tackles down the sideline, and it seemed that he was inevitably going to get tackled; however, he somehow found himself in the endzone and putting the Steelers ahead by 10 points at the half.

All Arizona had to do was protect the ball and they would have gone into half tied at the absolute worst; however, Warner might have kept himself from winning another Super Bowl with this throw.

9. Marshawn Lynch Against New Orleans Saints

I don't know if this run was more about how horrible the New Orleans Saints' defense is at tackling or about how impressive Lynch can run, but it looks like a combination of both.

This ridiculous play started off like a normal running play, then it started to get good, then you were left thinking to yourself "How did he do that?"

Well, I still don't know how he did it, but it was one of the best playoff runs of all-time.

8. Holy Roller

Oh, the "Holy Roller" play, one of the most controversial plays in NFL history.  During the play, Oakland Raiders QB Ken Stabler "fumbled" the ball forward as he was being sacked, and the ball continued to be fumbled forward until it was eventually picked up by Dave Casper in the endzone.

The Raiders won the game on this play by a score of 21-20 after a successful extra point.

It is clearly one of the most ridiculous looking plays you will ever seen and still remains a hot topic among the fans of the San Diego Chargers and Raiders.

7. Barry Sanders Runs Through Dallas Cowboys

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Barry Sanders is one of the greatest RBs to ever play the game, and possibly the best of all-time.

Sanders proved that he was certainly one of the most explosive with this run against the Dallas Cowboys where he bounces off what seems like the entire Cowboys' defensive front before trotting into the endzone for six points.

If this run isn't ridiculous, then I have no idea what ridiculous is.

6. Barry Sanders Runs Through Chicago Bears

No matter how many times I watch this play, I find myself wondering how in the world he broke away from the Bears' defense.

He was clearly wrapped up behind the line of scrimmage; however, he was able to break free and take it all the way to the endzone.

Sanders' explosiveness is ridiculous and on full display with this touchdown run.

5. The Catch

With under a minute to go in the game and the San Francisco 49ers down six points, Joe Montana rolled out and hit Dwight Clark for one of the most memorable catches in NFL history.

The pass soared high, but Clark was able to haul it in, and the 49ers went on to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1982 NFC Championship Game.

Like the Santonio Holmes catch, the moment and situation made the catch much more incredible than the actual play.

4. New Orleans Saints Lateral Against the Jacksonville Jaguars

With the New Orleans Saints having to go 75 yards for a score and hit the extra point in seven seconds to send the game into overtime against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Saints lined up for the lateral play.

With only three laterals, the Saints were able to put the ball into the endzone to put them a point away from sending the game into overtime.

However, to make this play even more ridiculous, John Carney missed the extra point, and the Saints lost the game by one after completing the miraculous play.

3. Antonio Freeman's MNF Catch

By far the craziest circus catch of all-time, Antonio Freeman somehow hauled in this catch without it hitting the ground.

The ball somehow bounces off of his legs and right into his hands as he gets up and runs into the endzone.

The best part about the catch is that the Vikings are in shock that the referees let the play continue, as they were convinced it had to have hit the ground.

2. Music City Miracle

With 16 seconds to go and the Tennessee Titans trailing the Buffalo Bills by a single point, the Titans went to the lateral play on a squib kick by the Bills.

Frank Wycheck received the kick and threw it across the field to Kevin Dyson, who took it 57 yards into the endzone for the game winning score.

While this was definitely one of the most ridiculous plays of all-time, the controversy surrounding whether or not it was a lateral makes it even more intense.

1. Immaculate Reception

As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, you think the Immaculate Reception was one of the greatest plays of all-time; however, Oakland Raiders' fans would tell you the exact opposite.

The Immaculate Reception is easily one of the most controversial plays of all-time, but there is no doubt it was a ridiculous catch by Franco Harris.

As the ball was deflected back toward him, he somehow grabbed it before it hit the ground and ran it into the endzone as the players on the Oakland Raiders began celebrating a bit too early.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most ridiculous play in NFL history.