20 Most Significant Plays of the 2011 NFL Season

With one month to go, each passing game will have increased significance. That's especially true for the teams that still remain in playoff contention.

However, some of this year's events that have occurred over the course of the first 12 weeks have shaped the way this 2011 campaign has played out up to this point and will likely prove to be vital once January hits. 

Presented now are the 20 plays that have been the most important in defining this NFL season so far.

20. Tebow Time Begins

If you watched the first 54.5 minutes of the Denver Broncos' game versus the Miami Dolphins, you probably cringed at the play of Tim Tebow.

The quarterback's first start of 2011 was full of incomplete passes and minimal yardage. That is, until the 5:23 mark of the fourth period. With Denver behind 15-0, Tebow led an 80-yard drive that closed the gap.

An onside kick gave No. 15 a chance to continue this magical transformation. After a three-yard pass to Daniel Fells with 17 ticks left, Tebow and company were still down by a pair.

That's when Tebow did what he's best at: running the football. His two-yard rush gave the Broncos the two points needed to send the contest into overtime. Denver went on to win, 18-15.

Little did we know he would make these heart-stopping performances commonplace.

19. Patrick Peterson Goes 99 to Beat Rams

Patrick Peterson became the newest member of the return aces in the NFL in Week 9. He joined the club with his electric take-back of a punt in the overtime session of the Cardinals' matchup with the Rams.

The rookie from LSU fielded a punt on his own 1-yard line, broke several tackles and went 99 yards to pay dirt to give Arizona the victory.

The game obviously had no bearing on the postseason fight, but it did showcase one of the best young talents in football.

18. Dwayne Bowe's Juggling Act

Like the previous play, this does not involve great teams. In fact, it involves a potentially 0-16 club.

Nevertheless, the catch by Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe in the end zone against the Indianapolis Colts is too good not to include.

On a 1st-and-goal from the Indy 5, Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel looked for Bowe, who hauled in the touchdown pass despite a deflection and pass interference penalty by Colt cornerback Jacob Lacey. The score was part of a 21-point run that helped the Chiefs win by a field goal.

17. Hasselbeck Leads Titans over Bucs

Chris Johnson's long-awaited breakout performance was the signature part of the Tennessee Titans' 23-17 win over Tampa Bay last Sunday afternoon. However, it was a two-yard touchdown pass to Damian Williams by veteran signal-caller Matt Hasselbeck on 4th-and-2 that proved to be the contest's most significant moment.

Hasselbeck's scoring toss with 3:01 to play gave the Titans the lead and, at 6-5, kept them breathing in the AFC playoff fight.

16. Pass to Fred Jackson Beats Pats

After coming back from a 21-0 deficit to take down the New England Patriots on Sept. 25, we were all taking the Buffalo Bills much more seriously than we were after the beginning of 2011.

In the 34-31 victory, running back Fred Jackson totaled 161 yards on catches and carries.

The most important play came on a first-down play at the Patriots' 39 with about three minutes to go. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw to Jackson on a short pass over the middle, who used his speed to take all the way to the 1-yard line and put the Bills in position for a game-winning field goal.

15. Controversy in the Desert

We had not yet seen a controversial call in the 2011 season—until an early October meeting between the Cardinals and Giants.

With less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Arizona was on top 27-24 and New York was on offense, just inside Arizona territory.

Eli Manning completed a 19-yard pass to receiver Victor Cruz, who appeared to stumble to the turf untouched. As he tried to get up, Cruz lost control of the football. The Cards recovered what they thought was a fumble.

However, the referees ruled the Giants maintained possession. When Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt tried to challenge the play, head ref Jerome Boger stated that the ruling on the field was that Cruz voluntarily went to the ground and that it was not subject to review.

On the very next snap, Manning threw a touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks from 29 yards out. That gave New York a 31-27 victory.

14. Vick Beat Up in Atlanta

Granted, a season filled with Michael Vick injuries could have been predicted, but his concussion in Week 2 at the Georgia Dome got him and the Eagles going on a disastrous 2011 season.

In his Atlanta homecoming, Vick had led Philly to a 24-21 lead late in the third period when his head collided with a teammate as he was being brought to the ground.

Vick left the game and didn't return as the Falcons prevailed by four points.

13. Dalton Completes Comeback vs. Titans

The former TCU Horned Frog Andy Dalton won't blow you away with stats, but he impresses you with the fact his team sitting in playoff contention.

One of his best came in comeback fashion in Nashville. Dalton, who threw three touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans, led the Bengals to 17 unanswered points for a key Week 9 road win.

The final one was a 5-yard scoring toss to Andre Caldwell in the early portions of the fourth period. It put Cincy up 21-17. The Bengals would add a field goal and seal a 24-17 triumph.

12. Brady's Magic Beats Cowboys

Most quarterbacks would be nervous in late game situations. Not Tom Brady.

In an Oct. 16 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys that for the most part was mediocre, Brady saved his best for last.

An eight-yard pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez with 22 seconds remaining gave the New England Patriots a 20-16 victory, capping a drive that lasted eight plays and 2:09.

11. Cruz Control over Eagles

Little was expected of the New York Giants' passing attack heading into Week 3 considering the injuries to their receivers and the fact they were facing an Eagles secondary filled with stars.

However, Eli Manning threw for four touchdowns in Philadelphia. Two of those scores went to the unsung Cruz, who was filling in for an injured Mario Manningham.

The second of those TDs came in the fourth period with the Giants down 16-14. At the Philly 18, Manning lofted a pass for Cruz, who snatched the ball at the goal line in the close presence of Nnamdi Asomugha and Jarrad Page and fell into the end zone.

It was his second touchdown of the game...and career.

10. Megatron in Triple Coverage

Calvin Johnson had been one of the game's best wideouts. After this season, there's no question who the best is.

In the midst of coming back from a 23-point deficit in Dallas on Oct. 2, Lions QB Matthew Stafford looked for Johnson in an early fourth-quarter play. The 23-yard pass was caught spectacularly by Johnson in the end zone over three Cowboy defenders. The score made it 30-24 in favor of the Lions as Detroit went on to complete the comeback, 34-30.

9. Sanchez-to-Holmes for Big 'W'

The New York Jets may ultimately miss out on the playoffs this season, but they'd have almost no shot if not for last weekend's last-second victory over the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium.

Mark Sanchez has been somewhat ineffective in 2011, but he put together a career-high four-TD-pass day to lead his club to a much-needed win.

Sanchez connected with WR Santonio Holmes from 16 yards out with just over a minute left.

8. Romo's Fumble Aids Jets

As has sometimes been the case for Tony Romo, he has had solid starts to games. It's just that the ending can take a severe turn for the worse.

In the season opener, Romo and the Cowboys had a 24-17 lead on the New York Jets early in the fourth period. At that point, Romo had no picks and two touchdown passes.

Then came the rest of the final quarter. After getting to the goal line, Romo tried to scramble and run it in the end zone. His lack of security with the ball caused the ball to slip away and it was recovered by New York.

Even though he later through a crucial interception to Darrelle Revis that led to a game-winning field goal by the Jets, Romo's fumble prevented the Cowboys from adding points that could have put it away.

6. Thumbs Down for Bears

A meaningless fourth-quarter play turned meaningful when Jay Cutler went to the ground.

The Chicago Bears quarterback dislocated his thumb when trying to chase down San Diego's Antoine Cason during a 64-yard interception return in a Week 11 matchup.

Chicago improved to 7-3 against the Chargers, but it suffered a great loss with Cutler possibly out for the remainder of the season.

6. Eli Does It to the Pats Again

Eli Manning showed he is indeed worthy of elite status on Nov. 6 in Foxboro against the Patriots.

The New York quarterback led his team down the field in the late going, reminiscent of Super Bowl XLII, to a game-winning touchdown pass to young tight end Jake Ballard.

The scoring strike came with 15 seconds left and gave the Giants a 24-20 win.

5. Who's That Cowboy Beating the 49ers?

An ailing Tony Romo didn't stop him from lifting the Cowboys past the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.

Despite broken ribs that temporarily took him out of the game, Romo returned and brought Dallas back to tie the score after regulation.

And on the first play of the extra session, unknown wideout Jesse Holley was on the receiving end of a 77-yard completion. That set up Dan Baliey's 19-yard field goal, which gave the Cowboys a win that made the Niners 1-1. Who knew they wouldn't lose again until Thanksgiving night?

4. Falcons Gamble...and Lose

The NFC South may have been decided on this play.

After his Atlanta Falcons rallied from a 10-point deficit to send their Week 10 contest with the New Orleans Saints into overtime, head coach Mike Smith's club received the ball first in the extra session.

Three plays yielded just nine yards. At their own 29, Smith risked scrutiny and went for it on fourth down.

Running back Michael Turner was stonewalled by the Saints defense and Atlanta turned the ball over. It also all but ended the game.

John Kasay officially concluded it by kicking a 26-yard field goal to hand the Falcons a defeat that may come back to haunt them once the regular season concludes.

3. Tebow's Run Stuns Jets

John Elway is known as the king of the comebacks in Denver. Tim Tebow is the newest master of late-game heroics, although it's certainly not as conventional as No. 7.

Tebow's miracle on Nov. 17 was at the expense of the visiting New York Jets. The Broncos were down three with less than six minutes to go, uncomfortably perched at their own 5-yard line.

Against a tough Jets defense, Tebow came alive and marched his team to within 20 yards of a touchdown. The former Heisman winner then took it the rest of the way on a QB run to the end zone.

2. Saints Stuffed at Goal Line on Opening Night

The season's first game may still be its best.

It was a contest that featured two of the NFL's best quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. With that comes plenty of offense.

Green Bay's 42-34 lead was in peril when New Orleans drove to the Packers' 9. A pass interference call in the end zone with no time remaining gave the Saints one untimed down from the goal line.

That's when defense came to the rescue.

Linebacker Clay Matthews and safety Morgan Burnett led a swarm that stopped rookie running back Mark Ingram short of pay dirt.

1. Flacco-to-Smith Nips Steelers

Joe Flacco's 2011 season has had moments of flash and moments of fright.

But there's no question that his defining moment (up to this point) came on Sunday night in Pittsburgh on Nov. 6.

Down 20-16 with 2:21 to go, the Ravens QB led his club from the depths of his own territory to the game-winning score in 12 plays. The march was punctuated with a 26-yard TD pass to Torrey Smith, the wideout who dropped a potential scoring strike just a few plays earlier.

The 23-20 victory gave the Ravens a season sweep on Pittsburgh, which gives them the upper hand in the race for the AFC North title...and could have bearing in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.