NFL Power Rankings: The Greatest Plays Of All-Time
By Erik Lambert
#3: The Catch
*Skip to 1:25 to see the play
Before this play, the San Francisco 49ers franchise was an also-ran, always seeming to lose to the established teams in the big moments. None had broken their hearts more than the Dallas Cowboys, who had owned them in the early 1970s and expected to do so again in 1981 during their tilt in the NFC championship.
That script held late in the game with Dallas taking a 27-21 lead. With just under five minutes left the 49ers went on offense, facing their last chance to score. Led by young quarterback Joe Montana, they drove down the field with a brilliant mix of creative run and pass plays. On 2nd and 10 they sat at the Cowboys 6-yard line with 58 seconds left. San Francisco head coach Bill Walsh called for a “Sprint Right Option” pass play, instructing Montana to throw the ball away if nothing was there.
On the ensuing snap, Montana rolled out to his right. Dallas defenders closed in quickly and seemed to have a bead on him for a sack. At the last moment Montana fired a high pass over their heads towards the end zone. It looked like he was throwing it away but at the last second wide receiver Dwight Clark leaped into the air to make a fingertip catch for the touchdown.
The 49ers went ahead 28-27, ending the Cowboys’ last best chance to reach a Super Bowl for the next decade and ushering in the era of a San Francisco dynasty that started with their Super Bowl win following “the Catch” game.
Next: #2