Updated: Jan 29, 2006, 5:31 PM

Top Super Bowl Plays - Defense/Special Teams


Super Bowl XL in Detroit is rapidly approaching, and while everyone is looking ahead to this year's big game NFL PrimeTime and SportsNation are taking a look back, too. PrimeTime has come up with a list of the top 40 plays in Super Bowl history and the citizens of SportsNation will pick No. 1, to be announced live on-air from Detroit.

We've divided our list into offense and defense/special teams, and listed below are PrimeTime's top defensive/special teams plays. From Adam Vinatieri and his game-winning field goals to Garo Yepremian's botched attempt, from Don Beebe running down Leon Lett to Mike Jones stopping Kevin Dyson short of the goal line (above), we've got the best kicks, hits, interceptions and tackles covered.

Game-winners, game-savers and momentum-changers -- they're all on the ballot. Simply scroll through the list and vote for your top five defensive/special teams plays from the NFL's biggest games. Then tune in to NFL PrimeTime on Friday, Feb. 4 to see which play America chooses as the best in Super Bowl history.

Think there's an offensive play that tops anything below? Click here to cast your ballot for the top Super Bowl offensive plays .

WATCH:
NFL PrimeTime from the Super Bowl (Saturday, Feb. 4, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN). The top overall vote-getter will be named PrimeTime's top Super Bowl play.

Cast your vote for the top defensive or special teams plays in Super Bowl history (pick five):

  • Super Bowl III (Jim Hudson) - New York's Hudson intercepts Earl Morrall on a flea-flicker on the final play of the first half -- after Morrall failed to spot a wide-open Jimmy Orr in the end zone -- denying Baltimore a chance to tie the score heading into halftime.
     
  • Super Bowl V (Jim O'Brien) - With the score tied at 13, Baltimore's O'Brien makes a dramatic 32-yard field goal with just five seconds remaining, giving the Colts a 16-13 victory.
     
  • Super Bowl VI (Bob Lilly) - Dallas leads Miami 3-0 late in the first quarter when Bob Lilly sacks Bob Griese for a 29-yard loss, the biggest sack for a loss in Super Bowl history.
     
  • Super Bowl VII (Mike Bass) - Bass picks off an awkward pass attempt by Miami kicker Garo Yepremian after a blocked field goal, returning it 49 yards for Washington's only TD of the game.
     
  • Super Bowl XI (Jack Tatum) - With the Raiders on their way to a 32-14 win over Minnesota, Jack Tatum lays a wallop that separates Sammy White from his helmet, arguably the best hit in Super Bowl history.
     
  • Super Bowl XI (Willie Brown) - Brown intercepts Fran Tarkenton's fourth-quarter pass and returns the ball 75 yards for a TD to help close out a 32-14 win over Minnesota.
     
  • Super Bowl XVI (Dan Bunz) - San Francisco puts up an epic goal-line stand while holding on to a 26-21 lead, keyed by Bunz's third-down stop of a Ken Anderson-to-Charles Alexander pass on the 1-yard line.
     
  • Super Bowl XVIII (Jack Squirek) - Squirek picks off a Joe Theismann pass in the waning seconds of the first half, returning it five yards to give Oakland a 21-3 halftime lead over Washington.
     
  • Super Bowl XXV (Scott Norwood) - Buffalo's Norwood misses a 47-yard field goal attempt wide right on the final play of the game, giving the Giants a 20-19 win.
     
  • Super Bowl XXVII (Jimmie Jones) - Jones picks up a Jim Kelly fumble and returns it two yards for a TD, giving Dallas a 14-7 lead over Buffalo that it would not relinquish.
     
  • Super Bowl XXVII (Don Beebe) - Beebe runs down Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett on a fumble return that appeared to be headed for a TD, knocking the ball loose and out the end zone for a touchback.
     
  • Super Bowl XXVIII (James Washington) - The tide turns toward Dallas when Washington picks up a Thurman Thomas fumble and goes 46 yards for a TD to tie the score with Buffalo at 14.
     
  • Super Bowl XXX (Larry Brown) - With Dallas leading by three in the fourth quarter Brown picks off a Neil O'Donnell pass and returns in 33 yards to the Pittsburgh 6-yard line, leading to Emmitt Smith's clinching TD run.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXI (Desmond Howard) - With Green Bay leading 27-21 late in the 3rd quarter, Howard takes a kickoff 99 yards for a TD to give the Packers breathing room against New England.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXII (John Mobley) - With Denver leading Green Bay 31-24 in the final minute, Mobley breaks up a 4th-and-6 pass by Brett Favre from the 31-yard line to end the Packers drive and give the Broncos the victory.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXIV (Mike Jones) - With St. Louis clinging to a 23-16 lead on the final play of the game, Tennessee's Kevin Dyson takes a Steve McNair pass over the middle to the 1-yard line where Jones makes the game-saving tackle just shy of the goal line.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXVI (Ty Law) - New England takes a 7-3 lead over favored St. Louis after Law intercepts Kurt Warner and takes the ball 47 yards for a TD to help the Patriots gain momentum.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXVI (Adam Vinatieri) - With the score tied at 17, Vinatieri kicks a 48-yard field goal on the final play to win the game for underdog New England.
     
  • Super Bowl XXXVIII (Adam Vinatieri) - After Panthers' kicker John Kasay shanks a kickoff out of bounds with the score tied at 29, the ensuing New England drive ends with Vinatieri kicking a 41-yard field goal with four seconds remaining for a 32-29 Patriots victory. It is Vinatieri's second Super Bowl-winning kick in three seasons.
     

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