These NFL trick plays fooled everyone! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the smartest, wildest, and most unexpected NFL plays that left defenses scratching their heads.
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00:00 played in three playoff games, this being his fourth, and he has been tremendous in
00:04 all of them.
00:05 Does he turn the ball over?
00:06 Put the kiss of death on him.
00:07 I think I'll shut up now.
00:10 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the smartest, wildest,
00:16 and most unexpected NFL plays that left defenses scratching their heads.
00:21 That looks like something you see on the internet, Daryl, with all these trick plays.
00:27 Number 10, Antoine Randall-El's game-clinching pass.
00:32 Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the Steelers to the Super Bowl in just his second year
00:36 in the league, but it was a wide receiver who threw the pass that put the game away
00:41 in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks.
00:43 And they pitch it to the left, and now here's the handoff on the reverse to Antoine Randall-El.
00:47 He's going to throw it down the field.
00:49 Randall-El played quarterback at Indiana University, where he proved that he could run, pass, and
00:54 catch.
00:55 He was drafted by Pittsburgh as a receiver in 2002, and got to put his passing talent
01:00 to work again in Super Bowl XL.
01:02 With the Steelers up 14-10 and just under 9 minutes left to play, Roethlisberger handed
01:08 the ball off to Randall-El, who launched it 43 yards downfield to Heinz Ward.
01:21 From there, it was a very short trip to the end zone.
01:30 Number 9, Tom Brady runs the Statue of Liberty.
01:35 The score was tied after halftime of this 2007 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the
01:40 Patriots and the Jaguars.
01:50 At the beginning of the third quarter, Brady led the Pats on an 82-yard drive that culminated
01:55 in his unique spin on this classic trick play.
01:59 The Jags were expecting either a direct snap or a handoff to running back Kevin Falk.
02:03 Instead, Brady took the snap and held onto the ball, leaving the defenders totally confused.
02:09 With zero pressure on the QB and wide receiver Wes Welker opening the end zone, the touchdown
02:20 completion was a cinch.
02:31 Number 8, the Mountaineer shot.
02:33 It's the second quarter, you're down 13-7 and it's fourth and goal at the one-yard
02:38 line.
02:39 Do you kick a field goal or try for a quarterback sneak?
02:43 How about neither?
02:44 Instead, the Dolphins line up in an unusual formation, with the center snapping the ball
02:48 directly to punter Matt Hawk.
02:51 Kicker Jason Sanders lines up to the left side of the field.
02:54 You can almost see the looks of confusion on the defenders' faces.
02:58 After the snap, no one bothers to cover Sanders and he strolls into the end zone almost untouched.
03:15 Hawk easily lobs the ball to him, completing the first-ever punter-to-kicker touchdown
03:19 pass in the NFL.
03:31 The Dolphins would go on to win this 2019 matchup in a shootout.
03:43 Number 7, Music City Miracle.
03:46 Near the end of this AFC wildcard game, the Bills scored a field goal to put them up by
03:51 one point.
03:57 With 16 seconds left, it looked like the Titans' playoff run was over.
04:02 Then a miracle happened.
04:10 Fullback Lorenzo Neal fielded the kickoff and handed the ball off to tight end Frank
04:14 Wycheck.
04:15 He then threw a lateral pass to wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who ran 75 yards untouched to
04:21 the end zone.
04:28 For a while, there was some controversy over whether the pass was indeed a lateral, but
04:33 later analysis showed that the refs made the right call.
04:49 Just a few weeks later, the Titans took their first and only trip to the Super Bowl, where
04:54 they lost to the St. Louis Rams.
04:57 Number 6, The Annexation of Puerto Rico.
05:01 Also known as the Fumble Rooski, some version of this play has been kicking around for decades.
05:07 In the family classic Little Giants, Rick Moranis' Pee-Wee team gave it a new name
05:12 and used it to score a 99-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the game.
05:32 The Panthers ran their own take on it in 2011.
05:36 Cam Newton took the snap and handed it off to fullback Richie Brockle between his legs.
05:41 Newton then executed a spin move to the right as Brockle ran to the left and into the end
05:46 zone.
05:47 To be fair to the Texans, most of them didn't bite on the fakeout, but they also didn't
06:03 react fast enough to the handoff, allowing the runner to score.
06:15 Number 5, Rams punt misdirection.
06:19 The Rams had a two-score lead on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks when they pulled
06:24 off this incredibly sneaky punt return in 2014.
06:28 Both the blockers and the defenders swarmed to one side of the field, where Tavon Austin
06:32 pretends he's about to catch the punt, but the ball is actually headed toward the
06:37 far sideline, where Stedman Bailey waits for it.
06:49 Thanks to Austin's Oscar-worthy fakeout, no one is anywhere near Bailey when he catches
06:53 the ball, and he sprints 90 yards for a touchdown.
07:09 The Bears almost pulled off an identical play three years earlier, but it was called back
07:14 on a holding penalty.
07:30 Number 4, Chargers run the Bumarooski.
07:44 This might be one of the most complicated executions of this classic trick play.
07:48 Named after former Oilers and Saints coach Bum Phillips, the Bumarooski is another variation
07:54 on the Fumblerooski.
07:55 In their second matchup against the Broncos in 2006, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers
08:01 took the snap and handed off the ball between the legs of Lorenzo Neal.
08:05 Rivers then faked a handoff to running back Vincent Jackson, and both he and Rivers ran
08:10 to the right.
08:20 Neal meanwhile ran to the left, barreling through defenders and in for the touchdown.
08:34 Number 3, Dan Marino's fake spike.
08:38 In this 1994 matchup against the Jets, the Dolphins were down 3 points with less than
08:43 a minute left in the game.
08:45 They got a first down on a Marino pass to Mark Ingram Sr., setting up first and goal
08:49 in the Jets' 8-yard line with 38 seconds to go.
08:59 The offense then rushed to get set at the line of scrimmage as Marino motioned for a
09:03 spike to stop the clock.
09:05 At the snap, the defensive line barely moved, assuming Marino would throw the ball to the
09:10 turf.
09:11 Instead, he floated an easy pass to Ingram in the end zone, leaving the Jets… and the
09:15 commentators… stunned.
09:23 It was a brilliant piece of deception that sealed the win for the Dolphins.
09:42 Number 2, Saints ambush the Colts.
09:46 This might be the gutsiest play ever called in a Super Bowl.
09:50 Down 10-6 at the half, New Orleans shocked everyone by starting the third quarter with
09:55 an onside kick.
10:00 Head coach Sean Payton later revealed that the team had practiced the play all week ahead
10:17 of the big game.
10:22 As players from both teams piled on top of the ball, it was unclear which side had possession.
10:27 After what seemed like an eternity of pushing, shoving, and yelling, the refs finally made
10:31 the announcement…
10:32 Saints ball.
10:39 The Saints would go on to win 31-17.
10:43 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:47 Pat McAfee recovers his own onside kick.
10:50 No other kicker could have made this look so easy.
10:58 Seahawks fake field goal.
11:00 Hunter John Ryan finds rookie tackle Gary Gilliam for the Seahawks' first score.
11:13 Robert Newhouse's pass to Golden Richards.
11:16 It was the first touchdown ever thrown by a non-quarterback in a Super Bowl.
11:25 Fake punt slide of hand.
11:27 Oilers punter Reggie Roby pulls off a magic trick to get a first down.
11:40 Ty Montgomery's kick recovery out of bounds.
11:43 This smart move gave the Packers an extra 15 yards for free.
12:12 Number 1. Philly Special.
12:16 This is an unbelievable call.
12:18 This is like going for the onside kick against Peyton Manning because you don't want him to get the ball too many times.
12:25 You don't think you can hold him out.
12:27 Super Bowl 52 felt like a David and Goliath matchup if there ever was one.
12:32 With Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles facing off against all-time great Tom Brady.
12:37 But Philadelphia held their own against New England and pulled off one of the most brilliant
12:41 trick plays of all time in the process.
12:43 At the end of the first half at fourth and goal with 38 seconds left on the clock,
12:48 the Eagles center snapped the ball directly to running back Corey Clements.
12:52 He then pitched it to tight end Trey Burton who launched a perfect pass to the QB in the end zone.
12:58 They're going to snap it and it's Trey Burton who throws, caught, Foles, touchdown.
13:04 Foles became the first quarterback to catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl and got to hoist the Lombardi trophy not long after.
13:11 Just another game right Nick?
13:13 Yeah, just another game.
13:15 Which trick play had you yelling at your screen?
13:18 Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
13:21 Wide open!
13:23 Levine to Ilaro!
13:25 Let's go!
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