Top 30 NFL games of all-time

22. Dolphins at Raiders, 1974

This might be the most underrated game in NFL history. The Dolphins were coming off Super Bowl wins in 1972 and 1973, while the Raiders had made the playoffs every year but one since 1967 and were without a championship. Oakland had home-field advantage throughout the 1974 postseason and hosted Miami in the Divisional round in what Sports Illustrated called “Super Bowl 8.5,” referencing the dominance of the teams.

The contest was nothing short of an instant classic, with the Dolphins taking a 26-21 lead in the final minutes on a 23-yard touchdown run by Ben Malone. However, the legend of Ken Stabler was born only minutes later, when The Snake found Clarence Davis for an 8-yard touchdown pass in the dying seconds. The game is known as the “Sea of Hands” because of the amount of Dolphins defenders reaching for the ball that Davis hauled in.

21. Texans at Oilers, 1962

This should not be on the list, at least semantically, considering it was played in the American Football League. Yet, to truly understand the history of the sport, this game is vital. The Houston Oilers were gunning for their third consecutive AFL title in as many years, playing Len Dawson and the Dallas Texans.

The contest would go into double overtime and eventually be won by the Texans, 20-17. The game was seen by millions on American television, and helped the AFL get a lucrative TV deal. The infusion of cash (and the signing of Joe Namath) would foster a merge between the NFL and AFL in 1966 that went into effect in 1970.

Next: No. 20 & 19