NFL Playoffs: Top 10 Divisional Playoff games in NFL history

It’s often been referred to as the NFL’s best weekend. Whittling down the NFL’s Divisional Playoffs to a Top 10 is easier said than done.

The first NFL playoffs game came in 1933, when the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 23-21, for the league championship. The first divisional playoff contest came in 1941. The Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, and later knocked off the Giants in capturing another NFL title.

There are those who may be surprised that games such as the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoffs (the “Immaculate Reception“), the 1975 NFC Divisional Playoffs (the “Hail Mary”)  and the 2017 NFC Divisional Playoffs (the “Minneapolis Miracle”) didn’t make this list. You could argue that the Steelers’ and Vikings’ wins on those days are more known for their amazing plays and not the overall contest itself.

Following a look at the NFL’s Top 10 Wild Card Games, here are the top 10 divisional games.

Best divisional round games in NFL history: 10. Steelers 31, Ravens 24 (AFC: 2010)

It was the third of what would eventually be four playoff meetings between the Ravens and Steelers over a 14-year period. Pittsburgh had eliminated Baltimore in the 2011 Divisional Round and beat John Harbaugh’s club in the 2008 AFC title.

Both teams boasted 12-4 records in 2010 but Mike Tomlin’s squad won the AFC North via a better divisional record. On this Saturday afternoon in the Steel City, however, the Black and Gold found themselves down 21-7 in the third quarter. Three Baltimore turnovers would turn into 17 points and the Steelers took a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter.

Tied at 24-all with less than three minutes to play and with third-and-19 from their own 38-yard-line, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found then-rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown for a 58-yard gain. It set up a two-yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall with 1:33 to play and the Steelers were headed to the AFC title game for the second time in three years.