Each NFL team's greatest play of all-time and why

New Orleans Saints - Brett Favre Interception
Jan 24, 2010

This one was so close it hurts. Let’s first talk about the play that didn’t make it. Steve Gleason’s blocked punt against the Atlanta Falcons lifted a broken city. The New Orleans Saints were still considered an NFL laughing stock at this point. The City of New Orleans was ravished by Hurricane Katrina, leaving thousands with nowhere to call home and a city not knowing if or when the Saints could return. In their first game back in the Superdome, Steve Gleason blocked a punt by the rival Falcons that eventually led to a touchdown, and it was the official New Orleans kickoff for Sean Payton and Drew Brees.

But the ultimate goal is to finally bring the Lombardi Trophy back to New Orleans, and there is one play that led to that. The Saints were locked in a back-and-forth battle with the Minnesota Vikings, now led by superstar Brett Favre who was enjoying a career resurgence. However, he’s still a gunslinger, and the worst of him came out at the worst time. 

After trading four touchdowns a piece, the Vikings had the ball last, and that seemed like it was going to win them the game. With 19 seconds left and facing 3rd and 15, Favre was looking to make a play. Here’s the thing, he didn’t have to. The Vikings were already in field goal range, and the Saints were out of timeouts. The game would essentially end with an incompletion and a successful field goal. 

Instead Favre threw the ball across the field and right into the hands of Tracy Porter. The play forced the game into overtime, and the Saints eventually won. That led to a victory in the Super Bowl over Peyton Manning, who also threw a crucial interception that Porter returned for a touchdown.