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

There are those plays that bring families together — the moments in the NFL where something amazing happens. It's hard to quantify, but every team has its own "greatest play," and for those who saw it live or in the stadium, it's something they'll tell friends, family, and acquaintances forever.

By Nick Villano

Divisional Round - New Orleans Saints v Minnesota Vikings
Divisional Round - New Orleans Saints v Minnesota Vikings / Hannah Foslien/GettyImages
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Seattle Seahawks - Beast Quake
January 8, 2011

It was a display of the greatness that is football. That’s the only way to describe the “Beast Quake” run by Marshawn Lynch. The heavily favored New Orleans Saints were taking on a Seattle Seahawks team that didn’t even have a winning record. But they did have Lynch, and that’s all they needed in this matchup.

Up by four points in the fourth quarter, the Saints were trying to end the drive and get the ball back. The Seahawks were 67 yards away from the end zone, so a rush up the middle wasn’t expect to provide this result. It was especially not supposed to end in a touchdown since nine players had a chance to take Lynch down. He broke all nine tackle attempts. 

The play secured an unlikely victory for the Seahawks, and it showed that this isn’t just some team who was lucky to be here. While they didn’t win the Super Bowl this season, it showed that Seattle was on the cusp of something great. Lynch would be the linchpin to what is still the greatest run in Seahawks history. 

It all started with this insane run. Lynch was a player who hadn’t lived up to his pre-draft hype, but in one 67-yard run, he showed the world exactly why he was a first-round pick. Even if he was on a new team, the NFL was immediately introduced to the next great running back. And Beast Mode was born.

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