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In football, a Hail Mary pass is a long pass with a low likelihood of success. As if the player makes a prayer (like a hail mary), they can kiss their chance of completion behind.
Because this type of pass is so tricky to complete and is normally only made out of depreciation, we can safely say that picking the top 10 means watching some of the best games in NFL history.
1. Russell Wilson to Golden Tate – The Controversial “Failed Mary”
Having the infamous “Failed Mary” in our number one spot will be a real point of anger with some fans. The throw was so controversial that the two field referees both called out different outcomes to the catch. One said that Golden Tate caught the Hail Mary, while the other said that the Packers completed an interception.
After a couple of minutes of deliberation, the booth held up the “catch” ruling giving the Seahawks a victory!
2. Roger Staubach to Drew Pearon – The Original “Hail Mary”
The first ever Hail Mary was in the Dallas vs. Minnesota game in 1975. The game was tight, and the Vikings and Cowboys were neck and neck. There were just 24 seconds left on the clock, and no person in the stands or on the field knew who was going to win.
It was then that Roger Staubach took a leap that no one saw coming and threw the football from the 50-yard line until it landed on Drew Pearson for the winning touchdown.
Looking back, the move seems a little simplistic, but remember that nothing like it had been achieved before!
When reporters asked Staubach about the outstanding play, he said, “I guess you could call it a Hail Mary because I threw my hands up and prayed.” The name has stuck ever since!
3. Tim Couch to Kevin Johnson – 1999
The Hail Mary that came from Tim Couch wasn’t just an impressive move within the game itself, but it was also the breakthrough that the Browns needed. They had lost every game in the last 1,409 days by this point—That’s from 1995 to 1999.
With just two seconds left on the clock, New Orleans was just two points behind.
Seeing his one and only chance to break this failing streak, Couch launched the ball to Johnson from 56 yards away, winning the game!
4. Kyler Murrary to DeAndre Hopkins – 2020
Kyler Murrary started the lead up to his Hail Mary by dancing around the Buffalo’s defender to start a 43-yard pass from the edges of the sideline. Hopkins saw his teammate coming and rushed past three defenders to create an unexpected space. With the catch landed, the Cardinals were screaming in victory!
5. Joe Ferguson to Roland Hooks – 1981
This Hail Mary almost didn’t pay off as Ferguson threw the football 36 yards and into the end zone, but it bounced into the air just a couple feet short of Roland Hooks. Likely he rushed through as the ball was back into the air and caught it for a small victory!
6. Tommy Kramer to Ahmad Rashad – 1980
The Vikings were never going to make it to the playoffs in the 1980 season, even if the Super Bowl odds at Fanduel.com were active, and, in effect, the bookies wouldn’t have predicted what happened in this game. Or maybe they would have. Kramer was always known as a trickster player. Still, Kramer created a 46-yard pass which landed straight in Rashad’s arm, creating a one-handed victory!
7. Steve Bartkowski to Billy Johnson – 1983
This particular Hail Mary was a classic. Bartkowski threw the ball to White Shoes himself, but he was a touch short of the goal line. As the ball fell, Johnson threw himself to the ground and caught it as it bounced back into the air. Johnson managed to stay standing and whipped across to the end zone.
8. Aaron Rodger to Richard Rodgers – 2015
Throughout his career, Aaron Rodgers has been known as the Hail Mary master. If anyone in our current games is going to land a Hail Mary successfully, it will be this man! However, the one we want to talk about is what is currently the longest Hail Mary of all time. Thrown from 61 yards away to reach Richard Rodger for a game-changing touchdown, this moment in history will last a lifetime!
9. Joe Montana to Jerry Rice – 1987
In this game, there were only 6 seconds left on the clock, and the Bengals were leading by 6 points. It was almost as though the Gods were looking down upon the stadium and knew it was time to intervene. Somehow San Francisco got the ball back into their possession, and with 2 seconds remaining, Montana launched the ball to Jerry Rice in a 25-yard pass to victory!
10. David Garrad to Glover Quin – 2010
This last Hail Mary started with a tie between Jacksonville and Huston. 24 seconds left on the clock, Garrard pulled out an energy brought from desperation. He launched the ball to Glover Quin but slipped. Instead, it landed in Mike Thomas’ arms for a 1-yard touchdown.
