NFL's best playoff moments 2025: Game-winning doink, Super Bowl birthday pick six
Rookie Jayden Daniels looked eminently comfortable as he directed Washington to its first conference championship game in 33 years. MVP candidates Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson (and … uh … Mark Andrews) made an instant classic in snowy Buffalo. The Bills and Chiefs dueled to the edge of the cliff again. Philadelphia denied the historic three-peat with stunning and thorough dominance. We had a lot of fun, localized heartbreak notwithstanding.
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Here's our chance to celebrate all the coolness and intensity that went down. When we did this for the regular season, we acknowledged that the playoffs are indeed a zero-sum game, but an Eagles championship doesn't nullify everything that came before it. 'Dreams unfold, nightmares come true.' In football, one can't happen without the other. Cheers to the fans on the right side of these highlights, and condolences for those about to relive their disappointment. We still love you, Detroit. Three moments per round. Let's get into it.
Herbo-hhh nooo!: Justin Herbert had just three interceptions across 17 regular-season games. He hurled four picks in one afternoon when it mattered most. Football is cruel and hilarious. Chargers-Texans devolved into a blowout, but Los Angeles was actually controlling the game flow for much of the first half. Houston broke in with a 99-yard touchdown drive, then Eric Murray cracked the floodgates wide:
ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIC ‼️
📺: @Nickelodeon and @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/XO4Op75vRa
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 12, 2025
'Was that caught? Yes!': Bo Nix's opening strike to Troy Franklin will not go unappreciated. What a steely way to start a playoff career. But what's a nice rookie moment to an archetypal fourth-down highlight from the sport's most valuable player?
WOW.
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/hwHQskhBo3
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 12, 2025
Everything that was Commanders-Bucs: For the regular-season list, we vowed the world would be a better place if it had more Bengals-Ravens games. Similarly, Washington and Tampa Bay yielded spiritual affirmation and rich entertainment. Mike Evans beat longtime rival Marshon Lattimore for a 10-10 tie right before halftime. The Bucs led 17-13 after three quarters. Then, the delirium — two fourth-and-goal tries from Daniels in the first five minutes of the fourth; a grinding, old-school, game-tying march from Baker Mayfield; a tense final drive that really, for real ended like this:
DOINKED IT IN FOR THE DUB!!!!!
📺 #WASvsTB @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/3WvqkokVMV
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 13, 2025
A surreal second quarter: For a moment, Commanders-Lions was football apotheosis. All of this happened within eight minutes of regulation:
OH MY SAM!!#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/zyqN8CGkDs
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 19, 2025
THAT'S ONE SCARY MAN.
📺 #WASvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/nldySEaU2C
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
PICK FREAKIN' 6
📺 #WASvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/K8PTcDMpVC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
WAYMO GONE‼️#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/EdaJYmuHHt
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 19, 2025
MIKEY BACK IN MICHIGAN DOING WHAT HE DOES
📺 #WASvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/B1sHRkYbws
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
'Barkley's gonna ring the bell again!': Jalen Hurts opened the Eagles' second-round tilt against the Rams with a hulking 44-yard scoring scamper. It was the kind of concentrated ferociousness that Philly deflated opponents with all year. Los Angeles showed resolve in climbing out of the hole on the road … to promptly get smashed with another one of these:
May we interest you in a Saquon Barkley 62-yd TD run? 🥶@Saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/6LMfgx82H3
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
Two devastating early runs put the writing on the wall in fluorescent Kelly green. Somehow, this was not Barkley's longest run of the day — he had a breathless 78-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. We'd say that Saquon had the Rams' number this season, but that was true for every misfortunate defense he flew past.
Man of Steel: Everyone in the football multiverse knew who this play was for, well before the goal-line formation condensed and guard David Edwards kicked out. It was obvious and it was inevitable. Josh Allen plowed his way through, as if predestined to cross the plane fully upright.
Playoff @JoshAllenQB!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/BFXozvs4Vv
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 20, 2025
How does this keep happening?: Is this a status ailment? Did someone mess with the game sliders? Does Philadelphia have Gamebreaker 2?
SAQUON!!!!!!!!!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/7AnD1pDsmh
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 26, 2025
Worthy of another look: Plenty of folks took exception to the ruling on the field. But zoom out and we see a lithe rookie speedster muscling between two downfield defenders. That's not a 50-50 ball; that's a 33.3-66.6 ball, and Xavier Worthy pulled the upset. The catch was challenged and confirmed after review. Frustration for Buffalo and elation for the defending champs:
UPDATE: HE'S STILL ON ONE 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GE8yN72GER
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 27, 2025
The Cook push: Fourth-and-goal, down five points in blustery Kansas City. It was a tough spot to be in, and James Cook looked tripped up a full 2 yards short of where he needed to be … until this Michael Jordan-esque airborne sorcery:
WOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/0PBpEnXZ3N
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 27, 2025
There were a lot of great plays left on the conference championship cutting board. Mack Hollins had a gorgeous touchdown grab; Terry McLaurin took a middle slant to the house; Quinyon Mitchell had superhero hang-time; Patrick Mahomes hit Noah Gray from a collapsing pocket.
Super Cooper: Do we think Cooper DeJean is a 'no presents, your presence is enough' kinda fellow on his big day? Does he make a list and drop increasingly clumsy hints about what he really wants most? Maybe he's partial to red velvet cake. Seriously, a birthday Super Bowl pick six is the stuff of fluffy cinema and hazy daydreaming. This actually happened:
PICK 6 IS HECKUVA BIRTHDAY GIFT 🎁@cdejean23 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/aIO8v7Czls
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025
A dime to DeVonta: Cue The Krusty Burglar. Stop, stop! This gem, fresh off forcing a turnover on downs, put the score at 34-0. Absolute gas.
a HOME COOKED 6-for-6 special 🧑🍳@DeVontaSmith_6 | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Bp5EVx3Q8l
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025
Ballgame: What a sweet moment for unsung hero Milton Williams. What a coronating brush stroke for the Rembrandt of defense that is Vic Fangio.
Hmm… we've seen this before 😏 pic.twitter.com/UQa3R6t3hU
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 10, 2025
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Julio Aguilar, Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto, Michael Owens, Erick W. Rasco / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images)
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