Biggest comebacks in NFL history

Frank Reich is now an assistant coach in the NFL, but he will forever be remembered for his epic second-half comeback against the Oilers in the playoffs. Buffalo trailed 35-3 in the third quarter before Reich pulled off the impossible, and the Bills won 41-38 in overtime.

Down 38-10 in the third quarter, Andrew Luck began his legend with a comeback against the Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Round. He threw for 443 yards and four touchdowns, as the Colts won 45-44.

The 49ers trailed 35-7 at halftime before waking up against the Saints. Joe Montana threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more as San Francisco won 38-35 in overtime.

The Bills nearly matched their incredible comeback from 1993, coming back to beat Indianapolis 37-35 after trailing 26-0 in the second quarter. Bills quarterback Todd Collins threw two touchdowns, and running back Antowain Smith rushed for three scores on only 12 carries.

The Cardinals looked dead in the water going into the fourth quarter, down 28-3. They scored 28 unanswered points in that final quarter, capped off with consecutive touchdown passes from Neil Lomax to J.T. Smith to win 31-28.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still probably loses sleep over this loss, with his team leading 27-3 in the third quarter. Two pick-sixes and a pair of Calvin Johnson touchdowns in the fourth quarter vaulted the Lions to a 34-30 win.

Leading 38-14 in the third quarter, the Giants allowed San Francisco and quarterback Jeff Garcia to make a great comeback during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Garcia threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, adding one more on the ground. A touchdown pass to Tai Streets with one minute remaining put the 49ers up 39-38.

Denver led the Raiders 24-0 at halftime and looked well on the way to winning its second game of the season. But Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder threw two touchdowns in the second half, and Marcus Allen added one rushing touchdown to help the Raiders win 30-27.

The Raiders trailed 24-0 in the second quarter before racking up 28 unanswered points to win 28-24 and improve to 3-0. Marcus Allen was one of the catalysts, with 18 carries for 87 yards and two scores.

One of two 24-point comebacks on the same day, Houston came back from a 24-0 deficit in the second quarter to win 30-27 in overtime. Earl Campbell carried the Oilers on his shoulders, with 34 carries for 158 yards and one touchdown.

One of two 24-points comebacks in the NFL on Sept. 23, 1979, the Broncos came back from trailing 34-10 in the third quarter to win 37-34. Denver quarterback Craig Morton led the comeback, going 11-of-16 with 178 yards and three passing touchdowns.

Down 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter, Vikings head coach Bud Grant handed the keys to rookie QB Tommy Kramer who delivered in a big way. Minnesota outscored San Francisco 21-3 in the fourth quarter, including a 69-yard TD strike from Kramer to Sammy White to cap off the biggest comeback in Vikings franchise history.  

Denver trailed 17-0 at halftime before allowing another touchdown on a 47-yard pass from Butch Songin. Then the Broncos woke up, as quarterback Frank Tripucka threw four consecutive touchdowns to help Denver win 31-24. 

The Eagles defeated the Chicago Cardinals 28-24 after being down 24-0 in the third quarter. Norm Van Brocklin threw for two touchdowns, and Billy Ray Barnes ran for two scores.

Philly was down 24-0 at halftime but scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second half to win 28-24.

The Jets took fans at Giants Stadium on a thrill ride after being down 30-7 at the end of the third quarter. New York outscored Miami 30-7 in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 37, as Vinny Testaverde threw four touchdowns in the fourth period and finished with 378 yards and five touchdowns for the game. John Hall kicked the game-winning field goal for a 40-37 victory in overtime.

Unfortunately, it was just your typical Sunday for Browns fans in 1991 when Cleveland blew a 23-point lead to Philadelphia. The Browns led 23-0 early in the second quarter before the Eagles started to play. Cleveland still led 30-17 at halftime, but the Eagles kicked three field goals in the second half followed by a Jim McMahon touchdown pass to win 32-30.

The Eagles dominated for three quarters, leading 23-0 going into the final quarter. Three Wade Wilson touchdown passes and a 65-yard fumble return by Willie Teal helped Minnesota win 28-23.

Green Bay led 28-6 going into the fourth quarter before L.A. scored 24 points to win 30-28. Dan Towler rushed for two touchdowns.

Down 24-3 at home as the heavy favorite in Week 1, Kansas City showed some urgency late in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. Alex Smith and Spencer Ware led the Chiefs late in the game, and the team was able to tie the score 27-27 with 1:03 left in regulation on a Ware touchdown run. Smith ran in the Chiefs' first possession for a touchdown in overtime to win 33-27.

The Bills led 21-0 after the first quarter and 23-3 after three quarters. Miami finally woke up in the fourth quarter, with a Ricky Williams rushing touchdown and two Sage Rosenfels passing touchdowns after replacing Gus Frerotte.

Houston led 24-3 at halftime against a Rams squad without its starting quarterback. That's when young Harvard rookie Ryan Fitzpatrick started to make a name for himself, throwing 19-of-30 with three touchdowns. His final touchdown pass for a 56-yarder to Kevin Curtis in overtime was the game-winner, with the Rams claiming a 33-27 victory.

The favored Titans trailed Atlanta 21-0 after the first quarter but ended the game with a 38-31 win on the road. Billy Volek came on in relief of Steve McNair late in the game and helped the Titans jump to a 38-24 lead before Atlanta scored the final touchdown of the game.

Most of the action in this thriller occurred in the second half. The game was tied 6-6 at halftime before Chicago scored 21 points to start the second half. Then New England answered, and Tom Brady threw two late touchdowns to help the Pats win 33-30.

Carolina led 21-0 after the first quarter, but it wasn't long before Washington came back. The Redskins scored 28 points in the second quarter and led 28-24 going into halftime. The second half had much less scoring, and the Redskins won 38-36.

Baltimore led 21-0 in the second quarter and 24-7 at halftime. Pittsburgh came back in the second, outscoring the Ravens 35-10 in the second half. Pittsburgh won 42-34, as Kordell Stewart threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more.

Cincinnati pulled off a Christmas Eve miracle in Week 17 after trailing 24-3 at halftime. The Bengals outscored Minnesota 24-0 in the second half, and Jeff Blake threw for two touchdowns.

New York led 17-0 in the second quarter and then 24-3 early in the second half. A 32-yard Tony Bennett fumble return spurred Indy, which also got two touchdown passes from Jim Harbaugh in the fourth quarter. Mike Cofer kicked a 52-yard field goal in overtime to win 27-24.

The Rams trailed 21-0 at halftime but outscored Detroit 34-6 in the second half to win 34-27. Jim Hardy threw two touchdowns for the Rams.