NFL: The Five Longest Drives over the past 20 years
The modern NFL, one dominated by offense, is one that perhaps relies on the trope of "leaving too much time" for star quarterbacks.
Granted a chance to upset the defending champion, the Washington Football Team made sure that wasn't an issue in the sweetest way possible.
19 PLAYS. 80 YARDS. OVER TEN MINUTES.
@WashingtonNFL just iced the game with a historic TD drive. #WashingtonFootball #TBvsWAS https://t.co/pgG0qi9P9V
Washington (3-6) capped off a 29-19 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 19-play, 80-yard drive capped off by Antonio Gibson's one-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. They had maintained a two-possession lead for a majority of the game before a 40-yard scoring hookup between Brady and Mike Evans with just under 11 minutes remaining narrowed the gap in a hurry. By the time Washington capped off its final scoring trek, the Buccaneers faced a 10-point obstacle with only 29 seconds left...a deficit that even Brady, the NFL's arguable GOAT couldn't overcome.
All Too 𝐖ell (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) https://t.co/pXLzqtaQjj
Surprisingly, though...Washington's trek didn't even crack the top 20 in the longest drives of the last 20 NFL seasons. SK is here to highlight the top five...
Who are some of the NFL teams that beat out Washington?
#5-12/30/02: Gold Rush
- Team: San Francisco 49ers
- 20 plays, 81 yards, 12:07
- Result: Field goal
Having clinched the NFC West title prior to their regular season finale, San Francisco had little to play for when they faced off against the St. Louis Rams in a Monday nighter. Their relaxed approach to the game was on display in their opening drive, one sustained mostly through Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow carries. Several starters were removed after Jeff Chandler kicked a 19-yard field goal, the first score in what became a 31-20 win for the Rams. San Francisco would go on to defeat the New York Giants in the NFL's wild card round a week later.
#4-12/27/09: Patriot Gains
- Team: New England Patriots
- 20 plays, 73 yards, 12:12
- Result: Turnover on downs
The Patriots clinched another AFC East title to the tune of a long drive that wiped out all but 29 seconds on the fourth quarter game clock. Their affair was hardly in question: New England had scored 35 in a row before a David Garrard touchdown run ruined the shutout effort with 12:41 remaining. Ironically, it was a Jacksonville legend that led to their demise as Fred Taylor put up 35 yards on 11 carries to help the Patriots eat the clock. They were unable to get the clock to triple zeroes or punch in one last six-pointer, granting Jacksonville a rare win on a blowout afternoon.
#3-9/21/08: Look what the Cats dragged in
- Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
- 18 plays, 92 yards, 12:18
- Result: Field goal
Jacksonville had their own long drive to glory over a year prior, this one actually playing an active role in a divisional victory. Owners of a 17-14 lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Jaguars went for a sealing score against the Indianapolis Colts. They fell just short, as Josh Scobee's 21-yard field goal didn't put the Colts away for good, but forced Peyton Manning and Co. to conjure up a touchdown. In further NFL irony, the Jaguars earned the win through the exact opposite methods taken on their long drive: after Manning led a 77-yard touchdown trek capped off by Joseph Addai's two-yard run, the Jaguars needed only a minute and 47 yards to get back into Scobee's field goal range. His 51-yarder allowed Jacksonville to steal a 23-21 win.
#2-1/1/12: Happy Blue Year
- Team: Miami Dolphins
- 21 plays, 94 yards, 12:29
- Result: Touchdown
There was little reason for viewers of the NFL playoff picture to tune into the season-ending showdown between the woebegone New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, who were once again pawns in the Patriots' division title game. Those that changed the channel missed a 94-yard drive by the Dolphins, one that gave Miami the lead for good. Matt Moore found Charles Clay on a one-yard score on a drive that spanned the latter quarters of a 19-17 Miami win.
#1-11/7/10: Clipping the Hawks
- Team: New York Giants
- 19 plays, 71 yards, 13:00
- Result: Turnover on downs
The New York Giants didn't do many things wrong in their NFL showdown against the Seattle Seahawks in November 2010. They jumped out to a 41-0 lead on the road before allowing a single defensive blemish through a Charlie Whitehurst touchdown to Ben Obomanu. New York's backups made sure Seattle didn't get another ill-fated attempt to cut into the lead, as they ran out all but 34 seconds on the final clock. In a rare NFL case of surrender working out, the Giants made it to the Seahawks' six-yard line but opted for Sage Rosenfels to kneel instead of humiliating their hosts further.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags