With Week 1 of the NFL regular season officially in the books, it’s time to look back on some of the craziest catches, passes, picks and sacks.
While every game had one or two jaw-dropping moments, here are 10 of the top moments:
10. Eagles' Carson Wentz scrambles and hits Nelson Agholor for touchdown
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz's footwork was drawing comparisons to former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on Sunday when the second-year starter out of North Dakota State found wide receiver Nelson Agholor.
On third-and-12 in the first quarter, Wentz scrambled when the pocket collapsed then ran from two Washington Redskins' defensive linemen before avoiding a sack and throwing the ball 58 yards for a touchdown.
Wentz threw 26-for-39 for 307 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 30-17 win at Washington.
9. Rookie Tarik Cohen shakes off tackles for 47-yard gain
One of the rookies who shined in their regular season debut this weekend was former North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen for the Chicago Bears against the Atlanta Falcons.
Cohen had five carries for 66 yards as well as eight catches for 47 yards and one touchdown on Sunday, but his best play was a 46-yard carry in the second quarter.
Cohen was handed the ball by quarterback Mike Glennon on the Bears' 28-yard line and managed to avoid two tackles from Falcons defenders before finally being pulled to the ground by cornerback Desmond Trufant. The Bears eventually scored a touchdown on the drive which tied the game 10-10.
The Falcons won 23-17.
8. Aaron Rodgers goes deep to Jordy Nelson
This play is ranked No. 8 not only because of the depth of the pass, but because of the intellect of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
On third-and-two, Rodgers caught the Seattle Seahawks' defense sleeping with 12 men on the field and snapped the ball quick enough to target wide receiver Jordy Nelson for a 32-yard touchdown.
The Packers won their home opener 17-9 Sunday.
7. Antonio Brown makes monster catch in triple coverage
There were few catches that could compare with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown's in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
On second-and-12 with 2:47 left, Brown jumped and caught a 38-yard pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in triple coverage.
The Steelers won Sunday's game 21-18 in Cleveland.
6. Swarming Jaguars defense sacks Savage, returns fumble for touchdown
The Jacksonville Jaguars defense was dominant on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
One of the best plays came with one minute remaining in the first half as Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue knocked the ball from Texans quarterback Tom Savage on second-and-16. The ball was recovered by Jaguars' Dante Fowler who, with the help of some blockers, ran 53 yards for a touchdown.
The score put the Jaguars up 18-0.
The Jaguars allowed the Texans 110 passing yards and 93 rushing yards and forced four total turnovers.
Jacksonville won their season opener in Houston 29-7.
5. 49ers’ Jaquiski Tartt picks off Cam Newton and returns for 37 yards
In what would have been a touchdown pass for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, San Francisco 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin on the San Francisco one-yard line.
Tartt returned the interception 37 yards only to be tripped up just shy of the 49ers’ 40-yard line.
The 49ers went on to lose to the Panthers 23-3 Sunday.
4. Falcons' Austin Hooper stiff arms defender, scores touchdown
In the fourth quarter of Sunday's tight game against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan hit a wide open Austin Hooper at midfield for an 88-yard touchdown.
On the run to the end zone, the Falcons second-year tight end stiff armed Bears safety Quintin Demps, the only defender near Hooper on the play.
Hooper's touchdown, which increased the Falcons' lead 20-10, was the longest touchdown pass caught by a tight end during opening weekend in NFL history.
The Falcons went on to win 23-17.
3. Lamarcus Joyner grabs Rams’ second pick-6 against Colts
In the third quarter, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner scored on the team's second pick-6 of the day.
On the first play of the Indianapolis Colts' third-quarter possession, Joyner leaped in the air and grabbed Scott Tolzien's pass intended for T.Y. Hilton. He returned it 29 yards for the touchdown.
The Rams went on to win Sunday’s matchup, 46-9.
2. Cowboys' Cole Beasley converts first-down with on his nameplate
OK, this play would have been No. 1 if the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers hadn’t put on a show in the fourth quarter of the Monday Night Football doubleheader.
With New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. sitting out Sunday night’s game, someone had to step up and have an insane one-handed catch.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley made a nearly impossible catch during the matchup against the Giants.
Beasley bobbled the pass from Dak Prescott and secured the ball over his right shoulder for a first down before running out of bounds.
The Cowboys went on to win their season opener 19-3.
1. Broncos win Monday Night Football with a deflected field goal as time expires
Even this early in the season, a win or even a tie in the AFC West could mean the difference between going to the playoffs in January and sitting at home.
This Broncos special teams play earned the top spot in the Week 1 ranking because of how essential a win is in the Denver Broncos’ and Los Angeles Chargers’ division. The play determined the outcome.
The Chargers put up 14 points off Broncos turnovers in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game to trail, 24-21.
With five seconds remaining, the Chargers sent rookie kicker out of Georgia Southern Younghoe Koo to tie the game with a 44-yard field goal and send the two division rivals to overtime.
Soo made a first attempt but Broncos coach Vance Joseph called a timeout.
During Koo’s second attempt, Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris jumped and tipped the ball just enough to win the game for Denver.
If you see a play during the second week of the regular season that deserves to be included or if there's a play you think should have been included in the Week 1 rankings, tweet at us at @AJCsports along with a video of the play.
About the Author