A miraculous catch from the troubled Detroit Lions receiver is only the beginning when it comes to explaining this classic game from 2012.
I’m sure most people, even some of the most passionate supporters, don’t remember much about the Week 3 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans in 2012, and I don’t blame them. From a historical standpoint, the long term impact of this game was close to zero. It was a run of the mill, early season game for non-rivals in different conferences who see each other every four years.
The end result left both teams at 1-2 at that point in late September, and even by early December, neither remained anywhere close to playoff contention. By the time Shaun Hill was stuffed on a 4th and one quarterback sneak in overtime, this one was probably filed away as just one of a long history of agonizingly creative ways for the Honolulu Blues to lose.
For any neutral supporter though, the Lions’ 44-41 overtime loss in Nashville just may have been the craziest and most exciting game in NFL history. Let’s take a look back.
How many ways are there to score?
First, this would have been a great game to watch if you were teaching someone about American football for the first time. Nearly every possible way to put points on the board was included at some point.
- Field goal— There were seven total, four by Jason Hanson and three by Rod Bironas.
- Rushing touchdown— Mikel Leshoure of the Lions had one.
- Passing touchdown— There were five, by three different quarterbacks.
- Fumble recovery for touchdown–The ol’ scoop-and-score, executed to perfection by the Titans for 72 yards.
- Extra point–There were eight.
- Kickoff return for touchdown— Check.
- Punt return for touchdown–Check, with a bonus since the Titans ran a repeat of the “Music City Miracle” play, which worked for a 65 yard touchdown.
- Two point conversion–This one would have been fun to explain. Nate Burleson caught a pass in the end zone from about two yards away on back-to-back plays. One of them was worth six points, but the other was only worth two.
Yes, there are roughly a half dozen or so more obscure ways to score in a football game (including the ultra-rare “one point safety”, of which my brother loves reminding people that it exists), but this is an unbelievably high sample of scoring plays for a single game.