The 10 Greatest Comebacks in Sports History

How Do We Choose the Greatest Comebacks in Sports History?

Comeback wins are the most difficult type of win in all of sports. And the greater the deficit, the more difficult the win. We scoured the history books of all of the most popular sports in the world and selected some based on the historical importance of each. Check-in with us at Zone Report in the future so you can help us decide who makes the cut for our upcoming lists. 

What are the Greatest Comebacks in Sports History?

All of the comebacks on our list share a few common traits. They are coming from huge deficits, relative to the sport and the time remaining in the game. The comebacks were also impactful for the team and the sport as a whole. Arguably most importantly, they feature spectacularly clutch performances from all time great players. They are some of the most entertaining moments in sports history and a reminder to fans to stick around to the final buzzer. 

#10 Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 21 Points on MNF 

It is argued that the true legend of Peyton Manning didn’t start until this fateful Monday night in Tampa Bay. Although he had quite a few good years prior, the gunslinger cemented himself as an all-time great with this performance. Trailing by 21 with less than four minutes in the game was a tough position for the Colts to be in, but a Ricky Williams touchdown (not that Ricky Williams) brought the game into grasp. The Colts would pull off an impressive onside kick to allow Peyton Manning to dissect the Buccaneers’ defense for another touchdown. The following onside kick attempt would not be successful, but the Colts’ defense stood strong and forced a punt. Then Peyton was Peyton. He took three drives down the field and scored in less than four minutes. The insanity of that can not be understated. All John Gruden could do was stand there in shock. It was a one-of-a-kind performance led by a one-of-a-kind player.

#9 Liverpool 2005 UEFA Champions League Final

Liverpool was able to pull off one of soccer’s most improbable comebacks in the UEFA Final of all places. Coming into the day, Liverpool were already underdogs to Milan. Despite this, the whole match was a back-and-forth battle. As soon as someone would score, the opposition would almost immediately respond. The match would eventually come down to penalty kicks, where Liverpool would edge out Milan 3-2. Comebacks in soccer don’t often seem as extreme as other sports, mostly due to the low score of games, but that makes them even more difficult. Scoring is difficult, but scoring enough to overcome a deficit is almost unheard of.

#8 Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets 13 Points in 30 Seconds

McGrady’s miracle is one of the quickest swings in NBA history and it was done against an all time great team. While down 12 to the Tim Duncan led Spurs with under a minute left in the game, T-Mac caught fire. In that moment, he had one of the hottest hands we have ever seen in the league, hitting four straight highly contested three, one of which he was fouled on leading to a four point play. Although it took just about 30 seconds to happen, watching the game in real time shows just how quickly he had to be moving to get those shots off. McGrady’s performance was not just impressive shooting either, he had to play solid defense and move off ball to get open, showing off all of T-Macs prowess in the process.

#7 The St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series

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The 2011 season was a tumultuous season for the Cardinals. Filled with injuries and setbacks, it was surprising when they even made the playoffs as a Wild Card team. It was even more surprising when they won multiple series to reach the World Series. The series was a hard fought one, but after five games the Cardinals were down 3-2 in the series. And just as it seemed the Redbirds luck had run out in game 6, they did the unthinkable. In the bottom of the 8th, down 7-4, facing the prospect of being sent home, the Cardinals rallied back to prevent themselves from elimination. And with the new found confidence from the comeback win in game six, the Cards would go on to win game 7 and complete the series comeback. It is one of the most iconic comebacks in all of sports, let alone baseball.

#6 Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers 8 Points in 9 Seconds

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Reggie Miller has bred countless iconic moments, but this one arguably takes the cake, especially given his resume lacks a championship. On May 7th, 1995, the Pacers were down 105-99 in the playoffs to the Knicks. It was game one of the series and it was all but decided that the Knicks would take an early lead with just under nine seconds on the clock. Miller catches an inbound pass and puts up a sharp three. During the following inbound, Greg Anothony trips, leaving the door open for Reggie to steal the ball, back up a few steps, and launch another successful three, tying the game. 

During the next possession, John Starks is fouled, setting up two free throws that would put the Knicks back up. Starks shot over 75% from the free throw line during his career, there was almost no way that he would miss both. But he did. Even Patrick Ewing had a chance at a put back on the second, but he missed that too. During the scuffle for the rebound Miller secured the ball and was fouled, leading to the final two points in the comeback. Miller would then hit the iconic choke pose, further adding to the legend.

#5 The Philadelphia Flyers 2010 East Semifinals

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In the second round of the playoffs, the Flyers found themselves down 3-0 to the Bruins. With only one win needed, it seemed as though the Bruins would move on, but the Flyers kept fighting. The most notable moment of the comeback came when the series had been tied 3-3 and Philly had the lead in the game. They were up by one goal with less than a minute left, but the Bruins weren’t quite done. They put one in with 32 seconds left on the clock to send it to overtime. The Flyers had to keep their excitement and emotions in check and did so successfully as they finished the game in overtime after almost 15 minutes of play. When making a comeback, concentration is key and the Flyers never never took their eye off the prize.

#4 The Buffalo Bills 1993 Wild Card Game

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A game so iconic it is simply known as “The Comeback”, this game was the largest comeback in the NFL for almost 30 years after it happened. Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers started the game white hot, going up 28-3 at half. And to make it worse, many of the Bills hall of farmers were unable to play. Jim Kelly had been injured in the last game of the season and while down 35-3, Thurman Thomas suffered a hip injury, sidelining him, but one quarter was all it took to change that though with the Bills scoring 28 in the third alone. After a brutal first half, the Bills defense stiffened up, only allowing ten through the second half and overtime. It was beyond improbable, for a second string backfield to pull off the greatest comeback in football history at the time, but it happened and cemented this as one of the great Bills moments of all time.

#3 The Boston Red Sox 2004 ALCS

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The Yankees are one of baseball’s perennial powerhouses. Finding yourself and your team down three games to them makes it feel like a forgone conclusion that the series isn’t going in your favor. But the Red Sox had a different feeling. Each game in the four game streak that they had to win to stay alive was more and more dominant. As they won, they realized that the World Series is still within reach. And once the Red Sox did reach the World Series, they kept winning and swept the Cardinals. For the Red Sox, it was a test of the spirit and confidence and proved that will is just as important as skill.

#2 The New England Patriots Super Bowl LI

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A big lead is obviously good for a team, but it doesn’t always last. And when you are playing against one of the greatest to ever do it, you should never get too comfortable. In Super Bowl LI, the Patriots found themselves down 28-3, a monster deficit that any professional defense should be able to uphold. That’s when something changed. Tom Brady shifted into a different gear, looking nearly unstoppable while slicing and dicing the Falcons defense. With 19 points in the fourth quarter for Brady and the Pats, they fought their way into overtime, where they would score first and settle the game. This wasn’t just another Super Bowl for Brady, since he has been to so many, this would be the playoff performance that solidified him as more than a Belichick product or a checkdown merchant. Brady was a bonafide badass and had no problem showing it when he was given the opportunity.

#1 The Cleveland Cavaliers 2016 Finals

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When playing against the most successful regular season team of all time in the Finals, it was not a shock to fans as LeBron James and the Cavs struggled to win. The star power of the Warriors with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green was shining too bright for the aging Cavs to keep up with. Or so we thought. While down 3-1 in the Finals, Lebron led his team to do something that we have never seen before and may never see again. 

The Cavs won three straight, two of which were on the road in Oracle Arena, a notorious strength of that year’s Warriors. Not only did Cleveland win their first championship with the comeback, but LeBron James, the face of basketball for multiple generations finally fulfilled his promise to bring a ring back to Cleveland. The comeback was so significant, it changed the NBA for years to come, with the Warriors thinking they needed more star power and adding Kevin Durant while ushering in the true era of super teams.

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