September 20th, 2025
The USA's National Football League (NFL) is famous for dramatic comebacks made by teams that have overcome seemingly impossible odds to score some remarkable victories. As you’ll see, the Minnesota Vikings now hold the record for the biggest turnaround. They are probably the biggest bane of any online sports gambler's existence, and not just in the USA.
The Thrill of the Comeback
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Returning to the main focus, fans would either be thrilled or devastated, depending on which team they supported, regarding the comeback games we're about to discuss.
6th Greatest Comeback - Overcoming a 26 Point Deficit - Buffalo Bills 37, Indianapolis Colts 35 (1997)
When the Bills were trailing 26 points to nil at halftime, having been on the wrong end of four Cary Blanchard field goals, all looked lost for the team from New York State. But once the second half had got underway, we witnessed what was to become the 6th greatest coaching comebacks in NFL history.
Head Coach Marv Levy watched his side claw their way back into the game thanks to 275 passing yards. It included two great touchdown passes from Todd Collins (the quarterback who was in his first season following the legendary Jim Kelly) and the 129 rushing yards, including 3 touchdowns from the Rookie, Antowain Smith.
5th Greatest Comeback – Overcoming a 27 Point Deficit - Jacksonville Jaguars 31, Los Angeles Chargers 30 (2023)
Another game that proved to be the personification of the ‘game of two halves’ adage, the Jaguars went 27-nil down in the second quarter with just 4:25 left. But after previously throwing 4 intercepted passes, Trevor Lawrence got his act together and threw four touchdown passes. It was magnificent stuff, which meant he became the first quarterback in NFL records to notch up four consecutive picks without a touchdown pass and then four straight touchdown passes without an interception during the same game.
4th Greatest Comeback – Overcoming a 28 Point Deficit - Indianapolis Colts 45, Kansas City Chiefs 44 (2014)
Not just notable for being the 4th greatest comeback game in NFL history, Colts fans will also treasure this match as being Andrew Luck’s best turnaround game. The quarterback started badly, throwing three intercepted passes, the second of which saw the Chiefs take a 38-10 lead. However, he recovered magnificently, and by the end of the game, he amassed 443 passing yards, the second-highest amount in NFL franchise records. His tally also included 4 touchdown passes.
3rd Greatest Comeback – Overcoming a 28 Point Deficit - San Francisco 49ers 38 vs. New Orleans Saints 35 (1980)
We're now back in the era of the exceptional quarterback, Joe (Cool) Montana, one of the greatest to ever grace the Gridiron sport. This was only Montana’s sixth start, and at halftime, with the 49ers trailing 7-35, it looked like being a big loss. But this is how the quarterback earned his nickname ‘Cool’ (check out the Most Iconic Pass in Football history) by leading his team to great comeback wins in the nick of time. In this game, he threw 285 passing yards and in the third quarter, together with teammate Dwight Clark, created the play of the game, a 71-yard catch-and-run on a crossing pattern.
2nd Greatest Comeback – Overcoming a 32 Point Deficit - Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38 (1993)
This game was known simply as ‘the comeback, and it held on to being the biggest margin comeback for 23 years, until the Minnesota Vikings topped it in 2022. The Bills were 3-35 down early in the third quarter, and it looked like it was done and dusted. But, as we know, looks can be deceiving, and so it proved. The comeback was masterminded by quarterback Frank Reich, who achieved a career best of 289 passing yards, including four touchdown passes. Big comebacks were a Reich special. He also engineered the largest comeback in college football history for 22 years – when Maryland trailed by 31-0 in the first half but came to win 42-40 against Miami.
Greatest Comeback – Overcoming a 33 Point Deficit - Minnesota Vikings 39, Indianapolis Colts 35 (2022)
As just mentioned, this game is now the new, biggest comeback in NFL history. At the halfway marker, the Colts were romping away with the game, leading by 33 points to 0. However, they could only manage another 2 points in the second half, while the Vikings managed an awesome 39. They just squeaked thanks to a 3-yard Greg Joseph field goal with only three seconds left on the clock.