Ranking top 5 NFL games of 1975 season: Epic Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowl headlines iconic list

If one were to try and pinpoint the year when pro football really surpassed baseball as America’s No. 1 sport, it might have been 1975, when the NFL enjoyed one of its most exciting seasons that was capped off with the greatest Super Bowl ever played to that point. 

The NFL had begun threatening baseball’s unofficial title as America’s pastime following the Baltimore Colts’ dramatic overtime win over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship. Pro football continued to rise in popularity during the 1960s, culminating with the New York Jets’ shocking upset of the Colts in Super Bowl III. The 1970s started with the AFL-NFL merger that also played a significant role in pro football’s growing popularity. 

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1975 version of THE NFL TODAY, CBS Sports will bring viewers back in time throughout Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season. The weeklong celebration will be highlighted by a vintage edition of THE NFL TODAY at Noon, ET on Sunday, Sept. 21, with special guests, retro graphics and music, and innovative technology including a virtual re-creation of the 1975 NFL TODAY set. The NFL on CBS will also feature throwback themes throughout Week 3 game coverage, with flashback clips and musical elements throughout the day. Additionally, as part of their own throwback celebrations, several NFL clubs have announced that they will be wearing throwback uniforms in Week 3 including the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In honor of the show’s 50th anniversary, here’s a rundown of the greatest games from the NFL’s 1975 season. 

5. Cardinals 20, Washington 17 (OT) 

The first of two regular season games to make the cut. This game, which took place in Week 9, is known for Cardinals receiver Mel Gray’s “Phantom Catch” that helped St. Louis defeat Washington in a game that had major playoff implications. 

Trailing 17-10 late in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals appeared to come up short after Gray lost possession of Jim Hart’s fourth-down pass in the end zone after he was hit by Washington safety Pat Fischer. The officials, however, determined that Gray had controlled the ball long enough for it to be considered a touchdown, sending the game to overtime. 

The “Cardiac Cardinals” ultimately won the game in overtime en route to winning their second consecutive division title. Conversely, the loss — the first of two consecutive overtime defeats — contributed to Washington missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. 

4. Colts 10, Dolphins 7 (OT) 

While it didn’t have much scoring, this Week 13 showdown had everything else, including an eerie fog that limited visibility for both teams. 

Trailing 7-0 with 12 minutes left, the Colts embarked on what would ultimately become an 86-yard scoring drive. After struggling for most of the game, Baltimore quarterback Bert Jones (who played through two broken ribs) found his rhythm by settling for short passes, including a key third-and-10 conversion to running back Lydell Mitchell that got the ball past midfield. Mitchell later capped off the drive with a game-tying touchdown run from 6 yards out. 

Overtime started with a Dolphins punt that pinned the Colts back on the 4-yard line. Despite the pea soup fog and Miami’s formidable defense, Baltimore made four third-down conversions on the drive that included a third-and-15 on a pass from Jones to tight end Raymond Chester. The third-down successes set up Toni Linhart’s game-winning 31-yard field goal. 

The win helped the Colts capture a division title one year after winning just two games. For Miami, the loss contributed to Don Shula’s team missing the playoffs despite posting a 10-4 record. 

3. AFC Championship: Steelers 16, Raiders 10 

Pittsburgh’s third playoff win over Oakland in four years was as controversial as it was thrilling. 

The tarp that covered Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium turf mysteriously opened up the night before the game. Coincidentally, it rained that night, and the rain that seeped through the tarp froze into ice by the following morning. Legend has it that high winds led to the tarp opening, although the Raiders — especially then-owner Al Davis — always felt that foul play was involved. 

While the iced sidelines and 18-degree weather neutralized both passing attacks, it was especially troublesome for Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler and receivers Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff. The ice took away the Raiders’ prolific deep outside passing, as Stabler was just 18 of 42 that included two interceptions. Branch was held to two catches for 56 yards.

Oakland’s physical secondary leveled the playing field when safety George Atkinson knocked Steelers wideout Lynn Swann out of the game with a vicious hit to Swann’s head. Ironically, it was another Steelers wide receiver who delivered the game’s critical blows.

With the Steelers ahead 3-0 in the fourth quarter, John Stallworth’s highly effective block took out two Raiders while clearing the way for running back Franco Harris on his 25-yard touchdown run. After Oakland trimmed the deficit to 10-7, Stallworth pulled down a 20-yard touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw that appeared to put the game on ice.

But despite the nine-point deficit and the horrid conditions, the Raiders battled back. 

After kicking a field goal to make it a one-score game, Oakland had a chance to steal the contest with just seconds remaining. But Stabler’s 37-yard pass to Branch on the game’s final play fell 15 yards shy of the end zone.

The game, which at times looked more like a hockey game in cleats, featured 12 turnovers, 12 punts and bad feelings from the Raiders that continue to this day. 

2. NFC Divisional Round: Cowboys 17, Vikings 14

It’s been nearly a full half-century since Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach completed a miracle pass that has forever been known as the “Hail Mary.” The pass, which took place on Dec. 28, 1975, lifted the Cowboys to an upset win over the defending NFC champion Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs. 

Minnesota struck first when All-Pro running back Chuck Foreman blasted through the Cowboys’ defense from a yard out. It was the only score of a first half dominated by two legendary defenses. 

Dallas took the lead in the second half before Minnesota regained the advantage in the fourth quarter. The defense gave Staubach and the Cowboys’ offense one last chance to win the game when safety Charlie Waters stuffed Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton on third-and-short with under two minutes left. 

Staubach and the Cowboys’ offense moved 35 yards to midfield with 32 seconds left on the clock. On second-and-10, Staubach pump faked to his right before going for it all down the near sideline. The slightly underthrown pass fell right into the hands of Drew Pearson, who put the Cowboys in front for good. 

Afterward, Staubach said he closed his eyes and “said a Hail Mary” as he heaved the ball to Pearson, who accounted for all of the Cowboys’ 91 yards on their game-winning drive after not making a catch during the game’s first 58 minutes. 

“Must have been a lot of people praying,” Pearson said after the game, “because it was a lucky catch.” 

While Pearson’s score has been celebrated in Dallas for nearly 50 years, the play is one of many painful playoff moments for the Vikings, who are still in pursuit of their first Super Bowl triumph. 

“That was one of our best teams,” Tarkenton told ESPN decades later. “That’s how we lose.” 

1. Super Bowl X: Steelers 21, Cowboys 17 

After nine duds, Super Bowl X was the one that broke the mold. The first Super Bowl between two teams that had already won one, Pittsburgh overcame an early deficit to join the Packers and Dolphins as the only teams to win back-to-back Super Bowls. 

The game is largely remembered for two things: Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert’s throw-down of Cowboys safety Cliff Harris and Lynn Swann’s acrobatic catches that proved to be the difference. 

Lambert’s altercation with Harris occurred after Steelers kicker Roy Gerella missed his second kick of the game early in the second half. Harris started messing with Gerella before Lambert stepped in and threw an unsuspecting Harris to the turf. 

After convincing the official not to throw him out of the game, Lambert played possessed, recording 14 tackles and leading a defense that sacked Roger Staubach seven times and picked him off three times. One of those interceptions set up a Gerella field goal that stretched the Steelers’ lead to 15-10 midway through the fourth quarter. 

Swann, whose sustained concussion against the Raiders in the AFC title game had put his availability for the Super Bowl in question, was given extra motivation to play after Harris had alluded to him possibly being afraid of going over the middle if he decided to suit up. Swann responded with several breathtaking catches: a 35-yard grab down the sideline that set up Pittsburgh’s first score, a 53-yard catch that has been regarded as one of the greatest catches in NFL history, and a 64-yard touchdown that proved to be the game-winning score. 

Trailing 21-10, the Cowboys kept hope alive after Staubach threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Percy Howard, whose score represented the only reception of his NFL career. The Cowboys then got the ball back with 1:22 left after the Steelers — who lost Bradshaw for the game after he was concussed on his touchdown pass to Swann — inexplicably ran the ball on fourth-and-9 on the Cowboys’ 41-yard-line. 

After a 12-yard completion, Staubach threw three passes near the Steelers’ end zone. His third and final one — another Hail Mary — was deflected and picked off in the end zone by Pittsburgh safety Glenn Edwards, securing the Steelers’ second Super Bowl win.