Folks, it’s Super Bowl week. Last week we dropped an extended Jaime Edmondson gallery for all 32 NFL teams. Now we have another football surprise. In December, SI.com Hot Clicks writer Jimmy Traina polled his readers for their favorite Super Bowl moment. We posed a challenge to our creative team to re-create the top three moments, with Jaime as the star. Is the outcome super? Check out the three illustrations below, and you make the call.
Super Bowl Moment #3
Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills (click to download wallpaper sized image)
It was the greatest hustle play in Super Bowl history. Down 52-17 with mere minutes left in the game, the Buffalo Bills committed their ninth turnover when quarterback Frank Reich fumbled. Cowboys defensive lineman Leon Lett scooped up the loose ball and headed for the end zone. Thinking he was free and clear inside the five-yard line, Lett prematurely celebrated by holding the ball out to his side. Not so fast, Leon. The Bills wide receiver Don Beebe had sprinted more than 80 yards to catch up and swiped the ball out of Lett’s hand and through the end zone. Touchback, Bills’ ball. Sure, Buffalo still lost in a blowout, but Beebe’s never-give-up attitude is by far the most memorable play of that Super Bowl.
Super Bowl Moment #2
Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers (click to download wallpaper sized image)
At 37 years old, John Elway neared the end of his career without the crowning achievement of a Super Bowl win. Against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, Elway looked to break a 17-17 third-quarter tie. On third down and six inside the Green Bay red zone, Elways took off on his legendarily creaky knees. As he neared the first down marker, Elway launched himself just as three Packers defenders converged. All three made contact with the airborne Broncos QB, literally spinning Elway 180 degrees. The play led to a Denver touchdown and to Elway’s first Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl Moment #1
Superbowl XLII: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (click to download wallpaper sized image)
It was David vs. Goliath, the wild-card Giants vs. the unbeaten Patriots. A double-digit favorite going into the game, New England hung on to a 14-10 lead late in the game when the Giants started a drive in their own territory. On third-and-five, Giants QB Eli Manning somehow managed to elude three Patriots defenders before launching an off-balance Hail Mary pass down the middle of the field. Unheralded Giants wide receiver David Tyree outjumped the Patriots’ Rodney Harrison, pinned the ball with one hand on his helmet and managed to hang on. The 32-yard-gain led to the Giants go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left on the clock, and New York held on for a shocking 17-14 victory.
Photography by Jared Ryder, illustrations by Nigel Evan Dennis
Click below for larger images:
