The Five Longest Defensive Touchdowns in NFL Playoff History

By: Benjamin Duncan

After watching the ending to the recent Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals Wildcard game, I wondered if there had been any other impressive long defensive touchdowns in NFL Playoff History such as Sam Hubbard’s. To my surprise, there were a few more that had happened that were even longer than Hubbard’s! So, in this article, I will cover the five longest defensive touchdowns in NFL Playoff history, going from shortest to longest. This list was almost the SIX longest defensive touchdowns in NFL Playoff history if not for Champ Bailey getting pushed out at the 1-yard line after a 100-yard interception return for the Denver Broncos against the New England Patriots in 2006. Yes, some of these touchdowns are the same distance, but the newer scores will be ranked below the older ones of the same length due to them happening first.

#5 – 98-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, Sam Hubbard, Cincinnati Bengals, 2022

The defensive touchdown that made me think of writing this article, ended up giving the Cincinnati Bengals the win over the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 and punching the Bengals' ticket to the Divisional round. Sam Hubbard’s fumble recovery became the longest fumble recovery for a touchdown in NFL playoff history, breaking a 47-year-old record that was set by Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” Legend, Andy Russell. What was even more surprising was that there have been so few fumble recoveries for touchdowns in NFL playoff history. With the addition of Sam’s, there have been only 10 fumble recoveries for touchdowns in NFL playoff history, and only three of them have been this century. Also, after looking around online, I was able to find that according to Next Gen Stats, Sam ran 123.6 yards on the return to evade tackles on his way to the endzone. Due to him running so far, that play set the record for the most distance traveled by a ball carrier on a touchdown this season.

#4 – 98-yard interception return for touchdown, Darrol Ray, New York Jets, 1982

At the time of this interception return for a touchdown happening, it had set the record for the longest pick-six in postseason history and ended up holding that record for over 10 years. In this matchup of the New York Jets against the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1982 AFC Wildcard Game, the interception return for a touchdown was the icing on the cake as the Jets blew the doors of the Bengals 44-17, punching their ticket to the Divisional round. Funny enough, Darrol Ray’s interception was off the NFL’s pass completion percentage leader Ken Anderson.

#3 – 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008

By far one of the most memorable of all defensive touchdowns of all time, James Harrison’s pick-six in Super Bowl XLIII is the record holder for the longest defensive play in Super Bowl history. This pick-six happened with 18 seconds left in the first half of the game when James stepped in front of a pass from Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. With the large linebacker being able to take it back to the endzone for a score, it set up the Steelers 17-7 going into the half and eventually gave them the win.

#2 – 101-yard interception return for a touchdown, Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills, 2020

Tying the record for the fifth-longest play in NFL playoff history and tying the record for the longest defensive play in NFL playoff history, this interception return for a touchdown happened during the AFC Divisional Game where it was the Baltimore Ravens vs the Buffalo Bills. On a Lamar Jackson pass that was meant for tight end Mark Andrews, Taron Johnson stepped in front of him and was able to take the ball back to the endzone and score as the third quarter was winding down. This gave the Bills a 17-3 lead, which ended up being the final score. The Bills would move on to the AFC Championship the next weekend.

#1 – 101-yard interception return for touchdown, George Teague, Green Bay Packers, 1993

The longest defensive touchdown on our list, it tied the record for the fifth-longest play in NFL playoff history and set the record (now tied) for the longest defensive play in NFL playoff history. Happening in an explosive NFC Central (now North) division battle, the Detroit Lions were in a Wild Card Game matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Leading 17-14 in the third quarter, Lions quarterback Erik Kramer threw a pass that ended up getting jumped by Packers rookie defensive back George Teague, who took it back for the score. This gave the Packers a 21-17 lead over the Lions at the time, with the final score ending up 28-24 with the Packers winning. If George had not picked off that pass, the game would have probably ended in favor of the Lions winning since the game was so close. The Packers, escaping with a win, were able to move on to the Divisional Round Game the next weekend.

Hopefully, you all liked the article! It’s always fun watching defensive touchdowns, so I would highly recommend looking some of these touchdowns up and watching them! Have a great rest of your day!