The 5: Unforgettable Super Bowl Pick Sixes
This Week on the 5: Great All Time Pick Sixes That Happened During the Super Bowl
It’s one of the most exciting plays in football – the Pick 6. Every interception is a big deal in the Super Bowl, but when that interception is returned for a touchdown, it’s a truly amazing — or devastating– moment. It’s the thrill that comes when the game of the season has made a dramatic turn. Here’s some of the most exciting Pick 6 moments in Super Bowl history.
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- Super Bowl 18. The Raiders’ Jack Squirek Picks Off Washington’s Joe Theisman. Heading into halftime at Super Bowl 18, the Washington Redskins were already down 14 to 3 to the LA Raiders. The Redskins had the ball deep in their own territory when instead of just running out the clock, Joe Gibbs called for a screen pass play that the Raiders immediately recognized. Theisman passes right into the waiting hands of linebacker Jack Squirek who takes it the other way just 5 yards for the score. And from there the Raiders go on to win easily and Squirek lands on the cover of SI. Watch it here.
- Super Bowl 44. The Saints’ Tracy Porter Picks Off Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning. Just over 3 minutes to go in Super Bowl 44 and the Colts are down to New Orleans by 7. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Peyton Manning is going to drive his team down the field and tie and the game. Manning gets them to just outside the Saints 30 yard line and Tracy Porter strikes. He picks off Manning and takes it back all the way. And the New Orleans Saints win their first world championship. Watch it here.
- Super Bowl 36. The Patriots’ Ty Law Picks Off St. Louis’ Kurt Warner. This Pick 6 comes in the middle of the second quarter of Super Bowl 36. The St. Louis Rams were favored to win with the greatest show on turf. The Patriots’ Ty Law had other ideas when he intercepts Warner and takes it 47 yards for the score. The Rams had two other turnovers in that Super Bowl, but it was Law’s Pick 6 that was a necessary score for the Patriots to get their 20 to 17 win and start their run of Super Bowl victories. Watch it here.
- Super Bowl 11. The Raiders’ Willie Brown Picks Off Minnesota’s Fran Tarkenton. Super Bowl 11 was another try for the Minnesota Vikings to win the championship. A day of turnovers kept that from happening. The highlight for the Raiders came when Willie Brown picked off Minnesota QB Fran Tarkenton and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown. The Vikings not only got clobbered that day, but they became the first NFL team to lose 4 Super Bowls. Watch as announcers Curt Gowdy and Dandy Don Meredith don’t even realize each other are talking as Meredith serenades Willie Brown to his pick 6. Watch it here.
- Super Bowl 43. The Steelers’ James Harrison Picks Off Arizona’s Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner is back again making Super Bowl interception history. Time was running out in the first half of Super Bowl 43. The Arizona Cardinals were down by 3, but with just seconds left on the clock – the Cards had first and goal. Instead of going into halftime with the lead or at least a tie, Arizona QB Kurt Warner would be picked off at the goal line by Pittsburgh’s James Harrison. He takes it down the field for a 100 yard Pick 6. Harrison’s exhausted and there’s a flag on the play. But he can breathe easy – it was against the Cardinals. Watch it here.
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SUPER BOWL 18
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SUPER BOWL 44
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SUPER BOWL 36
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SUPER BOWL 11
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