The record for the NFL's longest play was tied tonight as the visiting Chicago Bears gave an injury-plagued New York Giants what they had coming...a loss. It was a crucial game for both teams as it decided who would stand atop the NFC. The play came during the fourth quarter off a Jay Feely (Giants) field goal attempt. The kick was short and landed in the arms of Devin Hester, who was waiting for it 8 yards deep in the endzone. When he caught the ball, the Giants special teams unit was walking off the field, towards the sidelines, not realizing that the ball was still in play. (Hester claimed that he knew what he was doing by hesitating in order to let the Giants leave the field, but he looked just as confused as the Giants.) To make a long story short, Hester ran 108 yards for a Bears touchdown and an NFL record.
From the Associated Press:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Standing eight yards deep in the end zone with the ball, Devin Hester couldn't believe his eyes -- the New York Giants were actually walking off the field.
He had just gathered in Jay Feely's field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter, a kick that fell short. But the Chicago Bears' return specialist wasn't going to go sprinting off just yet.
He gave the Giants a few extra seconds to vacate.
And with that, Hester was off to the races, giving the Chicago Bears the inside track on NFC title with a record-tying 108-yard romp that was the knockout blow in a 38-20 victory over the injury-ravaged Giants in their NFC showdown Sunday night.
"I probably would have downed it if I saw defenders coming at me," said Hester, who returned punts of 84 and 83 yards for TDs earlier this season. "It seemed like all of them were walking off the field like it was over. So I decided to take it out. It surprised me."
The record-tying return gave Chicago (8-1) a 31-20 lead.
On Nov. 13, 2005 -- almost exactly a year ago -- the Bears' Nathan Vasher caught Joe Nedney's missed 52-yard field-goal attempt in the back of the end zone on the final play of the first half and ran it back for a 108-yard TD return. The play helped Chicago beat San Francisco 17-9, and now Hester shares the record for longest NFL play with his teammate.
From the Associated Press:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Standing eight yards deep in the end zone with the ball, Devin Hester couldn't believe his eyes -- the New York Giants were actually walking off the field.
He had just gathered in Jay Feely's field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter, a kick that fell short. But the Chicago Bears' return specialist wasn't going to go sprinting off just yet.
He gave the Giants a few extra seconds to vacate.
And with that, Hester was off to the races, giving the Chicago Bears the inside track on NFC title with a record-tying 108-yard romp that was the knockout blow in a 38-20 victory over the injury-ravaged Giants in their NFC showdown Sunday night.
"I probably would have downed it if I saw defenders coming at me," said Hester, who returned punts of 84 and 83 yards for TDs earlier this season. "It seemed like all of them were walking off the field like it was over. So I decided to take it out. It surprised me."
The record-tying return gave Chicago (8-1) a 31-20 lead.
On Nov. 13, 2005 -- almost exactly a year ago -- the Bears' Nathan Vasher caught Joe Nedney's missed 52-yard field-goal attempt in the back of the end zone on the final play of the first half and ran it back for a 108-yard TD return. The play helped Chicago beat San Francisco 17-9, and now Hester shares the record for longest NFL play with his teammate.
posted by Andrew Weatherhead at 12:47 AM
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