Bobby Johnson's Miracle Catch Saved the Giants' 1986 Championship Season

The little-known receiver ran a clear-out route he wasn't supposed to be part of — then made the most important catch of New York's Super Bowl run.

Jan 4, 1987; E. Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Giants receiver Bobby Johnson catches a touchdown pass as San Francisco 49ers defensive back Tom Holmoe (not pictured) | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

There wasn't much a receiver could do to grab the spotlight in the New York Giants offense during the Bill Parcells Era. They won two Super Bowls with a dominant defense, grinding down opponents while using plenty of play-action passes to their tight ends.

But Bobby Johnson found a way to deeply etch his name into the Giants' memory banks by making one of the most significant catches in franchise history.

In 1986, his fourth-down grab in the closing stages of a dramatic comeback in Minnesota proved to be a turning point in the fourth game of a 12-game winning streak that ended with the Super Bowl XXI victory over the Denver Broncos.

In Week 11 of that season, the Giants found themselves trailing the Vikings, 20-19, and facing a 4th-and-17 at their own 48 with 1:02 remaining.

Quarterback Phil Simms looked for Stacy Robinson down the middle, but he was covered, so he turned toward Johnson and let the ball go.

He hit his target inside the right sideline after Johnson got loose from cornerback Issiac Holt and made sure to get both of his feet down in bounds before stepping out at the Minnesota 30.

A few plays later, Raul Allegre's 33-yard field goal with 15 seconds left pulled the game out of the fire and lifted the Giants a half-game ahead of Washington for first place in the NFC East.

"I was just supposed to run like a clear-out. I actually wasn't in the play," Johnson told reporters after the game while discussing Half Right W-Motion 74 X In.

''I just ran to the first-down marker and stopped. And when I turned, the ball was there.''

Added Simms: “When I let it go, I knew I threw it exactly how I wanted to...I saw him standing there and tried to lob it over the cornerback. You make that throw 100 times and maybe hit it five or six times.”

The impact of Johnson's clutch play makes most forget that his 25-yard TD catch had put the Giants ahead, 19-13, with nearly 10 minutes to play in one of the team's most important victories of their championship season.

Johnson finished the year leading the Giants' receivers with 31 receptions for 534 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Mark Bavaro paced the team with 66 grabs, and running back Tony Galbreath registered 33.

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