The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises of all time due to their six Super Bowl victories, the most in the NFL. Not only did they win six Super Bowls, but they’ve also had some iconic catches in those Super Bowls.
Two of Pittsburgh’s iconic Super Bowl plays made ESPN’s NFL Countdown’s top ten catches of all time. Those two Steelers’ catches are Santonio Homes’ toe-tap to win Super Bowl XLIII and Lynn Swann’s diving circus catch against the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X.
Holmes and Swann won Super Bowl M.V.P. in Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl victories. Holmes finished Super Bowl XLIII with nine catches for 131 yards and the game-winning toe-tap touchdown, while Swann finished Super Bowl X with four catches for 161 yards and one touchdown.
As far as difficulty, Swann’s catch was more difficult as he had to use concentration to catch a ball that popped up in the air as he was falling to the ground. However, Holmes’ catch was extremely difficult as well and meant more. Holmes had to stretch his arms as far as possible to catch QB Ben Roethlisberger’s pass while keeping his two feet in bounds. His catch won the Super Bowl for Pittsburgh. What makes Holmes’ catch even more impressive is that throughout the playoffs, the Steelers practiced that play, and he was told not to catch the pass.
Through Pittsburgh’s 90+ year history, players have made impressive catches. Antonio Brown and George Pickens have many highlight reel catches to their name, but none hold the weight and are as iconic as Holmes’ and Swann’s. However, if Pittsburgh can get to the Super Bowl with Pickens on the team, his propensity for making spectacular catches, there is a good chance he could get on a top 10 catch of all-time list.
