“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.”

Santana Moss was right then and he’s right now. Regular-season success is cool and all, but legends are truly made when players manage to ball out when the lights shine brightest in the playoffs.

That brings us to today’s goal: Remembering the top-five greatest individual playoff stretches since 2000 ranked from No. 1 to No. 5 based on my own personal agenda (and stats, but yeah). These were truly some great days to be great.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR - Cardinals (2008-09)

Larry Legend lived up to the name during his magical 2008 postseason run. Somehow, Fitz caught 30 of 42 targets for 546 yards and seven (!!!) scores in four incredible playoff performances.

No one in NFL history has more receiving yards (546) or receiving TDs (7) than Fitz during a single playoff run — and the eye test was somehow even better than the numbers.

While the Cardinals would ultimately fall just short due to some Ben Roethlisberger-Santonio Holmes heroics, Fitzgerald’s postseason stretch for the ages has stood the test of time and deserves to be considered one of — if not THE — single-best playoff runs the game has ever seen.

Cooper Kupp, WR - Rams (2021-22)

Kupp’s historic triple-crown 2021-22 regular season somehow got even sweeter in the postseason when he went NUCLEAR in four consecutive matchups.

A Cardinals defense that had limited him to his worst performance of the season back in Week 4? Five catches, 61 yards and a TD.

What about the Buccaneers, who had allowed the fifth-fewest points per game and hadn’t allowed a QB to clear 300 yards since September? 9-183-1 – including an unbelievable last-second bomb to clinch the win.

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Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) catches a touchdown pass over Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Surely a 49ers squad that had already beaten the Rams twice and was widely considered one of the game’s best units could limit him? 11 receptions, 142 yards and a pair of scores.

And just when you thought the man couldn’t soar any higher: Kupp posts an 8-92-2 performance against the Bengals, caught the game-winning score and won f*cking Super Bowl MVP.

Overall, his 478 receiving yards and six scores are second all-time to only Fitzgerald during a single playoff stretch. Of course, the ring and postseason hardware makes everything that much sweeter for Kupp, who shined brightest when it mattered most.

Joe Flacco, QB - Ravens (2012-13)

If you thought Flacco’s 2023 campaign was good, wait until you get a load of what he managed to pull off during four consecutive Ravens victories during their Super Bowl-winning 2012-13 campaign.

  • vs. Colts: 282 pass yards-2 TD-0 INT
  • vs. Broncos: 331-3-0
  • vs. Patriots: 240-3-0
  • vs. 49ers: 287-3-0

The most memorable throw from the entire ordeal was Flacco’s miracle 70-yard TD to Jacoby Jones which probably should have been intercepted by Broncos S Rahim Moore if we’re being honest with ourselves.

Regardless, Flacco found a way to out-duel Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick in four consecutive weeks. Mind you, Kaepernick was just one game removed from putting up his own legendary playoff performance against the Packers (263-2-1 passing, 16-181-2 rushing).

Overall, Flacco joins Patrick Mahomes (2021), Joe Montana (1989) and Kurt Warner (2008) as the only QBs to ever throw for at least 11 TDs in one playoff stretch — and Montana is the only other one to do so with *zero* INTs along the way. The performances understandably helped fetch Flacco a six-year, $120.6 million deal in addition to his fancy new ring and Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Hakeem Nicks, WR - Giants (2011-12)

While Nicks didn’t enjoy an overly long period of high-end success at the NFL level, he was a problem for secondaries of all shapes and sizes during his 2010 (79-1052-11) and 2011 (76-1192-7) campaigns.

The (then) third-year receiver kept his momentum up in a major way in the latter year’s postseason, catching absolute fire on his way to racking up 444 total receiving yards — the third-most in a single postseason stretch EVER.

Nicks largely dominated on his way to posting 6-115-2, 7-165-2, 5-55-0 and 10-109-0 receiving lines — most memorably scoring a pair of long TDs (including a Hail Mary!) in Lambeau.

Eli Manning understandably gets most of the credit for that Giants’ Super Bowl run, and the game’s defining throw was caught by Mario Manningham. Still, Nicks’ three games with 100-plus receiving yards leaves him in elite company with 2008 Larry Fitzgerald (4) and 2020 Travis Kelce (3) — the only players in NFL history with at least three such performances in a single postseason.

Leonard Fournette, RB - Buccaneers (2020-21)

Yes, Tom Brady was the MVP of this playoff run and certainly rose the tide for all parties involved.

Also yes, there’s a reason why Fournette will forever be known as “Lombardi Lenny” and will never have to pay for a drink in Tampa Bay again.

The postseason stretch is on the shortlist of the game’s very best postseason runs in recent history. Overall, Fournette’s 448 total yards are the eighth-most by any RB ever during a single postseason run:

  • vs. Washington: 19-93-1 rushing, 4-39-0 receiving
  • vs. Saints: 17-63-0 rushing, 5-44-1 receiving
  • vs. Packers: 12-55-1 rushing, 5-19-0 receiving
  • vs. Chiefs: 16-89-1 rushing, 4-46-0 receiving

The only relatively down performance came against Green Bay, but even then Fournette managed to supply his signature postseason play with a ridiculous 20-yard tackle-breaking jaunt to the end zone.

No absolutely monster performances, but at the end of the day only Terrell Davis (1997), Marcus Allen (1983), Thurman Thomas (1990) and John Riggins (1982) racked up more total PPR points than Fournette during a single postseason run … ever.

Honorable mentions:

  • Panthers WR Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad (2003-04): Both Smith (18-404-3) and Muhammad (15-352-2) turned in top-15 postseasons ever in terms of total receiving yards. Smith’s iconic double-overtime winner against the Rams was one helluva moment, as was Muhammad’s (then) go-ahead 85-yard TD in the Super Bowl.
     
  • Cardinals QB Kurt Warner (2008-09): Someone had to throw the ball to Larry Fitzgerald — and Warner was more than ready to be that guy, pal. It wasn’t all flawless, but at the end of the day the former Rams Super Bowl champion became one of just four QBs in NFL history to throw at least 11 TDs in a single postseason.
     
  • Giants QB Eli Manning (2011-12): Manning’s 1,219 passing yards in these four wins remain the most in a single NFL postseason. While Eli never cleared 255 passing yards in a game during the Giants’ first Super Bowl run, he racked up 277-3-0, 330-3-1, 316-2-0 and 296-1-0 passing lines during this memorable stretch.
     
  • Ravens WR Anquan Boldin (2012-13): It was a team effort in Baltimore during Mr. Elite’s ridiculous postseason heater, but Boldin deserves special mention for his 5-145-1, 6-71-0, 5-60-2 and 6-104-1 performances. Consider: Boldin’s four postseason TDs were as many as he had in 15 regular season games that year. 
     
  • Patriots/Bucs QB Tom Brady (2014-15, 2020-21): While Brady had better seasons in terms of total passing yards, these were the only two postseason stretches that he threw double-digit TDs. The numbers from the former run are particularly impressive when considering he did so in just three games — Patrick Mahomes (twice) and Joe Montana are the only other QBs who can attest to having done that.
     
  • Patriots WR Julian Edelman (2018-19): The Super Bowl MVP had a number of great postseason runs, but none better than this 9-151-0, 7-96-0 and 10-141-0 stretch. The latter performance helped supply largely the only offense of that 13-3 victory over the Rams, as Edelman was unguardable for most of the afternoon.
     
  • Titans RB Derrick Henry (2019-20): His 446 rushing yards are the most by any RB in a single postseason since Eddie George (449) back in 1999. While Henry and the Titans would eventually fall short at Arrowhead, his 34-182-1 and 30-195-0 rushing performances helped engineer road upsets over both the Patriots and Ravens during the first two rounds of the playoffs.
     
  • Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (2019-20): This was Mahomes’ most dominant playoff stretch from start to finish. From throwing for 321 yards and five (!) TDs in a ridiculous comeback win over the Texans, to dicing up the Titans (294-3-0) and supplying probably the best rush of his career, and finally overcoming a TOUGH 49ers defense with 315 more total yards and three scores: Mahomes’ first Super Bowl run was statistically his best yet.
     
  • Chiefs RB Damien Williams (2018-19, 2019-20): Seriously: Dame was absolutely ridiculous during these two postseasons, racking up 10 total TDs and averaging 108 total yards per game in five contests. Things culminated with 133 yards and two TDs in the freaking Super Bowl, with the final score being the dagger. Pretty, pretty, pretty good!
     
  • Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (2018-present more or less): Nobody has more total playoff TDs than Kelce (18) since 2000. Only Jerry Rice (22), Emmitt Smith (21) and Thurman Thomas (21) have Kelce beat … ever. Things have (somehow) been even more ridiculous when just looking at his 16 career games with Mahomes: Kelce has truly saved his best for the biggest stages possible.
Legendary Playoff Runs