History Main / MiracleRally

* Teams escaping relegation in the EnglishPremierLeague sometimes pull one off. In particular, pulling this off having been bottom on Christmas is termed 'The Great Escape', having survived the 'Curse of Christmas' where where a Premier League club that was bottom on Christmas would be relegated at the end of the season:

** The emergence of Afghanistan as a cricketing nation surely qualifies. In 2008, they were in Division 5 of the World Cricket League, and fought their way up the ranks to compete in the qualifier for the 2011 World Cup. They didn't make it then, but they did gane ODI status in 2013, and qualified for the next World Cup in 2015.

* In Italy's Serie A for the first time in its history in 2016-17, Crotone, from Calabria, were in the bottom 3 from the 2nd round of the season to the last - they earned only 2 points from their first 10 games, and at the 29th game, they had only 3 wins and 14 points. However, their last 9 games saw 6 wins and 2 draws, and a last-game win over Lazio was accompanied by Empoli losing their final game to already-relegated Palermo. Their manager Davide Nicola cycled the length of Italy to celebrate, and in tribute to his teenage son, who was killed in an accident when cycling 3 years earlier.

* In Italy's Serie A for the first time in its history in 2016-17, Crotone, from Calabria, were in the bottom 3 from the 2nd round of the season to the last - they earned only 2 points from their first 10 games, and at the 29th game, they had only 3 wins and 14 points. However, their last 9 games saw 6 wins and 2 draws, and a last-game win over Lazio was accompanied by Empoli losing their final game to already-relegated Palermo. Their manager Davide Nicola cycled the length of Italy to celebrate, and in tribute to his teenage son, who was killed in a motorcycling accident.

* Super Bowl LI: Halfway through the third quarter, everything looked to be going perfectly for the Atlanta Falcons, who were up 28-3 against the New England Patriots. However, the Falcons had only scored twice on standard possessions, with the other two coming off turnovers, one of which was a pick-six[[note]]an interception immediately run back for a touchdown[[/note]], and their defense had been on the field for an incredibly long time, and it began to show (they ended up playing ''93'' defensive snaps, 99 when you count the six which were replayed because of penalties, which is the equivalent of a game and a half's worth of snaps). They were forced to abandon the man-to-man coverage that had been working so well, and adopt the much less effective zone defense, which the Patriots immediately took advantage of, and began moving the ball almost at will, further exhausting the Falcons defense. They scored 31 unanswered points, including two touchdowns with a two-point conversion[[note]]The overall success rate of a two-point conversion attempt is only 50-55%[[/note]]. While the Falcons had a few chances to put the game away, they were unable to do so, most especially toward the end of the fourth quarter, with only a little over three minutes left, when they were at the Patriots twenty yard line. Instead of running three times and kicking a field goal, putting them up by two scores, they attempted to pass after a 1-yard loss on a first-down run, and quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked for a huge 12-yard loss, compounded by a holding penalty on the next play that moved them back another 10 yards, putting them at about the 50-yard line and thoroughly out of field goal range, with no choice but to punt after their final pass attempt fell incomplete. New England tied the score, won the coin toss in overtime, and drove for a sudden-death touchdown to seal the comeback, 34-28.

** The 2013 season was similar. The Red Sox were last in the American League at the beginning of the season. But then, a terrorist bombing occurred during the Boston Marat4hon, killing three people and maiming dozens. The Sox were instrumental in helping the city rally together, and Boston not only won the World Series (strangely enough, against the St. Louis Cardinals yet ''again''), but it was their first World Series clincher on home turf at Fenway Park since 1918.

* The 1978 New York Yankees were at one point 14½ games behind Boston and in fourth place in the division. They then went to take a lead in the division, but Boston didn't just go away. Holding a one-game lead with eight games left, the Yankees proceeded to win their next seven games. The Red Sox won all eight, forcing a tie on the final day of the season. The one-game playoff that followed was representative of the season as a whole, with the Red Sox taking an early lead, the Yankees bouncing back late, and the Red Sox making a rally of their own but falling just short.

** The 2013 season was similar. The Red Sox were last in the American League at the beginning of the season. But then, a terrorist bombing occurred during the Boston Marathon, killing three people and maiming dozens. The Sox were instrumental in helping the city rally together, and Boston not only won the World Series (strangely enough, against the St. Louis Cardinals yet ''again''), but it was their first World Series clincher on home turf at Fenway Park since 1918.
* The "Shot Heard 'Round the World" — the 1951 N.Y. Giants may have had the LONGEST MiracleRally in all of sports, lasting several weeks. On August 11 they were 13½ games back of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They then won 16 straight games from August 12 to August 27, cutting their deficit to just six games. By September 20, it was just four½ games. Over the season's last 10 days, they won all of their last seven games to pull into a tie when the season ended, while the Dodgers lost six of their last ten games over the same point. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, in the last game of a three game tiebreaker series, Bobby Thomson hits a walk-off home run to win the pennant. Considered one of the most dramatic moments in all of Baseball history.

* The "Shot Heard 'Round the World" — the 1951 N.Y. Giants may have had the LONGEST MiracleRally in all of sports, lasting several weeks. They overcame a double-digit game lead by the Brooklyn Dodgers to pull into a tie when the season ended, then in the bottom of the 9th, in game three of a three game tiebreaker series, with a walk-off home run to win the pennant. Considered one of the most dramatic moments in all of Baseball history.
* The 1978 New York Yankees were at one point 14.5 games behind Boston and in fourth place in the division. They then went to take a lead in the division, but Boston didn't just go away. Holding a one-game lead with eight games left, the Yankees proceeded to win their next seven games. The Red Sox won all eight, forcing a tie on the final day of the season. The one-game playoff that followed was representative of the season as a whole, with the Red Sox taking an early lead, the Yankees bouncing back late, and the Red Sox making a rally of their own but falling just short.
* 2008 ALCS Game 5. Up three games to one, the Tampa Bay Rays scored two runs in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 7–0. Book them for the World Series, right? [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle Not so fast]]! With two outs and a runner on second, the Boston Red Sox got back-to-back singles, followed by a home run. 7-4. Next inning, another home run cuts it to 7-6 with none out, but the next two get out. Double, then single after a 13 pitch at bat. 7–7 game after eight innings. After a double play allowed the Red Sox to escape the top of the ninth without allowing a run, they again proceeded to end up with two out and none on, before a single and an error put a runner on second. After an intentional walk to set up the force, they single in the run to win 8-7 after trailing 7-0 with only seven outs remaining. They then won Game 6 before finally losing in seven games.

** On August 25th, 2011, the Cardinals were 10 and a half games back in the NL Wild Card race. In just a month's time, they managed to go 22-8 and, thanks to a 9-17 September collapse by the Atlanta Braves (and a good luck necklace given to manager Tony La Russa by Music/CarlosSantana), they drew even with [[DownToTheLastPlay one game to play]]. The Cards took care of business against the [[ButtMonkey Houston Astros]]. The Braves... squandered a 3–1 lead with the Phillies plugging single-run innings in the 7th, 9th, and 13th. Cards advance [[WhoNeedsOvertime without needing extra innings or a tiebreaker]]!

A pre-requisite of sporting flicks, where the competitor or team (usually the underdog, see DavidVersusGoliath) seems to be on their way down, until a pivotal moment happens (often a case of PutMeInCoach), after which the team stages, yes, a miraculous comeback ending in victory.

* Super Bowl LI: Halfway through the third quarter, everything looked to be going perfect for the Atlanta Falcons, who were up 28-3 against the New England Patriots. However, the Falcons had only scored twice on standard possessions, with the other two coming off turnovers, one of which was a pick-six[[note]]an interception immediately run back for a touchdown[[/note]], and their defense had been on the field for an incredibly long time, and it began to show. They were forced to abandon the man-to-man coverage that had been working, and adopt the much less effective zone defense, which the Patriots immediately took advantage of, and began moving the ball almost at will, further exhausting the Falcons defense. While the Falcons had a few chances to put the game away, they were unable to do so, most especially when they were in field goal range, and instead of running three times and kicking it, putting them up by two scores with only a little over three minutes left, they attempted to pass, and quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked for a huge 12-yard loss, compounded by a holding penalty on the next play, putting them out of range and forcing a punt. New England tied the score, won the coin toss in overtime, and drove for a sudden-death touchdown to seal the comeback.

* The NC State basketball team that won the 1983 NCAA men's championship was nicknamed "The Cardiac Pack" because they staged a miracle rally with a last second score almost ''every single game''. They won their nine tournament games by the following margins: 1, 7[[note:]]overtime[[/note]], 3, 2[[note:]]double-overtime[[/note]], 1, [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers 19]], 1, 7, and 2. That's an average margin of victory of less than five points.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO445W4mtZI 8 points in 17 seconds.]] And this is before the three-point line.

* ''Film/{{Rocky}}'': Rocky Balboa, several times across the series. (Though it's harder to determine whether someone is 'losing' or not in boxing then it is in other sports since there's no real scoring system - yes, the judges do keep score, but they don't determine anything unless no one wins straight out.)

** West Bromwich Albion in 2004/05 not only became the first team since Sheffield United in 1990/91 to stay up after being bottom on Christmas, they also remain the only team in the Premier League era to be bottom both on Christmas and on the final day, and still survive. While they were never more than 5 points adrift of safety (which they were during Christmas and as late as March 18), they were still the first to break the curse. Going into the final day, none of the relegation places were decided in the closest relegation dogfight since ''1927/28''. West Brom were the only team from the bottom four to win, leapfrogging the other three teams and surviving with the lowest ever points tally (34) in the 3 points for a win era.

** In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City began the month of April 2015 with 19 points from 29 games, and 7 points away from safety. They won 7 and drew 1 of their remaining 9 games, roaring back to take 14th in the table and ensured survival for the next season; prior to this no team with fewer than 20 points after 29 games survived (West Brom had 21 and Sunderland had 25 during their escapes). A few news sources also couldn't help noticing that Leicester's remarkable turnaround began right after the reburial of UsefulNotes/RichardIII at Leicester Cathedral. Incredibly, the team kept the momentum going and went on to surprise virtually everyone by winning the 2015/16 league title ahead of traditional powers Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. It was one of the most dramatic [[DarkHorseVictory Dark Horse Victories]] in English sporting history. This is demonstrated by a strange statistic: Leicester City are the first team since Norwich in 1987-88 and 1988-89, and the first in the Premier League era to be bottom of the table one Christmas, and top of it the next.

** West Bromwich Albion in 2004/05 not only became the first team since Sheffield United in 1990/91 to stay up after being bottom on Christmas, they also remain the only team in the Premier League era to be bottom both on Christmas and on the final day, and still survive. Going into the final day, none of the relegation places were decided in the closest relegation dogfight since ''1927/28''. West Brom were the only team from the bottom four to win their match, leapfrogging the other three teams and surviving with the lowest ever points tally (34) in the 3 points for a win era.

** In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City began the month of April 2015 with 19 points from 29 games, and 7 points away from safety. They won 7 and drew 1 of their remaining 9 games, roaring back to take 14th in the table and ensured survival for the next season; prior to this no team with fewer than 20 points after 29 games survived (West Brom had 20 and Sunderland had 25 during their escapes). A few news sources also couldn't help noticing that Leicester's remarkable turnaround began right after the reburial of UsefulNotes/RichardIII at Leicester Cathedral. Incredibly, the team kept the momentum going and went on to surprise virtually everyone by winning the 2015/16 league title ahead of traditional powers Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. It was one of the most dramatic [[DarkHorseVictory Dark Horse Victories]] in English sporting history. This is demonstrated by a strange statistic: Leicester City are the first team since Norwich in 1987-88 and 1988-89, and the first in the Premier League era to be bottom of the table one Christmas, and top of it the next.

* Teams escaping relegation in the EnglishPremierLeague:
** Sunderland in 2013/14 were bottom, 7 points from safety with 6 games to go. Gus Poyet commented that he needed a [[InvokedTrope miracle]] in order to survive. Well, there then followed a 2-2 draw with Man City, and then wins against Man Utd and Chelsea (at Stamford Bridge!). End result, 13 points scored in those 6 games! As a result, Sunderland stayed up, becoming only the second club to survive the 'Curse of Christmas', where a Premier League club that was bottom on Christmas would be relegated at the end of the season. Fittingly, the last team that lost against them during this streak was West Bromwich Albion, the first club to survive the curse. Poyet later remarked that he had "found his miracle."
** West Brom themselves not only became the first team since Sheffield United in 1990-91 to stay up after being bottom on Christmas, they also remain the only club in the Premier League era to be bottom both on Christmas and on the final day and still survive. Going into the final day of the 2004-05 season, none of the relegation places were decided in the closest relegation dogfight since ''1927-28''. West Brom were the only club from the bottom four to win their match, leapfrogging the other three teams and surviving with the lowest ever points tally (34) in the 3 points for a win era.
** In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City began the month of April 2015 with 19 points from 29 games, and 7 points away from safety. They won 7 and drew 1 of their remaining 9 games, roaring back to take 14th in the table and ensured survival for the next season; prior to this no team survived with fewer than 20 points after 29 games (West Brom had 20 and Sunderland had 25 during their escapes). A few news sources also couldn't help noticing that Leicester's remarkable turnaround began right after the reburial of UsefulNotes/RichardIII at Leicester Cathedral. Incredibly, the team kept the momentum going and went on to surprise virtually everyone by winning the 2015/16 league title ahead of traditional powers Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. It was one of the most dramatic [[DarkHorseVictory Dark Horse Victories]] in English sporting history. This is demonstrated by a strange statistic: Leicester City are the first team since Norwich in 1987-88 and 1988-89, and the first in the Premier League era to be bottom of the table one Christmas, and top of it the next.

** Sunderland in 2013/14 were bottom, 7 points from safety with 6 games to go. Gus Poyet commented that he needed a [[InvokedTrope miracle]] in order to survive. Well, there then followed a 2-2 draw with Man City, and then wins against Man Utd and Chelsea (at Stamford Bridge!). End result, 13 points scored in those 6 games! As a result, Sunderland stayed up, becoming only the second club to survive the 'Curse of Christmas'. Fittingly, the last team that lost against them during this streak was West Bromwich Albion, the only other team to survive having been bottom at Christmas. Poyet later remarked that he had "found his miracle."
** In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City began the month of April 2015 7 points away from safety with 8 games to be played. They won 7 and drew 1 of them, roaring back to take 14th in the table and ensured survival for the next season. A few news sources also couldn't help noticing that Leicester's remarkable turnaround began right after the reburial of UsefulNotes/RichardIII at Leicester Cathedral. Incredibly, the team kept the momentum going and went on to surprise virtually everyone by winning the 2015/16 league title ahead of traditional powers Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United. It was one of the most dramatic [[DarkHorseVictory Dark Horse Victories]] in English sporting history. This is demonstrated by a strange statistic: Leicester City are the only team to be bottom of the table one Christmas, and top of it the next.

** Other players known for this trope include Roger "Captain Comeback" Staubach, and especially [[TheAce Joe Montana]]. He may be just below Marino and Elway in the category, but he was definitely no stranger to comebacks, as he started out with some in his alma mater, Notre Dame. [[OhCrap Teams just knew that Montana would rally the 49ers to victory if you give him just enough time to get the winning score.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xyyp6okkFA Boy,]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA47vcWAQno oh boy]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIz9E5IQKUE he did.]]

* The Monday Night Miracle. On October 23, 2000, fierce rivals New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played on Monday Night Football. At the end of the third quarter with the score 30–7 in Miami's favor, Jets broadcaster Howard David announced, "And with a whole quarter to go, this game is over." The Jets proceeded to stage a furious rally in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 unanswered points to tie the game at 30. The Dolphins went on to score again to go up 37. Improbably, the Jets tied it again with a touchdown pass caught by offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott, playing as a tackle-eligible. Jets kicker John Hall then won the game with a field goal in overtime to complete the miracle with a 40–37 victory. This was the second largest comeback in NFL history and was voted the greatest Monday Night Football game of all time.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_at_Jordan–Hare Auburn 2013,]] facing heated rival Georgia at home, down 38–37 with less than a minute to play, quarterback Nick Marshall heaves up a Hail Mary throw to sprinting Tigers receiver Ricardo Lewis who couldn't see where the ball was, only for the ball to come within reach of two Bulldog defenders. Instead of knocking it down - what players are taught to do with Hail Marys - both Georgia players jump for the ball for a possible interception... only for each other to knock it up in the air. The ball literally floats over into Lewis' face, who reaches up for an easy catch without breaking stride as he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpDz8YyVD8 races into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.]]
** [[UpToEleven Topped two weeks later]] with the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_Six 2013 Iron Bowl,]] one of college football's most storied rivalries as Alabama Crimson Tide came in undefeated, atop the BCS standings, expected to win out and play for a third straight BCS title game. The Tigers play their rivals close up into the 4th quarter, tying it up 28-all. Alabama gets the ball back with little time left, but gets the ball within questionable field goal range as time expires. However, refs note the Tide running back stepped out with 1 second left, so they put the second back up. Coach Nick Saban sends out the kicking unit - which for the night had missed three field goal tries - with a freshman kicker for one more try to win the game. Auburn does the math - the kick would be 57 yards and can possibly fall short - and sends out a return unit in case that happens. The kick does fall short, Auburn's return man Chris Davis is able to outrun Alabama's kicking unit, and the entire nation goes crazy as the "Kick Six" gives Auburn the win and the division title, and knocks hated rival Alabama out of the BCS title outright.

* The 2014 Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans game saw the record set for largest road game comeback: the Browns, losing 28–3 during the second quarter, went on to rally and score 26 unanswered points, winning 29–28.

** Their game with the Teikoku Alexanders is probably the most ridiculous example. They end up having to score enough touchdowns to beat a difference of ''over 40 points'' with ''nine minutes left in the last quarter'', having ''not scored a single point for the whole game'' up to that point. Against [[OpposingSportsTeam a team composed of nearly all the best players recruited from high schools all across Japan]] that had won ''[[TheAce every single Christmas Bowl there had ever been]]'' [[TheAce for]] ''[[TheAce the last twenty years]]'', and who had ''[[CurbStompBattle never given up a single point against their opponents]]'' '''''[[UpToEleven in all that time.]]''''' [[spoiler: And they manage it, too. Then again, winning the Christmas Bowl for the protagonist team was the point of the whole series.]]

** Other players known for this trope include Roger "Captain Comeback" Staubach, and especially [[TheAce Joe Montana]]. He may be just below Marino and Elway in the category, but he was definitely no stranger to comebacks, as he started out with some in his alma mater, Notre Dame. [[OhCrap Teams just knew that Montana would rally the 49ers to victory if you give him just enough time to get the winning score.]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xyyp6okkFA&feature=related Boy,]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA47vcWAQno oh boy]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIz9E5IQKUE he did.]]

* During the 2006 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans were at their lowest point. Their record was 2–7, and by the end of the 3rd quarter against the NY Giants, they were down 21-0. All hope for a decent season (let alone a playoff appearance) seemed lost. But in the 4th quarter, the tide shift was so sudden, even the disenchanted fans were thrown back. By the last minute of regulation, The Titans scored three touchdowns total to tie the game. By the 0:30 mark, Adam "Pacman" Jones made an amazing interception to give the Titans possession again. Around the 0:07 mark, 61-yards away, the punter made a perfect kick across the field, and the ball ''barely'' crossed the field goal marker. Even [Titans coach] Jeff Fisher sounded surprised by the comeback during the post game interview. Even more amazingly, that game launched a second MiracleRally of its own, with the team winning FIVE more games, gaining them a positive win-loss record. Unfortunately, despite the results of various AFC centered games working in the Titans' favor for the wild card slot, the New England Patriots ended their playoffs chances early in game 16. Interestingly enough, the 2009 season hearkened back to that year. After a 0–6 deficit (with game six against the Patriots ending with a [[CurbStompBattle brutal 59–0 score]]), the Titans won the next five games straight, and ended their season at 8–8; ''just'' out of playoffs reach.

* "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" — the 1951 N.Y. Giants may have had the LONGEST MiracleRally in all of sports, lasting several weeks. They overcame a double-digit game lead by the Brooklyn Dodgers to pull into a tie when the season ended, then in the bottom of the 9th, in game three of a three game tiebreaker series, with a walk-off home run to win the pennant. Considered one of the most dramatic moments in all of Baseball history.
* The 1978 New York Yankees were at one point 14.5 games behind Boston and in fourth place in the division. They then went to take a lead in the division, but Boston didn't just go away. Holding a one-game lead with eight games remaining, the Yankees proceeded to win their next seven games. The Red Sox won all eight, forcing a tie on the final day of the season. The one-game playoff that followed was representative of the season as a whole, with the Red Sox taking an early lead, the Yankees bouncing back late, and the Red Sox making a rally of their own but falling just short.

** On August 25th, 2011, the Cardinals were 10 and a half games back in the NL Wild Card race. In just a month's time, they managed to go 22-8 and, thanks to a 9-17 September collapse by the Atlanta Braves (and a good luck necklace given to manager Tony La Russa by Music/CarlosSantana), they drew even with [[DownToTheLastPlay one game to play]]. The Cards took care of business against the [[ButtMonkey Houston Astros]]. The Braves... squandered a 3–1 lead with the Phillies plugging single-run innings in the 7th, 9th, and 13th. Cards advance [[WhoNeedsOvertime without having to play an extra inning or game]]!

*** 12:02 am Eastern in Baltimore: Robert Andino hits a game-winning single, and Orioles win 4–3; it's the backup shortstop's 7th RBI against Boston in the last eight days. The Red Sox now need Rays to lose to force an additional game for the American League wild card seed.

* Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets were down two runs with nobody on base and were just one out away from being eliminated. Three singles, a wild pitch, and an infamous error later, and the series was tied. Then they trailed 3–0 in Game 7 before rallying to win that one as well.

*** After the teams split the next two games, Game 4 had the Royals doing more of their comeback magic. In the top of the eigth, with New York leading 3–2, Mets pitcher Tyler Clippard got the first out, then walked two straight batters to force manager Terry Collins to bring Familia in early. Eric Hosmer proceeded to hit a ground ball that was misplayed by Mets second basemen Daniel Murphy, which allowed the tying run to score. Mike Moustakas immediately followed with a single that scored another run to put Kansas City up 4–3, and then another run scored on a hit by Salvador Perez. The Royals held the Mets scoreless to win Game 4, putting them only one game away from taking the series. In Game 5, the Royals were held scoreless to a dominant performance from Mets pitcher Matt Harvey. In the top of the ninth, with the Mets up 2–0, Harvey argued with Terry Collins to be allowed to finish the game, despite that he had thrown over 100 pitches. Harvey then gave up a leadoff walk to Lorenzo Cain, who stole second, then scored on a double by Eric Hosmer. Jeurys Familia came in again, and retired Mike Moustakas on a groundout that advanced Hosmer to third. The next batter, Salvador Perez hit a ground ball to Mets third baseman David Wright, who threw to first to retire Perez. But Hosmer broke for home the minute Wright threw the ball, and scored on a throwing error from first baseman Lucas Duda. Sent into extra innings, the Royals held the Mets scoreless. In the top of the twelfth, Kansas City blew the game open with 5 runs to make it 7–2. The Royals held on to win Game 5, and their first World Series since 1985.

* The NC State basketball team that won the 1983 NCAA men's championship was nicknamed "The Cardiac Pack" because they staged a miracle rally with a last second score almost ''every single game''. They won their nine tournament games by the following margins: 1, 7[[labelnote:*]]overtime[[/labelnote]], 3, 2[[labelnote:**]]double-overtime[[/labelnote]], 1, [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers 19]], 1, 7, and 2. That's an average margin of victory of less than five points.

Of course, this is a case of TruthInTelevision - several teams and individuals in the history of organized sports have, in fact, accomplished nearly impossible comebacks to win games no one thought they could possibly win anymore. The National Hockey League, for example, has seen at least five teams turn 5–0 scores against them into 6–5 victories - the Los Angeles Kings in 1982 against the Edmonton Oilers (the so-called "Miracle on Manchester"), the Colorado Avalanche against the Florida Panthers in 1999, the St. Louis Blues against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2000, the Montreal Canadiens in 2008 against the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009 against the Calgary Flames.

Of course, this is a case of TruthInTelevision - several teams and individuals in the history of organized sports have, in fact, accomplished nearly impossible comebacks to win games no one thought they could possibly win anymore. The National Hockey League, for example, has seen at least four teams turn 5–0 scores against them into 6–5 victories - the Los Angeles Kings in 1982 against the Edmonton Oilers (the so-called "Miracle on Manchester"), the St. Louis Blues against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2000, the Montreal Canadiens in 2008 against the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009 against the Calgary Flames.

When the work does ''not'' involve sports, then this is the MisfitMobilizationMoment.

** On November 10, 1984, in his college years, he led Maryland over Miami 42–40 after being behind 31–0 at halftime.

* Film/{{Rocky}} Balboa, several times across the series. (Though it's harder to determine whether someone is 'losing' or not in boxing then it is in other sports since there's no real scoring system - yes, the judges do keep score, but they don't determine anything unless no one wins straight out.)

* In ''Film/TheReplacements'', the Sentinels come back when A) Shane Falco returns as their quarterback, and B) the coach makes it clear that since none of them will still be football players tomorrow, the rules are a bit ... ''looser'' regarding their conduct on the field.

* Subverted in ''Madonna'', where the protagonists nearly come back from a 40-0 halftime deficit in the rugby tournament semifinals only to fail to score the winning try as time expires.

* The ''FruitsBasket'' college football fic "Jimmy & Kyo". [=UCF=] vs Ohio State. [=UCF=] takes an early 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter before going down 24-14 at halftime and 31-14 after the second half kick-off. Then, they pull off two unanswered touchdowns and after a nerve-wrecking drive by Ohio State, [[spoiler: take a 35-31 lead with less than 10 seconds remaining and]] ''[[spoiler: win.]]''

* In both of the first two ''Film/MajorLeague'' movies, the Indians start their MiracleRally when Pedro Cerrano hits a game-changing home run on an 0-2 count when he'd missed the first two pitches by a mile. The sequel also counts as a PerspectiveFlip: the Indians race out to a 3-0 lead in their postseason series only for [[OpposingSportsTeam Chicago]] to rally and force a game seven.

** The final match does this again. Justin is the last Joe standing against Globo Gym-- he makes a miraculous catch to bring Kate off the bench, who within two seconds catches a ball to bring Peter in and give Average Joe's a 3-2 player advantage.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold!'', "Mudbowl": With the 4th graders trailing the 5th graders 0-42 at halftime of a game of (American) football, the pivotal moment is Phoebe switching in Arnold as quarterback to replace Helga.
* Subversion: ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'', "Power Play": A roller hockey game is going on in which the winner will get to play with NHL stars. With the main characters' team trailing their rivals 0-4 with 13 minutes remaining, the pivotal moment is the team putting in Sam, their regular goalie, to replace Lars (a more aggresive goalie without ThePowerOfFriendship). They end up fighting back to 3-4 in the final minute, prompting one of the stars to comment "What a comeback! One of the best I've ever seen." Unfortunately, when Otto puts in a shot from long distance at the horn, it's disallowed, making for a DownerEnding.

** On November 10, 1984, in his college years, he led Maryland over Miami 42-40 after being behind 31-0 at halftime.
** And, of course, in the January 3, 1993 NFL playoff game, sparked the Buffalo Bills' rally over the Houston Oilers, winning 41-38 (in overtime) after being behind 35-3 early in the third quarter. At the time they started their comeback, the Bills starting quarterback (Jim Kelly), running back (Thurman Thomas), and middle linebacker (Cornelius Bennett) were all out of the game with injuries.

* Super Bowl XLIII featured a MiracleRally by both teams in the fourth quarter, both rallies being different types. Trailing 20-7 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Arizona Cardinals scored two touchdowns and a safety to take a 23-20 lead with only two and a half minutes left. Just when it seemed that this was UnderdogsNeverLose at its finest, the Pittsburgh Steelers mounted a single-drive MiracleRally capped off by an amazing catch by Santonio Holmes for the game winning TD.
* The 2006 Monday Night Football game where the Chicago Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals after being behind by 20 points when the second quarter started. And all of the Bears' touchdowns were earned entirely by the defense and the special teams because Rex Grossman had a horrible performance during the game. The Bears finalized their win when the Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers [who, we might add, before this was known for being a damn good kicker] missed a 40 yard field goal that would have given them the lead. The final score was 24-23 for the Chicago Bears, and it was #6 on NFL.coms [[http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d810a93ac/Top-Ten-Comebacks-Cardinals-blow-it top 10 comebacks of all time]]. It also resulted in Dennis Greens epic "They are who we thought they were" meltdown. It was such an epic collapse by a team with a reputation for disappointment that even if you were a fan of the winning team, you couldn't help feeling a bit bummed.
* 1994 [[SeriousBusiness Texas State High School Football Playoffs.]] John Tyler HS has a 41-17 lead over Plano East with ''3 minutes left.'' Plano then throws 4 straight touchdown passes after recovering three straight onside kicks to take the lead. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHkABO0VwCg The Announcers get crazier by the minute and this wild comeback plays out.]] Then subverted at the end, as John Tyler comes back with a mini MiracleRally of their own, returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to win.
* Subverted in the January 2010 NFL wild-card game between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, where the Packers rallied from deficits of 17-0 and 31-10 to tie the game 38-38, and then again at 45-45, only to lose, on all things, a touchdown scored by Arizona's defense.
* During the 2006-2007 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans were at their lowest point. Their record was 2-7, and by the end of the 3rd quarter against the NY Giants, they were down 21-0. All hope for a decent season (let alone a playoff appearance) seemed lost. But in the 4th quarter, the tide shift was so sudden, even the disenchanted fans were thrown back. By the last minute of regulation, The Titans scored three touchdowns total to tie the game. By the 0:30 mark, Adam "Pacman" Jones made an amazing interception to give the Titans possession again. Around the 0:07 mark, 61-yards away, the punter made a perfect kick across the field, and the ball ''barely'' crossed the field goal marker. Even [Titans coach] Jeff Fisher sounded surprised by the comeback during the post game interview. Even more amazingly, that game launched a second MiracleRally of its own, with the team winning FIVE more games, gaining them a positive win-loss record. Unfortunately, despite the results of various AFC centered games working in the Titans' favor for the wild card slot, the New England Patriots ended their playoffs chances early in game 16. Interestingly enough, the 2009-2010 season hearkened back to that year. After a 0-6 deficit (with game six against the Patriots ending with a [[CurbStompBattle brutal 59-0 score]]), the Titans won the next five games straight, and ended their season at 8-8; ''just'' out of playoffs reach.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_at_Jordan–Hare Auburn 2013,]] facing heated rival Georgia at home, down by one point with less than a minute to play, quarterback Nick Marshall heaves up a Hail Mary throw to sprinting Tigers receiver Ricardo Lewis who couldn't see where the ball was, only for the ball to come within reach of two Bulldog defenders. Instead of knocking it down - what players are taught to do with Hail Marys - both Georgia players jump for the ball for a possible interception... only for each other to knock it up in the air. The ball literally floats over into Lewis' face, who reaches up for an easy catch without breaking stride as he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpDz8YyVD8 races into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.]]

* The 2014 Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans game saw the record set for largest road game comeback: the Browns, losing 3-28 during the second quarter, went on to rally and score 26 unanswered points, winning 29–28.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_at_the_New_Meadowlands The Miracle at the New Meadowlands.]] The Philadelphia Eagles, after trailing the New York Giants 31-10 with 8:17 remaining in the 4th quarter, orchestrate an incredible comeback to tie the game 31-31 with 1:16 remaining. The Eagles defense then forces a 3-and-out by the Giants, who drain the clock down to 0:14 before calling time out. On the ensuing punt the ball is snapped high to rookie punter Matt Dodge. This forces him to rush the punt and is unable to direct the ball away from returner [=DeSean=] Jackson, who takes the punt 65 yards for the game winning touchdown with no time remaining. Final score: Eagles 38 Giants 31. This is, without question, the greatest 4th quarter comeback victory in Eagles history. Jackson's touchdown is the first of its kind in the history of the NFL (game-winning punt return TD with :00 remaining in regulation).
* October 8, 2011, Nebraska vs Ohio State: Nebraska was down 27-6 midway through the third quarter when Nebraska physically took the ball away from Braxton Miller, and Taylor Martinez ran it in on the very next play, and Nebraska scored 28 unanswered points to win 34-27.
* The Monday Night Miracle. On October 23, 2000, fierce rivals New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played on Monday Night Football. At the end of the third quarter with the score 30–7 in Miami's favor, Jets broadcaster Howard David announced, "And with a whole quarter to go, this game is over." The Jets proceeded to stage a furious rally in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 unanswered points to tie the game at 30. The Dolphins went on to score again to go up 37. Improbably, the Jets tied it again with a touchdown pass caught by offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott, playing as a tackle-eligible. Jets kicker John Hall then won the game with a field goal in overtime to complete the miracle with a 40-37 victory. This was the second largest comeback in NFL history and was voted the greatest Monday Night Football game of all time.
* Division II Lone Star Conference Football Championship. West Texas A&M is up 48-38 with 2:55 left in the game. Midwestern State scores a touchdown in 49 seconds to make the score 45-48. They kick it onside, but West Texas recovers it. However, MSU has a time out to burn, so WTAMU tries to push, but they are forced to punt. The punt snap is over the head of the punter, and MSU return it for a touchdown with 55 seconds left, and it's now 52-48. A field goal will do nothing; WTAMU '''must''' score a touchdown. WTAMU take it to the 28 yard line. The first pass is deflected, the second play, the quarterback is sacked, the third pass is intercepted with 8 seconds left, and a knee is taken to seal the victory.

* In the 2013 AFC Wild Card Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Indianapolis Colts, the Chiefs dominated the game early on, taking a 31-10 lead at halftime despite losing several players to injuries during the game, most notably running back Jamaal Charles. They extended the lead to 38-10 early on the third quarter with a touchdown after Colts QB Andrew Luck threw an interception on the first play of the quarter, and the Chiefs' lead looked insurmountable. But after that touchdown, Luck, who had been fairly inconsistent up to that point, turned his day around and the Colts got 3 touchdowns in the third quarter. Meanwhile, The Chiefs' offense, which had dominated in the first half, was unable to do much- in the third quarter, after that first touchdown, they only managed to get a field goal on another interception. Still, they led 41-31 at the end of the third quarter- then in the fourth, after another Colts touchdown and a Chiefs' Field Goal made it 44-38, and then with a bit more than 4 minutes left, Luck completed a 64-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. The game wasn't over yet, though, with Kansas City having plenty of time to score and only needing a field goal, but their drive was stopped near the Colts' 40-yard line, a bit outside of field goal range, and the Colts won, 45-44. The 28-point comeback made it the second-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history, behind only the Bills-Oilers game mentioned above. And unlike that game, the Chiefs-Colts game [[WhoNeedsOvertime ended in regulation.]]
* The 2014 Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans game saw the record set for largest road game comeback: the Browns, losing 3-28 during the second quarter, went on to rally and score 26 unanswered points, winning 29-28.
* Super Bowl XLIX: Heading into the fourth quarter, the Seattle Seahawks led the New England Patriots 24-14. Only two other teams had ever won the Lombardi Trophy after being down 10 points in the game, but both of those deficits came in the ''first'' quarter. Tom Brady led the Patriots on two touchdown drives, giving New England the lead with just over 2 minutes remaining. Their defense had to hold, however, and after a miraculous catch by Seattle receiver Jermaine Kearse put the Seahawks at the 5-yard line, and a 4-yard run by star running back Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch moved them to the 1, it was all but certain New England's comeback would be wasted. But on the next play, undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass at the goal line, preserving a win for the Patriots.

* The 2005 UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan, a.k.a. 'The Miracle of Istanbul' takes the cake. AC Milan were considered one of the best teams in the world, having multiple FIFA 100 players, a future World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner in Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka and former Champions League winners in their line up (in the case of Clarence Seedorf, a player who'd won it three times with three different clubs), and had won the competition in 2003. Liverpool, despite their rich European history, had no FIFA 100 players, no former Champions League winners etc, and had dragged themselves to the final through sheer [[{{Determinator}} determination]], a healthy dollop of luck and some extraordinary performances by their Captain and one world class player, Steven Gerrard, who was at the time on the point of a move to Chelsea. They weren't even going to qualify for the next season's competition. Liverpool went a goal down in less than 40 seconds and were trailing 0-3 at the break. Liverpool responded with a second half performance that shocked the world, scoring three goals in ''six minutes'', holding out under Milan's onslaught for a whole ''hour'' of normal and extra time, something that included a double save from Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko by Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek that was later voted the greatest Champions League moment of all time, before going on to win 3-2 on penalties. Gerrard stayed at Liverpool for another ten years, becoming a club legend, Jerzy Dudek and Xabi Alonso, another member of that side, became fan favourites at Liverpool and then at Real Madrid, while Milan got their revenge in the 2007 final, winning 2-1. Even now, 11 years on, players on both sides still have no idea how it happened.
** Liverpool have a penchant for this, especially in European matches, with the always noisy Anfield becoming a positive cauldron capable of rattling even the best players. They're known for bringing their A-Game in Europe, even [[UnderdogsNeverLose (especially)]] when technically speaking they are completely outclassed, thriving on ridiculous odds. This is a club that tends to regard a three goal deficit against a technically superior team as a challenge, as the 'Miracle of Istanbul' and the 2016 Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg against Borussia Dortmund demonstrate. In the latter case, as with Milan, Liverpool were outside the Champions League spots and had few players of real top class, while Dortmund had comfortably qualified for the Champions League and were challenging Bayern Munich for the German title and had top players throughout their team, including one of the best front threes in Europe. The only reason Dortmund were in the Europa Leauge at all was because they'd had a bad start to the previous season which slowed them down. Liverpool had contained an out of sorts Dortmund in Germany and were level at 1-1 on aggregate, with a slight advantage thanks to the away goals rule. Then, they conceded two goals in the first 8 minutes to put them 3-1 down on aggregate, meaning that thanks to the away goals rule, they needed to win outright to go through. They pulled one back in the second half to make it 3-2 (2-1 on the night), then promptly another goal down 4-2 (3-1 on the night). With less than 30 minutes to go, they needed three goals. They promptly got those goals, winning 4-3 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
** And these are just two of the more recent examples. Going back in time, in 1977 Liverpool were 1-0 down against French champions St. Etienne going into the second leg at Anfield and were consequently written off. Liverpool levelled the tie early, but St. Etienne regained the lead with a vital away goal. Liverpool had to score twice without reply to go through and promptly did, winning 3-1 (3-2 on aggregate), going on to win their first European Cup (later known as the Champions League). And on the way to the 2005 triumph, they needed to win by 2 clear goals against Greek champions Olympiakos to progress from the group stage. Going 1-0 down at half time, they needed 3 goals. With the score at 2-1, captain Steven Gerrard, after having a spectacular volley ruled out earlier, thundered in a goal ranked as one of the Champions League's best. Because of this, they're sometimes known as Europe's Comeback Kings; after the against-the-odds-victory over Borussia Dortmund in 2016, [=#ComeBackKings=] was trending on Twitter. They're also not shy of handing out thrashings; in 2007, they responded to a 1-0 first leg defeat by Turkish team Besiktas by breaking the Champions League's goal scoring record, obliterating them 8-0 and crushing Real Madrid 4-0 at Anfield in 2009. In short, Liverpool are ''not'' a team you want chasing a game in Europe, nor is Anfield a place where you want to make them do it.
* When a similar event occurred nine years later, between a title chasing Liverpool and Crystal Palace, (Palace were 0-3 down, scored three goals to equalise in the last ten minutes), game was referred to as "The Miracle of [[TakeThat Crystanbul]]".
* Chelsea vs Stoke City, FA Premier League, 17th January 2009. Chelsea were 1-0 down with two minutes left, however they equalized, then with seconds remaining they scored the winner.
* Manchester United vs Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final, United 1-0 down in injury time, score 2 goals to win the competition.
* Tottenham Hotspur have been on the receiving end of these a few times in recent years. In 2001, they were 3-0 ahead at half time against Manchester United in a Premiership match and went on to lose 5-3. Two years later, and they led 3-0 at half time again, against Manchester City, with one of Man City's players having been sent off, and they lost 4-3. Two years ago, they were leading 3-1 away at Chelsea in an FA Cup match with 15 minutes left (although they hadn't led 3-0 this time), before Chelsea scored twice in twelve minutes to salvage a 3-3 draw. Chelsea won the replay and went on to win the competition.
* San Lorenzo vs River Plate, "Libertadores" Cup, 8th May 2008. San Lorenzo were 0-2 with two players sent off and only 20 minutes to go and managed to make a ''comeback'' and tie the game. Since they had won the first match, they qualified for the quarterfinals.
* A UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie between Chelsea and Liverpool was full of these. Chelsea had won the first leg 3-1 at Anfield, leaving Liverpool needing to win by three goals (or win by two goals scoring more than three). Liverpool had managed to turn over the two-goal aggregate deficit by racing into a 2-0 lead in the first half, needing to score just one more to progress. However, Chelsea came back to lead 3-2 with just fifteen minutes to go and seemingly book their place in the last four. Then Liverpool scored twice in two minutes to lead 4-3 and need just one more goal to go through on away goals. Chelsea then equalised with one minute left to secure a 4-4 draw and progress 7-5 on aggregate.
* In a Second Division match in December 1957, Charlton Athletic were playing hosts to Huddersfield Town (then managed by future Liverpool manager Bill Shankly), and after losing their captain Derek Ufton to injury (at a time when there were no substitutes) after 17 minutes, they were trailing 5-1 with only 27 minutes left, with spectators leaving in droves. Then, in the space of 18 minutes, Johnny Summers scored four goals for Charlton and set Buck Ryan up for a fifth to give Charlton a 6-5 lead; Stan Howard equalised for Huddersfield with four minutes left, but Summers set Ryan up for a second goal with a minute left to give Charlton an astonishing 7-6 win. Huddersfield became the only team in professional football to score six goals in a match and still lose.
* West Bromwich Albion were 3-0 at half time against West Ham United in the 2010/11 season. The game ended in a 3–3 draw.