PHOENIX — In the second quarter of Sunday's AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson made an amazing play catching a pass he threw after it was tipped and then running for a first down.
That play may have brought out some feelings of déjà vu high school football and Arizona Cardinals fans, as it was very similar to plays made here in the Grand Canyon State.
We'll have to go back to the 2008 NFC Championship game for the first play.
On the final play of the third quarter between the Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, Cardinals QB Kurt Warner threw a pass that was tipped by Philadelphia cornerback Joselio Hanson. The ball went right back into Warner's hands and he took off running. However, unlike Jackson's play on Sunday, which went for 13 yards, Warner did not get the first down and settled for a four-yard gain.
The Cardinals went on to win that game and advance to the first, and so far only, Super Bowl in franchise history.
Warner's catch was the last time a quarterback threw a pass to himself in a conference championship game in the NFL.
Now, let's jump ahead to 2023 for the second play, which was the Hot Shot Play of the Year for the 34th season of Friday Night Fever here on 12News.
On September 23, 2023, in a matchup between ALA-Queen Creek and Pinnacle, ALA-Queen Creek QB Enoch Watson threw a pass that got tipped up into the air. He caught it and then ran in for a touchdown.
That play was voted as the Week 5 Hot Shots Play of the Week and then chosen by 12Sports as the Hot Shots Play of the Year in the 2023 Friday Night Fever Awards Show. Watson signed to play college football at BYU after the season.
This was also the second time in the past decade a quarterback has thrown a pass to themselves in a playoff game against the Chiefs. In the 2018 Wild Card round, then-Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota caught a pass he threw and then ran in for a touchdown. Tennessee won the game, 22-21.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
12Sports on YouTube
Get the latest news and stories from 12Sports on the 12News YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe!