List of NFL 99-yard pass plays
Longest possible forward-passing play in American football
A 99-yard pass play is the longest play involving a forward pass that is possible in an American football game. It gains 99 yards and scores a touchdown for the offensive team. The play has occurred fourteen times in National Football League (NFL) history, most recently by Eli Manning and Victor Cruz. The Washington Redskins are the only team to have had multiple 99-yard passes, having done so three times. They were also the first franchise to complete one, accomplishing the feat in 1939. The Chicago Bears are the only team to have given up multiple 99-yard passes, doing so three times. Teams that have had a 99-yard pass play are 11–3 in the game it occurred in.
In addition to 99-yard pass plays, there have been two 99-yard running plays, by Tony Dorsett and Derrick Henry.
Details
A 99-yard pass play starts with the line of scrimmage at the offensive team's one-yard line. The quarterback receives the ball, passes it and completes a forward pass, which is then carried for a touchdown at the other end of the field.
The public source identifies “List of NFL 99-yard pass plays” as longest possible forward-passing play in American football. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around List, 99-yard and pass.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “List of NFL 99-yard pass plays”, the useful work is to connect “longest possible forward-passing play in American football” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4646257. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1939.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “List of NFL 99-yard pass plays”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow List of NFL 99-yard pass plays primary sources, List of NFL 99-yard pass plays archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of NFL 99-yard pass plays”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “List of NFL 99-yard pass plays” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.