The Biggest Comebacks in Sports History
On this page11
- 01Utah Jazz — 36 points (1996)
- 02Minnesota Vikings — 33 points (2022)
- 03Buffalo Bills — 32 points, 'The Comeback' (1993)
- 04Liverpool — 3-0 down, 'The Miracle of Istanbul' (2005)
- 05Boston Red Sox — down 3-0, 2004 ALCS
- 06Barcelona — 4-0 down, 'La Remontada' (2017)
- 07USA Ryder Cup — 10-6 down, 'The Battle of Brookline' (1999)
- 08How we ranked these comebacks
- 09The record by sport, at a glance
- 10Why the NFL record changed
- 11Comebacks and the drama of the upset
We rank each entry by how large the deficit was in its own sport's terms, then weigh the stakes: a title, a playoff elimination, or a final counts more than a regular-season game. Cross-sport numbers can't be stacked directly, so each rally is the defining reversal in its discipline.
- NBA points record
Utah Jazz — 36 points (1996)
No major North American team has erased a larger single-game deficit. On November 27, 1996, the Denver Nuggets shot 73% in the first half and led 70-36 at the break; the Jazz clawed all the way back to win 107-103, a 36-point comeback that still tops the NBA's list. It ranks above the NFL and soccer entries here purely on raw points, because basketball's pace lets a trailing team score in bunches.
Karl Malone carried the rally with 31 points and 17 rebounds. The margin is what makes it the numerical benchmark for the whole leaderboard — the full breakdown sits in our biggest comeback in NBA history piece.
Sport: NBA · Deficit: 36 points · Final: Jazz 107, Nuggets 103 · Date: Nov 27, 1996
- NFL all-time record
Minnesota Vikings — 33 points (2022)
This is now the largest comeback in NFL history, and it is recent enough that many fans still cite the older record. On December 17, 2022, the Colts led 33-0 at halftime before the Vikings won 39-36 in overtime on a Greg Joseph field goal — a 33-point rally that broke a mark standing since 1993.
Kirk Cousins threw for 460 yards and four touchdowns. It edges the Bills' comeback below it by a single point, which is why it sits one rank higher despite being less famous.
Sport: NFL · Deficit: 33 points · Final: Vikings 39, Colts 36 (OT) · Date: Dec 17, 2022
- NFL playoff record
Buffalo Bills — 32 points, 'The Comeback' (1993)
The most storied rally in football, and still the largest in postseason history. In the January 3, 1993 AFC Wild Card game, Buffalo trailed the Houston Oilers 35-3 in the third quarter with backup Frank Reich starting for the injured Jim Kelly, then won 41-38 in overtime. The Pro Football Hall of Fame still lists it as the NFL's greatest comeback for its stage and stakes.
It ranks just below the Vikings on points but carries heavier context: elimination, a depleted roster, and a 32-point hole in a playoff game. Our biggest comeback in NFL history article has the full drive-by-drive account.
Sport: NFL playoffs · Deficit: 32 points · Final: Bills 41, Oilers 38 (OT) · Date: Jan 3, 1993
- Champions League final
Liverpool — 3-0 down, 'The Miracle of Istanbul' (2005)
Soccer's low scoring makes any multi-goal recovery extraordinary, and none is bigger on a bigger stage. Down 3-0 to AC Milan at halftime of the 2005 Champions League final, Liverpool scored three times in a six-minute stretch to force extra time, then won the penalty shootout. Erasing a three-goal deficit in a European final is the soccer equivalent of the basketball and football rallies above.
It ranks ahead of the aggregate comebacks below because it happened inside 90 minutes, in a single winner-take-all final, against the reigning holders' quality.
Sport: Soccer (UCL final) · Deficit: 3-0 at half · Result: 3-3, won on penalties · Date: May 25, 2005
- Series comeback
Boston Red Sox — down 3-0, 2004 ALCS
Unique in a way no other entry is: the Red Sox are the only team in Major League Baseball history to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first three games, and they did it against the rival Yankees. Down 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS, Boston won four straight — the turning point a Dave Roberts stolen base off Mariano Rivera in Game 4 — then swept the World Series to end an 86-year title drought.
It sits here rather than higher because the reversal played out over days, not minutes, but the near-impossible odds of a 0-3 series recovery earn its place.
Sport: MLB (ALCS) · Deficit: 0-3 in series · Result: won 4-3 · Date: October 2004
- Aggregate comeback
Barcelona — 4-0 down, 'La Remontada' (2017)
The greatest turnaround in Champions League knockout history over two legs. After losing the first leg 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona won the return 6-1 — with three goals after the 88th minute, capped by Sergi Roberto in stoppage time — to advance 6-5 on aggregate. No side had ever overturned a four-goal first-leg deficit in the competition.
It ranks below Istanbul because it unfolded across two matches rather than one final, but the late-game swing remains the sport's most dramatic aggregate reversal.
Sport: Soccer (UCL round of 16) · Deficit: 4-0 on aggregate · Result: won 6-5 · Date: March 8, 2017
- Team match play
USA Ryder Cup — 10-6 down, 'The Battle of Brookline' (1999)
The benchmark comeback in team golf. Trailing Europe 10-6 heading into Sunday singles at The Country Club in Brookline, the United States needed to win 8½ of 12 points and did, taking the session and the Cup 14½-13½. Justin Leonard's long putt on the 17th all but sealed it.
Golf can't be measured in points erased like the entries above, so it ranks last here — but a four-point singles deficit had rarely been overturned, making it the sport's signature reversal.
Sport: Golf (Ryder Cup) · Deficit: 10-6 entering singles · Result: USA won 14½-13½ · Date: Sept 1999
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- Utah Jazz — 36 points (1996)
- Minnesota Vikings — 33 points (2022)
- Buffalo Bills — 32 points, 'The Comeback' (1993)
- Liverpool — 3-0 down, 'The Miracle of Istanbul' (2005)
- Boston Red Sox — down 3-0, 2004 ALCS
- Barcelona — 4-0 down, 'La Remontada' (2017)
- USA Ryder Cup — 10-6 down, 'The Battle of Brookline' (1999)
Audience ranking
How everyone ranked them
Built from reader rankings using position-based points.
How we ranked these comebacks
Because a 36-point basketball hole and a 3-0 soccer deficit can’t be compared on the same scale, this list ranks each rally within its own sport, then weighs three things: the size of the deficit relative to what’s normal in that sport, the stakes (a final or elimination game outranks a regular-season fixture), and how compressed the reversal was. A comeback completed inside one game sits above one spread across a series or two legs, which is why Istanbul ranks above La Remontada and the Bills’ playoff rally sits near the top despite trailing the Vikings by a point.
Raw point margins decide the numerical record, and that lives in basketball for a structural reason, not a judgment call: the NBA simply allows more scoring per minute than football, soccer, or baseball. That is why the Jazz top the leaderboard on the number alone while the football and soccer entries carry the fame.
The record by sport, at a glance
| Sport | Comeback | Event | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball (NBA) | 36 points | Jazz over Nuggets | 1996 |
| American football (NFL) | 33 points | Vikings over Colts | 2022 |
| NFL playoffs | 32 points | Bills over Oilers, “The Comeback” | 1993 |
| Soccer (UCL final) | 3-0 halftime deficit | Liverpool over AC Milan, Istanbul | 2005 |
| Baseball (MLB) | 0-3 series deficit | Red Sox over Yankees, ALCS | 2004 |
| Soccer (UCL knockout) | 4-0 aggregate | Barcelona over PSG, “La Remontada” | 2017 |
| Golf (Ryder Cup) | 10-6 down entering singles | USA at Brookline | 1999 |
Each row is the signature rally in its discipline. They can’t be stacked cleanly against one another, but together they map what “biggest comeback” means across the sporting world.
Why the NFL record changed
For nearly 30 years, “the biggest comeback in NFL history” meant the Buffalo Bills. That changed on December 17, 2022, when the Vikings erased a 33-0 halftime deficit against the Colts — one point larger than Buffalo’s 32. The distinction that keeps both in the conversation is category: the Bills’ rally was a playoff game, so it still holds the postseason record, while the Vikings own the overall mark. Sources published before December 2022 naturally still credit Buffalo, which is the single most common error you’ll see repeated about this topic.
Comebacks and the drama of the upset
A great comeback is a close cousin of a great upset, and the two overlap whenever an underdog storms back to stun a favorite. What unites every entry here is the same emotional turn: a result that looked settled coming undone in minutes. For the flip side of these moments — the results nobody saw coming — see our ranking of the biggest upsets in sports history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest comeback in sports history?+
There is no single answer, because each sport measures deficits differently. By raw points erased in one game, basketball leads with the Utah Jazz's 36-point rally against Denver in 1996. In the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings' 33-point comeback over the Colts in 2022 is the record. In soccer, Liverpool's recovery from 3-0 down in the 2005 Champions League final is the most celebrated. Each is the defining reversal in its own sport.
What is the biggest comeback in NFL history?+
The Minnesota Vikings hold the record. On December 17, 2022, they trailed the Indianapolis Colts 33-0 at halftime and won 39-36 in overtime, a 33-point rally. It passed the Buffalo Bills' 32-point comeback from the January 1993 playoff game, which had stood for nearly three decades. The Bills' rally remains the largest comeback in NFL postseason history, so both records still stand in their own categories.
Why isn't the Bills' comeback still the NFL record?+
It was the record from January 1993 until December 2022, when the Vikings erased a 33-point deficit against the Colts, one point larger than Buffalo's 32. Because the Bills' game was a playoff, it still holds the postseason record, while the Vikings hold the overall mark. Many older sources and highlight reels predate the Vikings' game and still list Buffalo, which is why the confusion persists.
What was Liverpool's comeback in the 2005 Champions League final?+
Liverpool trailed AC Milan 3-0 at halftime in Istanbul, then scored three goals in about six minutes early in the second half to level the match at 3-3. After extra time settled nothing, the final went to a penalty shootout, which Liverpool won. It is often called the Miracle of Istanbul and is widely considered the greatest comeback in a European final, given the stage and the quality of the Milan side.
Which sport has the biggest single-game point comebacks?+
Basketball, because of its high scoring and fast possessions, which let a trailing team erase a large lead quickly. The NBA record is the Utah Jazz's 36-point rally in 1996, larger than the NFL's 33-point record. Lower-scoring sports like soccer, hockey, and baseball produce smaller numerical deficits, but a two- or three-goal recovery there can feel just as improbable because every score carries far more weight.
Has any baseball team come back from 3-0 down in a series?+
Only once in Major League Baseball's best-of-seven history. The 2004 Boston Red Sox lost the first three games of the ALCS to the New York Yankees, then won four straight to take the pennant, sparked by Dave Roberts' stolen base in Game 4. They went on to sweep the World Series and end an 86-year title drought. No other MLB team has recovered from a 3-0 series hole to win.
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