Kenneth Gainwell’s Wild Week 16 Touchdown: A Catch of the Year Contender
If you’re looking for the play that defines Week 16 - and maybe the entire 2025 NFL season - look no further than Kenneth Gainwell’s jaw-dropping touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions. It was the kind of play that makes you freeze mid-sentence, rewind your TV, and ask, “Did he really just do that?”
Let’s set the scene: late in the second quarter, Steelers vs. Lions, game tied 3-3. Pittsburgh’s offense hadn’t found much rhythm, but with the half winding down, Aaron Rodgers decided it was time to take a shot.
Rodgers, still showing flashes of his signature deep-ball magic, uncorked one downfield in the direction of Gainwell - yes, the running back. Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone was in coverage and made contact, drawing a flag for defensive pass interference. But Gainwell wasn’t waiting for the officials to bail him out.
As he tumbled to the turf, Gainwell somehow managed to secure the ball mid-fall, then popped back up like a running back on a mission and darted into the end zone. Touchdown, Steelers.
Tie game, 10-10 at the break. And just like that, Gainwell gave Pittsburgh a jolt of momentum heading into halftime.
It wasn’t just the difficulty of the catch - though that alone was enough to make highlight reels across the country. It was the awareness, the body control, and the sheer determination to finish the play.
Most guys would’ve been happy to draw the flag. Gainwell turned it into six.
Shades of a Classic
For longtime fans, Gainwell’s play might have stirred up memories of one of the most iconic catches in NFL history - Antonio Freeman’s surreal overtime touchdown on Monday Night Football back in 2000. On that play, Freeman somehow caught a deflected ball while lying on the ground, then got up and ran it in for the game-winner.
Al Michaels’ legendary call - *“He did what?” * - is still etched in NFL lore.
Now, we’re not saying Gainwell’s catch was a carbon copy. But the spirit of the play?
The improbability? The way it left fans and players alike shaking their heads in disbelief?
That was all there.
A Career Highlight for Gainwell
Let’s be real: this might go down as the signature moment of Kenneth Gainwell’s career. The fifth-year back out of Memphis has carved out a solid role in Pittsburgh’s offense, but this was something else entirely.
A play that transcends stat lines and game plans. A play that gets talked about in barbershops and tailgates for years to come.
Whether it ends up being the best play of the 2025 season is up for debate. But it’s absolutely in the conversation - and that’s saying something in a league where spectacular moments happen every Sunday.
So go ahead, cue up the replay. Watch it again. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find yourself saying what fans across the country were thinking:
“He did what?”