Top 5 NFL photos of the year

The Catch 

During a prime-time Sunday night game in Week 12, Odell Beckham Jr. made the greatest catch everyone on Twitter had ever seen. It was remarkable. As the picture above shows, he reeled in the 43-yard touchdown with three fingers, while also being mauled by Brandon Carr on the play.

The Kick 

The high hurdle was commonplace in the NFL this season, but Antonio Brown's Week 1 effort is still the best. He kicked Spencer Lanning square in the face while jumping over him. It was an act of PPE (Pure Punter Emasculation).

The Brawl 

This was a rather decent brawl by NFL standards, and the picture is even better. You have two groups of players pulling at each other's helmets in a chaotic scene, while others appear stuck in a moment of indecision.

The Face Wash 

Jeremy Hill being simultaneously loathed by a Browns fan and embraced by a Bengals fan is rife with drama. It's fairly straightforward metaphorical imagery. To extend the metaphor, look at the sad Jaguars fan on the right watching the other franchises passionately compete. 

The Protest 

In a year that saw the intersection of sports and social issues dominate headlines, it would be hard to leave the St. Louis Rams' "Hands Up, Don't Shoot!" protest off this list. The sometimes hateful backlash to this peaceful protest exemplified a growing disconnect between the league, its fans and the players.