A Hail Mary is a football play in which a losing team, just as the clock runs out, tries to tie or win the game in one desperate move. After the ball is hiked, all offensive team members except for the offensive linemen run as fast as they can towards the end zone and most of the defense runs there also to try to intercept or block the ball. Usually it doesn’t work as the ball is usually intercepted by the defense or fumbled by the quarterback as some defensive lineman may stay online in order to try to tackle the quarterback.
However, sometimes it just works. When it does, it is one of the most exciting plays in football.
See here.
