Top 5 most memorable plays of former NFL star Demaryius Thomas

The tragic news of Demaryius Thomas' untimely death struck the NFL world late last night. Thomas was found dead in his Georgia home, leaving the football world reeling.

Plenty of tributes have been pouring in from players, coaches, and NFL fans worldwide. The amount of love that Thomas has been getting just goes to prove the type of player that he was on and off the field.

Thomas would have turned 34 on Christmas Day.

Thomas was one of the most gifted wide receivers to ever play football and is second all-time in receiving yards and touchdowns for the Denver Broncos. Thomas' career will be forever stamped in the memories of the NFL-loving world.

Here are the top five most memorable plays from Demaryius Thomas' career.

Which Demaryius Thomas play is the most memorable?

New York Jets v Denver Broncos

#5 - 4th and 1 touchdown catch

It was arguably one of the most underrated catches of Demaryius Thomas' career, but it just goes to show how talented he was as a wide receiver.

Peyton Manning was set to take his offense to the go-ahead 4th and 1 play heading into the 2nd quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions.

Manning gunned the ball downfield from the 50-yard line in the final seconds of the first half. Thomas catches the ball and pulls a juke move to run it into the endzone for a 14-6 Broncos lead.

#4 - Catching Peyton Manning's record touchdown

Demaryius Thomas had the privilege of playing with one of the most legendary QBs in NFL history, Peyton Manning.

Manning and Thomas linked up for Manning's 509 touchdown pass, which pushed him past Brett Favre.

He showed off his innate ability to catch touchdowns while performing some of the most efficient toe-touch skills the NFL has ever seen. There are only a few wide receivers in the league that have the pass-catching ability that Thomas had, while always being wary of his feet being in-bound.

Top 3 most memorable Demaryius Thomas plays

#3 - Thomas' burns Chargers for 74-yard touchdown

Demaryius Thomas just loved to ball out on the then-San Diego Chargers. That was the case when the two rival teams took each other on in the 2013 season.

What could be better than a prime Peyton Manning throwing touchdowns to one of the Broncos' best all-time wide receivers?

The 74-yard touchdown play is the first in the above video. The video shows Thomas catching the ball on the sidelines and effectively burning right through the entire secondary of the Chargers defense.

Thomas was one of a kind, as he could always tip-toe catch or run at full-speed down the sidelines without ever being stopped.

#2 - Thomas' one-handed touchdown grab

Thomas was just a freak athlete that could catch the ball in any way, shape, or form. His ball-catching abilities were second to none, and that was put on full display with his epic one-handed touchdown catch against divisional rival Kansas City Chiefs.

The first catch of the above video shows the pure athleticism that Thomas always had on full display. He reached up for a one-handed grab while keeping his feet firmly within the endzone.

#1 - Overtime touchdown in Denver

Few plays are more career-defining than the famous touchdown in overtime, where the Broncos beat the Steelers to send themselves into the next round of the playoffs.

The touchdown pass from Tim Tebow was heard worldwide as the 8-8 Broncos were given no chance of beating the former AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tebow hit Thomas on a slight post route and burned through two very close Steelers defenders for a walk-off overtime touchdown.

Thank you for all the memories, Demaryius Thomas.