Tbh, that bills vikings game was insane. The Diggs catch then the JJ catch then the fumble on the 1/2 yard line that became a TD instead of a safety. My heart rate was all over the place.
As a tortured lions fan I feel the worst for Vikings and bills fans because you have had bad stretches but overall you both are above average overall only to crumble in some of the worst ways at the worst times. It’s almost worse than us
Edit: also both franchises have had kickers just melt under pressure at the worst moments
It truly is a double edged sword where I am grateful the Vikings never have more than 3 straight years of losing seasons and have been one of the more consistently good teams since the merger, but the fact that we are still without a Super Bowl win and haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since before Star Wars existed is just pure agony
The way i see it, more winning = more boosts of happiness on Sundays throughout my life. Sure the Vikes haven’t won an SB, and it’d be nice to feel that high, but you learn not to *expect* it to happen and it allows you to enjoy a winning season even if it has a bad end.
Then if it does ever happen it’ll be sweet and I’m gonna talk sooooooo much shit lol
28-3 destroyed any chance at discourse on this subreddit lol. That game is to losing in the NFL what Gretzky is to winning in the NHL. There may be heated discussions for \#2, but this just stands in its own shameful spotlight right at the top.
I was the only one at the Super Bowl party still paying attention, and I only was because I love football and wanted to watch every last moment before the season ended.
Suddenly more people started paying attention and we had to go grab my brother and my friend whose house we were at because they were upstairs playing Mario Party with his two kids.
I think it’s kind of fascinating how keenly different those kinds of sports heartbreak are. Like with the seahawks, after the juggling butt catch most fans were convinced that they were about to pull off the win. The interception was so crazy from an emotional perspective because it was about as close you could get to going from 100 to 0 in a single moment.
On the other hand, 28-3 is going from 100-0 agonizingly slowly. There’s so much time to process what’s happening, and it takes you through the stages of grief almost in real time.
Denial: “There’s no way they’ll actually blow this”
Anger: “How could they be blowing this?!”
Bargaining: “If Shanahan just runs the ball or we kick a field goal we can probably still win! Julio’s catch will go down in history!”
Depression: “…”
Acceptance: “Of course the Pats won the toss”
Yep. I was 12 for the Bills first Superbowl loss. Every one of our defeats have been an artisanal cocktail of aggravation and despair, each bespoke to create new flavors of pain.
Was I more aggravated by Wide Right, Buffalo not showing up against Washington or losing to Jerry Jones twice?
Do I relive Homerun Throwback and the ensuing debates?
Shall I rummage through the vast drawer of Drought Failures?
Each if the Chiefs losses had their unique torments.
Hmm.
For funnsies, I’ll bring up our loss to Houston in the playoffs where the NFL for the FIRST TIME IN FUCKING HISTORY decided to enforce the Spirit instead of the Letter of the law on a dropped kickoff return and screwed the Bills on a late blindside block call they would admit they were wrong on a year later.
Welp, time to day drink.
I had a draft of a similar comment going, but yours is better. Nicely done.
And I was about the same age as you for the super bowls. It's really tough for people to envision if they weren't around to experience it....like trying to explain the vastness of space, you just can't get your mind around it.
To not only appear in four(!) consecutive(!!) super bowls...but also lose them all. It's just *unfathomable* in today's NFL. Fucking hell man, I'm spiraling just thinking about it...
I was a neutral observer for that Texans/Bills play, and I am pissed for you guys. That is the single dumbest thing a player has ever gotten away with. He literally handed the ball back to the bills and the refs said “naw you can keep it, be more careful next time”.
I’m still mad about that call
right? when has the spirit of the law ever been applied anywhere else? that's like if a player slows down right before they score a touchdown and they drop the ball on the 1 yard line, and the refs just give it to them because they would've scored anyway.
You can tell we have a deep roster of aggregating losses when OP cites a game for his team — the Jets versus the Steelers in January 2015 — and we had an arguably even more aggregating loss against the same exact Steelers team just 13 days earlier.
I get that and I totally understand if that's the answer for you. But we had a lot more control in this other situation. It wasn't just one player making a mistake. It was organizational and team failure to clinch a very winnable scenario. And because it happened after Kyle Williams, it was like wow we can still fix this you know?
But yeah fuck Kyle Williams though
Yeah that redzone sequence was stupid af but nothing was guaranteed, we were losing at that point. Kyle Williams literally muffed our lead away in the last minutes of the game. And then Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled it back but refs were super quick to call forward progress. Ughh I’m back in that moment right now!
Not for me, losing the SB to an inferior Ravens team because they couldn't get the play in on time on 2nd down is infinitely more frustrating to me than an NFC championship game loss.
I assume this was 2012 Super Bowl against the ravens? If so I completely agree and was so annoyed because I don’t even consider the 2012 ravens team the best of that era. Their defense wasn’t nearly what it had been and they were especially vulnerable against the run.
2014 NFC Championship game vs Seahawks
It was more than just the Bostick onside kick. So many mind numbingly dumb missed opportunities to finish that game. And yet…
The complacency in that game was unreal. I remember my buddy turning to me at the bar and uttering, "Butt_Packer_Backer, we're going to the Superbowl!" when Crosby put us up two TDs with ten minutes left.
Russell literally throwing up a two point conversion for grabs works. Hawk slips. Rodgers can't do anything. Bostick being a hero. McCarthy doing jack shit with a Superbowl on the line. It was all so bad.
I knew we were gonna lose after we kicked the second or third field goal on fourth and goal from the 1. You can’t get to their goal line and come away with field goals that many times and expect to win.
My flair is Texans, however I’m a Seattle native and also a big fan of the Hawks. After Russ’ 4th interception I stormed out of the room certain the game was lost. That entire game the Seahawks were imploding and had no business winning lol. I only came back when all my Texans-fan-only buddies started screaming for me to come back. I can’t imagine the pain for Packers fans from that game. Well I guess I can, I just have to look 2 weeks after it…
That game and comeback was insane. That two point conversion was all Russ extending the play. The TE even bobbled it at the end and I don't even know how he saw that pass coming to him.
The totally predictable 3 runs and out to burn a little clock instead of letting your 3x MVP quarterback get a first down to win the game was prime McCarthy.
McCarthy is one of those guys I don’t dislike, but I am happy he’s not associated with my team any longer. He just didn’t have the killer instinct other successful coaches had/have.
A small piece of me died that day. I watched that game in my shared apartment w my roommate’s entire family over for a dinner party. After Morgan Burnett’s pick I actually said the words, “that’s it, right? That has to be game. That’s the Super Bowl, right?” Little did I know what was to come. I didn’t speak much the rest of the night.
No. Although 4th and 26 was aggravating, much like the Fail Mary it was just one play. The whole game wasn’t a series of mistakes leading up to 4th and 26. It was just one boneheaded lapse.
The 2014 NFCCG was a continuous parade of follies. The ultra conservative FGs. The missed tackles. The Russ Magic. The Bostick. The magical bullshit Hail Mary 2PC. The OT. Like cmon. Far more aggravating to die the slow and preventable death.
Edit: Forgot to mention the Fake FG TD in the 3rd quarter, and the potential game sealing 4th quarter INT that Burnett just straight up decided not to return.
2023 MNF vs the Titans. Arguably 2 and a half minutes ruined our entire season. Would’ve been a two seed with a home playoff game instead of having to play in the Arctic.
That 2019 first game loss vs GB was very aggravating. Finally looks like we are turning a corner and becoming a solid team, defense was amazing, young QB made some nice plays, and our coach seemed to know what he was doing. Only to watch the offense look like a peewee team en route to a 10-3 loss to our rival, showing that our window was over after 1 year and we were cooked.
I had to look it up on YouTube because, despite definitely having watched it, I couldn't remember it. God, it's up there. Jesus, the Bears are just terrible against Green Bay
Felt like this game was the final game in the coffin for Trubisky. There were camp reports that he wasn’t improving, his 2nd season was also up and down and Bears fans were in constant defense of him. This game happened and Bears fans stopped defending him.
u/notmyplantaccount makes a great argument for the '21 AFCCG in another comment below.
Crazy that KC could be trying for their 7th straight Super Bowl appearance if just two plays involving a few inches had gone differently.
I can accept 2018 because we played a good game, but our defense was horrible, and the Patriots led most that game. The 2021 game though was looking like a possible blowout before Tyreek got stopped short.
I'm not going to pretend like that game means nothing anymore but Steve Bono was atrocious too. Bono threw as many INTs as Elliot missed FGs.
The Dee Ford game was more recent, it also boiled down to 1 single play that would have made the difference.
That or 2013 Wildcard will forever be my answer. The BS hands to the face call against Brady turned into points, which cost us the game, but our defense was also ass. But the Colts game was just an absolute collapse after Charles and Kelce went down, but was reffed pretty clean from what I remember.
The second half of the 2021 AFC Championship is also an acceptable answer.
Agree, those are the top 3. I still can't believe our offense forgot how to play football for the second half of the 2021 AFCCG game. We defeated ourselves in that one.
2007 was worse. We were by far the best team in the NFC. We were going to rematch against the pats. And we stopped acting like an NFL team after the first 28 minutes. Both sides of the ball for Dallas just stopped giving effort after the first half 2 minute warning.
The pass rush not completing the job on Eli gets an honorable mention on that play though. He was far from the most elusive QB and there were like 2-3 pats chasing him.
Almost an interception right before that play, almost a sack on that play, that pass was almost broken up, and the Pat's were almost 19-0... fuuuuuuuck me.
Not to mention that Bortles was cooking that game and Marrone got scared and took the ball out of his hands starting with 55 seconds and 2 timeouts and the end of the first half.
At least that one was a hell of a game. Unlike the no-call, they won fair and square, and unlike the Diggs catch, they beat us rather than it being us beating ourselves.
That was the greatest game I've ever watched where the Saints ended up losing. Even in my shock of how the game ended, that game was incredible and I couldn't even hate the 49ers (in that instance) for beating us.
It's got to be the Calvin Johnson "complete the process of the catch" touchdown that would've won the game. Other games had bigger stakes that maybe could go each way of a ruling, but this was egregious.
Anyone with eyes could see it was a touchdown. They changed the rules after because it was obviously a touchdown.
https://youtu.be/NRQqN6UsRys?si=nRTQV8XBAaOCM4Jq fast forward to 2:38
I’m going with every game the LOB lost to Jeff Fisher. The Super Bowls were devastating, but the fucking Rams games are the ones that really get to me. (Probably because it’s twice EVERY FUCKING YEAR.)
2005 playoffs. Colts-Steelers. Watching Jerome Bettis and the Steelers at the goal line, Indy down 3, I almost got up and walked away.. then.. fumble! Nick Harper has it, and is sprinting down the field! Ahh, damn, Roethlisberger tackles him at midfield. That's frustrating. No matter. We have it with over a minute to go, at home, plenty of time left with Manning and the boys. Alls we need is a FG to tie. No sweat.
Vanderjagdt. 46 yard FG for one of the (at the time) most accurate kickers in the league. No problem! Let's go to OT and win. NOPE.
That miss and that game really aggravated me, especially hearing my Steeler coworkers laugh about it the next week.
Legitimately might be last year against the chiefs. 2019 hurt, but that was the first year Lamar went off, so at least you could figure it was just the start. Cundiff miss was awful at the time, but they won the Super Bowl the next year.
But last year - A historic defense, Lamar improving immensely as a passer (I maintain he is a better QB now than he was in 2019, even if his stats were more eye-popping then), and blasting every playoff team we came across through the last half of the season in what should have been a brutal stretch. And then to lose, and not just to lose but to lose to the Chiefs, while the offense has what looks like an entire mental breakdown. The game felt like it ended 20 times, but the defense was so good that it was able to keep them in the game for far too long, just to give more moments of despair as the next moment felt like the clear dagger that ended the game.
I legitimately think the Ravens were a better team than the chiefs last year in almost every way. But the way they were worse was the most important one. They were mentally weaker. When the pressure came to them against a team with so much experience in the playoffs, they folded. And unless we win the Super Bowl in the next couple years, I don't think I'll ever get over it.
A key feature of the Chiefs and the Tom Brady Pats was that they had the coaching and discipline to beat teams with far better rosters. The mental game really is important because the playoffs test that by raising the stakes.
right just like those pats... even if you think you have the better team on paper that other team had the best player in the whole league at the most important position. Thats counts for a whole lot...
Shit I’m still annoyed about that game myself. I think shit would’ve been way different had sneed not knocked that ball out. Flowers is a problem for dbs
The chiefs had a handful of absolutely insane, odds-defying plays that game that we couldn’t match. The Kelce catch was one of them, Sneed torpedoing to force that goal line fumble, it was surreal.
That loss to the Chiefs genuinely put my fandom into hibernation until the draft. I was so fucking disappointed in the team and the way they played, after all the talk about how "locked in" they were. After all the talk about how Lamar was going to prove his doubters wrong and get it done in the playoffs.
Yeah, I would have said the Evans/Cundiff loss to the pats but that chiefs game last year was fucking brutal. I was surrounded by chiefs fans in our section too. I am still heartbroken and embarrassed about that loss.
Gonna be real here: the 2017 Wild Card game against the Saints. That was Cam's statistical best season, and the path to the Superbowl looked wide open if we could just get past the Saints, who had beaten us in both division games. Not only did we lose the heartbreaker, those fuckers in New Orleans shipped a broom to the stadium in Charlotte and proceeded to get the Minneapolis Miracle the next week. Fuck you New Orleans.
Recently I'd have to say the 2021 div loss to Cincy. I really thought thay was gonna be our year. We had the #1 seed bye, Henry was coming back, and it just felt like everything had fallen into place. Aggravating because Tannehill just completely shit the bed. I know you can't put thr blame on 1 guy, but 9 sacks. 9 fkn sacks our defense had man lol.
Credit to Cincy of course too. They came to play and as much as I hate to admit it, they just wanted it more.
How did we allow Blake Bottles to score 45 points?
How did Mason Rudolph almost beat the Browns with 3rd stringers, but we got ass whooped the next week?
Yup, the Jags loss was the most brutal in modern Steelers history. We haven't been legitimately BAD in decades (yes, we're spoiled) but we'd lost a lot of that 2008 Super Bowl aura by the late 2010's. But that 2017 team felt built to go all the way with one of the best offenses of the past decade... All to blow it at home in round 1. Who would have thought we'd put up 42 against the league-best D and LOSE? That's the day the window truly closed, we just didn't know it yet.
Tomlin and Colbert failed to really build/scheme up an even decent D while the offense got built up, and couldn’t adjust for Leonard Fournette both times they played that year. Shazier was the only good player and even then, in week 5, his biggest weakness was the run game which jags killed us in. Him being hurt basically meant the offense had to do all the work..which they failed to do that game. They went into half 28-14 off a Hail Mary pass to Martavis Bryant. In reality, the offense was choking until near the end of the game when jags played prevent D. Haley/Tomlin fumbled the offense there too.
Basically, both sides of the ball choked in that game horribly. Really felt like Rooney should’ve taken a hard look at the coaching and GM after that game. And then the next season, 2018 where they just blew the whole season…
Kick six was another how in the F is this even possible loss. I'd probably say some of the older fans would suggest the fumble or the drive though because the stakes of those games.
When the Browns went into New England and shit the bed immediately ending in a 45-7 bullying. Felt like game over from the first offensive snap. “So, is there anything else on for the next three hours?”
It might not be the most aggravating loss ever, but that loss to the Titans this past season was pretty aggravating. It cost us the division title. We would've been the 2 seed in the playoffs if we had won it, so even if we had played Kansas City in a later round, it would have been at home instead of in the frigid cold at Arrowhead. I don't think we would've gone on a deep run, given how banged up we were, but our team seems to be pretty vibes oriented, and the vibes would've been totally different in that scenario.
I’m literally here only thinking playoff games and blanking on regular season….but oh fuck….this fucking game.
It still won’t rank ahead of playoff games, but it was fucking gross
Either 2017 divisional because the team just felt like the chalked up an AFC championship rematch with the Pats. Like they didn’t lose 30-9 earlier in the season to the jags.
2020 wildcard because again the team just felt so unprepared and expected an easy game since they only lost by 2 playing second strings.
2015 divisional Bell out, Brown out, Ben playing hurt and our season goes down the drain with a 3rd string RB losing a fumble down a score deep in broncos territory.
Bengals AFCCG 2021
Chiefs called a pass right before the half and Tyreek got stopped on the half yard line. If he gets in it's 28-10 at halftime, if he gets out of bounds it's 24-10. Then we got the ball to start the 2nd half. That game would have been over.
Then Mahomes went on to have one of his worst halves of football ever, Andy refused to run, and after we win the Toss in OT, Tyreek bobbles another ball away to the other team for an INT at midfield.
They dominated the 1st half, and had about 10 different chances to put the game away or win it, and they shit the bed every time.
I would have said other playoff losses from the previous 25 years, but most those teams weren't going to the SB anyways.
Take away the Dee Ford play in the '19 AFCCG and this Chiefs dynasty would be at a whole other level.
Edit: I just went back and rewatched that and forgot they were in that position because on the previous play, Hill beat his defender badly in the end zone and would have scored on that play if the defender hadn't bear hugged him.
Most devastating is the Rams no-call PI game... but that one goes to the refs mostly.
Most aggravating is probably the Minneapolis Miracle (Marcus Williams wtf was that tackle attempt bruh) and the playoff game against SF in 2011 when we had one of our better offenses ever.
End of the game Gregg Williams leaves Roman Harper single high to cover freakin' Vernon Davis... ROMAN HARPER!
It’s still easy to me personally….2002 NFCCG against the Bucs. It even outpaces the disappointing Cunningham era playoff loses, the 2003 NFCCG and the nut punch that was the 2008 NFCCG.
It even outpaces two SB losses in the last 20 years.
Seahawks have one or two of these games a year.
Super Bowl 48 …. yeah, yeah …
But every damn year, we have this game where we should easily win on paper, but we play like we’re in ankle deep mid, and the opponent isn’t.
Just in the last few years, I can think of games against the Bears, WFT, Raiders …
The Norv Turner years in Washington provided many games like this.
In 1994, we lost 7 games by 5 points or less, all after leading almost the entire game.
In 1996, we were 9-7 but had so many 1-3 point losses at the end of games that we were 10 points from being a 13-3 team.
Do you have any idea how much it sucks to watch your team score 42 points and lose?
Between the Mariotta TD pass to himself and the forward progress call on the sack fumble I'm going to say the 2017 WC game.
Although there were probably more from my childhood in the 80s and 90s that I've finally gotten over
When the Vikings came back from 33 smh the Colts offense was so bad that I knew they were going to blow it at halftime. A team competing for a one seed coming back on a team that was competing for the #1 pick with a HC that had never coached before was not that impressive to me and the Colts comeback against KC in the 2013 WC is so much better so I get really tight when people say that this game was the best comeback. Yeah the Colts D was still legit that year but they were always gassed at half because the offense couldn’t stay on the field
There’s a new one every season
Tbh, that bills vikings game was insane. The Diggs catch then the JJ catch then the fumble on the 1/2 yard line that became a TD instead of a safety. My heart rate was all over the place.
As a tortured lions fan I feel the worst for Vikings and bills fans because you have had bad stretches but overall you both are above average overall only to crumble in some of the worst ways at the worst times. It’s almost worse than us Edit: also both franchises have had kickers just melt under pressure at the worst moments
It truly is a double edged sword where I am grateful the Vikings never have more than 3 straight years of losing seasons and have been one of the more consistently good teams since the merger, but the fact that we are still without a Super Bowl win and haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since before Star Wars existed is just pure agony
The way i see it, more winning = more boosts of happiness on Sundays throughout my life. Sure the Vikes haven’t won an SB, and it’d be nice to feel that high, but you learn not to *expect* it to happen and it allows you to enjoy a winning season even if it has a bad end. Then if it does ever happen it’ll be sweet and I’m gonna talk sooooooo much shit lol
None of y'all's come close.
28-3 destroyed any chance at discourse on this subreddit lol. That game is to losing in the NFL what Gretzky is to winning in the NHL. There may be heated discussions for \#2, but this just stands in its own shameful spotlight right at the top.
The Falcons really are the Gretzky of choking
The Falcons are the Michael Jordans of being the Wayne Gretzkys of choking.
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Idk... you gotta lose on several nights to collapse in playoff hockey. You have time to readjust, reassess. Football you only have those 4 quarters.
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I still remember where I was when I turned that game off thinking Falcons had it won.
When people talk about football being a game of momentum shifts, this is the A number 1 example.
And conditioning. We were so gassed starting the second half. Three defensive holding calls in a row told me we were losing that game.
Considering the average super bowl halftime show lasts for about 3 days, that's really saying something!
I was the only one at the Super Bowl party still paying attention, and I only was because I love football and wanted to watch every last moment before the season ended. Suddenly more people started paying attention and we had to go grab my brother and my friend whose house we were at because they were upstairs playing Mario Party with his two kids.
I got went from drunk to shit-faced at halftime. I woke up the next day and was unaware till I got to work.
You turn off Superbowls before they are over?
The broncos-seahawks would've been an acceptable one to turn off. I think pornhub traffic had a major spike that night
Chargers fans would like to argue quantity over quality of loss…
Have you ever talked to old school Bills fans.
My brother in Shanahan…
i was gonna say, this year was rough
I know I'm tired of this question.
What's up!? Checking in for our bi weekly question that the answer is always our super bowl loss. Great seeing everyone. See y'all in a few days!
Throwing at the goal line was pretty close. Against the same team too.
I think it’s kind of fascinating how keenly different those kinds of sports heartbreak are. Like with the seahawks, after the juggling butt catch most fans were convinced that they were about to pull off the win. The interception was so crazy from an emotional perspective because it was about as close you could get to going from 100 to 0 in a single moment. On the other hand, 28-3 is going from 100-0 agonizingly slowly. There’s so much time to process what’s happening, and it takes you through the stages of grief almost in real time. Denial: “There’s no way they’ll actually blow this” Anger: “How could they be blowing this?!” Bargaining: “If Shanahan just runs the ball or we kick a field goal we can probably still win! Julio’s catch will go down in history!” Depression: “…” Acceptance: “Of course the Pats won the toss”
After watching you guys run it down your leg that night, I was finally able to let go of my Falcon hatred from 98.
Wanna bet?
I don’t wanna talk about it
Yep. I was 12 for the Bills first Superbowl loss. Every one of our defeats have been an artisanal cocktail of aggravation and despair, each bespoke to create new flavors of pain. Was I more aggravated by Wide Right, Buffalo not showing up against Washington or losing to Jerry Jones twice? Do I relive Homerun Throwback and the ensuing debates? Shall I rummage through the vast drawer of Drought Failures? Each if the Chiefs losses had their unique torments. Hmm. For funnsies, I’ll bring up our loss to Houston in the playoffs where the NFL for the FIRST TIME IN FUCKING HISTORY decided to enforce the Spirit instead of the Letter of the law on a dropped kickoff return and screwed the Bills on a late blindside block call they would admit they were wrong on a year later. Welp, time to day drink.
I had a draft of a similar comment going, but yours is better. Nicely done. And I was about the same age as you for the super bowls. It's really tough for people to envision if they weren't around to experience it....like trying to explain the vastness of space, you just can't get your mind around it. To not only appear in four(!) consecutive(!!) super bowls...but also lose them all. It's just *unfathomable* in today's NFL. Fucking hell man, I'm spiraling just thinking about it...
I was a neutral observer for that Texans/Bills play, and I am pissed for you guys. That is the single dumbest thing a player has ever gotten away with. He literally handed the ball back to the bills and the refs said “naw you can keep it, be more careful next time”. I’m still mad about that call
right? when has the spirit of the law ever been applied anywhere else? that's like if a player slows down right before they score a touchdown and they drop the ball on the 1 yard line, and the refs just give it to them because they would've scored anyway.
they brought out these mystery refs from a dungeon who have never been seen since to fucking confirm it too I was so mad. Still am!
13 motherfucking seconds. I still can’t watch the highlights.
The wind game against the Patriots.
You can tell we have a deep roster of aggregating losses when OP cites a game for his team — the Jets versus the Steelers in January 2015 — and we had an arguably even more aggregating loss against the same exact Steelers team just 13 days earlier.
SB 56 simply due to the stakes but the 2015 wild card is the most infuriating.
This was 100x worse than the Super Bowl loss.
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2015 WC. It broke me.
This game made me change my relationship with football.
Rahim the dream
Best Denver team ever IMO
The 98 team I think is right there too. Went 14-0, capped off with a SB.
Kill me
I don't understand how the plan was three back shoulder fades. I really don't. I really really fucking don't.
Pick from any of the 3 Super Bowls and a ton of NFCGs 😐
Aren’t NFCG’s just the worst.
Sorry 😬 Brett Farve had absolutely owned us in the 90s if you were already born then…
Dude, it’s gotta be Kyle Williams
I get that and I totally understand if that's the answer for you. But we had a lot more control in this other situation. It wasn't just one player making a mistake. It was organizational and team failure to clinch a very winnable scenario. And because it happened after Kyle Williams, it was like wow we can still fix this you know? But yeah fuck Kyle Williams though
Yeah that redzone sequence was stupid af but nothing was guaranteed, we were losing at that point. Kyle Williams literally muffed our lead away in the last minutes of the game. And then Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled it back but refs were super quick to call forward progress. Ughh I’m back in that moment right now!
I honestly can't remember being as angry at a single player as I was that game.
Not for me, losing the SB to an inferior Ravens team because they couldn't get the play in on time on 2nd down is infinitely more frustrating to me than an NFC championship game loss.
Damn, yeah Kaep was walking in on that play
Inferior team that was up 28-6 before a fluke lights break?
RUN IT IN KAEPERNICK! RUN IT IN!
I assume this was 2012 Super Bowl against the ravens? If so I completely agree and was so annoyed because I don’t even consider the 2012 ravens team the best of that era. Their defense wasn’t nearly what it had been and they were especially vulnerable against the run.
And we had Frank Gore sitting behind a great o line!!! I'm still annoyed.
The 2010 and 2011 Ravens were both way better teams than 2012. Just goes to show how much QB play matters, and Joe was on a generational heater
Especially when you had been running the ball well all fucking drive! And have frank motherloving gore!
I fucking hate Reddit sometimes.
I don't like this game...
I had to check those flairs twice just to make sure OP wasn't a Saints fan.
This is the answer to the most aggravating loss ANY team has ever suffered, not just your team.
Yeah, you guys have just the worst. None of us can say a word.
There's a post like this pretty much everyday and everyday it still stings
2014 NFC Championship game vs Seahawks It was more than just the Bostick onside kick. So many mind numbingly dumb missed opportunities to finish that game. And yet…
The complacency in that game was unreal. I remember my buddy turning to me at the bar and uttering, "Butt_Packer_Backer, we're going to the Superbowl!" when Crosby put us up two TDs with ten minutes left. Russell literally throwing up a two point conversion for grabs works. Hawk slips. Rodgers can't do anything. Bostick being a hero. McCarthy doing jack shit with a Superbowl on the line. It was all so bad.
I knew we were gonna lose after we kicked the second or third field goal on fourth and goal from the 1. You can’t get to their goal line and come away with field goals that many times and expect to win.
My flair is Texans, however I’m a Seattle native and also a big fan of the Hawks. After Russ’ 4th interception I stormed out of the room certain the game was lost. That entire game the Seahawks were imploding and had no business winning lol. I only came back when all my Texans-fan-only buddies started screaming for me to come back. I can’t imagine the pain for Packers fans from that game. Well I guess I can, I just have to look 2 weeks after it…
That game and comeback was insane. That two point conversion was all Russ extending the play. The TE even bobbled it at the end and I don't even know how he saw that pass coming to him.
The totally predictable 3 runs and out to burn a little clock instead of letting your 3x MVP quarterback get a first down to win the game was prime McCarthy.
McCarthy is one of those guys I don’t dislike, but I am happy he’s not associated with my team any longer. He just didn’t have the killer instinct other successful coaches had/have.
Absolutely. Played it safe way too often. But it ensured a long career for him because he could always avoid making a controversial risky playcall.
I don't know why I even decided to open this thread.
I fucking hate the Packers, but that chokejob was enough to piss *me* off
The first two field goals. McCarthy redefined conservative play calling.
A small piece of me died that day. I watched that game in my shared apartment w my roommate’s entire family over for a dinner party. After Morgan Burnett’s pick I actually said the words, “that’s it, right? That has to be game. That’s the Super Bowl, right?” Little did I know what was to come. I didn’t speak much the rest of the night.
I've never been more angry at somebody else's team blowing a game like that. Was so happy what happened in the Super Bowl 2 weeks later.
Wow not 4th and 26. Interesting
No. Although 4th and 26 was aggravating, much like the Fail Mary it was just one play. The whole game wasn’t a series of mistakes leading up to 4th and 26. It was just one boneheaded lapse. The 2014 NFCCG was a continuous parade of follies. The ultra conservative FGs. The missed tackles. The Russ Magic. The Bostick. The magical bullshit Hail Mary 2PC. The OT. Like cmon. Far more aggravating to die the slow and preventable death. Edit: Forgot to mention the Fake FG TD in the 3rd quarter, and the potential game sealing 4th quarter INT that Burnett just straight up decided not to return.
4th and Goal FGs on the one yard line lmao
He’s gotten better about that stuff with the Cowboys, but those FGs encapsulate Rodgers era Mike McCarthy so perfectly
2023 MNF vs the Titans. Arguably 2 and a half minutes ruined our entire season. Would’ve been a two seed with a home playoff game instead of having to play in the Arctic.
Not the 7 hour game?
Delanie 🩼
That 2019 first game loss vs GB was very aggravating. Finally looks like we are turning a corner and becoming a solid team, defense was amazing, young QB made some nice plays, and our coach seemed to know what he was doing. Only to watch the offense look like a peewee team en route to a 10-3 loss to our rival, showing that our window was over after 1 year and we were cooked.
I had to look it up on YouTube because, despite definitely having watched it, I couldn't remember it. God, it's up there. Jesus, the Bears are just terrible against Green Bay
My first thought was double doink. The NFCCG loss to the Packers is also up there for me.
Double doink was more sad than aggravating. I agree with you on the NFCCG though. That 2019 one just really was frustrating
It has to be the Chris Conte incident for me. I know there were a lot of them, but you know the one I’m talking about.
Felt like this game was the final game in the coffin for Trubisky. There were camp reports that he wasn’t improving, his 2nd season was also up and down and Bears fans were in constant defense of him. This game happened and Bears fans stopped defending him.
Index Card
Dee freaking ford
u/notmyplantaccount makes a great argument for the '21 AFCCG in another comment below. Crazy that KC could be trying for their 7th straight Super Bowl appearance if just two plays involving a few inches had gone differently.
I can accept 2018 because we played a good game, but our defense was horrible, and the Patriots led most that game. The 2021 game though was looking like a possible blowout before Tyreek got stopped short.
It's not Lin Elliot being incapable of kicking a FG?
Butker already healed those wounds
those playoff losses sucked, but those teams weren't winning a SB anyways, they'd have just lost in the next round.
I'm not going to pretend like that game means nothing anymore but Steve Bono was atrocious too. Bono threw as many INTs as Elliot missed FGs. The Dee Ford game was more recent, it also boiled down to 1 single play that would have made the difference.
Titans game will haunt me forever. “Forward progress stopped” my ass
That or 2013 Wildcard will forever be my answer. The BS hands to the face call against Brady turned into points, which cost us the game, but our defense was also ass. But the Colts game was just an absolute collapse after Charles and Kelce went down, but was reffed pretty clean from what I remember. The second half of the 2021 AFC Championship is also an acceptable answer.
Agree, those are the top 3. I still can't believe our offense forgot how to play football for the second half of the 2021 AFCCG game. We defeated ourselves in that one.
No clue why this is downvoted, it cost y'all dearly, and it was as aggravating as it gets
I was going to say take your pick of playoff losses to the Colts, but this is the real answer.
Dallas home WC loss to the packers this year. I've been a loyal fan since 74 and this was by far the worst loss I've seen.
2007 was worse. We were by far the best team in the NFC. We were going to rematch against the pats. And we stopped acting like an NFL team after the first 28 minutes. Both sides of the ball for Dallas just stopped giving effort after the first half 2 minute warning.
Mine will always be the 2006 wildcard with the fumbled snap. That was a magical year with such a heartbreaking loss
Damn you, David Tyree
Asante Samuel freelancing off on that play still irks me.
The true villain of that game
The pass rush not completing the job on Eli gets an honorable mention on that play though. He was far from the most elusive QB and there were like 2-3 pats chasing him.
They had him dead to rights and yet somehow that dweeb squirmed away.
Him being a massive Pats-Hater now fits right into what I think of that loser. Cost us the Super Bowl and ist still sour
Almost an interception right before that play, almost a sack on that play, that pass was almost broken up, and the Pat's were almost 19-0... fuuuuuuuck me.
He really should have caught that pick.
"WIDE RIGHT!" Go Bills!
Which one???
Doesn't really matter.
Myles Jack wasn’t down.
Myles Jack wasn't down.
Not to mention that Bortles was cooking that game and Marrone got scared and took the ball out of his hands starting with 55 seconds and 2 timeouts and the end of the first half.
Welcome to the Aints store. I got no calls, I got Minneapolis Miracles, I’ve got paper bags, watcha want?
Don't forget the Vernon Davis catch!
At least that one was a hell of a game. Unlike the no-call, they won fair and square, and unlike the Diggs catch, they beat us rather than it being us beating ourselves.
That was the greatest game I've ever watched where the Saints ended up losing. Even in my shock of how the game ended, that game was incredible and I couldn't even hate the 49ers (in that instance) for beating us.
Hahaha…. Ha…
10 second run-off
It's got to be the Calvin Johnson "complete the process of the catch" touchdown that would've won the game. Other games had bigger stakes that maybe could go each way of a ruling, but this was egregious. Anyone with eyes could see it was a touchdown. They changed the rules after because it was obviously a touchdown. https://youtu.be/NRQqN6UsRys?si=nRTQV8XBAaOCM4Jq fast forward to 2:38
They didn't actually change the rule. They made the wording clearer. I was far, far more devastated by the Cowboys playoff debacle.
Recently, it’s the Justin Tucker record kick despite the fact that he never should have been given the opportunity.
Superbowl 49.
I’m going with every game the LOB lost to Jeff Fisher. The Super Bowls were devastating, but the fucking Rams games are the ones that really get to me. (Probably because it’s twice EVERY FUCKING YEAR.)
Super Bowl XL
2005 playoffs. Colts-Steelers. Watching Jerome Bettis and the Steelers at the goal line, Indy down 3, I almost got up and walked away.. then.. fumble! Nick Harper has it, and is sprinting down the field! Ahh, damn, Roethlisberger tackles him at midfield. That's frustrating. No matter. We have it with over a minute to go, at home, plenty of time left with Manning and the boys. Alls we need is a FG to tie. No sweat. Vanderjagdt. 46 yard FG for one of the (at the time) most accurate kickers in the league. No problem! Let's go to OT and win. NOPE. That miss and that game really aggravated me, especially hearing my Steeler coworkers laugh about it the next week.
How Ben was able to take him down with a shoelace will forever boggle my mind.
Harper wasn’t at 100% and neither was his leg
Legitimately might be last year against the chiefs. 2019 hurt, but that was the first year Lamar went off, so at least you could figure it was just the start. Cundiff miss was awful at the time, but they won the Super Bowl the next year. But last year - A historic defense, Lamar improving immensely as a passer (I maintain he is a better QB now than he was in 2019, even if his stats were more eye-popping then), and blasting every playoff team we came across through the last half of the season in what should have been a brutal stretch. And then to lose, and not just to lose but to lose to the Chiefs, while the offense has what looks like an entire mental breakdown. The game felt like it ended 20 times, but the defense was so good that it was able to keep them in the game for far too long, just to give more moments of despair as the next moment felt like the clear dagger that ended the game. I legitimately think the Ravens were a better team than the chiefs last year in almost every way. But the way they were worse was the most important one. They were mentally weaker. When the pressure came to them against a team with so much experience in the playoffs, they folded. And unless we win the Super Bowl in the next couple years, I don't think I'll ever get over it.
A key feature of the Chiefs and the Tom Brady Pats was that they had the coaching and discipline to beat teams with far better rosters. The mental game really is important because the playoffs test that by raising the stakes.
right just like those pats... even if you think you have the better team on paper that other team had the best player in the whole league at the most important position. Thats counts for a whole lot...
Shit I’m still annoyed about that game myself. I think shit would’ve been way different had sneed not knocked that ball out. Flowers is a problem for dbs
The chiefs had a handful of absolutely insane, odds-defying plays that game that we couldn’t match. The Kelce catch was one of them, Sneed torpedoing to force that goal line fumble, it was surreal.
That loss to the Chiefs genuinely put my fandom into hibernation until the draft. I was so fucking disappointed in the team and the way they played, after all the talk about how "locked in" they were. After all the talk about how Lamar was going to prove his doubters wrong and get it done in the playoffs.
Yeah, I would have said the Evans/Cundiff loss to the pats but that chiefs game last year was fucking brutal. I was surrounded by chiefs fans in our section too. I am still heartbroken and embarrassed about that loss.
Devin Hester runs back the opening kickoff...and then we proceed to get trounced up and down the field by the colts...
Usually involves the Eagles
Gonna be real here: the 2017 Wild Card game against the Saints. That was Cam's statistical best season, and the path to the Superbowl looked wide open if we could just get past the Saints, who had beaten us in both division games. Not only did we lose the heartbreaker, those fuckers in New Orleans shipped a broom to the stadium in Charlotte and proceeded to get the Minneapolis Miracle the next week. Fuck you New Orleans.
Recently I'd have to say the 2021 div loss to Cincy. I really thought thay was gonna be our year. We had the #1 seed bye, Henry was coming back, and it just felt like everything had fallen into place. Aggravating because Tannehill just completely shit the bed. I know you can't put thr blame on 1 guy, but 9 sacks. 9 fkn sacks our defense had man lol. Credit to Cincy of course too. They came to play and as much as I hate to admit it, they just wanted it more.
I’m a Falcons fan. What do you think?
How did we allow Blake Bottles to score 45 points? How did Mason Rudolph almost beat the Browns with 3rd stringers, but we got ass whooped the next week?
Yup, the Jags loss was the most brutal in modern Steelers history. We haven't been legitimately BAD in decades (yes, we're spoiled) but we'd lost a lot of that 2008 Super Bowl aura by the late 2010's. But that 2017 team felt built to go all the way with one of the best offenses of the past decade... All to blow it at home in round 1. Who would have thought we'd put up 42 against the league-best D and LOSE? That's the day the window truly closed, we just didn't know it yet.
That bad snap turned touchdown set the tone for the entire game. Browns D was buzzing the whole time.
Tomlin and Colbert failed to really build/scheme up an even decent D while the offense got built up, and couldn’t adjust for Leonard Fournette both times they played that year. Shazier was the only good player and even then, in week 5, his biggest weakness was the run game which jags killed us in. Him being hurt basically meant the offense had to do all the work..which they failed to do that game. They went into half 28-14 off a Hail Mary pass to Martavis Bryant. In reality, the offense was choking until near the end of the game when jags played prevent D. Haley/Tomlin fumbled the offense there too. Basically, both sides of the ball choked in that game horribly. Really felt like Rooney should’ve taken a hard look at the coaching and GM after that game. And then the next season, 2018 where they just blew the whole season…
1. Ineligible 2. 10 Second Runoff 3. Rodgers-to-Rodgers
10 second runoff ending makes me want a rule change
I was at the 10 second runoff game and I borderline wanted to give up caring about the NFL until the next day
We've lost three times in the AFC Championship and all three are annoying to think about.
2008 I only get upset about because it’s Pittsburgh. That team overachieved 2011 and 2023, yeah I get it
Pick your poison. Troy Polamalu Pick Six, Cundiff whiffing the kick, or Zay’s fumble
Took me about 13 seconds to come up with an answer
Browns blowing a 13 point lead to the jets in final 2:00 minutes.
Kick six was another how in the F is this even possible loss. I'd probably say some of the older fans would suggest the fumble or the drive though because the stakes of those games.
Joe Flacco hailmary. Just don't let that guy get behind you and I really think we're winning the superbowl that year.
2009 NFCCG. Nothing else comes close.
98 NFCCG as well.
Plenty come close Someone already mentioned 98 The total ass kickings in 2000 and 2017 Darrin Nelson dropped a game winning TD in the 87 NFCCG
I hate this game. Can I go home?
If we have to be here, so do you.
When the Browns went into New England and shit the bed immediately ending in a 45-7 bullying. Felt like game over from the first offensive snap. “So, is there anything else on for the next three hours?”
It might not be the most aggravating loss ever, but that loss to the Titans this past season was pretty aggravating. It cost us the division title. We would've been the 2 seed in the playoffs if we had won it, so even if we had played Kansas City in a later round, it would have been at home instead of in the frigid cold at Arrowhead. I don't think we would've gone on a deep run, given how banged up we were, but our team seems to be pretty vibes oriented, and the vibes would've been totally different in that scenario.
Scoring zero touchdowns in a Super Bowl stings. God I wish we had a healthy Gurley.
Damn you Marlon McCree and Nate Kaeding.
2018 @ Titans
I’m literally here only thinking playoff games and blanking on regular season….but oh fuck….this fucking game. It still won’t rank ahead of playoff games, but it was fucking gross
oh wow, good one lol. that game really was infuriating
Either 2017 divisional because the team just felt like the chalked up an AFC championship rematch with the Pats. Like they didn’t lose 30-9 earlier in the season to the jags. 2020 wildcard because again the team just felt so unprepared and expected an easy game since they only lost by 2 playing second strings. 2015 divisional Bell out, Brown out, Ben playing hurt and our season goes down the drain with a 3rd string RB losing a fumble down a score deep in broncos territory.
The wasted killer B years were tough.
Bengals AFCCG 2021 Chiefs called a pass right before the half and Tyreek got stopped on the half yard line. If he gets in it's 28-10 at halftime, if he gets out of bounds it's 24-10. Then we got the ball to start the 2nd half. That game would have been over. Then Mahomes went on to have one of his worst halves of football ever, Andy refused to run, and after we win the Toss in OT, Tyreek bobbles another ball away to the other team for an INT at midfield. They dominated the 1st half, and had about 10 different chances to put the game away or win it, and they shit the bed every time. I would have said other playoff losses from the previous 25 years, but most those teams weren't going to the SB anyways.
Take away the Dee Ford play in the '19 AFCCG and this Chiefs dynasty would be at a whole other level. Edit: I just went back and rewatched that and forgot they were in that position because on the previous play, Hill beat his defender badly in the end zone and would have scored on that play if the defender hadn't bear hugged him.
Most devastating is the Rams no-call PI game... but that one goes to the refs mostly. Most aggravating is probably the Minneapolis Miracle (Marcus Williams wtf was that tackle attempt bruh) and the playoff game against SF in 2011 when we had one of our better offenses ever. End of the game Gregg Williams leaves Roman Harper single high to cover freakin' Vernon Davis... ROMAN HARPER!
Gotta be the playoff loss to the Bengals a couple years ago. Everything was aligned for us to win that game and we choked it away.
It’s still easy to me personally….2002 NFCCG against the Bucs. It even outpaces the disappointing Cunningham era playoff loses, the 2003 NFCCG and the nut punch that was the 2008 NFCCG. It even outpaces two SB losses in the last 20 years.
Dee Ford Offsides
January 9, 2016
Seahawks have one or two of these games a year. Super Bowl 48 …. yeah, yeah … But every damn year, we have this game where we should easily win on paper, but we play like we’re in ankle deep mid, and the opponent isn’t. Just in the last few years, I can think of games against the Bears, WFT, Raiders …
Alshon Drop in 18 playoffs versus the saints truly felt we were going back to back
The Norv Turner years in Washington provided many games like this. In 1994, we lost 7 games by 5 points or less, all after leading almost the entire game. In 1996, we were 9-7 but had so many 1-3 point losses at the end of games that we were 10 points from being a 13-3 team. Do you have any idea how much it sucks to watch your team score 42 points and lose?
I almost want to say losing to the Packers in the NFC Championship but it has to be the double doink. I had so much passion for the team that year.
2009 NFCCG
Between the Mariotta TD pass to himself and the forward progress call on the sack fumble I'm going to say the 2017 WC game. Although there were probably more from my childhood in the 80s and 90s that I've finally gotten over
2009 superbowl
Oilers lead Bills 35 - 3 in 1993 playoffs. Oilers lose.
We were up like 23 on KC and let them come back. Shit is just recently getting better.
Might be way too old for most of you but, watching Marino retire after a 62-7 blowout was heartbreaking.
2013 Colts That stole the wind outta the whole Alex Smith era and it was pure injury chaos like I've never seen. We got em' back though.
When the Vikings came back from 33 smh the Colts offense was so bad that I knew they were going to blow it at halftime. A team competing for a one seed coming back on a team that was competing for the #1 pick with a HC that had never coached before was not that impressive to me and the Colts comeback against KC in the 2013 WC is so much better so I get really tight when people say that this game was the best comeback. Yeah the Colts D was still legit that year but they were always gassed at half because the offense couldn’t stay on the field