Biggest Choke in NFL history (1 Viewer)

[BGP]

I would have thought the Texans passing on Reggie Bush would be on there.

 

[radballs]

The Oilers in 1992 and it's not even close - you should make a poll for second place.

 

[On The Rocks]

Norwood is, unfortunately, the NFL's Bill Buckner.

Bad analogy, since Buckner actually had a decent career going into the 1986 WS. Norwood was a lousy kicker who should never have been on the field for a SB contender.

I don't think you know what you are talking about when it comes to Norwood. He was indeed a very solid kicker. He may not have been a Adam Vinatieri "clutch" kicker, but he regularly won games for the Bills with his kicking.

 

[Buttmonkey]

First off, you guys are not really understanding exactly what a "choke" is. It's basically not being able to convert on a pretty much gimme play becuase of the "pressure" of the moment.

Jackie Smith had a very catchable ball. Probably one he'll catch 99 times out of 100. But, because of the "moment" and the meaning of the catch, he simply "choked"

Romo is probably just as good a holder as anyone else in the league. The "moment" got to him and that's basically it.

The Oilers letting a team come back from 32 is not a choke, it's a "collaspe" and a team effort. But, when the lead was cut to 21, then 14, then 7, I dont' think the players were "choking" as much as things just went extremely right for the Bills.

Lastly, Larry Bird one time missed two free-throws at the end of a game down by 1 point. I don't think anyone will ever call Bird a choker, but sometimes things just happen that way.

Have a nice day.

 

[Raider Nation]

First off, you guys are not really understanding exactly what a "choke" is. It's basically not being able to convert on a pretty much gimme play becuase of the "pressure" of the moment.Jackie Smith had a very catchable ball. Probably one he'll catch 99 times out of 100. But, because of the "moment" and the meaning of the catch, he simply "choked"Romo is probably just as good a holder as anyone else in the league. The "moment" got to him and that's basically it. The Oilers letting a team come back from 32 is not a choke, it's a "collaspe" and a team effort. But, when the lead was cut to 21, then 14, then 7, I dont' think the players were "choking" as much as things just went extremely right for the Bills.Lastly, Larry Bird one time missed two free-throws at the end of a game down by 1 point. I don't think anyone will ever call Bird a choker, but sometimes things just happen that way.Have a nice day.

Hi Mr. Condescension,I looked up "collaspe" in the dictionary and had no luck.

 

[videoguy505]

Had Houston simply RUN the ball every single play, it is unlikely the Bills would have had time to come back.

Well, the Bills did score 28 points in 7 minutes... but some turnovers helped. Either way, it's the biggest choke ever.

 

[BigRed]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

And yes if you voted for Norwood consider yourself officially 'tarded.

 

[cantrell]

Biggest choke I ever seen was the NYG/SF Wild Card game. 38-14 and the Jeff Garcia picked them apart play after play. Giants still should have won however as that botched snap clearly had a penality on the play. Thats the biggest choke I saw with my own two eyes.

However, I voted for the Houston/Buffalo game. Really how the hell do you give up a 35-3 halftime lead?

 

[The Jacket]

When you have choke and postseason in the same sentence the guy that comes to mind is Marty.

 

[Godsbrother]

Other: Dan Marino's post-season career.

Fact #1: Threw 15 TD's vs. 19 Int's in Dolphins 10 playoff losses with Marino at QB :X

Fact #2: Only twice in those 10 playoff losses Marino was able to throw more TD's than INT's

Fact #3: 9 out of 10 of those playoff losses Marino threw a minimum of 2 interceptions each game

Impossible for any team to be successful with such horrific post-season QB play.

Man, how bad do you have to hate Dan Marino to hijack a completely unrelated thread and make it about his alleged choking? Might any other great QB's have shared Marino's "disease" of too many INT's in postseason losses? Let's check.FAVRE

9 playoff losses. 16 TD's/21 picks. 3 games with TD's > INT's

ELWAY

8 playoff losses. 9 TD's/11 picks. 2 games with TD's > INT's

KELLY

8 playoff losses. 8 TD's/16 picks. 1 game with TD's > INT's

AIKMAN

5 playoff losses. 4 TD's/11 picks. 0 games with TD's > INT's

S. YOUNG

6 playoff losses. 4 TD's/10 picks. 0 games with TD's > INT's

STAUBACH

7 playoff losses. 7 TD's/12 picks. 2 games with TD's > INT's

TARKENTON

5 playoff losses. 2 TD's/9 picks. 0 games with TD's > INT's

BRADSHAW

5 playoff losses. 6 TD's/11 picks. 0 games with TD's > INT's

Look at all those losers. And it's a real shame about Bradshaw's postseason problems. Just think about what his team might have accomplished without that choker bringing them down. Here's a complete playoff comparison of Marino to Bradshaw:

Marino: 18 playoff games. 32 TD's/ 24 picks. Record: 8-10

Bradshaw: 19 playoff games. 30 TD's/ 26 picks. Record: 14-5.

Marino threw a pick in 13 playoff games and his team went 4-9 in those games. Bradshaw threw a pick in 14 of his 19 playoff games but his team went 9-5 in those games. Marino had 10 multiple interception playoff games and his team lost all but one of those games. Bradshaw had 8 such games but his team went 4-4 in them, including a Super Bowl victory and an AFC title game win with 3 INT's apiece! You think a dominating defense and great running game might have bailed Bradshaw out a few times?

And the Oilers' loss to the Bills is not only the biggest NFL choke, it might the greatest sports choke of all-time with the possible exception of the Yankees in 2004.

I think this post completely destroys any argument that you could make.

HK was

 

[Case Ace]

Sometimes he played well sometimes not so much, just like most QBs. When you take it all together you get 32 TDs vs. 24 INTs. There are alot of QBs with a worse track record than that in the playoffs. Fran Tarkenton threw 11 TDs vs. 17 INTs in his post season career. Is he the biggest choker in NFL history? Is he a bigger choker than Marino? Let me know.

MarinoWins: Threw 17 TDs vs. 5 Int's in 8 gamesLosses: 15 TDs vs. 19 Int's in 10 LossesThere is a clear trend. If he played well, they won and if he played poorly, they lost. He played poorly more often than he played well. The team was designed for him to take them as far as he could, custom built around his talent.....when the post season came around, he proved over and over again that they wouldn't go far. If he was as great and as clutch as many feel he was, why aren't his playoff numbers better? People look at his stats to justify calling him great, why do they ignore the same stats that show he failed in the most important games?

I'm not saying Marino was always clutch, but this thread is about the biggest choke in NFL history. Huge difference. Did Marino cost you some $ back in the day?

 

[AB in DC]

Norwood is, unfortunately, the NFL's Bill Buckner.

Bad analogy, since Buckner actually had a decent career going into the 1986 WS. Norwood was a lousy kicker who should never have been on the field for a SB contender.

I don't think you know what you are talking about when it comes to Norwood. He was indeed a very solid kicker. He may not have been a Adam Vinatieri "clutch" kicker, but he regularly won games for the Bills with his kicking.

Scott Norwood stats:Pro-Football-Reference

DatabaseFootball

Some lowlights:

- Exceeded 80% FG accuracy in only one year out of seven

- Was below 70% accuracy in four of those years

- Missed 3% of PATs and 11% of FG attempts under 30 yards

- Did not kick a FG of 50+ yards until his final year in the league (career 2-for-10)

- Career 37-for-61 on 40-49 yard FGs.

- Career AAA rating of 67.0 is worse than every single starting kicker in the NFL, as of the beginning of 2006. (AAA rating defined here on page 11)

(Caveat: I haven't done any historical analysis of AAA ratings, so he may not have been the worst kicker in the NFL as of 1990)

I stand by my assertion that he should never been playing for a SB contender.

 

[H.K.]

I'm not saying Marino was always clutch, but this thread is about the biggest choke in NFL history. Huge difference. Did Marino cost you some $ back in the day?

No. I dig Marino. I just get tired of hearing the stupid argument that QB's win because they had good teams around them but QB's who didn't win but put up great stats did it completely on their own without any assistance from anyone else. Around here, Marino supporters paint the picture like its was 1 on 11 scenario of Dan vs. the opposition. Its contradictory and foolish.Marino put up great stats because his team was built specifically around him so he could put up great numbers. Does that fact ever get mentioned? No.Does the team get thrown under the bus as the reason Marino never won a Super Bowl? Yes.Why is it that he gets all the credit for the good, and the team gets all the blame for the bad? Particularly when the Dolphins were specifically designed to rely on him? Consider Marino's nomination in this thread a "lifetime achievement" award.

 

[The Jerk]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

There is another possibility...my view of SB III is that the AFL as a whole and the Jets as a team were underrated by the national media who considered the NFL vastly superior. SB IV being dominated by the Chiefs confirmed that the AFL was at least the equal of the NFL by the end of the 1960s.Media misperception and the significance of the AFL defeating the NFL helped make the upset appear to be even larger than it was at the time. The Colts probably were the better team, but there's no way they should have been nearly 20 point favorites. If anything, over time it has appeared more likely that the Colts were collectively victims of overconfidence rather than a group of chokers.

 

[Case Ace]

I'm not saying Marino was always clutch, but this thread is about the biggest choke in NFL history. Huge difference. Did Marino cost you some $ back in the day?

No. I dig Marino. I just get tired of hearing the stupid argument that QB's win because they had good teams around them but QB's who didn't win but put up great stats did it completely on their own without any assistance from anyone else. Around here, Marino supporters paint the picture like its was 1 on 11 scenario of Dan vs. the opposition. Its contradictory and foolish.Marino put up great stats because his team was built specifically around him so he could put up great numbers. Does that fact ever get mentioned? No.Does the team get thrown under the bus as the reason Marino never won a Super Bowl? Yes.Why is it that he gets all the credit for the good, and the team gets all the blame for the bad? Particularly when the Dolphins were specifically designed to rely on him? Consider Marino's nomination in this thread a "lifetime achievement" award.

This is a decent argument for a different topic. This thread is about the BIGGEST CHOKE EVER. Should Marino get some of the blame for the Dolphins not winning the Super Bowl? Sure. Biggest choke ever? Obviously not.

 

[H.K.]

This is a decent argument for a different topic. This thread is about the BIGGEST CHOKE EVER. Should Marino get some of the blame for the Dolphins not winning the Super Bowl? Sure. Biggest choke ever? Obviously not.

"Marty Shottenheimer's entire post-season career" is an option. Marino should be up there, too.

 

[jetpack]

No one biggest choke ever but...

I'd rate Jackie Smith in Super Bowl XIII high. You'd think catching a low, but makable ball alone in the EZ would be a gimme compared to kicking a pressure last second field goal. An unfortunate incident for a classic player.

Worst team choke has to be the Bills Super Bowl run in the 90s or the Vikes of the 70s.

Most memorable choke to me was the double choke of Bettis fumble/Vanderjagt miss in the 05 playoffs. How often do you see two excellent players choke like that on virtual gimmes? It's like time stopped for the last few minutes of that game.

 

[Kleck.]

The 68 Colts choke against the outmanned Jets, SuperBowl 3 [ 2 ] [0.92%]

With an older crowd, this one would probably get more votes.

 

[Iron Mike Tomczak]

It looked like Neil was throwing to no one in that game. Sadly Barry Foster ran decently for the Steelers, special teams got an onside kick and the defense played well. The Steelers were in the game until the 4th Qtr. But Neil just choked terribly.

 

[Gr00vus]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

The Colts were 20 point favorites ON PAPER with 60 minutes to play and lost. That means exactly zero - like The Jerk said people's perceptions were skewed waayyy too much on that one.The Oilers were up 32 ON THE SCOREBOARD with 30 minutes to play and lost. That my friend is the definition of choking.

 

[Case Ace]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

The Colts were 20 point favorites ON PAPER with 60 minutes to play and lost. That means exactly zero - like The Jerk said people's perceptions were skewed waayyy too much on that one.The Oilers were up 32 ON THE SCOREBOARD with 30 minutes to play and lost. That my friend is the definition of choking.

Good point

 

[dparker713]

I'd have gone with the Bills, except it was a divisional game. Biggest choke ever should really be closer to the championship, so I went other. This years Pats blowing an 18 point lead in the AFC championship game, with The Genius and The QB That Wins Without Offensive Talent unable to sit on teh ball well enough to close out a QB and coach that were incapable of winning the big game.

I think there should probably be one poll for team chokes and one for individual. For individual I'd probably go Jackie Smith.

PS- HK is becoming Lhucks-like in his crusade against Marino.

 

[MarshallRob]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

The Colts were 20 point favorites ON PAPER with 60 minutes to play and lost. That means exactly zero - like The Jerk said people's perceptions were skewed waayyy too much on that one.The Oilers were up 32 ON THE SCOREBOARD with 30 minutes to play and lost. That my friend is the definition of choking.

Actually, the Oilers were only up by 25 with 30 minutes to play. They increased their lead to 35-3 after Bubba McDonald's INT return for a TD with 13:15 left in the third quarter.

 

[bez18]

I still crack up thinking about the Giants choke to the Niners!

 

[Gr00vus]

In fairness I didn't see the BUF/TEN option but lol and wtf that I am the only one who votes for SB III. Once again the kids @ FBG appear to think the NFL was created some time in the 1980s.

The Colts were 20 point favorites ON PAPER with 60 minutes to play and lost. That means exactly zero - like The Jerk said people's perceptions were skewed waayyy too much on that one.The Oilers were up 32 ON THE SCOREBOARD with 30 minutes to play and lost. That my friend is the definition of choking.

Actually, the Oilers were only up by 25 with 30 minutes to play. They increased their lead to 35-3 after Bubba McDonald's INT return for a TD with 13:15 left in the third quarter.

Thanks for the correction. I'd like to think it just strengthens the underlying point.

 

[The Jerk]

It looked like Neil was throwing to no one in that game. Sadly Barry Foster ran decently for the Steelers, special teams got an onside kick and the defense played well. The Steelers were in the game until the 4th Qtr. But Neil just choked terribly.

Just for accuracy sake...Bam Morris and Erric Pegram were the RBs for the Steelers in 1995. In SB XXX, Morris was getting increasingly more effective as the game moved along. In fact, Bam outgained Emmitt Smith by 24 yards on the ground and 39 yards overall on the day. O'Donnell may not have needed to throw if the Steelers had another 3-4 minutes on the clock instead of 3:42 prior to their final ill-fated drive. Of course, if O'Donnell doesn't throw his FIRST interception, the circumstances leading to his second may also have been avoided.One stat supporting O'Donnell's case for this award is that he is among the QBs with the lowest interceptioni frequency of all-time. He might even be #1 (for QBs attempting a certain number of passes). O'Donnell threw 7 interceptions in the regular season on 416 attempts. He then threw 3 interceptions in 49 attempts in SB XXX. Add in the other two postseason games in 1995 and O'Donnell threw 6 interceptions out of 125 attempts.

 

[H.K.]

I'd have gone with the Bills, except it was a divisional game. Biggest choke ever should really be closer to the championship, so I went other. This years Pats blowing an 18 point lead in the AFC championship game, with The Genius and The QB That Wins Without Offensive Talent unable to sit on teh ball well enough to close out a QB and coach that were incapable of winning the big game.

I think there should probably be one poll for team chokes and one for individual. For individual I'd probably go Jackie Smith.

PS- HK is becoming Lhucks-like in his crusade against Marino.

AFC EAST = Conference of Chokers?

 

[Jous]

I'd have gone with the Bills, except it was a divisional game. Biggest choke ever should really be closer to the championship, so I went other. This years Pats blowing an 18 point lead in the AFC championship game, with The Genius and The QB That Wins Without Offensive Talent unable to sit on teh ball well enough to close out a QB and coach that were incapable of winning the big game.

I think there should probably be one poll for team chokes and one for individual. For individual I'd probably go Jackie Smith.

PS- HK is becoming Lhucks-like in his crusade against Marino.

AFC EAST = Conference of Chokers?

Their combined 15 Super Bowl appearences and 6 championships disagree with you...

 

[Ron_Mexico]

I'll vote for the New York Chokees

choking a 3-0 series lead in the 2004 AL Championship

to the 2004 World Series Champion, Boston Red Sox.

------------------------------------------------------------

The Houston Oilers, hands down.

 

[brednbuddah]

I voted Oilers/Bills, but how can you not have this year's monster New England choke to the Colts?

New England had something like a 22-0 record when leading at halftime before that choke.

 

[JohnnyU]

Surprised that there's no votes for the Colts choking to the Jets in SB3. The Colts were one of the top teams of all-time... the jets...weren't.

The Jets were the better team -- at least that day, and maybe period.

Big difference between "getting beaten" and "choking"....

Lots of teams in NFL history have lost outright as 17+ point favorites. Any Given Sunday.

That game was fixed, just ask Bubba Smith.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

That game was fixed, just ask Bubba Smith.

Surprising comment coming from JohhnyU.

 

[the branded hand]

There are a lot things that sting really bad, like choking on individual plays or bad luck or whatever... but, how about serial choking at the highest level?

Most Consecutive Super Bowls LOST ! ! !

4 Buffalo, XXV-XXVIII

SB XXV Norwood's wide right started the slide... and it was the closest they'd get to winning.

NYG 20 BUF 19

SB XXVI Kelly's 4 INT continued the pain...

WAS 37 BUF 24

SB XXVII Dallas converts 9 turnovers into 35 points!

DAL 52 BUF 17

SB XXVIII Oh, what's the use...

DAL 30 BUF 13

Collectively, that's both sad and rough...

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Those two INTs by O'Donnell were the game. The Steelers almost survived the 1st one even, but that second pick sealed the deal. A shame, as Steelers owned the second half of that game. WHERE WAS THE WR ON THOSE PLAYS?? ####### O'Donnell.

 

[Tom Servo]

I'd have gone with the Bills, except it was a divisional game. Biggest choke ever should really be closer to the championship, so I went other. This years Pats blowing an 18 point lead in the AFC championship game, with The Genius and The QB That Wins Without Offensive Talent unable to sit on teh ball well enough to close out a QB and coach that were incapable of winning the big game.

I think there should probably be one poll for team chokes and one for individual. For individual I'd probably go Jackie Smith.

PS- HK is becoming Lhucks-like in his crusade against Marino.

AFC EAST = Conference of Chokers?

Their combined 15 Super Bowl appearences and 6 championships disagree with you...

I think the NFC East (10 Super Bowl rings) might like a word with you...