Most painful loss ever? (1 Viewer)

[faux_bear]

For Patriots fans, this loss has to sting more than it would have had they not been going for a perfect season. I can not imagine a more painful loss than this, other than maybe a team losing their 16th game in a season...

As a Dolphins fan and Patriots hater, I would not have scripted it any othe rway...this was truly a perfect season.

Thanks Giants!!!

 

[wilked]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

 

[FF_Guru]

Without a doubt, it will leave a sour taste in their mouth. But then they win the consolation prize...get to deal with Spygate now and all the media coverage to go with that. Not to mention all the critics saying, couldn't win a SB without your video tapes.

 

[Jimmy James]

I think the way the Titans lost was more painful than this.

 

[Rogi]

BB didn't take the loss well. He wanted off that field as fast as possible - before the game clock expired. I guess he's no better than Randy Moss.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I live in St. Louis, and trust me when I say that many fans here are still crushed over losing that Super Bowl to the Patriots. It is one of those losses that fans will never get over. Heck, I am not even a Rams fan, although I was rooting for them like crazy, and I thought it sucked a lot.

 

[nashua55]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

I think that Bills loss got more and more painful after the other Bills superbowl losses because it became very apparent that was the closest they would ever be to being Superbowl Champions.

 

[Rogi]

Vikes losing to Falcons in the NFC championship on a Gary Anderson missed FG hurt quite a bit.

 

[Little Lord Humpleroy]

Losing to the Colts in the AFC championship game last year felt just as bad.

 

[shredhead]

BB didn't take the loss well. He wanted off that field as fast as possible - before the game clock expired. I guess he's no better than Randy Moss.

Nope! At least Randy stayed on the field until the game was over. Randy>>BB

 

[SSOG]

The Colts loss to the Jets stung WAY more, not just to the Colts, but to the entire NFL. They went around with such an arrogance, totally dismissing the AFL, and then got their teeth kicked in. It'd be like if the Pats played USC for the superbowl... and lost.

 

[travdogg]

That loss basically made an entire league legit.

No current scenario exists that could top the Colts-Jets game.

 

[Das Boot]

I would think that a team going for an undefeated season that the media hailed as the greatest team ever and Vegas made 12+ SB point favorites would HAVE to make this the most embarrassing, humiliating, disappointing, bitter, unable-to-finish-joke-generating and never to be forgotten loss ever.

My sincere condolences to Pats fans... my disgust is with Belichick and the Patriots cheating organization.

Congrats to the Giants for an inspired game, and to Karma for the assist.

 

[Clifton]

Losing to the Colts in the AFC championship game last year felt just as bad.

For some reason that one stung more for me. Most painful loss? Is this just an NFL question? I'd say those 4 losses in a row the Yanks rattled off in 04 must've stung a bit.

 

[Jimmy James]

My sincere condolences to Pats fans...

As long as we're limiting Pats fans to just the hard core fans and not the ones who are browsing online sites for Giants gear right about now, I can get on board with this. It's not exactly their fault that the team they love has such a quality individual as coach.

 

[faux_bear]

You also have to consider that this loss adds a bitter pill to two of the more incredible NFL season records ever established (passing TD's and receiving TD's).

You gotta think that Brady and Moss will not be able to enjoy their records as much anymore, because the first thought that will always enter their minds will be about losing the perfect season.

 

[Das Boot]

My sincere condolences to Pats fans...

As long as we're limiting Pats fans to just the hard core fans and not the ones who are browsing online sites for Giants gear right about now, I can get on board with this. It's not exactly their fault that the team they love has such a quality individual as coach.

I've had to suffer through the Bengals personnel decisions the past few years (more arrests than wins), plus horrible mgmt for decades prior to that.So I can sympathize with being fans of a team that unfortunately, for a while, has an organization and/or coach that's kinda sleazy.

 

[Jimmy James]

My sincere condolences to Pats fans...

As long as we're limiting Pats fans to just the hard core fans and not the ones who are browsing online sites for Giants gear right about now, I can get on board with this. It's not exactly their fault that the team they love has such a quality individual as coach.

I've had to suffer through the Bengals personnel decisions the past few years (more arrests than wins), plus horrible mgmt for decades prior to that.So I can sympathize with being fans of a team that unfortunately, for a while, has an organization and/or coach that's kinda sleazy.

Trust me -- I've had it better than you have, but the last few years have not been kind to Dolphins fans in a number of ways. I totally get that. If I could purge Nick Saban from Dolphins team history, you know I absolutely would. Of course, the same goes for Wannstedt and Cameron. Actually, can we get a do over starting the day Don Shula left?

 

[The Jerk]

My sincere condolences to Pats fans... my disgust is with Belichick and the Patriots cheating organization.

A great distinction, and one I want to second. (Although I exclude a handful or two of the most virulent Pats fans on these forums from that group. They have enough crow to sustain them long into summertime without needing to go to the grocery store.)

 

[The Jerk]

You also have to consider that this loss adds a bitter pill to two of the more incredible NFL season records ever established (passing TD's and receiving TD's).You gotta think that Brady and Moss will not be able to enjoy their records as much anymore, because the first thought that will always enter their minds will be about losing the perfect season.

The records were legitimately obtained, yet also forced in a way and somewhat misleading, at least from a certain perspective. Peyton Manning didn't really play in his 16th game, and Rice played only 12 games due to the players strike.It made me mindful of the cliche that records were made to be broken. The intent to get the records was unmistakable, and the numbers would probably have been higher if Manning and Rice's records had been higher.

 

[Raider Nation]

This makes up for the Tuck Rule fiasco, and I don't even like the Giants.

 

[tdoss]

I gotta think this one hurt a lot...to go from one of the greatest of alltime to where they ended up...and against the same team they blitzed the year prior...

1990-91 UNLV RUNNIN’ REBELS

Backstory

In 1989-90, UNLV won its only NCAA title, setting a record for margin of victory in a final game with a 103-73 pasting of Duke. And everybody was coming back for 1990-91. A compromise worked out by UNLV’s president allowed the Rebels, under NCAA watch since nearly the first day coach Jerry Tarkanian set foot on campus in 1973, to delay a probation for one year so they could defend their title.

The regular season

The John Wooden UCLA teams had sustained excellence, but no one had ever seen a basketball team so thoroughly stomp through its competition as the 1990-91 Rebels. A lineup featuring Larry Johnson, Greg Anthony and Stacy Augmon went 20-0 before winning a game by only single digits (a 112-105 win at Arkansas). They wouldn’t have to worry about a margin that close the rest of the regular season, finishing 34-0.

Even with a weak, Big West schedule, the defending champions looked monstrous. They won at Michigan State, a tournament team, by 30. They beat Florida State, another tourney team, by 32. Arkansas was the No. 2 team in the nation when UNLV played them. They seemed also a sure thing to become the first undefeated team, including the NCAA tournament, since Indiana in 1976.

The postseason

The Rebels blew through the NCAA tournament, with only one single-digit margin (a 62-54 win against Georgetown) before reaching the Final Four. But Duke exacted revenge in the semifinal, coming back from a late 76-71 deficit to win 79-77 and eventually take the NCAA title itself.

Postscript

The game was a crossroads for both UNLV and Duke. The Blue Devils and coach Mike Krzyzewski both shed their reputations as postseason chokers and became the standard-bearers for NCAA basketball.

Meanwhile, UNLV immediately went down the toilet. Two months after the NCAA Final Four loss, the Las Vegas Review-Journal printed photos, taken in the fall of 1989, of four UNLV players sharing a hot tub with Richard “The Fixer” Perry, who among his crimes was his involvement in the infamous Boston College point-shaving scandal. No evidence was ever found of point-shaving by UNLV, but it still doesn’t look good when your players are sharing a bath with a guy named “The Fixer.” Tarkanian resigned effective the end of the 1992 season, and UNLV fell off the basketball map. It didn’t win another NCAA tournament game until 2007 — as a plucky, mid-major upstart.

 

[SSOG]

I would think that a team going for an undefeated season that the media hailed as the greatest team ever and Vegas made 12+ SB point favorites would HAVE to make this the most embarrassing, humiliating, disappointing, bitter, unable-to-finish-joke-generating and never to be forgotten loss ever.My sincere condolences to Pats fans... my disgust is with Belichick and the Patriots cheating organization.Congrats to the Giants for an inspired game, and to Karma for the assist.

The Colts were favored by 20+ over the Jets, iirc.

 

[NorrisB]

This makes up for the Tuck Rule fiasco, and I don't even like the Giants.

God man let it go.

 

[ckalltheway]

It was pretty lame how fast the Patriots ran from the field. I hate the Giants but I respect them at the same time.

 

[datonn]

Vikes losing to Falcons in the NFC championship on a Gary Anderson missed FG hurt quite a bit.

Anderson's missed field goal isn't what hurt.....it was Denny Green ordering Culpepper to basically run out the clock with over a minute to play and wait for overtime because "the Falcons had the momentum" (never you mind that the 1998 Vikings had the most explosive offensive in NFL history until the 2007 Patriots). THAT is something that has left a deep and painful scar on the minds and hearts of so many of us Vikings fans. :horns:Re: the Patriots. Yep, this one is going to leave a DEEP mark too. Honestly though? I don't feel sorry for them one bit (the organization, more than the fans). They basically had anointed themselves as Super Bowl champs a couple of weeks ago (This article is a funny take on that whole situation)...and the fans weren't that far behind. I guess 18-0 makes folks forget "any given Sunday." If the Patriots and the Giants face each other ten times, the Patriots probably win at LEAST seven of those games. Thing is, they didn't win the BIG one...which will be a "yabbutt" that will dog that franchise and its fans for decades. Having it be a team from New York only makes things ten-times worse for all those Pats fans, I assume.

Great season though! 18-1? Outstanding. Just would have been better if that "1" had come sometime between September and December....

 

[Michael Brown]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

But the Yankees had won many World Series of recent times when they lost to the Red Sox, and that was apparently the worst loss of all-time according to you guys. And it's not like the Yankees were minutes away from being the G.O.A.T. either.Using your comment as a guide, the SF Giants loss to the Angels was more painful than the Yankees was to Boston. And you wouldn't suggest that, would you?

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

But the Yankees had won many World Series of recent times when they lost to the Red Sox, and that was apparently the worst loss of all-time according to you guys. And it's not like the Yankees were minutes away from being the G.O.A.T. either.Using your comment as a guide, the SF Giants loss to the Angels was more painful than the Yankees was to Boston. And you wouldn't suggest that, would you?

I hate baseball, but that win meant a lot more to the Sox than the loss meant to the Yankees. Like if some guy beats Tiger Woods. he'll tell his grandchildren about the time he beat Tiger, but Woods won't opsess over it. That win meant everything to Boston. New York didn't like it, but I don't think it was as big of a deal.Re: The Patriots, this has to hurt. They've already won the Super Bowl plenty of times. This was something different. It's hard to imagine this chance will come again. They'll just have to settle for being a dynasty.

 

[roadkill1292]

The Colts loss to the Jets stung WAY more, not just to the Colts, but to the entire NFL. They went around with such an arrogance, totally dismissing the AFL, and then got their teeth kicked in. It'd be like if the Pats played USC for the superbowl... and lost.

That one still makes us older folks here in Balmer sick to think about. The Colts had one of the all time great NFL seasons that year.

 

[videoguy505]

2002, 49ers/Giants playoff game.

19 minutes left, Giants up 38-14. 49ers light up, get a figgie and 3 TDs (and 2 two-pt conversions), going ahead 39-38. Giants get the ball back with a minute to play and start driving. Eventually they have the ball with 6 seconds left, on the SF 23.

Bryant lines up for the 41-yard FG attempt to win it. Bad snap, the holder scrambles wildly and fires the ball downfield to OL Rich Seubert, who's jumped on and horse-collard by a niner before the ball gets to him. The ball bounces off his chest as he's lying flat on his back. Flags fly in on the play. Only one penalty is called--illegal man downfield on Seubert, game over, head ref walks off the field. However, Seubert had checked in as eligible, and the flag was on another man downfield, away from the ball. Ref forgot to check with the back judge, who threw his flag for Pass Interference. Should have been offsetting penalties, which by rule would allow for a re-kick. When the back judge heard Seubert was ineligible downfield, he just shrugged it off, figuring you can't PI an ineligible man. However, since he was eligible, the PI should have stood.

Monday morning the NFL issued a press release apologizing for the officiating error, acknowledging that the Giants should have been allowed one more attempt at the down. However, the 49ers would remain the "official" winners of the game and move on to the next round, and the Giants season was over, despite the NFL declaring they were owed one final, untimed play for their season.

It just can't, can't, get worse than that.

 

[MallRat]

Check out the &!*^@ing banner ads at Boston.com this morning:

Sports Illustrated: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS CHAMPIONSHIP PACKAGE! ORDER NOW!

Tufts Health Plan: HERE'S TO 19-0. AND ANOTHER RING!

I knew there was a good reason I switched to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Mother@&*%ers. How about a little more salt on that wound?

 

[BigSteelThrill]

2002, 49ers/Giants playoff game.19 minutes left, Giants up 38-14. 49ers light up, get a figgie and 3 TDs (and 2 two-pt conversions), going ahead 39-38. Giants get the ball back with a minute to play and start driving. Eventually they have the ball with 6 seconds left, on the SF 23.Bryant lines up for the 41-yard FG attempt to win it. Bad snap, the holder scrambles wildly and fires the ball downfield to OL Rich Seubert, who's jumped on and horse-collard by a niner before the ball gets to him. The ball bounces off his chest as he's lying flat on his back. Flags fly in on the play. Only one penalty is called--illegal man downfield on Seubert, game over, head ref walks off the field. However, Seubert had checked in as eligible, and the flag was on another man downfield, away from the ball. Ref forgot to check with the back judge, who threw his flag for Pass Interference. Should have been offsetting penalties, which by rule would allow for a re-kick. When the back judge heard Seubert was ineligible downfield, he just shrugged it off, figuring you can't PI an ineligible man. However, since he was eligible, the PI should have stood.Monday morning the NFL issued a press release apologizing for the officiating error, acknowledging that the Giants should have been allowed one more attempt at the down. However, the 49ers would remain the "official" winners of the game and move on to the next round, and the Giants season was over, despite the NFL declaring they were owed one final, untimed play for their season.It just can't, can't, get worse than that.

Thats wasnt the superbowl. Hell, wasnt it wildcard weekend? Not saying it didnt hurt badly, it was terrible, but there have been tons of terrible endings.But yesterday is on a completely different level.

 

[Boston]

I think what many non-New Englanders forget is most Patriot fans are also Red Sox fans. We're well schooled in crushing defeats. As bad as this is it's nowhere near the Buckner fiasco because both the Pats and Sox have won a combined five titles since 2001. If the Pats had zero titles this loss would have been far more painful. Also, after watching the Pats pull off a similar feat in 2001 against the Rams it's much easier (for me at least) to appreciate what it took for the GMen to accomplish what they did last night.

 

[PMENFAN]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

Exactly. It would have been great to win and lay claim to 19-0, but it didn't happen. Being 4-1 in AFC Championships and 3-1 in SB's over the last 7 years sure does make it easier to bear. Sucks surely, but you can't win them all. At least they're typically in position to get it done.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

In the scheme of losses as a NE fan this hurts, but not significantly worse than last year and less than the 1986 Red Sox world series. I think most losses in championship games are hard, especially if your team is the favorite or has the game in hand.

One think that takes the sting off a bit is that the Giants just played great, both on Defense and on O when it mattered most. You can point to a number of plays NE could have made, but the Giants played very well and you have to give them credit.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I think what many non-New Englanders forget is most Patriot fans are also Red Sox fans. We're well schooled in crushing defeats. As bad as this is it's nowhere near the Buckner fiasco because both the Pats and Sox have won a combined five titles since 2001. If the Pats had zero titles this loss would have been far more painful. Also, after watching the Pats pull off a similar feat in 2001 against the Rams it's much easier (for me at least) to appreciate what it took for the GMen to accomplish what they did last night.

beat me to it by about 5 minutes.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

I see your point, Wilked but I think you have to look at this year as it's own. From a historic standpoint, this to me is the hardest loss and even the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. I understand the Jets were larger point spread underdogs, but the significance of this loss is so huge.I mean, the Patriots just went from being the greatest team of all time, to a team now where they're not even mentioned in the top elite teams because they didn't win the SB.That to me is huge. And as far as people like Tom Brady who've won before, tell that to Junior Seau and Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Dante STallworth etc..There are plenty of guys who wanted that first ring. To me, the most painful loss, the biggest upset and the one that effected NFL history the most. Pats went from the greatest team ever to not even on the page.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

In the scheme of losses as a NE fan this hurts, but not significantly worse than last year and less than the 1986 Red Sox world series. I think most losses in championship games are hard, especially if your team is the favorite or has the game in hand.One think that takes the sting off a bit is that the Giants just played great, both on Defense and on O when it mattered most. You can point to a number of plays NE could have made, but the Giants played very well and you have to give them credit.

Good points, but you're thinking of yourself. You think Junior Seau and Randy Moss share your viewpoint? You have to look at just this game and what it meant to NFL history.I can't think of a bigger impact on a loss. I'm glad that Patriot fans aren't super upset as I don't like anyone to feel bad but whether Pats fans are down or not, that doesn't diminish how big of a loss this is.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

Exactly. It would have been great to win and lay claim to 19-0, but it didn't happen. Being 4-1 in AFC Championships and 3-1 in SB's over the last 7 years sure does make it easier to bear. Sucks surely, but you can't win them all. At least they're typically in position to get it done.

It wasn't just a "normal" SB run. They were undefeated. If the Pats were 13-3 and just another very good team and lost..I think you're exactly right. This would be the correct answer but they weren't 13-3.They were undefeated and had a chance to lay claim to the greatest season and the greatest team ever. For those thinking this was just a lost chance at a SB ring aren't fully realizing the magnitude of this loss.This was not only getting a ring, but being at the top of the hill of all the teams who have also won rings. To be on top of the 85 Bears. the 72 Dolphins, the 84 49ers, the 92 Cowboys.......all those teams. They lost much more than a SB.

 

[Reaper]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

I don't know about that. I was in Buffalo for that... There wasn't all this "Best Team ever, best QB ever, best season ever coupled with the CHEATING Crap. It was all about hard work and lunchpail mentality and they lost....yeah it was sad in Buffalo but, I don't think it compares.

 

[FlapJacks]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

Exactly. It would have been great to win and lay claim to 19-0, but it didn't happen. Being 4-1 in AFC Championships and 3-1 in SB's over the last 7 years sure does make it easier to bear. Sucks surely, but you can't win them all. At least they're typically in position to get it done.

It wasn't just a "normal" SB run. They were undefeated. If the Pats were 13-3 and just another very good team and lost..I think you're exactly right. This would be the correct answer but they weren't 13-3.They were undefeated and had a chance to lay claim to the greatest season and the greatest team ever. For those thinking this was just a lost chance at a SB ring aren't fully realizing the magnitude of this loss.This was not only getting a ring, but being at the top of the hill of all the teams who have also won rings. To be on top of the 85 Bears. the 72 Dolphins, the 84 49ers, the 92 Cowboys.......all those teams. They lost much more than a SB.

I agree. They lost the chance to be popping those "perfect season record is intact" champagne corks every season until they are as old and gray as Csonka, Shula and Griese.

 

[Road Warriors]

For Patriots fans, this loss has to sting more than it would have had they not been going for a perfect season. I can not imagine a more painful loss than this, other than maybe a team losing their 16th game in a season...

As a Dolphins fan and Patriots hater, I would not have scripted it any othe rway...this was truly a perfect season.

Thanks Giants!!!

Not even close. I was saying back around week 13 that if they weren't going to go undefeated, please lose one of the final games. The build up of the season coupled with a loss in the Super Bowl is the absolute worst case scenario for Pats fans, guaranteed. A week 16 loss would have been nothing in comparison.

Kudos to the Giants on a great game.

 

[Michael Brown]

For Patriots fans, this loss has to sting more than it would have had they not been going for a perfect season. I can not imagine a more painful loss than this, other than maybe a team losing their 16th game in a season...

As a Dolphins fan and Patriots hater, I would not have scripted it any othe rway...this was truly a perfect season.

Thanks Giants!!!

Not even close. I was saying back around week 13 that if they weren't going to go undefeated, please lose one of the final games. The build up of the season coupled with a loss in the Super Bowl is the absolute worst case scenario for Pats fans, guaranteed. A week 16 loss would have been nothing in comparison.

Kudos to the Giants on a great game.

I think he meant losing all 16.

 

[Sopranos]

IMO it was. With all the media and history talk going on. The NFL is ALOT larger part of the U.S. culture than it was in the Jets/Colt game.

 

[Bad_Mo]

For Patriots fans, this loss has to sting more than it would have had they not been going for a perfect season. I can not imagine a more painful loss than this, other than maybe a team losing their 16th game in a season...

As a Dolphins fan and Patriots hater, I would not have scripted it any othe rway...this was truly a perfect season.

Thanks Giants!!!

I bet you don't get paid to write.Instead of scribing worthless threads like this, you should focus on topics such as "How to improve the worst team in the NFL"..."Second to last place in the AFC East is Possible"..."The Dolphins are only as good as Ronnie Brown's last run; let's hope his knees hold up this year"...

 

[dudaman]

I know we're talking football here, but this loss is nothing compared to the pain of Bill Buckner's error. At least the Pats have won three recent SB's. The Sox hadn't won forever.

 

[PMENFAN]

Bills loss to the Giants was more painful. Pats have won many Super Bowls of recent times, which softens the blow a fair bit

Most painful? not really. I thought the Colts game last year was more painful. they were so dominant early, but then to see the scotch tape holding the secondary together lose it's tackiness as Peyton carved up the D, while Brady continually bounced back to keep them in the game. That was far more painful. In that game, both teams kept making plays, in spite of good defense. The Giants game was lost because of two dropped INT's. The giants eventually made the plays, but reality is if NE's defense grabe either of two poorly thrown balls, the game goes the other way. Both painful, surely. You never want to see your team lose a tight one. But, nobody's perfect. I'm just happy my team is such a success that other fans, with miserable teams, have to find satisfaction in the failure of my team, rather than the success of their own.

 

[fatness]

"they were who we thought they were"

 

[faux_bear]

For Patriots fans, this loss has to sting more than it would have had they not been going for a perfect season. I can not imagine a more painful loss than this, other than maybe a team losing their 16th game in a season...

As a Dolphins fan and Patriots hater, I would not have scripted it any othe rway...this was truly a perfect season.

Thanks Giants!!!

I bet you don't get paid to write.Instead of scribing worthless threads like this, you should focus on topics such as "How to improve the worst team in the NFL"..."Second to last place in the AFC East is Possible"..."The Dolphins are only as good as Ronnie Brown's last run; let's hope his knees hold up this year"...

Actually I have authored several journal articles and book chapters in the field of psychology. Although I must admit, my typing skills, like the '07 Patriots, aren't the best.And yes, I am very grateful that I was able to enjoy this Super Bowl as much as I did considering the sorry state of the Dolphins.

 

[faux_bear]

I wonder, would Pats fans trade their 3 other Super Bowl championships for a perfect season?

Super Bowl rings allow for bragging rights, and a proud sense of achievement and accomplishment...but a perfect 19-0 season would have been historic.