Week 1 losses that ultimately doomed a season

[Citizen]

The 1976 Buccaneers lost their first game and never really seemed to get over it.

[Gary Najman]

The 1976 Buccaneers lost their first game and never really seemed to get over it.

On the same line you can put the 2008 Detroit Lions. They played at Atlanta in their first game (the Falcons had finished the previous season at 4-12 in the Bobby Petrino head coaching fiasco, while the Lions were 7-9 in 2007) while being favorites by 3 points. They lost 34-21 and you know the rest.

[7DnBrnc53]

I think the 1980 loss that Houston had in Pittsburgh in Week 1 qualifies to a degree.

That was supposed to be the year that they were going to kick in the Steel Door. However, they came out of the gate 0-2, and they were 3-3 in Week 6 after a 26-7 loss at home to the soon-to-be 4-12 Seahawks and a 21-20 loss in Kansas City.

After that, they won all but two of their remaining games (one of them was to a bad Jet team in OT) to clinch a WC berth, but they were summarily dismissed by the eventual SB champ Raiders, 27-7.

[BD Sullivan]

I think the 1980 loss that Houston had in Pittsburgh in Week 1 qualifies to a degree.

That was supposed to be the year that they were going to kick in the Steel Door. However, they came out of the gate 0-2

Actually, they won in Week 2, an excruciatingly dull 16-7 MNF game at Cleveland:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 150cle.htm

[74_75_78_79_]

Do '89 Seahawks (defending division champs) qualify? Get belted at the Vet, 31-7, by Buddy's Birds then lose by 10 at home to the Cards, but least rebound to 4-4 respectablity mid-season en route to 7-9 finish.

[7DnBrnc53]

I think the 1980 loss that Houston had in Pittsburgh in Week 1 qualifies to a degree.

That was supposed to be the year that they were going to kick in the Steel Door. However, they came out of the gate 0-2

Actually, they won in Week 2, an excruciatingly dull 16-7 MNF game at Cleveland:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 150cle.htm

Oh, OK. Why did I think that they lost that game?

[74_75_78_79_]

Though they'd win their next 3 games - one of them MNF at last-year's playoff-qualifier Cards (sadly Young's last game) and the other the following week vs 3-0 SB-bound Titans - San Fran getting bombed at Jax, 41-3, in had to serve as a harbinger for '99.

[CSKreager]

Let me throw in the 1997 Raiders- High hopes amidst offseason splashes (Desmond Howard, Jeff George).

Get run over for 200 yards by Eddie George in week 1 at the Liberty Bowl, which carried over into week 2- MNF at KC, easily the most frustrating of all their 90s losses against Schottenheimer (27-14 lead, George pick 6, Grbac leads late winning TD drive).

If they're 1-1 instead of 0-2, MAYBE their season doesn't deteriorate the way it did?

[conace21]

I thought the same thing about the 1997 Raiders. Their third loss was the worst. They badly outgained the Jets, and didn't turn the ball over, but Cole Ford missed an incredible five kicks. He missed a PAT (which turned into two missed PAT's when the Raiders tried to go for a two point conversion and failed.) He also pushed three FG attempts wide, and had a fourth kick blocked and returned for a TD in the 4th quarter to give the Jets a one point lead. They held on to win 23-22.

[7DnBrnc53]

Let me throw in the 1997 Raiders- High hopes amidst offseason splashes (Desmond Howard, Jeff George).

Get run over for 200 yards by Eddie George in week 1 at the Liberty Bowl, which carried over into week 2- MNF at KC, easily the most frustrating of all their 90s losses against Schottenheimer (27-14 lead, George pick 6, Grbac leads late winning TD drive).

If they're 1-1 instead of 0-2, MAYBE their season doesn't deteriorate the way it did?

I remember that MNF game against KC. The defensive backs basically Rahim Moored the game away by not getting back far enough. Typical Raider lack of discipline in those days.