Your Team's Worst Defeat

[74_75_78_79_]

Was anxious for 7DnBrnc53s reply

Many would probably say the 55-10 demolition to SF in SB XXIV but the Broncos were never in that game
Also, SB XXXXVIII Vs. the Seattle.
Again, they were never in the game

Those losses sucked, and the Jags loss in 96 sucked, but the Raven loss in the 2012 AFC Playoffs was the worst.

In those Super Bowls, the better team won. And, the Jags deserved to win in 96 as well.

In 2012, the Ravens were handed the game by the officials, and they got a miracle pass to tie the game because of some idiot safety. They had no business being in that game.

I really should have mentioned '12 loss to Ravens. That bothered me so much as well! Also, IMO, Broncos beat Pats then beat Niners because they matchup better vs them; that makes this a game worth mention if not actually placing it at #1.

As a Cowboys fan, The Catch would be no. 1.

that was a punch to the gut, but a SB loss is the ultimate pain, so I'll go with SB V. the Cowboys were clearly better than the Colt, but found a way to lose.

I think that the Catch was worse for Dallas because it was the beginning of the end of their NFC dominance. SB V may have been a blessing in disguise. If they win with Morton, maybe they end up trading Staubach, and there is no way in heck they see five SB's in the 70's.

'Blessing in disguise?' Excellent point! Yes, that disquailies SBV from the Dallas heartbreakers; especially considering what happened...the very next year.

[Saban1]

Detroit Lions: 56 to 10 loss in the 1954 NFL championship game. Detroit was going for a NFL Championship Three-peat. If Lions win that game, then the 1950's Detroit Lions would be considered one of the greatest football teams in history.

As it was, Detroit was a great team with many great players. They probably get downgraded due to that game and the losing season that followed. Also, the fact that not as many people saw pro football on TV as in the years that followed their championship run from 1952 through 1957.

After 1957, the Detroit Lions seemed to have a curse on them or something.

[Ronfitch]

For the Chiefs, Christmas Day, 1971.

The NFL Films program about that game that aired few few years ago ... just heart-breaking to listen to Jan Stenerud talk about it and how he is still haunted by it.

[Saban1]

As a Giants fan, the Fumble....

The Fumble was a good choice for the Giants.

In 1966, the Giants set a record for giving up the most points in a season in 14 games (501 points). This record was not broken until after the NFL went to a 16 game season, and the record wasn't broken in 14 games.

Anyway, there were some games that were pretty bad that year, like the 52 to 7 loss to Dallas and the 55 to 10 loss to the Rams, and the season ending home loss to Dallas when the Cowboys, with the conference title wrapped up, alternated backup QB's Morton and Rhome, and still won 17 to 7.

The 2 worst in 1966 were, IMO:

(1) The 28 to 17 home loss to the then winless Falcons, who probably were one of the worst expansion teams of all time. The Falcons were probably not considered capable of beating anyone until they beat the Giants. Atlanta did end up beating St. Louis and Minnesota that year. St. Louis had just lost their starting QB, Charley Johnson, to an injury and proceeded to lose almost all the rest of their games.

Minnesota head coach Van Brocklin stubbornly kept QB Fran Tarkenton on the bench for the entire Falcons game, which led to an Atlanta win, and was part of the reason that Fran left Minnesota in 1967. Maybe that is why Atlanta later hired Van Brocklin as their head coach.

(2) The 72 to 41 loss to Washington. That game set records for total points scored (113) and regular season points scored by one team (Washington with 72) in one game. A great game to watch if you like high scoring games. Washington didn't have a very good defense either and at one point, QB Jurgensen was heard to say, "How many points do we have to score here?"

Sam Huff claimed to be responsible for Washington's rub it in field goal at the end of the game. Huff said that he wanted to get revenge on Giants head coach Allie Sherman for trading him to the Redskins after the 1963 season.

[SixtiesFan]

As a Giants fan, the Fumble....

The Fumble was a good choice for the Giants.

In 1966, the Giants set a record for giving up the most points in a season in 14 games (501 points). This record was not broken until after the NFL went to a 16 game season, and the record wasn't broken in 14 games.

Anyway, there were some games that were pretty bad that year, like the 52 to 7 loss to Dallas and the 55 to 10 loss to the Rams, and the season ending home loss to Dallas when the Cowboys, with the conference title wrapped up, alternated backup QB's Morton and Rhome, and still won 17 to 7.

The 2 worst in 1966 were, IMO:

(1) The 28 to 17 home loss to the then winless Falcons, who probably were one of the worst expansion teams of all time. The Falcons were probably not considered capable of beating anyone until they beat the Giants. Atlanta did end up beating St. Louis and Minnesota that year. St. Louis had just lost their starting QB, Charley Johnson, to an injury and proceeded to lose almost all the rest of their games.

Minnesota head coach Van Brocklin stubbornly kept QB Fran Tarkenton on the bench for the entire Falcons game, which led to an Atlanta win, and was part of the reason that Fran left Minnesota in 1967. Maybe that is why Atlanta later hired Van Brocklin as their head coach.

(2) The 72 to 41 loss to Washington. That game set records for total points scored (113) and regular season points scored by one team (Washington with 72) in one game. A great game to watch if you like high scoring games. Washington didn't have a very good defense either and at one point, QB Jurgensen was heard to say, "How many points do we have to score here?"

Sam Huff claimed to be responsible for Washington's rub it in field goal at the end of the game. Huff said that he wanted to get revenge on Giants head coach Allie Sherman for trading him to the Redskins after the 1963 season.

I recall watching on TV the Cowboys 17-7 win over the Giants in the last game of the 1966 season. The crowd was singing "Good-bye Allie, Goodbye Allie."

[Saban1]

Fran Tarkenton joining the Giants in 1967 helped Allie Sherman keep his job as head coach a bit longer.

Actually, Sherman did not do too a bad job in 1967, and the Giants made a run at the Century Division title that year. That New York team went from 1-12-1 in 1966 to 7 and 7 in 1967, thanks to Fran Tarkenton and some others like Vince Costello, Ernie Koy, Homer Jones, Spider Lockhart, Joe Morrison, and Aaron Thomas, etc.

There is a Coffin Corner article about that.

[John Grasso]

As a Giants fan, the Fumble....

(2) The 72 to 41 loss to Washington. That game set records for total points scored (113) and regular season points scored by one team (Washington with 72) in one game. A great game to watch if you like high scoring games. Washington didn't have a very good defense either and at one point, QB Jurgensen was heard to say, "How many points do we have to score here?"

They followed up that game the next week by again scoring 40 points and losing - this time to the Browns 49-40.
Has any other NFL/AFL team ever lost consecutive games where they scored 40 or more?

Answering my own question using PFR - since 1940 there have been 36 of these games but none by a team
in back-to-back weeks.

[BD Sullivan]

As a Giants fan, the Fumble....

(2) The 72 to 41 loss to Washington. That game set records for total points scored (113) and regular season points scored by one team (Washington with 72) in one game. A great game to watch if you like high scoring games. Washington didn't have a very good defense either and at one point, QB Jurgensen was heard to say, "How many points do we have to score here?"

They followed up that game the next week by again scoring 40 points and losing - this time to the Browns 49-40.

What made that loss worse was that they had a 34-14 lead early in the third quarter and still led 40-28 with under four minutes left! A collapse like that is something the 2016 Browns are capable of

[Saban1]

In that 1966 Giants game (49-40), Cleveland was coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss to Dallas that all but eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. Cleveland seemed down and played lethargically through most of the game. The field was quite slippery and this seemed to help the Giants early in the game (Clarence Childs returned the opening kickoff for a TD) and the Browns late in the game.

[BD Sullivan]

In that 1966 Giants game (49-40), Cleveland was coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss to Dallas that all but eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. Cleveland seemed down and played lethargically through most of the game. The field was quite slippery and this seemed to help the Giants early in the game (Clarence Childs returned the opening kickoff for a TD) and the Browns late in the game.

One pregame report listed the Browns as a 27-point favorite in the game, which seems absurd. However, there's no doubt they were huge favorites and almost took the prize for most embarrassing loss.