The most infamous loss in each NFL team's history

Sure, the Cardinals' 27-23 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII was a major disappointment for the franchise and its fans. However, was it as devastating as this Monday night collapse against the Bears? Arizona led 23-3 late in the third quarter, then the bottom fell out. Chicago's Mike Brown recorded a 3-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, then teammate Charles Tillman took a fumble back 40 yards for a score. Devin Hester capped the stunning comeback with an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown, sending late Cardinals coach Dennis Green into his infamous "The Bears are who we thought they were ...." postgame rant.

A game that still leaves Falcons fans in horror, and one that remains impossible to forget. After dominating Tom Brady and the Patriots during the first half, Atlanta led 28-3 in the third quarter. The Falcons would not score again, as the Pats produced the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Brady threw for three touchdowns, Dont'a Hightower delivered a key strip sack of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and James White capped the comeback with a 2-yard TD run in overtime.

The 2025 Ravens were far from great, and barely good. However, all they needed to do was make a 44-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to beat the Steelers in the regular-season finale and they'd win the AFC North. However, Tyler Loop missed the kick, and a rather excruciating season finished at 8-9. Soon after, the team parted ways with long-time coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens trudged into an uncertain offseason.

The words "wide right" are strictly taboo in Buffalo -- or to Bills fans around the globe. The Giants led 20-19 over the Bills in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of this entertaining Super Bowl. Scott Norwood, though, had the chance to be a hero and give Buffalo its first title. But, as any true NFL fan knows, Norwood missed his 47-yard attempt to the right — wide right. Four seconds remained for the Giants to run out the clock, but misery for Bills fans still lingers as three consecutive Super Bowl losses followed for the franchise. 

One of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever played was a tightly contested spectacle where the Panthers nearly managed to pull off the upset. Muhsin Muhammad's 85-yard touchdown catch from Jake Delhomme gave Carolina the lead, but the Patriots went back ahead, only for the Panthers to tie things on Ricky Proehl's 12-yard TD grab with 1:08 left in regulation. However, Tom Brady got the Pats in position for Adam Vinatieri to make a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining to end Carolina's Super Bowl-winning dreams.

In what's known as the "double-doink," with the Bears trailing by one point, Chicago's Cody Parkey was staring down a 43-yard-field goal with 10 seconds remaining in regulation to give his team the lead and likely an NFC wild-card game win. Instead, Parkey hit the left upright, then watched as the ball bounced off the crossbar and back into the field of play. The Eagles were credited with a block on the play, but, regardless, Chicago's season ended and Parkey never kicked for the team again. 

The Bengals are 0-3 in Super Bowls, losing them by a combined 12 points. The first two came against the 49ers, and with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Cincinnati led 16-13 following a Jim Breech 40-yard field goal. However, the Bengals ended up on the wrong end of one of the great game-winning drives in Super Bowl history. Joe Montana led San Francisco 92 yards, on 11 plays, and hit John Taylor for that famed 10-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in the game to leave Cincinnati short of a Super Bowl triumph for a second time.

This was a tough one, considering the Browns lost to the Broncos, in part due to "The Fumble" during the 1987 AFC title game. However, Cleveland was trailing when Earnest Byner put the ball on the ground in that contest. Here, in the conference championship game of the 1986 campaign, the Browns went ahead 20-13, at home, when Bernie Kosar hit Brian Brennan for a 48-yard touchdown strike with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. What followed, though, became known simply at "The Drive." John Elway led the Broncos to a tying score (5-yard TD pass to Mark Jackson) with 37 seconds remaining in regulation, capping a 15-play, 98-yard drive. Rich Karlis' 33-yard field goal in overtime officially crushed the Super Bowl hopes of Browns fans.

Also known as the "Ice Bowl." Played on New Year's Eve 1967, and with a trip to Super Bowl II on the line, temperatures dropped to more than minus-30 degrees (with the wind) and the Lambeau Field turf essentially became frozen solid. That said, the mostly-warm weathered Cowboys put up a massive fight and led 17-14 in the fourth quarter after Dan Reeves hit Lance Rentzel for a 50-yard touchdown hookup. However, in one of the most famous scoring plays in NFL postseason history, Green Bay's Bart Starr followed a Jerry Kramer block into the end zone for a 1-yard score in the waning seconds to give the hosts the come-from-behind victory.

Denver was  the AFC's No. 1 seed in the 2012-13 NFL playoffs, but the fourth-seeded Ravens ultimately won it all. And, this two-overtime thriller, en route to said title, remains one of the great games in league history. Though, not for Broncos fans. This was a back-and-forth contest throughout, and Denver led 35-28 in the fourth quarter, until they allowed Joe Flacco to complete a 70-yard touchdown bomb to Jacoby Jones that sent this game to overtime. Flacco's heave, which Denver defensive back Rahim Moore embarrassingly misplayed, came with 30 seconds left and the Ravens out of timeouts. Justin Tucker's 47-yard field goal in overtime ended Denver's once-special season much too early.

Leading 24-7 at halftime, the Lions could practically taste the juices of their first Super Bowl appearance. But, as we know, football is played in two halves. During the final two quarters of this conference title contest, the Lions fell apart -- dropped passes, poor tackling and coach Dan Campbell's continued aggressive nature over taking seemingly easy points via field goal. The result was 27 straight points from the 49ers, who pulled off one of the more stunning playoff comebacks of all time. Meanwhile, it was more postseason misery for Detroit.

Now, the Packers just suffered two stunning, heartbreaking defeats to the rival Chicago Bears during the 2025 regular season and playoffs, but who can forget this controversial result that's come to be known as the "Fail Mary." With replacement officials still on the field, the Packers appeared headed to a key road victory. Then the Seahawks' Russell Wilson heaved a final 24-yard pass into the end zone as time expired. It appeared Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings intercepted the pass, but fell on top of lying Seattle receiver Golden Tate, who ended up with the ball. Confusion among the officials, fans, and players ensued. After discussion and a video review, simultaneous possession was the call, thus giving the Seahawks a highly questionable touchdown and the comeback victory. Two days later, the referees' lockout ended.

During the 2016 season, the Texans overcame an 0-3 start to finish 11-5 and win the AFC South. They had plenty of momentum entering the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, but division foe Indianapolis had other ideas. Marlon Mack rushed for 148 yards and the Colts went 9-of-14 on third downs to claim the road victory and end what was an invigorating campaign for Houston.

We go back to when the Colts were based in Baltimore. Johnny Unitas was under center and the team was king of the NFL. As heavy favorites entering Super Bowl III, the Colts were expected to roll over the AFL New York Jets. However, "Broadway" Joe Namath made his famous brash prediction that the Jets would pull off a stunner — and he was right. New York held the Colts to 324 total yards and a late 1-yard touchdown run by Jerry Hill. It was a defining moment for the AFL side of the merger, which was finally worth taking seriously. At the mighty Colts' expense, of course.

In 1999, the Jaguars put together the greatest regular season in franchise history, going 14-2 and claiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The promise of its first Super Bowl berth grew stronger after Jacksonville routed Miami 62-7 in the divisional round, setting up a date with the Titans, who was responsible for the Jags' only two losses that season. Jacksonville led 14-7 late in the first half of this conference title contest, but never scored again. Tennessee ran off 26 unanswered points and forced six turnovers en route to ending the Jaguars' dream season.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were on the verge of recording their own dynasty, but the NFL was still the Patriots' world. Mahomes was shut out in the first half, as the Chiefs trailed 14-0 against Tom Brady and Co. However, he would throw three touchdowns in the second half, and Kansas City capped a back-and-forth fourth quarter with Harrison Bader's 39-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining to force overtime. Of course, the Chiefs could have won it in regulation, but Dee Ford's offside penalty on the Patriots' final go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth, erased Charvarius Ward's interception. Kansas City never touched the ball in OT, and Rex Burkhead's 2-yard touchdown run kept the hosts from the Super Bowl.

When the Raiders were Oakland, and a postseason regular, it appeared they have this divisional round contest in the bag. Leading 7-6 with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw tossed a pass intended for running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua, but the ball was deflected (either off Fuqua or Raiders star Jack Tatum; it remains up for debate) and into the hands of Steelers teammate Franco Harris, who caught it just before it hit the ground (maybe it actually touched the ground). Harris then rambled 60 yards for the game-winning score. To football fans, the play became forever known as the "Immaculate Reception."

From 1979-81, the San Diego Chargers won three straight AFC West Division titles. They also made back-to-back appearances in the conference championship during that span. This was the first of those trips, and the host Chargers were favored over the rival Raiders. However, Oakland jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter lead and never trailed. Chargers star Dan Fouts was picked off twice and completed just 48.9 percent of his passes. 

Back when the Rams were based in St. Louis, and looking for a second Super Bowl triumph in three seasons. The Rams were solid favorites to achieve that feat, and were even advertising victory parade plans in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But an upstart by the name of Tom Brady managed well under center for New England, and while the Rams' defense forced three turnovers, the young QB put them in position for Adam Vinatieri to make a 48-yard field goal as time expired to began. The victory began New England's Super Bowl dynasty, and ended the Rams' quest for such an accomplishment.

The Dolphins have not done much winning in recent years, but this Monday Night Football collapse from more than 25 years ago is still hard to stomach for fans of the team. Miami led the rival Jets 30-7 after three quarters. Then the trouble began. Vinny Testaverde, who was picked off three times by the Dolphins prior to the fourth, threw four touchdown passes in the final period, including a 3-yarder to lineman-eligible Jumbo Elliott, who bobbled the ball before bringing it home, with 42 seconds remaining to force overtime. John Hall then sealed Miami's fate with a 40-yard field goal for the unlikely win.

Yes, Minnesota has lost all four of its Super Bowl appearances, but this NFC title-game contest still makes its fans cringe. During the Vikings' remarkable 15-1 1998 regular season, veteran Gary Anderson connected on all 35 field-goal attempts. He then made his first four such tries during the postseason. But when he had the chance to put Minnesota up 10 points late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game against the Falcons, Anderson stunningly missed just wide left on a 38-yard field goal try. Atlanta then marched down the field for a tying touchdown pass with 49 seconds left in regulation and then pulled off the 30-27 upset via Morten Andersen's 38-yard field goal in overtime.

Two of New England's five Super Bowl losses have come against the New York Giants. The first of those came after one of the most entertaining and intense fourth quarters in Super Bowl history. Eli Manning and New York did not back down against the favored and then-undefeated Patriots. David Tyree's improbable helmet catch and Plaxico Burress' go-ahead 13-yard TD grab with under a minute to play led the Giants to a thrilling upset.

Will Lutz had just connected on a 43-yard field goal to give the Saints a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds remaining the fourth quarter. A berth in the NFC Championship game was on the cusp, then the Vikings pulled off the unthinkable. As time ran out in regulation and on Minnesota's season, Case Keenum connected with Stefon Diggs — the beneficiary of some poor Saints coverage — defensive back Marcus Williams, specifically, who then streaked alone down the sideline for a walk-off 61-yard touchdown. 

When it comes to infamous defeats, there might not be any like this one. The Giants led the rival Eagles 17-6 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, but the visitors got within five on Mike Hogan's 1-yard touchdown run. Then, as the Giants seemingly looked to run out the clock, quarterback Joe Pisarcik and running back Larry Csonka failed to execute a simple handoff. The ball bounced on the Meadowlands turf and Philadelphia's Herman Edwards scooped it up and darted 26 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 22 seconds left in the contest. To this day, it might be the most embarrassing loss in Giants history.

The Jets have managed just two winning seasons over the last 16 years, with this particular matchup with Pittsburgh their most recent playoff game. Following an 11-5 regular season and slim victories over Indianapolis and New England in the postseason, the Jets found themselves in the AFC Championship game. Unfortunately for New York, it fell behind 24-0 in the first half. However, they did make a game out of it by rallying back and holding the Steelers scoreless in the second half, only to fall short.

The Eagles have endured some deflating losses during the franchise's existence, but the most recent might sting for a while. Entering this Thanksgiving weekend game versus rival Dallas, Philadelphia was 8-2 and riding a four-game winning streak. It jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead and looked to be the likely victor. Then, Jalen Hurts regressed and the Eagles stopped running the ball. The Cowboys, meanwhile, scored 24 unanswered points and capped the comeback with Brandon Aubrey's walk-off, 42-yard field goal. That began a three-game slide for the Eagles, who still won the AFC East, but were upset by San Francisco in the wild-card round.

The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh is done, to many mixed feelings among Steelers and general football fans, but the truth is that the Steelers have not reached the Super Bowl since this 2010 campaign conclusion. Pittsburgh was 12-4 and filled with confidence back then, but Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay won its last two regular-season contests to earn a wild-card bid, then won three road games to reach the Super Bowl. That run continued as the Packers never trailed, and though the Steelers hung around, their three turnovers and inability to stop Rodgers when needed ultimately doomed any title chances. 

The 49ers have lost their last three Super Bowl appearances, with the last two trips coming against Kansas City. While the most recent, to conclude the 2024 season, ended in overtime, Super Bowl LIV remains one of the most devastating defeats in franchise history. Thanks to 10 third-quarter points, the 49ers led 20-10 entering the fourth, and feeling good about adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the case. Instead, it proved to be 15 minutes worth forgetting for the Niners and their fans. The Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points — including two Patrick Mahomes touchdown passes — in the fourth to record a rather decisive comeback.

Back in the 2014 season, Seattle was aiming for back-to-back Super Bowl titles, and led 24-14 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. But, the Seahawks had to stop Tom Brady, who was poised for yet another Super Bowl victory, and he delivered by tossing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to put the Patriots ahead. However, the Seahawks drove down to New England's 1 yard line. But, instead of handing the ball off to bruising star Marshawn Lynch on second down-and-goal, Russell Wilson's pass was intercepted at the goal line by rookie free agent Malcolm Butler with 20 seconds remaining. Talk about heartbreaking. And, also, what was Pete Carroll thinking?

In their first three NFL seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won seven games. Then in Year 4, the Bucs went 10-6 behind strong-armed quarterback Doug Williams, and reached the NFC Championship game against the Rams. Now, Tampa Bay has endured many, many grueling defeats. But to get this far so early in its existence and then not even score a point — while also not allowing a touchdown — and totaling just 177 yards remains quite memorably disappointing.

When it comes to agonizing finishes, Tennessee's loss to the Rams in this Super Bowl classic remains the gold standard — even ahead of Buffalo's "Wide Right" debacle. The Titans overcame a 16-0 deficit to tie the game with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, but they allowed Kurt Warner and Co. to quickly regain the lead on Isaac Bruce's 73-yard touchdown pass. However, Tennessee appeared it would at least have a chance to force overtime, but Rams linebacker Mike Jones' title-saving tackle on Kevin Dyson, just a single yard shy of the end zone as time expired, remains one of the great stops in NFL history.

This Super Bowl is best remembered for Miami capping its perfect 14-0 season with the victory. The 1972 Dolphins are still the most recent team to go an entire season without a loss. But within Washington football lore, this might still be a tough defeat to swallow. Washington, making its first Super Bowl appearance, went 11-3 during the regular season and was a one-point favorite over Miami. However, Washington, then known as the Redskıns, managed just 228 total yards, and quarterback Billy Kilmer was picked off three times.