Blow Out Loss - Which Kind is Worse?

[TedyB54]

So, going into this Sunday both the Pats and the Dolphins are coming off big losses. The Pats got rolled by the undefeated Saints while the Phins were crushed by the last place Bills.

Got me thinking, which scenario says more about the status of a team?

Losing big to an elite team might seem to indicate that you're not one yourself. However, getting beat up badly by a team that's supposed to be less talented than you could also drop confidence in how far you'll make it.

Personally, I'd rather see the Pats lose big to a top team since there's at least some logical explanation as to why it happened. Make too many mistakes or fail to execute at your best and a very good team is going to make you pay for it.

If the Pats had gotten crushed by the Titans, for example, that would really would have opened up the flood gates for negative feedback.

Blow out losses bite either way and the "Any Given Sunday" rule is always a factor, but it seems that having one handed to you by a better team might not be the worst.

 

[363839]

As humiliating as the loss to the Saints was, the Indy loss was a real kick in the nvts, spear through the heart, crack in the skull, punch in the stomach, stab in the back, belt in the nose, boot to the ribs, knee to the groin, boot in the butt, slap in the face...aarrrggghhhh.
I need a Tylenol.:singing:

 

[DarrylS]

any loss is bad... the Indy loss sucked, the NOLA game was the first time I went to bed in the 4th quarter... so I guess the NOLA loss.

 

[xmarkd400x]

The Sports Guy: Levels of Losing 2.0 - ESPN Page 2

Indy loss: The alpha dog / (see 2006 AFCCG for the Role Reversal)

Level XIV: The Alpha Dog
Definition: It might have been a devastating loss, but at least you could take solace that a superior player made the difference in the end. ... Unfortunately, he wasn't playing for your team. ... You feel more helpless here than anything. ... For further reference, see any of MJ's games in the NBA Finals against Utah ('97 and '98).

Personal Memory: Flipping things around, remember Game 5 of the '99 ALDS (Red Sox-Indians), when Pedro Martinez came out of the bullpen and slammed the door on Cleveland's season? Six innings of no-hit ball with an injured shoulder? Nothing you could do about that. Pedro came jogging in from the bullpen like Clint Eastwood ... and Indians fans knew they were finished. See you next year.

Saints loss: Butt-kicking

Level IX: The Full-Fledged Butt-Kicking
Definition: Sometimes you can tell right away when it isn't your team's day. ... And that's the worst part, not just the epiphany but everything that follows -- every botched play; every turnover; every instance where someone on your team quits; every "deer in the headlights" look; every time an announcer says, "They can't get anything going"; every shot of the opponents celebrating; every time you look at the score and think to yourself, "Well, if we score here and force a turnover, maybe we'll get some momentum," but you know it's not going to happen, because you're already 30 points down. ... You just want it to end, and it won't end. ... But you can't look away. ... It's the sports fan's equivalent to a three-hour torture session.

Best Example: The 2001 NFC Championship (Vikings-Giants). The Giants took the kickoff, rolled down the field and scored in four plays. ... Minnesota fumbled the ensuing kickoff. ... Now the New York crowd was going bonkers, a sea of blue. ... Collins lofted a TD pass to the fullback -- 14-0. ... Fox's cameras caught Dennis Green staring at the field in shock. ... The Giants were whooping it up. ... Minnesota couldn't respond on offense. ... Madden was saying things like "There's just no fire on that Minnesota sideline" and "They just don't look crisp at all." ... Culpepper tossed an interception, followed by a Giants field goal (17-0). ... And that's when my buddy Geoff (a diehard Vikes fan) left a despondent message on my answering machine: "It's over."

Personal Memory: January '86. Pats-Bears. Super Bowl XX. Ugh. I was so nervous before that game, I watched it by myself, surrounded by all kinds of junk food, various magazines and newspapers and everything else you could imagine, like I was headed for Sports Fan War. And within 30 minutes, it was over. Watching Eason fold like an accordion, watching Grogan standing helplessly on the sidelines, watching the Bears dancing and jiving, watching the Pats roll over and die, watching the Bears whooping it up and, worst of all, watching the freaking Fridge score a touchdown. ... Good God almighty.

 

[JFK]

it really depends on the team..(a better team, an equally as good team, a rival, a team you played better than, a worse team, a weak team)

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

As humiliating as the loss to the Saints was, the Indy loss was a real kick in the nvts, spear through the heart, crack in the skull, punch in the stomach, stab in the back, belt in the nose, boot to the ribs, knee to the groin, boot in the butt, slap in the face...aarrrggghhhh.
I need a Tylenol.:singing:

I agree I'd rather just get my ass kicked like we did by N.O. than lose the way we did to Indy and have to hear everyone talk about it and criticize us for the whole week. The Indy loss was gut wrenching.

However, the Indy loss was a "better" loss. It proved we can go on the road and take it to another "elite" team for most of the game. We dominated Indy except for the last 5 minutes where everything blew up. The N.O. game was a "worse" loss because it exposed the defense. It's not a real great sign when you let a guy pass for a perfect QB rating vs you.

I took the Indy loss much harder, so emotionally and mentally I think the Indy loss was worse. But looking at the evaluation of the play, the N.O. one was obviously worse.

 

[Schmo]

Since it's the regular season, the Saints loss hurt more. After the Indy game, I felt like we would be able to beat them if we meet again. The Saints loss was VERY discouraging because it now seems like we have no clue how to beat the best team in the league, not to mention that we weren't able to even show up to a big game. OTOH, everyone would know that a blowout loss to a terrible team would be nothing but a fluke and the team would take it as a kick in the pants.

If it were the playoffs however, a close loss hurts WAAAYYYY more (i.e. Indy 2006, and of course the game that shall not be named). In a blowout loss in the playoffs, we would be able to walk away with a sense of closure, knowing that we werent the better team.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I don't think either the Colts or Saints truly rolled us. I look at the 1st game vs Buffalo a few years ago as a blow out ... when you get your butt kicked from the opening kickoff.